Native Plants in Vermont
The native plants that belong in Vermont gardens — grouped by sun, soil, and wildlife value.
44 native plants suit Vermont's ecoregions and USDA zones 3–5. 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 Vermont
Plant after your last spring frost — roughly May 5 in the milder south to May 22 in the colder north. 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 September 18 in the north to October 5 in the south.
For full sun
- Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
- Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
- Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
- Scarlet Beebalm Monarda didyma
- New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Dense Blazing Star Liatris spicata
- Spotted Joe-Pye Weed Eutrochium maculatum
- Common Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
- Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea
For shade
- Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum
- Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
- Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
- Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
- Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica
- Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Spicebush Lindera benzoin
- Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
- Common Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus
- Woodland Strawberry Fragaria vesca
For wet soil & rain gardens
- Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
- Scarlet Beebalm Monarda didyma
- New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Dense Blazing Star Liatris spicata
- Spotted Joe-Pye Weed Eutrochium maculatum
- Common Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
- Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea
- Culver's Root Veronicastrum virginicum
- Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
- Blue Vervain Verbena hastata
- Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
- Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
For dry, drought-prone spots
- Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
- Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum
- Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica
- Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
- Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
- Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
- Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus
- Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Deer-resistant
- Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
- Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
- Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
- Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Dense Blazing Star Liatris spicata
- Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea
- Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum
- Culver's Root Veronicastrum virginicum
- Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum
- Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
- Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
- Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Groundcovers
- Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum
- Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
- Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
- Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica
- Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
- Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium
- Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
- Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia
- Woodland Strawberry Fragaria vesca
For pollinators
- Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
- Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
- Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
- Scarlet Beebalm Monarda didyma
- New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Dense Blazing Star Liatris spicata
- Spotted Joe-Pye Weed Eutrochium maculatum
- Common Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
For birds
- Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
- Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
- Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
- Blue Vervain Verbena hastata
- Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
- Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica
- Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
- Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- Red-Twig Dogwood Cornus sericea
- Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Spicebush Lindera benzoin
- American Elderberry Sambucus canadensis
- Winterberry Ilex verticillata
For hummingbirds
- Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
- Scarlet Beebalm Monarda didyma
- Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
- Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Identify Vermont wildflowers by color
| Bloom color | Native wildflowers (typical U.S. bloom) |
|---|---|
| Blue | Great Blue Lobelia — Deep blue (Aug–Sep) |
| Gold | Black-Eyed Susan — Golden yellow (Jun–Sep), Cup Plant — Yellow (Jul–Sep), Golden Alexanders — Chartreuse-gold (Apr–Jun) |
| Magenta | Purple Coneflower — Rosy purple (Jun–Sep), Dense Blazing Star — Magenta (Jul–Aug) |
| Pink | Common Milkweed — Dusty mauve-pink (Jun–Jul), Swamp Milkweed — Rose pink (Jul–Aug), Spotted Joe-Pye Weed — Mauve-pink (Jul–Sep), Obedient Plant — Pink (Aug–Sep), Wild Geranium — Lavender-pink (Apr–Jun), Creeping Phlox — Pink to lavender (Apr–May) |
| Purple | Wild Bergamot — Lavender (Jun–Aug), New England Aster — Royal purple (Sep–Oct), Blue Vervain — Violet-blue (Jul–Sep) |
| Red | Scarlet Beebalm — Scarlet red (Jul–Aug), Wild Columbine — Red & yellow (Apr–Jun), 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), Common Boneset — Foamy white (Aug–Sep), Culver's Root — White candelabra (Jun–Aug), Foamflower — Foamy white (Apr–May), Common Yarrow — White (wild form) (May–Aug), Woodland Strawberry — Small white, five-petaled (Apr–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 44 native plants for Vermont
| Plant | Type | Sun | Soil moisture | Height | Typical bloom (U.S.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 2–4 ft | Jun–Sep |
| Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 1.5–3 ft | Jun–Sep |
| 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 |
| Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 2–4 ft | Jun–Aug |
| Scarlet Beebalm Monarda didyma | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 2.5–4 ft | Jul–Aug |
| New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 3–5 ft | Sep–Oct |
| Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis | Perennial wildflower | Part sun / Shade | Dry / Medium | 1–2.5 ft | Apr–Jun |
| Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis | Perennial wildflower | Part sun / Full sun | Wet / Medium | 2–4 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica | Perennial wildflower | Part sun / Full sun | Wet / Medium | 2–3 ft | Aug–Sep |
| Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 2–4 ft | May–Jun |
| Dense Blazing Star Liatris spicata | Perennial wildflower | Full sun | Medium / Wet | 2–4 ft | Jul–Aug |
| Spotted Joe-Pye Weed Eutrochium maculatum | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 4–7 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Common Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 3–5 ft | Aug–Sep |
| Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 5–8 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 1.5–2.5 ft | Apr–Jun |
| Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Dry | 2–3 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Culver's Root Veronicastrum virginicum | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 3–5 ft | Jun–Aug |
| Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 2–4 ft | Aug–Sep |
| Blue Vervain Verbena hastata | Perennial wildflower | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 3–5 ft | Jul–Sep |
| Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum | Perennial wildflower | Part sun / Shade | Medium | 1.5–2 ft | Apr–Jun |
| Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia | Perennial wildflower | Part sun / Shade | Medium | 6–12 in | Apr–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 | — |
| Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum | Fern | Part sun / Shade | Wet / Medium | 2–4 ft | — |
| Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica | Sedge | Shade / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 6–12 in | — |
| Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata | Groundcover | Full sun / Part sun | Dry / Medium | 4–8 in | Apr–May |
| Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Ornamental grass | Full sun | Dry / Medium | 2–4 ft | — |
| Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Ornamental grass | Full sun | Dry / Medium / Wet | 4–7 ft | — |
| Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium | Perennial wildflower | Full sun | Dry / Medium | 1.5–3 ft | May–Aug |
| 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 |
| Red-Twig Dogwood Cornus sericea | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 6–9 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 |
| American Elderberry Sambucus canadensis | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Wet | 6–12 ft | Jun–Jul |
| New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Dry | 2–3.5 ft | May–Jul |
| Winterberry Ilex verticillata | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Wet / Medium | 5–10 ft | Jun–Jul |
| Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun | Dry | 2–6 ft | Mar–Apr |
| Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Evergreen shrub (groundcover) | Full sun / Part sun | Dry | 4–8 in | Apr–May |
| Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | Full sun / Part sun / Shade | Dry / Medium | 30–50 ft | Jun |
| Common Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus | Shrub | Full sun / Part sun / Shade | Dry / Medium | 3–6 ft | Jun–Jul |
| Woodland Strawberry Fragaria vesca | Groundcover perennial | Part sun / Shade / Full sun | Medium | 4–8 in | Apr–Jun |
| Chokecherry Prunus virginiana | Large shrub or small tree | Full sun / Part sun | Medium / Dry | 10–20 ft | 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.
Confirm any plant is native to your county with your state Native Plant Society before planting.
The Vermont natives worth asking for
The natives worth asking for in Vermont — with the botanical name to say at the counter, so you get the plant that feeds something.
The complete Native Plants of Vermont
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 Vermont.