WHY NATIVE PLANTS?
Northern Wisconsin’s native plants are a part of our natural
heritage. Cultivating native plants helps preserve the biodiversity
of native vegetation and wildlife. Native plants can be easy
to care for, having naturally acclimated to regional conditions
such as climate and soil. Native plants provide ample benefits to
wildlife and humans including food, shelter, and beauty.
PLANNING A NATIVE GARDEN
Planting any garden starts with the gardener’s objectives.
Luckily, gardening with native plants can fulfill a multitude
of objectives, many of which are complementary. Common
objectives include:
• Increase pollinators forage and nesting habitat
• Provide habitat structure for a host of wildlife
• Improve privacy
• Maintain an open view
• Beauty/aesthetic taste – bloom time and color
NATIVE PLANTS OF THE NORTHWOODS
Meadow openings: Wildflowers (forbs) and grasses would typically be found in meadow openings with abundant
sunlight. These species can be used in an area maintained as open and may provide abundant forage for pollinator
species as well as grazing wildlife.
Wetland: Sedges and various wildflowers are adapted for excessively wet conditions and generally tolerate high
levels of sunlight, although some will also thrive in shade.
Woodland canopy and midstory: Trees, Shrubs, & Vines will require ample space and support structure where
applicable. These species may get large and create shade or impede visibility.
Woodland understory: Includes shade-loving ferns, some grasses, and wildflowers such as spring ephemerals.
Spring ephemerals are woodland understory species that leaf-out and bloom early in the season, and are often
dormant before the end of the summer. These plants can supply forage for pollinators early in the year when little
else is available.
Bayfield Regional Conservancy
PO Box 410| 33 N. 1st Street | Bayfield, WI 54814 | 715.779.5263 | [email protected]
Serving Bayfield, Douglas, Ashland and Sawyer Counties
SITE CONDITIONS
Conditions will dictate what plants will thrive in a given location.
Sun: Full sun most of the day, such as larger woodland openings, meadows, fields, etc. Consider wildflowers,
grasses, trees, shrubs, or vines that thrive under high-light conditions
Partial Sun/Shade: Filtered light or sun part of the day, such as woodland edges, smaller woods openings, etc.
Consider wildflowers, grasses, trees, shrubs, or vines that can tolerate medium light
Shade: Shade or filtered light, such as woodland understory, north side of buildings, etc. Consider woodland
wildflowers such as spring ephemerals, or select trees, shrubs, or vines that don’t require much light
Soil texture will determine the drainage of a site: sandy soil will drain rapidly, where clay soil will hold water.
Organic material will help buffer soil moisture and provide nutrients. Native plants don’t require high levels
of nutrients, so compost and fertilizer amendments are unnecessary (often times these amendments just give
competing vegetation an upper hand).
Wet: soggy or marshy most of the year (depressions, drainage areas, or high water table areas)
Wet Mesic: excessively wet in spring and after heavy rain but often dries in summer
Mesic (Medium): water soaks in with no run-off (“average garden soil”)
Dry Mesic: water is removed from soil readily but not rapidly
Dry: Excessively drained (sandy or gravely soil, steep terrain, south-facing slopes)
SELECTING PLANTS
Plant Finder: Prairie Nursery and Prairie Moon Nursery offer Native Plant Finders that can be used to suggest
suitable plants for your growing conditions, goals, and aesthetic taste.
• Prairie Nursery Plant Finder - www.prairienursery.com
• Prairie Moon Nursery Plant Finder - www.prairiemoon.com
Range Maps: Using the resources below, appropriate species can be selected for a given region. “Native” in one
region may not be native in another, so it is worth checking.
• The Biota of North America Program - www.bonap.org
• USDS NRCS Plants Database - www.plants.usda.gov
Local Genotype: Specimens should be sourced from local stock as much as possible. This helps to maintain the
genetic integrity of local populations and ensures that specimens are adapted to local growing conditions. Vendors
should be able to share where their seed was collected. See our Wisconsin plant list on page 4.
ESTABLISHING A NATIVE GARDEN
Plants or Seeds? Establishing native plants can be done in a couple of ways, including planting grown plants or
broadcasting with seeds. Objectives and site conditions determine the practicality of each method.
Plants: Nursery-grown and come in plugs, pots, or as
bare roots. Can be planted from spring to fall.
Pros:
• Allows for design choice and flexibility
• Fits well into existing plantings and
residential gardens
• Faster establishment
Cons:
• Price
• Not practical for large areas
Seeds: Seeds can be broadcast over a prepared site in
early spring or late fall.
Pros:
• Naturalized appearance
• Cost effective and practical for planting
larger areas
• Can be highly diverse
Cons:
• Establishment time – up to ~3 years
• Less design control
SITE PREPARATION
Cultivation: Hand cultivation on small sites or repeated roto-tilling on larger sites can be done to suppress weeds.
If planting by seed, smooth soil clumps to prepare a seedbed for successful establishment.
Smothering: Black plastic, tarps, or mulched newspaper/cardboard can be used to kill unwanted vegetation by
starving plants of sunlight.
Solarization: Clear plastic spread for weeks or months at a time can be used to kill unwanted plants in larger
patches by raising the soil surface to a lethal temperature.
Herbicide: Careful chemical application can be used to eliminate undesired vegetation. Choose a “lower-impact”
herbicide and strictly follow the label instructions and safety guidelines.
INSTALLATION
Spacing: Plants can be spaced roughly half of their grown height apart. For example, Black-Eyed Susan gets about
2’ tall, so a spacing of 10-12’’ is adequate. Spacing can be adjusted for the growth habit of each plant. Increase for
wide and spreading plants, or decrease for tall narrow plants.
Seeds are a popular way to establish forbs (flowers) and grasses over a larger area. Seeding rates vary widely, but a
rate of 1/2 lb. grass seed per 1,000 square feet, or 2 ounces of wildflower seed per 1,000 square feet is suggested as
a general guide. Specific instructions can be obtained when purchasing seeds.
Planting: Care should be taken when planting to ensure roots are loosened and arranged in a properly sized hole.
Roots should not be coiled or curled (“J” rooted) in the hole. Soil can be gently firmed after planting, followed by
watering.
Establishment: Native plants often take a few
seasons to establish. During establishment, it
is important to control weed competition. This
can be done by hand-pulling, or for grasses and
forbs, by mowing. Once established, native plants
may require continued weed control. Species of
grasses and forbs may benefit from occasional
controlled fire, but mowing may help too
PLANT SOURCES
Wildflower Woods – Becky Brown
Washburn, Wisconsin
(715) 373-0214
Offers: Native potted plants
The Draw – Waters Edge
Nursery & Gardens
Bayfield, Wisconsin
(715) 779-0155
www.thedraw.org
Offers: Permaculture perennials
M&M Nursery
Barnes, Wisconsin
mmgreenhouse.com
(715) 795-2099
Offers: Native potted plants,
including wildflowers, grasses,
sedges, ferns, vines, shrubs and trees
Prairie Restorations, Inc.
6 Locations throughout Minnesota
1-800-837-5986
www.prairieresto.com
Offers: Seeds, Plugs, Pots, as well
as Consulting, Installation, and
Management Services.
Prairie Nursery
Westfield, Wisconsin
1-800-476-9453
www.prairienursery.com
Offers: Seed, Pots, Consulting
Prairie Moon Nursery
Winona Minnesota
1-866-417-8156
www.prairiemoon.com
Offers: Seed, Plugs, Pots, Bare roots
NATIVE FLOWERS OF WISCONSIN
Doll’s Eyes
Canada Anemone
Wild Columbine
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Wild Ginger
Swamp Milkweed
Butterfly Weed
Heath Aster
Smooth Aster
New England Aster
Arrow-leaved Aster
Marsh Marigold
Harebell
Turtlehead
Prairie Coreopsis
Prairie Larkspur
Showy Tick-trefoil
Dutchman’s Breeches
Rattlesnake Master
Purple Joe-Pye Weed
Flowering Spurge
Bottle Gentian
Wild Geranium
Prairie Smoke
Sneezeweed
False Sunflower
Alumroot
Wild Blue Flag
Rough Blazing Star
Marsh Blazing Star
Cardinal Flower
Great Blue Lobelia
Wild Lupine
Monkey Flower
Wild Bergamot
Foxglove
Sweet William
Black-Eyed Susan
Compass Plant
Cup Plant
False Spikenard
Stiff Goldenrod
Showy Goldenrod
Common Spiderwort
Trillium
Blue Vervain
Hoary Vervain
Culver’s Root
Golden Alexanders
NATIVE SHRUBS OF WISCONSIN
Downy Serviceberry American Filbert
Shadblow Serviceberry Leatherwood
Alleghany ServiceberryCommon Witchhazel
Bog Rosemary
Winterberry
Black Chokeberry
Common Juniper
Buttonbush
Lambkill
Sweetfern
Labrador Tea
Gray Dogwood
Sweetgale
Redosier Dogwood
Northern Bayberry
Bush Cinquefoil
Beach Plum
Chokecherry
Rhodora
Staghorn Sumac
Meadow Rose
Carolina Rose
Virginia Rose
American Elder
Scarlet Elder
Canadian Yew
Highbush Blueberry
Mapleleaf Viburnum
Hobblebush
Arrowwood Viburnum
Nannyberry
Highbush Cranberry
Jack Pine
Red Pine
White Pine
Bigtooth Aspen
Quaking Aspen
Pin Cherry
Black Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Black Willow
American Mountainash
White Cedar
Basswood
Eastern Hemlock
NATIVE TREES OF WISCONSIN
Balsam Fir
Red Maple
Sugar Maple
Mountain Maple
Yellow Birch
Paper Birch
Gray Birch
American Hornbeam
Pagoda Dogwood
Hawthorne
White Ash
Green Ash
Tamarack
Black Gum
White Spruce
Black Spruce