I don't think there's anything prettier than grey dogwood in bloom. It looks like the plant is holding hundreds of lacy wedding bouquets. And this plant has pretty reddish foliage in spring and burgundy in fall. And it's the birds' single all-time favorite fruit.

My personal favorite shrub is Viburnum trilobum - mine has such a graceful shape, pretty flowers, edible berries and great fall color. I just love them!

I like broad leaved mountain mint (pycnanthemum muticum). It spreads like a mint, but attracts a lot of insects and turns an attractive gray during it's rather long bloom period. I wouldn't put it in a formal bed, but it's nice along a wood line or in a more informal area where it can spread out. I'm also a fan of swamp milkweeds and butterflyweed in that same setting.

Spigelia marilandica, Elliottia racemosa and Aesculus parviflora are all mighty nice in my opinion.

Rx

little blue stem grass.
prairie smoke for a forb.
not sure if i have a fav shrub.
hemlock forest.

froggy

Little bluestem is one of my very favorites! Excellent, throughout the year..but Wonderful fall colour! April

My favorite native is Phlox divaricata. I don't think it's particularly a wildlife favorite but it's beautiful and fragrant. My patch blooms for about 6 weeks and looks like a blue/lavendar cloud hovering above the woodland floor. It's just starting into bloom right now.

Bluebells, butterfly weed, blackeye susans,

Bloodroot, Virginia bluebells, Twinleaf, Any and all ferns, Blue cohosh, Snakeroot, Iris cristata, Trilliums,
Chrysogonum, Geranium maculatum, kalmia, dogwoods - bushes, trees and the lovely sub-shrub - C. canadensis, all viburnums to name just a few.

Tough question. If I had to pin point species they would include: Rhodendron cumberlandense, Lilium canadense, any of the Cypripediums...there are just too many nice ones. PF

Trilliums, Zenobia, Galax, Oxydendrum, Menziesia, Shortia, Clintonia, Rhododendron alabamense, Rhododendron nudiflorum, Uvularia, Eliottia, ...stop me!

Rx

I grow mostly prairie and a succession of Pasque Flower, blue false indigo, liatris and puprle coneflower on a backdrop of native grasses just can't beat!

I'd have to say for me in Southern Ontario it's plants like Jack in the Pulpit, all the Trilliums, Trout Lilies and one of my faves... Spotted Jewelweed.

Barb
s/w Ontario

i have an area that is a mix of culversroot, joepyeweed and ironweed... the white spires contrast nicely against the dark purple and light pink. it looks really awesome - even at night too.

Lewisia. A western plant that does well in my midwest garden in a south-facing raised bed. It is a small plant but has the most beautiful blooms.

Rhoda

Right now I am going nuts over penstemon smallii. It doesn't have a noticable scent, but it's been in bloom for 3 weeks, and looks like it might have another 3 to go!

GGG

Black cohosh (C. racemosa)--wonderful weird twisy stems in early spring, graceful form when fully up, very tall spires of fuzzy white with bees going nuts on them. I have the plain green form and a purple one.

Romneya coulteri. What could be more spectacular?

Here is a link that might be useful: Romneya

Ooooh, great thread! I am just getting started with natives, so I am eagerly awaiting all the responses here....

Being from the South I'd have to say some of my favorite natives are: wild azalea, dogwood, sassafras, elderberry & of course, the southern magnolia.

Common sunflower, Blue cohosh, Woodland sunflower, Groundnut. Regards, Peter.

I love penstemons, and, like GGG, love P. smallii. Another fave southeastern native is P. calycosus, which is really showy in bloom -- big fowers of bright rosy purple. And I like P. hirsutus, with its bright lavender purple and white blooms. Of course, the western penstemons are in another league, but they hate our TN humidity.

I also like every baptisia I've ever had the pleasure to know. And lastly my current off-the-beaten-track love is Monarda bradburiana, which looks great in bloom and is startlingly lovely in fall when the foliage turns bright plum. Plus it likes dry shade. I'm amazed it's not a more popular plant, actually.

Soeur

I love vaccinium. You get flowers, fruit and great fall color and they pretty much take care of themselves! I've got 'rabbit eye' blueberries, sparkleberry and v. darowii and I love them all.

My second favorites have to be the buckeyes; red, painted and bottlebrush.

Don't make me pick! But I know what wows other people - Passionflower! People are always surprised to find it is native.

And bigleaf magnolia.

There are lots, but two I particularly like are bunchberry (cornus canadensis, a micro-sized dogwood) and geum rivale, which is native to the East, but not here - not very showy, but very regal-looking. And, of course, miscellaneous anemones and violas. I can't resist those cute violas. And one more: Zigadenus elegans. Again, not very showy, but a beautiful, delicate feature.

Verbena canadensis. The flowers are lovely, and, if it has full sun, it blooms from late April til hard frost. Last year, my plant was in bloom for 212 days.

Here is a link that might be useful: Verbena canadensis

Coral Bean, Erythrina herbacea; Threadleaf Bluestar, Amsonia ciliata; Red Basil, Calamintha coccinea; Scarlet Hibiscus, Hibiscus coccineus; Sensitive Plant, Mimosa strigillosa; Leatherflower, Clematis crispa; Stokes Aster, Stokesia laevis; Fringe Tree, Chionanthus virginicus and Passionflower, Passiflora incarnata are the showy natives that pop into mind.
Carol of Butterfly Baby Food Land

the WOW factor? how about a stand of mixed New England Asters against a backdrop of goldenrod? Maybe with some New York Ironweed (Vernonia) next to it!

Ellen

Has anybody said Tiarella? It has spread so nicely in my woodland garden that right now it looks like a white cloud has settled in amongst the ferns, Trilliums, Iris cristata and jacks. Maybe not a "knockout" but when anyone sees it I get a lot of "ooooooh! what's that?".

snowbaby - thanks for that link! we were in San Diego last week & saw this plant blooming (in some out of the way places) & it's good to know it's indigenous.

my favorite right now is Penstemon cobaea; it's blooming for the first time and is magnificent. it has one of the largest P. blossoms, ranging from purple to white; ours is dark lavender, which I suppose could be interpreted as purple but it seems more subtle. :)

One I like is this primrose, Calylophus Drummondianus.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1057636}}

violets

Second the violets shadow.... I'd take em any time any way! :)

Biophilia, sensitive plant is an import from Asia somewhere, I believe, but definitely not a North American native. And I don't believe we have a native basil either.

And I'll second the tiarella. :) Love them!

There is a native basil, Satureja vulgaris, however most of the plants found in the southern US may be of European origin.

Lobelia Cardinalis (I don't think anyone has mentioned that..I'm shocked!), Eupatoriums, Lupinus Perennis and Centrosema virginianum.

*note: Please obtain Lupinus Perennis from a reputable source (like Prairie Moon).

I don't think anyone has mentioned Texas bluebonnets (several similar species of lupine). There is nothing more beautiful in spring than an expanse of bluebonnets and Texas paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa). Other favorites are winecups (Callirhoe involucrata) and scarlet buckeye (Aesculus pavia).

I would have to lean toward Johnny jump ups (Violas) When you consider you can eat them in Salads, that they are pretty, plentiful, and ever blooming in temps over 20 degrees, till heats above 90 take them away. They aren't i suppose completely native here, but due to their small seeds and plentiful seed production, they end up wild in many places. the classic color seems to be the most plentiful for wild growth, with the lavender- purple- yellow faces. From 4 plants last year the whole neighbor hood has a dozen each and I'm still left with them covering up my Hostas. Average growth is 10 inches height and width however i have had them go up to 2x2 ft. with them growing close together they can be very expansive. Actually i've had them sneak up in between tall plants like crinums and climb them to reach 3 ft in height. They will always find a way to survive and be seen. SO you have to give the Viola credit for being a fine looking and maintenance free ( till they die back) addition to any landscape.

Here are some photos of viola's

the first is a common occurance with them, they tend to want to take over spots. this is the same over the entire 34 ft length of the front garden.

{{gwi:1057637}}

These others are various colors, that i have growing in and around my 8 gardens, however these aren't in such vast quantity in any one spot like the color in first photo.

{{gwi:1057638}}

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