Native Plant Gardening

A Journey of Discovery

The last decade has seen the transformation of my home’s typical, urban yard from it’s foundation shrubbery, imported plants and groundcovers to a place of refuge for native plants. On these pages I hope to share this journey and to collaborate with any others who are on the same path.

The database of my plants in the tabs below is mostly for my own reference, and the photo albums shown on the right give me a place to document the garden’s changes.

This list of plants is pulled from the xml database of my (android) phone’s Plant Recorder app. This first tab lists each plant’s common and Latin names. The Types include “Perennials”, “Shrubs”, “Ferns” and “Trees”. The No corresponds roughly to the order in which I acquired the plants, or perhaps documented them. The list can be sorted by any column and also expanded to 100 lines.

No	Bed	Name	Genus	Species	Variety	Type
001	HG1	Tulip Tree	Liriodendron	tulipifera L.	---	T
002	HG1	Native Creeping Euonymous	---	---	---	P
003	HG1	Orange Milkweed, Butterflyweed	Asclepias	tuberosa	---	P
004	HG1	Butterfly Weed	Asclepias	tuberosa	---	P
005	HG1	Pink (Swamp) Milkweed	Aesclepias	incarnata L.	---	P
006	HG1	Pink Chelone (Turtlehead)	Chelone	obliqua	---	P
007	HG1	Prairie Smoke	Geum	triflorum	---	P
008	HG1	Tickseed	Coreopsis	lanceolata	---	P
009	HG1	Tickseed	Coreoposis	lanceolata	Enchanted Eve	P
010	HG1	Yarrow	Achillea	millefoium	Terra Cotta	P
012	HG1	Prairie Coneflower	Ratibida	columnifera	---	P
013	HG1	Black-eyed Susan	Rudbeckia	hirta	pulcherrima	P
014	HG1	Black Eyed Susan	Rudbeckia	hirta	---	P
045	HG1	Coneflower Wild Berry	Echinacea	purpurea	Wild Berry	P
050	HG1	double	---	---	---	---
081	HG1	Tickseed "Enchanted Eve"	Coreopsis	---	Enchanted Eve	P
085	HG1	Whorled Milkweed	Ascelpsias	verticillata	---	P
086	HG1	Wild Berry Coneflower	Echinacea	purpurea	Wild Berry	P
087	HG1	---Jethro Tull Tickseed	Coreopsis	---	Jethro Tull	P
088	HG1	Swamp Milkweed	Asclepias	incarnata	---	P
112	HG1	New plant	---	---	---	---
114	HG1	Fern	---	---	---	F
123	HG1	Yarrow	---	---	---	P
124	HG1	Rudbeckia hirta Prairie Sun †	---	---	---	P
124	HG1	Rudbeckia hirta Prairie Sun †	---	---	---	P
125	HG1	Plant	---	---	---	---
126	HG1	Plant	---	---	---	---
128	HG1	Plant	---	---	---	---
129	HG1	Plant	---	---	---	---
150	HG1	---	---	---	---	---
015	HG2	Clump Paper Birch -	Betula	papyrifera	---	T
016	HG2	Slowmound Mugo Pine	Pinus	mugo	Slowmound	S
017	HG2	Jane Kluis Japanese White Pine	Pinus	densiflora	Jane Kluis	S
018	HG2	Woodland Strawberry	Fragaria	vesca	---	P
020	HG2	Early Meadow Rue	Thalictrum	dioicum	---	P
021	HG2	Bunchberry	Cornus	Canadensis	---	P
022	HG2	Nodding Onion	Allium	cernuum	---	P
023	HG2	Bloodroot	Sanguinaria	indigene	---	P
024	HG2	Wild Geranium	Geranium	maculatum	---	P
026	HG2	Bloodroot	Sanguinaria	canadensis	---	P
028	HG2	Canada Anemone	Anemone	canadensis	---	P
029	HG2	Helen's Flower	Helenium	autumnale	---	P
031	HG2	Wild Bergamot	Monarda	fistulosa	---	P
064	HG2	Eastern Red Columbine	Aquilegia	canadensis	---	P
071	HG2	Zagreb Threadleaf Coreopsis	Coreopsis	verticillata	Zagreb	P
127	HG2	Zagreb Threadleaf Coreopsis	---	---	---	P
131	HG2	Plant	---	---	---	P
132	HG2	Plant	---	---	---	P
133	HG2	Plant	---	---	---	P
134	HG2	Plant	---	---	---	P
019	HG3	Cardinal Flower	Lobelia	cardinalis	---	P
030	HG3	New England Aster	Symphyotrichum	novae-angliae	---	P
034	HG3	Boneset	Eupatroium	perfoliatum	---	P
035	HG3	Prairie Dock	Silphium	terebinthinaceum	---	P
038	HG3	Pennsylvania Sedge	Carex	pensylvanica	---	G
042	HG3	Cardinal Flower	Lobelia	speciosa	Vulcan Red	P
051	HG3	Pussy Toes	Antennaria	Plantaginifolia	---	P
054	HG3	Blue Flag Iris	Iris	versicolor	---	P
055	HG3	Obedient Plant	Physostegia	virginiana	---	P
059	HG3	Wild Ginger	Asarum	canadens	---	P
060	HG3	Praire Mallow	Sidalcea	---	Brilliant	P
061	HG3	Cinquefoil	Potentilla	reptans	---	P
113	HG3	Pennsylvania Sedge	---	---	---	G
121	HG3	Pennsylvania Sedge	---	---	---	G
063	HG4	Wood Poppy	Stylophorum	diphyllum	---	P
066	HG4	Wintergreen	Gualtheria	procumbens	---	P
068	HG4	Bloodroot	Sanguinaria	canadensis	---	P
069	HG4	Sweet Woodruff	Galium	odoratum	---	P
072	HG4	Meadow Sweet	Filipendula	ulmaria	Venusta	P
074	HG4	Tsuga Canadensis	Tsuga	canadensis	Sherwood Compact	S
076	HG4	Lady Fern	Aathyrium	felis-femina	---	F
079	HG4	Pinus Strobus	Pinus	strobus	Pendula	S
082	HG4	Buffalo Juniper	Juniperus	sabina	Buffalo	S
083	HG4	Goat's Beard	Aruncus	diocius	---	P
084	HG4	St. John's Wort	Hypericum	perforatum	---	P
089	HG4	Marsh Marigold	Caltha	palustris L.	---	P
130	HG4	St. John's Wort	Hypericum	perforatum	---	P
041	HG5	Gaura	Gaura	lindheimeri	Pink Fountain	P
049	HG5	Leslie Slinger Heather	Calluna	vulgaris	Leslie Slinger	P
135	HG5	Bloody Cranesbill	---	---	---	P
136	HG5	Bloody Cranesbill	---	---	---	P
137	HG5	Wood Poppy	Stylophorum	diphyllum	---	P
138	HG5	Pink Columbine	Aquilegia	vulgaris	Pink Flamingo	P
139	HG5	Purple Columbine	Aquilegia	vulgaris	Purple	P
140	HG5	Pink Columbine	Aquilegia	vulgaris	Pink Flamingo	P
141	HG5	Pink Columbine	Aquilegia	vulgaris	Pink Flamingo	P
142	HG5	Pink Columbine	Aquilegia	vulgaris	Pink Flamingo	P
143	HG5	Pink Columbine	Aquilegia	vulgaris	Pink Flamingo	P
144	HG5	Peony	---	---	---	P
145	HG5	Peony	---	---	---	P
047	HG6	Red Trillium	Trillium	erectum	---	P
048	HG6	White Trillium	Trillium	grandiflorum	---	P
090	HG6	Black Cohosh	Actaea	racemosa	---	P
091	HG6	Heart Leaf Skullcap	Scutellaria	---	---	P
092	HG6	Anemone canadensis	---	---	---	P
093	HG6	Solomon's Seal	Polygonatum	biflorum	---	P
094	HG6	Bloodroot	---	---	---	P
095	HG6	Barren Strawberry	Waldsteinia ternata	---	---	P
096	HG6	Aguilegia canadensis	---	---	---	P
097	HG6	Jacob's Ladder	Polemonium	reptans	---	P
098	HG6	Cardinal Flower	Lobelia	cardinalis	---	P
099	HG6	Golden Groundsel	Packera	aurea	---	P
100	HG6	Christmas Fern	Polystichum	acrostichoides	---	F
101	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
102	HG6	Jack in the pulpit	---	---	---	P
103	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
104	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
105	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
106	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
107	HG6	New plant	---	---	---	---
109	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
110	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
111	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
115	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
116	HG6	Anemone canadensis	---	---	---	P
117	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
118	HG6	Fern	---	---	---	F
119	HG6	Grass	---	---	---	G
120	HG6	Strawberry	---	---	---	P
122	HG6	Jack in the pulpit	---	---	---	P
040	HG9	Pig Squeak	Bergenia	crassifolia	Eden's Dark Margin	P
044	HG9	Bloody Cranesbill	Geranium	sanguineum	---	P
046	HG9	Midnight Rose Heuchera	Heuchera	---	Midnight Rose	p
062	HG9	Beardtongue	Penstemmon	---	---	P
065	HG9	Bloodroot	Sanguinaria	canadensis	---	P
146	HG9	---	---	---	---	---
147	HG9	---	---	---	---	---
148	HG9	---	---	---	---	---
149	HG9	---	---	---	---	---
151	HG9	---	---	---	---	---
152	HG9	---	---	---	---	---
011	xHG1	Rudbeckia hirta Prairie Sun †	Rudbeckia	hirta	Prairie Sun	P
080	xHG1	Threadleaf Coreopsis	Coreopsis	verticillata	Zagreb	P
025	xHG2	Pearly Everlasting †	Anaphalis	margrit	---	P
027	xHG2	Canada Columbine	Aquilegia	canadensis	---	P
070	xHG2	Bearberry	Acrtospaphylos	uva-ursi	---	P
032	xHG3	Wild Lily-of-the-Valley	Maianthemum	canadense	---	P
033	xHG3	Spicebush	Lindera	benzoin	---	S
036	xHG3	Red Switch Grass	Panicum	virgatum	Blood Brothers	G
037	xHG3	Prairie Dropseed	Sporabalus	hetereoopsis	---	G
039	xHG3	Button Bush	Cephalanthus	occidentalis	---	S
052	xHG3	Switch Grass	---	---	---	G
053	xHG3	Canadian Wild Rye	Elymus	canadensis	---	G
056	xHG3	Foam Flower	Tiarella	werryi	---	P
057	xHG3	Indian Grass	Sorghastrum	nutans	---	G
058	xHG3	Wintergreen	Gualtheria	procumbens	---	P
067	xHG4	Bunchberry	Cornus	canadensis	---	P
073	xHG4	Daylily	Hemerocallis	---	Stella d'Oro	P
075	xHG4	Ostrich Fern	Matteuccia	struthiopteris	---	F
077	xHG4	Northern Maidenhair Fern	Adiantum	pedatum	---	f
078	xHG4	Ostrich Fern	Matteuccia	struthiopteris	---	F

This Plant Info tab includes links to Photos of plants, either from my own garden or found on the web. The Src and Year document where from and when the plant was acquired. The Bed, Y and X codes show me each plant’s location. The Bed codes are illustrated on the Garden Plan tab. The Y and X coordinates roughly indicate the plant’s position within each Bed. Y increases from north to south (top to bottom) and X from West to East (left to right).

No	Photo	Src	Year	Name	Bed	Y	X
001	Photo	City	2013	Tulip Tree	HG1	1	3
002	Photo	NCN	2016	Native Creeping Euonymous	HG1	3	3
003		NCN	2016	Orange Milkweed, Butterflyweed	HG1	3	4
004		GN	2018	Butterfly Weed	HG1	3	4
005		NCN	2016	Pink (Swamp) Milkweed	HG1	3	4
006	Photo	NCN	2016	Pink Chelone (Turtlehead)	HG1	2	3
007	Photo	VN, MEP	2014	Prairie Smoke	HG1	4	4
008	Photo	VN	2014	Tickseed	HG1	4	4
009		GN	2018	Tickseed	HG1	3	4
010	Photo	VN	2014	Yarrow	HG1	4	3
011	Photo	VN	2014	Rudbeckia hirta Prairie Sun †	xHG1	1	1
012		VN	2014	Prairie Coneflower	HG1	4	8
013		WF	2017	Black-eyed Susan	HG1	5	8
014		SF	2018	Black Eyed Susan	HG1	5	8
015		CN	2014	Clump Paper Birch -	HG2	4	3
016	Photo	CN	2014	Slowmound Mugo Pine	HG2	2	2
017		CN	2014	Jane Kluis Japanese White Pine	HG2	2	5
018	Photo	MEP	2017	Woodland Strawberry	HG2	1	4
019		MEP	2017	Cardinal Flower	HG3	-1	9
020		MEP	2017	Early Meadow Rue	HG2	7	18
021	Photo	MG	2018	Bunchberry	HG2	12	3
022	Photo	MEP	2017	Nodding Onion	HG2	1	4
023		---	---	Bloodroot	HG2	8	18
024	Photo	VN	2014	Wild Geranium	HG2	3	2
025	Photo	VN	2014	Pearly Everlasting †	xHG2	5	20
026		VN, MG	---	Bloodroot	HG2	9	17
027	Photo	VN, MG	---	Canada Columbine	xHG2	3	5
028	Photo	VN	2014	Canada Anemone	HG2	2	3
029	Photo	WF	2017	Helen's Flower	HG2	3	3
030	Photo	WF	2017	New England Aster	HG3	3	2
031	Photo	WF	2017	Wild Bergamot	HG2	2	4
032		MEP	2017	Wild Lily-of-the-Valley	xHG3	4	11
033	Photo	MEP	2017	Spicebush	xHG3	3	11
034	Photo	MEP	2017	Boneset	HG3	2	2
035	Photo	MEP	2017	Prairie Dock	HG3	1	3
036	Photo	SE	2018	Red Switch Grass	xHG3	4	11
037		MG	2018	Prairie Dropseed	xHG3	5	11
038	Photo	SF	2018	Pennsylvania Sedge	HG3	2	4
039		SF	2018	Button Bush	xHG3	5	11
040	Photo	SE	2018	Pig Squeak	HG9	18	23
041	Photo	SE	2018	Gaura	HG5	-8	18
042	Photo	GN	2018	Cardinal Flower	HG3	7	9
044	Photo	GN	2018	Bloody Cranesbill	HG9	32	8
045	Photo	GN	2018	Coneflower Wild Berry	HG1	15	8
046	Photo	GN	2018	Midnight Rose Heuchera	HG9	20	23
047	Photo	VN	2014	Red Trillium	HG6	2	3
048	Photo	VN	2014	White Trillium	HG6	2	2
049	Photo	VN	2014	Leslie Slinger Heather	HG5	3	4
050		SF	2018	double	HG1	17	8
051	Photo	SF	2018	Pussy Toes	HG3	2	4
052		SF	2018	Switch Grass	xHG3	6	11
053	Photo	SF	2018	Canadian Wild Rye	xHG3	7	11
054	Photo	SF	2018	Blue Flag Iris	HG3	2	4
055	Photo	SF	2018	Obedient Plant	HG3	2	2
056	Photo	SF	2018	Foam Flower	xHG3	2	6
057	Photo	SF	2018	Indian Grass	xHG3	7	11
058	Photo	SF	2018	Wintergreen	xHG3	1	5
059	Photo	SF	2018	Wild Ginger	HG3	12	9
060	Photo	SF	2018	Praire Mallow	HG3	13	9
061	Photo	SF	2018	Cinquefoil	HG3	13	9
062	Photo	SF	2018	Beardtongue	HG9	14	11
063	Photo	MG	2018	Wood Poppy	HG4	-5	2
064	Photo	MG	2018	Eastern Red Columbine	HG2	3	5
065	Photo	MG	2018	Bloodroot	HG9	26	23
066		MG	2019	Wintergreen	HG4	4	12
067	Photo	MG	2019	Bunchberry	xHG4	-6	1
068		MG	2019	Bloodroot	HG4	16	16
069	Photo	MG	2019	Sweet Woodruff	HG4	4	2
070	Photo	MG	2019	Bearberry	xHG2	5	4
071	Photo	---	2018	Zagreb Threadleaf Coreopsis	HG2	4	1
072	Photo	SE	2019	Meadow Sweet	HG4	1	4
073		SE	2019	Daylily	xHG4	18	18
074		VN	2018	Tsuga Canadensis	HG4	4	1
075	Photo	MG	2019	Ostrich Fern	xHG4	20	18
076	Photo	MG	2019	Lady Fern	HG4	18	18
077	Photo	---	2019	Northern Maidenhair Fern	xHG4	19	18
078		SE	2019	Ostrich Fern	xHG4	19	18
079		VN	2018	Pinus Strobus	HG4	2	4
080		VN	2018	Threadleaf Coreopsis	xHG1	5	-8
081	Photo	VN	2018	Tickseed "Enchanted Eve"	HG1	5	4
082		VN	2018	Buffalo Juniper	HG4	2	3
083	Photo	---	---	Goat's Beard	HG4	3	3
084	Photo	---	---	St. John's Wort	HG4	3	5
085		---	---	Whorled Milkweed	HG1	3	4
086	Photo	---	---	Wild Berry Coneflower	HG1	2	2
087	Photo	---	---	---Jethro Tull Tickseed	HG1	4	3
088	Photo	---	---	Swamp Milkweed	HG1	3	4
089	Photo	---	---	Marsh Marigold	HG4	3	2
090	Photo	---	---	Black Cohosh	HG6	7	8
091	Photo	---	---	Heart Leaf Skullcap	HG6	7	6
092		---	---	Anemone canadensis	HG6	6	2
093	Photo	---	---	Solomon's Seal	HG6	7	3
094		---	---	Bloodroot	HG6	7	1
095		---	---	Barren Strawberry	HG6	5	3
096		---	---	Aguilegia canadensis	HG6	5	4
097	Photo	---	---	Jacob's Ladder	HG6	4	4
098	Photo	---	---	Cardinal Flower	HG6	3	4
099	Photo	---	---	Golden Groundsel	HG6	4	2
100	Photo	---	---	Christmas Fern	HG6	4	7
101		---	---	Fern	HG6	3	7
102		---	---	Jack in the pulpit	HG6	5	9
103		---	---	Fern	HG6	4	6
104		---	---	Fern	HG6	3	5
105		---	---	Fern	HG6	3	5
106		---	---	Fern	HG6	3	6
107		---	---	New plant	HG6	3	4
109		---	---	Fern	HG6	4	3
110		---	---	Fern	HG6	4	4
111		---	---	Fern	HG6	3	4
112		---	---	New plant	HG1	10	3
113	Photo	SF	2018	Pennsylvania Sedge	HG3	2	3
114		---	---	Fern	HG1	46	-6
115		---	---	Fern	HG6	7	7
116		---	---	Anemone canadensis	HG6	6	2
117		---	---	Fern	HG6	3	3
118		---	---	Fern	HG6	4	4
119		---	---	Grass	HG6	5	1
120		---	---	Strawberry	HG6	5	2
121	Photo	SF	2018	Pennsylvania Sedge	HG3	2	4
122		---	---	Jack in the pulpit	HG6	-30	6
123	Photo	VN	2014	Yarrow	HG1	5	3
124	Photo	CT	2021	Rudbeckia hirta Prairie Sun †	HG1	1	2
124	Photo	CT	2021	Rudbeckia hirta Prairie Sun †	HG1	2	2
125		---	---	Plant	HG1	2	3
126		---	---	Plant	HG1	2	3
127	Photo	---	2018	Zagreb Threadleaf Coreopsis	HG2	2	12
128		---	---	Plant	HG1	2	2
129		---	---	Plant	HG1	2	4
130	Photo	---	---	St. John's Wort	HG4	-2	2
131		---	---	Plant	HG2	5	2
132		---	---	Plant	HG2	4	2
133		---	---	Plant	HG2	5	2
134		---	---	Plant	HG2	3	3
135	Photo	GN	2018	Bloody Cranesbill	HG5	2	3
136	Photo	GN	2018	Bloody Cranesbill	HG5	4	3
137		---	---	Wood Poppy	HG5	13	3
138		---	---	Pink Columbine	HG5	14	3
139		---	---	Purple Columbine	HG5	15	3
140		---	---	Pink Columbine	HG5	13	1
141		---	---	Pink Columbine	HG5	9	3
142		---	---	Pink Columbine	HG5	13	3
143		---	---	Pink Columbine	HG5	12	2
144		---	---	Peony	HG5	14	2
145		---	---	Peony	HG5	6	1
146		---	---	---	HG9	40	23
147		---	---	---	HG9	40	23
148		---	---	---	HG9	41	23
149		---	---	---	HG9	41	23
150		---	---	---	HG1	37	8
151		---	---	---	HG9	42	23
152		---	---	---	HG9	42	23

This screen shot from my Plant Recorder app is overlaid with garden Bed codes (Home Garden 1-6). It does not show the trees and shrubs.

Here’s the lay of my land in mid-town St. Catharines. Street/sidewalk at the top, the bottom backing onto the green space beside and behind a senior citizens apartment building. When we moved here in in 1999 there was a perennial bed in the backyard (HG5), and an impossible-for-grass area under cedars at the back (HG6) that was full of goutweed, periwinkle and violets. There were two foundation plantings against the front of the house with continually overgrowing shrubs, and a very large, hundred year old silver maple at HG2. When the silver maple was cut down in 2012, this plan slowly began forming in my mind.

Our Tulip tree was planted by the city in 2013 and the next year I created the HG1 garden bed around it, as well as forming the HG2 bed over the recently ground down Silver maple stump. In the latter I planted a birch tree and two conifer shrubs. In 2017 I pulled out the shrubs in front of the house and set posts for two knee walls, three feet out from the foundation. My plans for these beds included a waterfall in HG4. The waterfall was constructed in June of 2018 and the two beds, HG3 and HG4 were extended out from the house. The house faces north, so these gardens get only morning, evening and some high summer sun.

My intention with these front yard garden beds was to make something both native (with plants) and cultivated (landscaped) so that the native plant mindset would be appealing to passers-by. I am trying, more or less, to group plants by ecosystem. So I’ve designated garden beds in this way:

HG1 – Carolinian Sun
HG2 – Northern Sun
HG3 – Carolinian Shade
HG4 – Northern Shade

With all of this well established, in 2021, with my wife’s grudging permission, I dug up the back forty (aka HG6), leaving only the ferns, and then planted a dozen or so native shade loving plants for starters. The old perennial bed (HG5) is still a hodge-podge of garden-variety perennials (some invasive).

The Plant Recorder Quest

A blog series that shares details of the process of setting up the Plant Recorder app on my android phone, and importing and maintaining the plant data that is presented on this page.