Sun, Shade & Rain Garden
Selection criteria for our Top Ten Plant lists:
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Thrive in garden soil
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Grow successfully with cultivated plants
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Provide seasonal interest
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Offer an array of flower colors
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Create attractive foliage and flower color contrast especially for shade combinations
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Present an overall attractive appearance
Best Natives For Beginners – Sun
Top 10
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Allium cernuum
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Coreopsis palmata
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Dalea purpurea
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Echinacea pallida
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Geum triflorum
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Heuchera richardsonii
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Liatris spicata
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Pensetemon digitalis
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Sporobolus heterolepis
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Symphyotrichum laeve
Plants grow through photosynthesis, a process where carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using chlorophyll and light from the sun as an energy source. Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct. Listed below are plants that prefer sun.
Alexanders, Golden (Zizia aurea)
Alumroot, Prairie (Heuchera richardsonii)
Anemone, Meadow (Anemone canadensis)
Angelica, Great (Angelica atropurpurea)
Aster, Aromatic (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
Aster, Flat-top (Doellingeria umbellata)
Aster, Flax-leaved (Ionactis linariifolius)
Aster, Heath (Symphyotrichum ericoides)
Aster, New England (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Aster, Shining (Symphyotrichon puniceum)
Aster, Side-flowering (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)
Aster, Silky (Symphyotrichum sericeum)
Aster, Sky-blue (Symphyotrichum oolentangiensie)
Aster, Smooth Blue (Symphyotrichum laeve)
Aster, Stiff (Oligoneuron album)
Beardtongue, Foxglove (Penstemon digitalis)
Beardtongue, Hairy (Penstemon hirsutus)
Beardtongue, Pale (Penstemon pallidus)
Beardtongue, Smooth (Penstemon calycosus)
Bellflower, Tall (Campanula (Campanulastrum) americanum)
Bergamot, Wild (Monarda fistulosa)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Black-eyed Susan, Showy (Rudbeckia speciosa (fulgida) var. sullivantii (var. speciosa))
Black-eyed Susan, Sweet (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
Blazing Star, Cylindrical (Liatris cylindracea)
Blazing Star, Marsh (Liatris spicata)
Blazing Star, Prairie (Liatris pycnostachya)
Blazing Star, Rough (Liatris aspera)
Bluestem, Big (Andropogon gerardii)
Bluestem, Little (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Boneset, Common (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Boneset, False (Kuhnia (Brickellia) eupatorioides)
Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix)
Brome, Prairie (Bromus kalmii)
Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
Bulrush, Hard-stemmed (Schoenoplectus acutus)
Bulrush, Red (Scirpus pendulus)
Bulrush, River (Schoenoplectus fluviatilis)
Bulrush, Softstem (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani)
Bush Clover, Round-headed (Lespedeza capitata)
Bush Clover, Violet (Lespedeza violacea)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Cinquefoil, Prairie (Potentilla arguta)
Cinquefoil, Shrubby (Potentilla fruticosa)
Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum)
Coneflower, Gray-headed (Ratibida pinnata)
Coneflower, Pale Purple (Echinacea pallida)
Coneflower, Purple (Echinacea purpurea)
Cord Grass, Prairie (Spartina pectinata)
Coreopsis, Prairie (Coreopsis palmata)
Coreopsis, Sand (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Coreopsis, Tall (Coreopsis tripteris)
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa)
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata)
Fowl Manna Grass (Glyceria striata)
Gaura, Common (Gaura biennis var. pitcheri (longiflora))
Goldenrod, Broad-leaved (Solidago flexicaulis)
Goldenrod, Common Grass-leaved (Euthamia graminifolia)
Goldenrod, Early (Solidago juncea)
Goldenrod, Ohio (Oligoneuron ohioensis)
Goldenrod, Old-field (Solidago nemoralis)
Goldenrod, Riddell's (Oligoneuron riddellii)
Goldenrod, Showy (Solidago speciosa)
Goldenrod, Stiff (Oligoneuron rigidum)
Goldenrod, Swamp (Solidago patula)
Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
Hemlock, Water (Cicuta maculata)
Hyacinth, Wild (Camassia scilloides)
Hyssop, Purple Giant (Agastache scrophulariaefolia)
Illinois Bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis)
Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa)
Indigo, Cream Wild False (Baptisia leucophaea (bracteata var leucophaea))
Indigo, White Wild (Baptisia leucantha)
Iris, Blueflag (Iris virginica var. shrevei)
Ironweed, Common (Vernonia fasciculata)
Joe Pye Weed, Purple (Eupatorium (Eutrochium) purpureum)
Joe Pye Weed, Spotted (Eupatoriadelphus maculatus)
Joint Grass, Blue (Calamagrostis canadensis)
June Grass (Koeleria macrantha)
Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens)
Lily, Michigan (Lilium michiganense)
Lobelia, Great Blue (Lobelia siphilitica)
Loosestrife, Winged (Lythrum alatum)
Lovegrass, Purple (Eragrostis spectabilis)
Mad-dog Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Mallow, Glade (Napaea dioica)
Mallow, Swamp (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Meadow Parsnip, Heart-leaved (Zizia aptera)
Meadow Rue, Purple (Thalictrum dasycarpum)
Meadowstreet (Spiraea alba)
Milk Vetch, Canadian (Astragalus canadensis)
Milkweed, Common (Asclepias syriaca)
Milkweed, Swamp (Asclepias incarnata)
Milkweed, Whorled (Asclepias verticillata)
Mint, Common Mountain (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
Mint, Horse (Monarda punctata)
Mint, Ohio Horse (Blephilia ciliata)
Mint, Wild (Mentha arvensis)
Mint, Wood (Blephilia hirsuta)
Monkey Flower (Mimulus ringens)
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana ssp. virginiana)
Onion, Nodding Wild (Allium cernuum)
Onion, Wild (Allium canadense)
Parsnip, Tall Water (Sium suave)
Petunia, Wild (Ruellia humilis)
Phlox, Cleft (Phlox bifida)
Plantain, Common Water (Alisma subcordatum)
Prairie Clover, Purple (Dalea purpurea)
Prairie Clover, White (Dalea candida)
Praire Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum)
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
Prairie Panic Grass (Panicum (Dichanthelium) leibergii)
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Rose, Early Wind (Rosa blanda)
Rose, Illinois (Rosa setigera)
Rose, Pasture (Rosa carolina)
Rose, Swamp (Rosa palustris)
Rosin Weed (Silphium integrifolium)
Rush, Common (Juncus effusus)
Rush, Dark Green (Scirpus atrovirens)
Rush, Path (Juncus tenuis)
Rush, Torrey's (Juncus torreyi)
Satin Grass, Common (Muhlenbergia frondosa)
Satin Grass, Leafy (Muhlenbergia mexicana)
Sedge, Bebb's Oval (Carex bebbii)
Sedge, Bristly Cattail (Carex frankii)
Sedge, Broad-leaved Wooly (Carex pellita)
Sedge, Brown Fox (Carex vulpinoidea)
Sedge, Common Hop (Carex lupulina)
Sedge, Common Lake (Carex lacustris)
Sedge, Copper-shouldered Oval (Carex bicknellii)
Sedge, Crested Oval (Carex cristatella)
Sedge, Crowfoot Fox (Carex crus-corvi)
Sedge, Deflexed Bottlebrush (Carex retrorsa)
Sedge, Few-panicled (Carex prairea)
Sedge, Fox (Carex stipata)
Sedge, Fringed (Carex crinita)
Sedge, Green-headed Fox (Carex conjuncta)
Sedge, Hairy-leaved Lake (Carex atherodes)
Sedge, Knobbed Hop (Carex lupuliformis)
Sedge, Lance-fruited Oval (Carex scoparia)
Sedge, Long-awned Bracted (Carex gravida)
Sedge, Narrow-leaved Cattail (Carex squarrosa)
Sedge, Palm (Carex muskingumensis)
Sedge, Plains Oval (Carex brevior)
Sedge, Porcupine (Carex hystericina)
Sedge, Riverbank (Carex emoryi)
Sedge, Running Marsh (Carex sartwellii)
Sedge, Short-headed Bracted (Carex cephalophora)
Sedge, Short's (Carex shortiana)
Sedge, Tussock (Carex stricta)
Sedge,Yellow Fox (Carex annectens)
Seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia)
Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia)
Side-oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)
Spiderwort, Common (Tradescantia ohiensis)
Spikenard (Aralia racemosa)
St. Johnswort, Great (Hypericum pyramidatum (ascyron))
St. Johnswort, Spotted (Hypericum punctatum)
Starry Campion (Silene stellata)
Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)
Stonecrop, Ditch (Penthorum sedoides)
Stonecrop, Wild (Sedum ternatum)
Sunflower, Downy (Helianthus mollis)
Sunflower, False (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Sunflower, Western (Helianthus occidentalis)
Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus)
Sweet Grass (Hierochloe odorata)
Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum)
Thimbleweed (Anemone cylindrica)
Tick Trefoil, Illinois (Desmodium illinoense)
Tick Trefoil, Showy (Desmodium canadense)
Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
Vervain, Blue (Verbena hastata)
Vervain, Hoary (Verbena stricta)
Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana)
Water Horehound, Common (Lycopus americanus)
Wedge Grass, Slender (Sphenopholis intermedia)
Wild Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata)
Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)
Wild Rye, Canada (Elymus canadensis)
Wild Rye, Virginia (Elymus virginicus)
Wild Senna (Cassia (Senna) hebecarpa)
Wild Timothy, Marsh (Muhlenbergia glomerata)
Wingstem (Actinomeris alternifolia)
Wool Grass (Scirpus cyperinus)
Best Natives for Beginners - Shade
Top 10
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Aquilegia canadensis
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Asarum canadense
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Athyrium, filix-femina
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Carex pensylvanica
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Carex rosea
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Geranium maculatum
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Phlox divaricata
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Polemonium reptans
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Polygonatum biflorum
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Thalictrum dioicum
The amount of shade a plant can tolerate varies on its ability to produce carbohydrates through photosythesis at the lower energy levels available to the plant at less light. Shade-tolerant plants are typically more energy efficient and typically more adapted to the more nutrient-rich soils of the woodland floor. Morning light is considered cooler while afternoon light can be considerably hot. A plant's ability to grow and thrive in different soil types and varying levels of light and soil moisture depends on the region in which it evolved over time.
Listed below are plants that prefer shade.
Aster, Big-leaved (Eurybia macrophylla)
Aster, Short's (Symphyotrichum shortii)
Beak Grass (Diarrhena americana)
Beardtongue, Hairy (Penstemon hirsutus)
Brome, Ear-leaved (Bromus latiglumis)
Brome, Woodland (Bromus pubescens)
Columbine, Wild (Aquilegia canadensis)
Fescue, Nodding (Festuca subverticillata)
Figwort, Late (Scrophularia marilandica)
Geranium, Wild (Geranium maculatum)
Goldenrod, Blue-stemmed (Solidago caesia)
Goldenrod, Broad-leaved (Solidago flexicaulis)
Goldenrod, Elm-leaved (Solidago ulmifolia)
Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans)
Knotweed, Woodland (Polygonum virginianum)
Loosestrife, Narrow-leaved (Lysimachia quadriflora)
Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale)
Phlox, Woodland (Phlox divaricata)
Reed, Common Wood (Cinna arundinacea)
Saxifrage, Swamp (Saxifraga pensylvanica)
Sedge, Awned Graceful (Carex davisii)
Sedge, Bristly (Carex comosa)
Sedge, Common Bur (Carex grayi)
Sedge, Common Oak (Carex pensylvanica)
Sedge, Common Wood (Carex blanda)
Sedge, Curly-styled Wood (Carex rosea)
Sedge, Grass (Carex jamesii)
Sedge, Long-stalked Hummock (Carex pendunculata)
Sedge, Purple-sheathed Graceful (Carex gracillima)
Sedge, Short-headed Bracted (Carex cephalophora)
Sedge, Spreading Oval (Carex normalis)
Sedge, Straight-styled Wood (Carex radiata)
Snakeroot, White (Ageratina altissima)
Stonecrop, Wild (Sedum ternatum)
Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Two-flowered Cynthia (Krigia biflora)
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana)
Waterleaf, Virginia (Hydrophyllum virginianum)
Wild Rye, Riverbank (Elymus riparius)
Wild Rye, Silky (Elymus villosus)
Best Natives for Beginners - Sun Rain Garden
Top 10
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Asclepias incarnata
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Carex vulpinoidea
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Coreopsis palmata
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Iris virginica var. shrevei
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Liatris spicata
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Lobelia siphlitica
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Parthenium integrifolium
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Physostegia virginiana
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Pycnanthemum virginianum
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Symphyotrichum laeves
Shade Rain Garden
Top 10
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Aquilegia canadensis
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Carex muskingumensis
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Carex sprengelii
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Eupatorium purpureum
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Iris virginica shrevei
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Lobelia cardinalis
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Lobelia siphlitica
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Solidago flexicaulis
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Symphyotrichum lateriflorum
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Thalictrum dioicum
A Rain Garden is a shallow, flat depression, 4-8" deep, planted with native plants and/or other species, that are adapted to the expected moisture conditions of the garden. They are located in the landscape to collect and hold rain water run-off from surrounding surfaces such as turf, pavement and roofs. Typically, rain gardens fill with water after a storm, which slowly soaks into the ground within 24 hours. Rain gardens are dry between rainfall events.
Listed below are the plants used for a Rain Garden.
Alexanders, Golden (Zizia aurea)
Angelica, Great (Angelica atropurpurea)
Aster, Flat-top (Doellingeria umbellata)
Aster, Side-flowering (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)
Aster, Shining (Symphyotrichon puniceum)
Aster, Smooth Blue (Symphyotrichum laeve)
Bergamot, Wild (Monarda fistulosa)
Blazing Star, Marsh (Liatris spicata)
Blazing Star, Prairie (Liatris pycnostachya)
Blazing Star, Rough (Liatris aspera)
Boneset, Common (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Columbine, Wild (Aquilegia canadensis)
Coneflower, Pale Purple (Echinacea pallida)
Cord Grass, Prairie (Spartina pectinata)
Coreopsis, Prairie (Coreopsis palmata)
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
Goldenrod, Broad-leaved (Solidago flexicaulis)
Goldenrod, Common Grass-leaved (Euthamia graminifolia)
Goldenrod, Ohio (Oligoneuron ohioensis)
Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
Iris, Blueflag (Iris virginica var. shrevei)
Ironweed, Common (Vernonia fasciculata)
Joe Pye Weed, Purple (Eutrochium purpureum)
Lily, Michigan (Lilium michiganense)
Lobelia, Great Blue (Lobelia siphilitica)
Loosestrife, Winged (Lythrum alatum)
Mallow, Glade (Napaea dioica)
Meadowstreet (Spiraea alba)
Milkweed, Swamp (Asclepias incarnata)
Monkey Flower (Mimulus ringens)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana ssp. virginiana)
Parsnip, Tall Water (Sium suave)
Petunia, Wild (Ruellia humilis)
Plantain, Common Water (Alisma subcordatum)
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
Rush, Dark Green (Scirpus atrovirens)
Rush, Torrey's (Juncus torreyi)
Sedge, Awned Graceful (Carex davisii)
Sedge, Bebb's Oval (Carex bebbii)
Sedge, Bristly (Carex comosa)
Sedge, Bristly Cattail (Carex frankii)
Sedge, Broad-leaved Wooly (Carex pellita)
Sedge, Brown Fox (Carex vulpinoidea)
Sedge, Common Bur (Carex grayi)
Sedge, Common Hop (Carex lupulina)
Sedge, Common Lake (Carex lacustris)
Sedge, Common Oak (Carex pensylvanica)
Sedge, Common Wood (Carex blanda)
Sedge, Copper-shouldered Oval (Carex bicknellii)
Sedge, Crested Oval (Carex cristatella)
Sedge, Curly-styled Wood (Carex rosea)
Sedge, Deflexed Bottlebrush (Carex retrorsa)
Sedge, Grass (Carex stipata)
Sedge, Fringed (Carex crinita)
Sedge, Grass (Carex jamesii)
Sedge, Green-headed Fox (Carex conjuncta)
Sedge, Hairy-leaved Lake (Carex atherodes)
Sedge, Knobbed Hop (Carex lupuliformis)
Sedge, Lance-fruited Oval (Carex scoparia)
Sedge, Long-stalked Hummock (Carex pendunculata)
Sedge, Narrow-leaved Cattail (Carex squarrosa)
Sedge, Palm (Carex muskingumensis)
Sedge, Plains Oval (Carex brevior)
Sedge, Porcupine (Carex hystericina)
Sedge, Purple-sheathed Graceful (Carex gracillima)
Sedge, Riverbank (Carex emoryi)
Sedge, Running Marsh (Carex sartwellii)
Sedge, Short's (Carex shortiana)
Sedge, Spreading Oval (Carex normalis)
Sedge, Straight-styled Wood (Carex radiata)
Sedge, Tussock (Carex stricta)
Sedge,Yellow Fox (Carex annectens)
Seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia)
Spikenard (Aralia racemosa)
Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)
Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus)
Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Vervain, Blue (Verbena hastata)
Water Horehound, Common (Lycopus americanus)
Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)
Wild Senna (Cassia (Senna) hebecarpa)
Wool Grass (Scirpus cyperinus)