Native plants

Native Plants of New York

New York runs from the Atlantic coast and Hudson Valley clay to the cool forests of the Adirondacks and Catskills, so its native plants are built for cold winters, humid summers, and varied soils. Planting natives means less watering once established and far more life in the garden — from migrating monarchs to native bees, hummingbirds, and songbirds. The picks below are hardy, regionally adapted perennials and shrubs that flower and fruit through the Northeast season. Choose those suited to your conditions and the habitat largely cares for itself.

Native picks for New York

1. New England Aster

   Perennial

   Tall sprays of purple, gold-centered flowers bloom in fall when little else does, providing one of the most important late-season nectar sources for migrating monarchs and native bees stocking up for winter.

2. Wild Bergamot

   Perennial

   Its lavender, ragged flower heads bloom through summer on a drought-tough perennial, drawing in long-tongued bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while the aromatic foliage is largely left alone by deer.

3. Butterfly Weed

   Perennial

   A clump-forming milkweed with brilliant orange flowers that serves as a host plant for monarch caterpillars and a rich nectar source for butterflies and native bees through midsummer.

4. Cardinal Flower

   Perennial

   Spikes of vivid scarlet blooms light up wet edges and rain gardens in late summer, perfectly shaped for ruby-throated hummingbirds that are among its main pollinators in the Northeast.

5. Black-Eyed Susan

   Perennial

   Golden daisies bloom for weeks on a tough, sun-loving perennial, feeding native bees and butterflies, while the spent seed heads draw goldfinches and other songbirds into fall and winter.

6. Serviceberry

   Shrub

   Early white spring blooms feed emerging native bees, followed by sweet purple berries that birds devour in summer, on a small tree or shrub with fiery fall color suited to most New York soils.

7. Highbush Blueberry

   Shrub

   Bell-shaped spring flowers are a favorite of bumblebees and other native pollinators, and its summer fruit feeds dozens of bird species, on a hardy native shrub that glows crimson in autumn.