The Northeast is home to a spectacular array native plants. With their bright flowers, textured bark, intense fall foliage and colorful fruits, many natives make excellent garden plants.

In addition to their beauty, native trees and shrubs also offer several other benefits, they’re low-maintenance, adaptable, hardy and offer multi-season interest.

• Low maintenance

  Aside from regular watering during their first season, most native plants require little maintenance. In general they’re resistant to disease and insects and do not require fertilization or protection in the winter.

• Adaptable

  Because soil types, light conditions and temperatures change so rapidly and vary so much throughout this region, many native trees and shrubs are able to survive in wide range of conditions.

• Hardy

  They are naturally occurring in the local environment so they actually thrive even after the harshest New England winter.

• Year-round interest

  Most offer a combination of flowers, fruit/berries and fall color.

• Good for local ecology

  By planting native plants, you are restoring part of the natural ecology that is slowly being overtaken by the invasive offspring of non-native species of trees and shrubs. Also, they help support the population of native animals, by supplying a food source as well as shelter.