The Best Flowers and Grasses for Natural Landscaping in New England

Unless you’re an avid gardener and love tending to your plants on a daily basis, the goal of any landscaping project is self-maintenance. The best way to create a landscape where the plants are very likely to thrive and need little attention is to use plant species that are native to your area. The following is a list of some of the most popular, native New England plants. While all plants in the list need a little extra watering upon transplant from a pot to your yard, after just one season, they will establish themselves and should thrive with no extra work from you.

1. Moonbeam Coreopis: Has small, yellow blooms that look somewhat like daisies. Blooms June through October and is mildew resistant. Plants grow to about 24 inches tall and spreads to about 18 to 24 inches wide.

2. Liatris, also known as Gayfeather or Blazing Star: One of the most popular flowers in New England that often lines rock walls, this striking perennial has bright vertical blooms in pink and purple. The plant also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

3. Purple Dome New England Aster: A compact, purple flowering aster plant native to the region. From August to October the plant can be covered in blooms entirely.

4.Purple Coneflower: A stunning daisy like flowering plant with purple, pink or white blooms and orange centers. Attractive to butterflies and all types of birds.

5.Blanket Flower: These bright orange and plum colored blooms are a vibrant addition to any yard. The blooming season is also long; June through October.

Ornamental Grasses

1.Tall Switch Grass: Beautiful prairie grass native to the region that grows to be 4 to 8 feet tall. The stems are surprisingly erect and the ends have airy like pinkish blooms for a cloud like effect.

2.Little Bluestem and Big Bluestem: Nice looking grass that will grow in poor soil and likes full sun. The little version grows between 2 and 4 feet, while the big version can grow up 6 feet tall. Color is green to blue in summer and tan the fall.