Native Plants in Washington, D.C.
The native plants that belong in Washington, D.C. gardens — grouped by sun, soil, and wildlife value.
24 native plants suit Washington, D.C.'s ecoregions and USDA zones 7–7. Below they're grouped by how you'd use them — full sun, shade, wet soil and rain gardens, dry, drought-prone ground, deer-resistant picks, groundcovers, pollinators, birds and hummingbirds — with a species table and when to plant.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
When to plant natives in Washington, D.C.
Plant after your last spring frost, around April 8. Fall is often even better for perennials and shrubs — the soil is still warm and roots settle before winter, ahead of the first frost around October 29.
For full sun
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Wild Lupine Lupinus perennis
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
- Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum
- Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
- Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus
- Winterberry Ilex verticillata
For shade
- Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica
- Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
- Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Spicebush Lindera benzoin
- Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
- Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida
- Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
For wet soil & rain gardens
- Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
- Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
- Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Spicebush Lindera benzoin
- Winterberry Ilex verticillata
For dry, drought-prone spots
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Wild Lupine Lupinus perennis
- Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum
- Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus
- Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Deer-resistant
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Wild Lupine Lupinus perennis
- Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum
- Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica
- Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
- Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- Spicebush Lindera benzoin
- New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus
- Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Groundcovers
- Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
- Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
- Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
For pollinators
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Wild Lupine Lupinus perennis
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
- Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum
- Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
- Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica
- Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
- Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Spicebush Lindera benzoin
For birds
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Spicebush Lindera benzoin
- Winterberry Ilex verticillata
- Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida
- Trumpet Honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens
- Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
For hummingbirds
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
- Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus
- Trumpet Honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens
Identify Washington, D.C. wildflowers by color
| Bloom color | Native wildflowers (typical U.S. bloom) |
|---|---|
| Blue | Wild Lupine — Blue-violet (Apr–Jun), Virginia Bluebells — Sky blue (Mar–May) |
| Gold | Cup Plant — Yellow (Jul–Sep) |
| Pink | Common Milkweed — Dusty mauve-pink (Jun–Jul), Swamp Milkweed — Rose pink (Jul–Aug), Obedient Plant — Pink (Aug–Sep), Creeping Phlox — Pink to lavender (Apr–May) |
| Red | Cardinal Flower — Electric scarlet (Jul–Sep), Wild Ginger — Hidden maroon (Apr–May) |
| Silver | Short-Toothed Mountain Mint — Silvery bracts (Jul–Sep) |
| White | Foxglove Beardtongue — White (May–Jun) |
Bloom months are a typical window across the species' U.S. range, not a local calendar — the same plant opens weeks later in the north and at altitude than it does in the south. Use it for ordering the season, and let the plants in front of you set the dates.
All 24 native plants for Washington, D.C.
| Plant | Type | Sun | Soil moisture | Height | Typical bloom (U.S.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 3–5 ft | Jun–Jul |
| Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 3–4 ft | Jul–Aug |
| Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis | Perennial wildflower | Part sun / Full sun | Wet / Medium | 2–4 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 2–4 ft | May–Jun |
| Wild Lupine Lupinus perennis | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Dry | 1–2 ft | Apr–Jun |
| Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 5–8 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Dry | 2–3 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 2–4 ft | Aug–Sep |
| Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica | Spring ephemeral | Part sun / Shade | Medium / Wet | 1–2 ft | Mar–May |
| Wild Ginger Asarum canadense | Groundcover | Shade / Part sun | Medium | 4–8 in | Apr–May |
| Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides | Fern | Shade / Part sun | Medium / Dry | 1–2 ft | — |
| Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata | Groundcover | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 4–8 in | Apr–May |
| Switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Ornamental grass | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium / Wet | 3–6 ft | — |
| Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 5–10 ft | Jun–Aug |
| Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium / Wet | 5–10 ft | May–Jun |
| Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun / Shade | Medium / Wet | 6–10 ft | May–Jun |
| Spicebush Lindera benzoin | Shrub | Part sun / Shade | Medium / Wet | 6–12 ft | Mar–Apr |
| New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Dry | 2–3.5 ft | May–Jul |
| Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens | Shrub | Part sun / Shade | Medium | 3–5 ft | Jun–Aug |
| Winterberry Ilex verticillata | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 5–10 ft | Jun–Jul |
| Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis | Small tree | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Dry | 20–30 ft | Mar–Apr |
| Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida | Small tree | Part sun / Shade | Medium | 15–25 ft | Apr–May |
| Trumpet Honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens | Vine | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 8–15 ft | Apr–Sep |
| Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | Full sun / Part sun / Shade | Dry / Medium | 30–50 ft | Jun |
Bloom months are a typical window across the species' U.S. range, not a local calendar — the same plant opens weeks later in the north and at altitude than it does in the south. Use it for ordering the season, and let the plants in front of you set the dates.
Confirm any plant is native to your county with your state Native Plant Society before planting.
The Washington, D.C. natives worth asking for
The natives worth asking for in Washington, D.C. — with the botanical name to say at the counter, so you get the plant that feeds something.
The complete Native Plants of Washington, D.C.
The native plants that belong in your yard — what to plant for pollinators, by zone, with bloom timing and a species table.
Want it on paper? See the printable Native Plants of Washington, D.C..