Pictures of Native Plant Seedlings and Spring Emergence

If you are new to native plants and working to convert your garden areas to natives, learning to be able to identify emerging plants is important. Here we have photos of common native plants as they emerge in Spring. This list will be continually updated as we have time.

If you are seeing a plant in your flowerbeds that you don’t recognize, perhaps take a quick look at our guide for emerging invasive plants and weeds. We have lots of pictures there too.

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For more detail on individual native plants, refer to our NATIVE PLANT PROFILES.

• For Planting Depth Depth is in inches (mm).
• For Treatment CS=Cold Stratify, WS = Warm Stratify, SCR = Scarify. Example, CS-30 = Cold-Moist Stratify for 30 days. And ‘none’ means there is no pretreatment required, and the seed can be planted anytime (but there isn’t harm in winter sowing).
• CLICK IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW.
• CLICK COMMON NAME FOR A DETAILED PLANT PROFILE ON EACH PLANT.

COMMON NAME	SCIENTIFIC NAME	Planting depth / treatment	SEEDLING IMAGE	EMERGING PLANT IMAGE	MATURE PLANT
Anise Hyssop	Agastache foeniculum	Surface / CS-30
Aromatic Aster	Aster oblongifolius	Surface / CS-30
Bald Cypress	Taxodium distichum	1/4″(6mm) / CS-90, nearly wet conditions		N/A
Bee Balm	Monarda didyma	Surface / CS-30
Big Bluestem	Andropogon gerardii	Surface / none
Black Cherry	Prunus serotina	1/4″(6mm) / CS-120		N/A
Black Eyed Susan	Rudbeckia hirta	Surface / CS-30
Blanket Flower	Gaillardia grandiflora	Surface / CS-30
Blazing Star	Liatris spicata	0″-1/16″ (0-1.5mm) / CS-60
Blue False Indigo	Baptisia australis	1/8″-1/4″ (3-6mm) / SCR
Blue Lobelia	Lobelia siphilitica	Surface / CS-60
Blue Vervain	Verbena hastata	Surface / CS-30
Boneset, Common	Eupatorium perfoliatum	Surface / CS-30
Boneset, Late	Eupatorium serotinum	Surface / CS-30
Bottlebrush Grass	Elymus hystrix	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm)/ none
Bradbury’s Beebalm	Monarda bradburiana	Surface / CS-30
Brown-Eyed Susan	Rudbeckia triloba	Surface / CS-30
Butterfly Weed	Asclepias tuberosa	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-30
Cardinal Flower	Lobelia cardinalis	Surface / CS-60
Culver’s Root	Veronicastrum virginicum	Surface / CS-90
Eastern Red Columbine	Aquilegia canadensis	Surface / CS-60
Compass Plant	Silphium laciniatum	Surface / CS-30
(Coreopsis) Large Flowered Tickseed	Coreopsis grandiflora	Surface / CS-30
Tall Coreopsis	Coreopsis tripteris	1/16-1/8″ (1.5-3 mm)/ CS-60
Cup Plant	Silphium perfoliatum	Surface / CS-60
Dotted Blazing Star	Liatris punctata	0-1/8″ (0-3 mm) / CS-60
Eastern Purple Coneflower	Echinacea purpurea	1/8-1/4″ (3-6 mm) / None
Pale Purple Coneflower	Echinacea pallida	1/8-1/4″ (3-6 mm) / CS-90
	Echinacea paradoxa	1/8-1/4″ (3-6 mm) / CS-60
Tennessee Coneflower	Echinacea tennesseenis	1/8-1/4″ (3-6 mm) / CS-90
False Sunflower	Heliopsis helianthoides	1/8-1/4″ (3-6 mm) / CS-30
Fire Pink	Silene virginica	Surface / CS-60
Fleabane Daisy (Showy)		Surface / CS-30
Goldenrod, Canadian	Solidago canadensis	Surface / CS-30 to 60
Goldenrod, Showy	Solidago speciosa	Surface / CS-30 to 60
Goldenrod, Sweet	Solidago odora	Surface / CS-30 to 60
Royal Catchfly	Silene regia	Surface / CS-30 to 60
Foxglove Beardtongue	Penstemon digitalis	Surface / CS-30
Garden Phlox	Phlox paniculata	1/8″ (3mm) / CS-60. Use fresh seed or winter sow
Giant St. John’s Wort	Hypericum ascyron & Hypericum pyramidatum	Surface / CS-60
Giant Sunflower	Helianthus giganteus	1/8-1/4″ deep (3-6mm) / CS-60
Golden Alexander	Zizia aurea	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60
Grayhead Coneflower	Ratibida pinnata	1/8″ (3 mm) / CS-30
Hairy Beardtongue	Penstemon hirsutus	Surface / CS-30
Hairy Wood Mint	Blephilia hirsuta	Surface / CS-60
Halberd-Leaf Rose Mallow	Hibiscus laevis	1/8″-1/4″ (3-6 mm) / CS-60
Heart Leaf Aster	Symphyotrichum cordifolium	0-1/16″ (0-1.5mm) / CS-30
Hoary Vervain	Verbena stricta	Surface / CS-60
Indian Blanket	Gaillardia pulchella	Surface / CS-60
Indian Tobacco	Lobelia inflata	Surface / CS-60
Ironweed	Vernonia baldwinii, Vernonia fafsciculata, Vernonia gigantea, vernonia glauca, Vernonia missurica, Vernonia noveboracensis	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60. Use fresh seed
Jack in the Pulpit	Arisaema triphyllum	Surface / CS-60. Use fresh seed
Jacob’s Ladder	Polemonium reptans	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60
Joe Pye Weed	Eutrochium pupurea, Eutrochium maculatum, Eutrochium fistulosum	Surface / CS-60. Use fresh seed. Store seed in fridge, sealed.
Rough Blazing Star	Liatris aspera	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm). CS-60
Prairie Blazing Star	Liatris pycnostachya	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm). CS-60
Northern Liatris	Liatris scariosa	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm). CS-60
Tall Larkspur	Delphinium Exaltatum	Surface / CS-60
Lanceleaf Coreopsis	Coreopsis lanceolata	Surface / CS-60
Little Bluestem	Schizachyrium scoparium	Surface / none
Maximilian Sunflower	Helianthus maximilian	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60
Mexican Hat Flower	Ratibida columnifera	Surface / CS-30
Common Milkweed	Asclepias syrica	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-30
Mountain Laurel	Kalmia latifolia	Surface / CS-90		N/A
Blunt Mountainmint	Pycnanthemum muticum	Surface / none
Hairy Mountain Mint	Pycnanthemum pilosum	Surface / none
Virginia Mountain Mint	Pycnanthemum virginianum	Surface / none
New England Aster	Symphyotrichum novae-angliae	Surface / CS-30
New York Ironweed	Vernonia noveboracensis	Surface / CS-60. Use fresh seed.
Ninebark, Prairie	Physocarpus opulifolius	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60
Obedient Plant	Physostegia virginiana	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60
Orange Coneflower/ Perennial Black-Eyed Susan	Rudbeckia fulgida	surface / CS-30
Orange Jewelweed	Impatiens capensis	0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60. Use fresh seed.
Partridge Pea	Chamaecrista fasciculata	1/8-1/4″ (3-6 mm)
Pennsylvania Sedge	Carex pensylvanica	Surface / none
Persimmon	Diospyros virginiana L.	1/4″ deep (6 mm) / CS-90-120
Pink Muhly Grass	Muhlenbergia capillaris	Surface / none
Plains Coreopsis	Coreopsis tinctoria	Surface / none
Prairie Dropseed	Sporobolus heterolepis	Surface / CS-60
Prairie Phlox	Phlox pilosa	1/16″-1/8″ (1.5-3 mm) / CS-60
Prairie Smoke	Geum triflorum	0-16″ (0-1.5 mm) / CS-60
Pokeweed	Phytolacca americana	Surface / CS-90
Purple Giant Hyssop	Agastache scrophulariifolia	Surface / CS-60
Purple Prairie Clover	Dalea purpurea	Surface / none
Purple Top Grass	Tridens flavus	Surface / CS-60
Sawtooth Sunflower	Helianthus grosseserratus	Surface / CS-30
Self-Heal	Prunella vulgaris	Surface / CS-60
Short’s Aster	Symphyotrichum shortii	Surface / CS-30
Showy Tick Trefoil	Desmodium canadense	1/8″ (3 mm) / scarify
Sideoats Grama	Bouteloua curtipendula	Surface / none
Smooth Blue Aster	Symphyotrichum laeve	Surface / CS-30
Sneezeweed	Helenium Autumnale	Surface / CS-60
Spicebush	Lindera benzoin	1/8-1/4″ (3-6mm) / CS-120
Spotted Bee Balm	Monarda punctata	Surface / none
Spring Beauty	Claytonia virginica
Swamp Milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	0-1/16″ (0-1.5mm) / CS-30
Turtlehead Flower	Chelone glabra	Surface / CS-60. Use fresh seed
Virginia Bluebells	Mertensia virginica	1/8″ (1.5mm) / CS-60. Use fresh seed.
White Snakeroot	Ageratina altissima  or Eupatorium rugosum	Surface / CS-60
Whorled Milkweed	Asclepias verticillata	0-1/16″ (0-1.5mm) / CS-30
Wild Bergamot	Monarda fistulosa	Surface / none
Wild Cucumber	Echinocystis lobata
Hairy Wild Petunia	Ruellia humilis	1/16″-1/8″ (1.5-3mm) / CS-60
Wild Strawberry	Fragaria Virginiana	Surface – CS-60
Wild Sunflower	Helianthus annus	1/8″ (3 mm) / none
Wild Violet	Viola soroia	Surface / CS-60
Winecup Flower/ Purple Poppy Mallow	Callirhoe involucrata	1/8″ (3mm) / CS-90, Scarify
Winterberry Holly	Ilex verticillata	1/16″-1/8″ (1.5-3mm) / WS-30 then WS-60.
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	Surface / CS-60
Yellow Jewelweed	Impatiens pallida	Surface / CS-60. Use fresh seed.

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