Latin Name
Common Name
Lobelia siphilitica
Key Characteristics
Height Color
Comments
great blue lobella
2'–3'
Blue/Purple
Good nectar source; exceptional bumble bee plant
Morella pensylvanica
common bayberry
5'–12'
–
Salt tolerant; female plants have waxy coated fruit
Muhlenbergia capillaris
hair-awn muhly
2'–3'
–
Warm season grass; clouds of feathery pink blooms
Nyssa sylvatica
sour gum
30'–50'
Red/Pink
Brilliant fall color
Oxydendrum arboreum
sourwood
25'–30'
White
Fragrant flowers in drooping panicles; good fall color
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Mindia’
Coppertina® Atlantic ninebark
5'–10'
White
Attractive flower clusters; exfoliating bark; fall color
Quercus coccinea
scarlet oak
70'–75'
–
Fast growing large tree; supports many native insects and wildlife
Rhexia virginica
Virginia meadow-beauty
1'–2'
Red/Pink
Good for pond edges
Rhus copallinum
winged sumac
7'–15'
Yellow
Attractive fall color; naturalizes well
Sambucus canadensis
American elderberry
5'–12'
White
Can form colonies; fruit is edible; fragrant flowers
Sassafras albidum
common sassafras
30'–60'
Yellow
Good fall color; can form thickets
Schizachyrium scoparium
little bluestem
2'–4'
–
Attractive warm season grass; tolerates drought
Solidago caesia
blue-stemmed goldenrod
1'–3'
Yellow
One of the few goldenrods tolerant of shade
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’
Fireworks wrinkle-leaf goldenrod
3'–4'
Yellow
Tolerates moist soil
Solidago speciosa
showy goldenrod
3'–5'
Yellow
Drought tolerant; dense cluster of blooms
Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’ Golden fleece autumn goldenrod
12"–18"
Yellow
Plants form mat-like groundcover
Sorghastrum nutans
yellow Indiangrass
3'–5'
–
Attractive grass; spreads readily by seeds
Spiranthes odorata
fragrant ladies’-tresses
9"–18"
White
Fragrant flowers; can form colonies
Sporobolus heterolepis
prairie dropseed
18"–36"
–
Soft–textured mounds; long-lived, refined plant
Symphyotrichum cordifolium
blue wood aster
2'–4'
Blue/Purple
Masses of attractive flowers; readily reseeds
Symphyotrichum georgianum
Georgia aster
2'–4'
Blue/Purple
Attractive large flower heads
Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve ‘Bluebird’
Bluebird smooth aster
2'–4'
Blue/Purple
Best overall aster in Mt. Cuba Center trial
Symphyotrichum novae–angliae New England aster
1'–8'
Blue/Purple
Purple Dome; mounded habit
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium October Skies aromatic aster ‘October Skies’
1'–3'
Blue/Purple
Tolerates poor soil and drought; masses of blooms
Vernonia noveboracensis
New York ironweed
4'–6'
Blue/Purple
Effective in meadows and naturalized areas
Viburnum acerifolium
mapleleaf viburnum
3'–6'
White
Striking pinkish-purple foliage display in autumn
Viburnum dentatum
arrowwood
9'
White
Great for screening and wildlife habitat
Viburnum prunifolium
black haw
10'–20'
White
Large multi-stemmed shrub or small tree
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
yellowroot
2'–3'
Red/Pink
Spreading roots can hold erosion prone areas
For a list of businesses that sell native plants or seeds, visit mtcubacenter.org/directory.
Download this plant list at mtcubacenter.org/plantsoffall 3120 Barley Mill Road / Hockessin, DE 19707 / 302.239.4244
Latin Name
Common Name
Acer rubrum
red maple
40'–80'
Red/Pink
Attractive deciduous tree; vivid red fall color
Aconitum uncinatum
climbing monkshood
2'–5'
Blue/Purple
Perennial vine; weakly erect or leaning on other plans
Actaea pachypoda
white baneberry
20"–30"
White
Easily grown and long-lived; poisonous; also called doll’s eyes
Actaea podocarpa
American bugbane
3'–6'
White
Flowers lack petals; stamens are showy like a bottlebrush
Ageratina altissima var. altissima
white snakeroot
1'–4'
White
Mammalian herbivores, including deer, generally avoid
Amsonia hubrichtii
Hubricht’s bluestar
2'–3'
Blue/Purple
Long-lived perennial; golden yellow fall color
Add beauty and attract beneficial wildlife to your home landscape with these native plants, chosen for their seasonal interest and ecological benefits. Find all of these plants in Mt. Cuba’s gardens, marked by a plant highlight label (shown above).
Andropogon virginicus
broomsedge bluestem
4'
–
Warm season grass; tolerates nutrient poor soil
Aronia melanocarpa
black chokeberry
3'–6’
White
Showy fruit; purple/red fall color; can form colonies
Asimina triloba
pawpaw
15'–20'
Red/Pink
Forming thickets from root sprouts; fruit is edible
Callicarpa americana
American beautyberry
3'–8'
Red/Pink
Grown for the berry-like purple fruit clustered on stems
Carya ovata
shagbark hickory
70'–100'
–
Slow–growing; long-lived; great fall color
To learn more about Mt. Cuba Center’s featured seasonal plants, register for our Native Plants of Spring, Summer, and Fall courses at mtcubacenter.org.
Chasmanthium latifolium
wild oats
2'–5'
–
Clump forming grass; ornamental seed heads
Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’
Hot Lips Lyon’s turtlehead
16"–40"
Red/Pink
Doesn’t tolerate drought; excellent choice for containers
Conoclinium coelestinum
mistflower
1'–3'
Blue/Purple
Lavender stamens produce the fuzzy appearance of the flower
Coreopsis tripteris
tall tickseed
6'–9'
Yellow
Prolonged bloom time from late-summer to early-fall
Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’
Winter King green hawthorn
20'–35'
White
Ornamental bright red persistent fruit
Deschampsia cespitosa
tufted hairgrass
12"–42"
–
Cool season grass; tolerates heavy soils; tall cloud-like blooms
Full Sun
Diospyros virginiana
common persimmon
30'–50'
–
Desirable edible fruit used for breads, jams; wildlife value
Part Shade/Part Sun
Euonymus americanus
bursting–heart
4'–6'
Yellow
Unusual attractive orange-red seeds
Eupatorium hyssopifolium
hyssop–leaf thoroughwort
1'–3'
White
Clouds of tiny white flowers; effective in meadows
Eurybia divaricata
white wood aster
1'–3'
White
Zig-zag stems; nectar plant for butterflies and insects
Euthamia caroliniana
slender goldentop
1'–3'
Yellow
Can spread aggressively; suitable for meadows
Franklinia alatamaha
franklinia
10'–20'
White
Small tree; visited by bumblebees and swallowtail butterflies
Gentiana clausa
closed bottle gentian
20"–30"
Blue/Purple
Bumblebees push their way into closed corolla lobes
Hamamelis virginiana
common witch–hazel
15'–20'
Yellow
Fragrant flowers can bloom October through December
Shrub
Helianthus angustifolius
swamp sunflower
2'–5'
Yellow
Important late nectar and pollen source
Herbaceous (Not Woody)
Heuchera villosa
hairy alumroot
2'–3'
White
Heat and humidity tolerant; clump forming
Vine
Ilex opaca
American holly
5'–40'
White
Female plants with ornamental red berries; need two for pollination
Grass or Grass-like
Ilex verticillata
winterberry
6'–8'
White
Ornamental with red berries; need two for pollination
Juniperus virginiana
eastern red cedar
30'–65'
–
Great for screening; berry like cones attract birds
Lindera benzoin
spicebush
6'–12'
Yellow
Aromatic; female plants produce red fruits
Liquidambar styraciflua
sweet gum
60'–80'
–
Attractive fall colors ranging from yellow to orange, red and purple
CHARACTERISTICS LEGEND
Full Shade Moist to Wet Soil Average, Well-drained Soil Dry Soil Tree
Pollinator/Wildlife Significance Generally available at Garden Centers
Key Characteristics
Height
Color
Comments
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