Pinxterbloom, Rhododendron
periclymenoides, is the Catskills
most common azalea. Its fragrance is variable - some plants are
sweetly fragrant but others seem to have little or no
fragrance.
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A Selection of Garden-worthy Native Plants
of the Catskills
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Shrubs & Trees
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Species
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Common name
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Form
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Conditions
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Comments
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Acer spicatum
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Mountain Maple
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Small tree (20’)
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Some shade
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Upright flower spikes; Fall
foliage
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Amelanchier laevis
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Allegheny Serviceberry
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Small tree (20’)
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Moist, some shade
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Spring flowers, summer
berries, Fall foliage
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Aronia arbutifolia
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Red Chokeberry
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Medium shrub (10’)
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Moist/Adaptable
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Spring flowers; Red berries;
Fall foliage
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Comptonia peregrina
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Sweetfern
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Groundcover (3’)
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Poor soil
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Fragrant foliage
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Cornus amomum
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Silky Dogwood
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Medium shrub (10’)
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Moist/Adaptable
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Blue berries for birds; Red
twigs
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Dirca palustris
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Leatherwood
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Small shrub (5’)
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Moist/Adaptable
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Deer-resistant?; Skin-irritant
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Gaultheria procumbens
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Wintergreen
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Groundcover (<1’)
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Moist well-drained acidic soil
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Berries for birds
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Gaylussacia baccata
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Huckleberry
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Dwarf shrub (3’)
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Dry acid soil; Sun for fruit
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Spring flowers; Summer
berries; Fall Foliage
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Hamamelis virginiana
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Witch Hazel
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Small tree (20’)
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Fall flowers & foliage;
Trouble free
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Ilex verticillata
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Smooth Winterberry
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Medium shrub (10’)
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Moist/Adaptable
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Fall/winter fruits; Pollinator
needed
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Kalmia latifolia
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Mountain Laurel
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Medium shrub (10’)
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Some sun; Cool; Acid
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Spring flowers; Evergreen
foliage; Form
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Lindera benzoin
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Spicebush
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Medium shrub (10’)
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Moist; some shade
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Berries for birds; Host for
Spicebush Swallowtail
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Lonicera sempervirens
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Trumpet Honeysuckle
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Vine to 20’
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Red or yellow flowers -
hummingbirds; berries
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Morus rubra
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Red Mulberry
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Large Tree (50’)
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Moist/Adaptable
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Berries in summer; Male &
female needed
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Nyssa sylvatica
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Black Gum
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Large Tree (50’)
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Swampy/Adaptable
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Fall foliage; Berries for
birds
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Rhododendron canadense
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Rhodora
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Dwarf shrub (3’)
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Moist/wet
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Good for naturalizing
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Rhododendron periclymenoides
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Pinxterbloom
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Medium shrub (8’)
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Light pink flowers; fairly
shade tolerant
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Rhododendron viscosum
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Swamp Azalea
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Medium shrub (8’)
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Moist
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Early sum. fragrant flowers;
Fall foliage
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Rosa palustris
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Swamp Rose
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Small shrub (5’)
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Moist
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Spring flowers; Summer hips;
Fall foliage
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Sassafras albidum
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Sassafras
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Large Tree (50’)
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Fall foliage and berries; Male
& female needed
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Vaccinium angustifolium
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Lowbush Blueberry
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Groundcover (1’)
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Dry acid soil; Sun for fruit
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Spring flowers; Summer
berries; Fall Foliage
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Vaccinium corymbosum
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Highbush Blueberry
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Medium shrub (8’)
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Moist acid soil; Sun for fruit
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Same as V. angustifolium + Red
or yellow winter twigs
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Viburnum alnifolium
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Hobblebush
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Medium shrub (8’)
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Part shade; Moist
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Spring flowers; Summer
berries; Fall foliage
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Viburnum cassinoides
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Withe-rod
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Medium shrub (8’)
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Adaptable
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Spring flowers; Summer
berries; Fall foliage
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Wildflowers
Spring Bloomers
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Species
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Common name
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Form
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Conditions
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Comments
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Actaea pachypoda
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Doll's Eyes
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Upright (1-2')
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Interesting berries; mildly
poisonous
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Actaea rubra
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Red Baneberry
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Upright (1-2')
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Interesting berries; mildly
poisonous
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Anemone quinquefolia
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Wood Anemone
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Diminutive (3-6")
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Moist; Shade
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Ephemeral; Best in colonies
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Aquilegia canadensis
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Wild Columbine
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Upright (1-2')
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Well-drained; Sun/Light Shade
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Common along roadsides;
Hummingbird favorite
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Arisaema triphyllum
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Jack-in-the-Pulpit
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Upright (1-2')
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Moist; Shade
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Variable color of flowers;
Bright berries in fall
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Asarum canadense
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Wild Ginger
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Groundcover
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Moist; Shade
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Flowers at ground level;
pollinated by beetles
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Caltha palustris
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Marsh Marigold
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Clumper (1-2')
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Moist to wet; Sun to shade
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Brilliant color for the bog
garden or along streams
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Caulophyllum thalictroides
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Blue Cohosh
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Upright (2-3')
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Moist; Shade
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Blue berries in fall
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Claytonia caroliniana
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Spring Beauty
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Diminutive (3-6")
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Ephemeral; Best in colonies
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Clintonia borealis
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Bluebead Lily
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Clumper (8-12")
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Moist; Shade
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Brilliant blue berries in fall
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Cornus canadensis
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Bunchberry
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Groundcover
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Common at higher elevations
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Cypripedium acaule
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Pink Lady-slipper
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Clumper (1')
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Average; Light shade
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Not for the home garden; enjoy
in the wild
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Dentaria laciniata
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Cut-leaf Toothwort
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Diminutive (4-6")
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Moist; Shade
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Ephemeral; Attractive foliage
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Dicentra canadensis
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Squirrel Corn
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Diminutive (3-5")
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Later bloom than Dutchman's
Breeches; Ephemeral
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Dicentra cucullaria
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Dutchman's Breeches
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Diminutive (3-5")
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Ephemeral
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Erythronium americanum
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Trout Lily
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Diminutive (2-6")
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Moist; Shade
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Ephemeral; Flowers short-lived
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Gaultheria procumbens
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Wintergreen
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Groundcover
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Moist to dry; Part sun/Shade
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Flowers in summer; berries
last through spring
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Geranium maculatum
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Wild Geranium
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Upright (1-2')
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Moist; Sun/Light shade
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Spectacular in the garden;
white form available
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Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa
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Round-lobed Hepatica
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Diminutive
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Flower color variable
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Iris versicolor
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Northern Blue Flag
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Clumper (2-3')
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Moist to Wet; Sun/Light shade
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Brilliant color for the bog
garden or along streams
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Maianthemum canadense
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Canada Mayflower
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Groundcover
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Moist to dry; Part sun/Shade
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Our most common woodlander
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Mainthemum racemosum
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False Solomon's Seal
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Upright (1-3')
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Berries change colors as they
mature
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Panax quinquefolius
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Ginseng
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Upright (8-16")
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Moist, well-drained; Shade
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Associated with Sugar Maple
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Podophyllum peltatum
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Mayapple
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Upright (8-16")
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Moist to dry; Part sun/Shade
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Deer-proof?; Fruits eaten by
box turtles
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Polygonatum biflorum
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Solomon's Seal
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Upright (1-3')
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Moist; Shade
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Polyploid form (commutatum)
reaches 5-6'
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Sanguinaria canadensis
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Bloodroot
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Clumper (1')
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Moist to ave; Part sun/Shade
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Interesting foliage; brilliant
but brief flowering
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Streptopus amplexifolius
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White Mandarin
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Upright (1-3')
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Moist; Shade
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Brilliant red berries in fall
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Symplocarpus foeditus
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Skunk Cabbage
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Clumper (1-2')
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Wet; Sun/Shade
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First to flower
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Thalictrum thalictroides
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Rue Anemone
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Diminutive (4-8")
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Ephemeral; Double cultivars
available
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Tiarella cordifolia
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Foamflower
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Groundcover
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Common; Numerous cultivars
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Trillium erectum
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Purple Trillium
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Clumper (1-2')
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Brilliant color; easy in the
garden
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Trillium undulatum
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Painted Trillium
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Clumper (1-2')
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Brilliant color; not so easy
in the garden
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Uvularia sessilifolia
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Wild Oats
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Groundcover
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Moist/ave; Part sun/Shade
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Light yellow bell-flowers;
tolerates dry shade
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Viola canadensis
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Canada Violet
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Clumper (1')
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Long-bloomer
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Viola pubescens
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Downy Yellow Violet
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Clumper (1')
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Moist; Part sun/Shade
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Valuable yellow color for the
spring woodland
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Wildflowers
Summer or Fall
Bloomers
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Species
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Common name
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Form
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Conditions
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Comments
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Actaea racemosa
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Black Cohosh, Bugbane
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Foliage to 3’
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Moist woodland conditions
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Great background plant;
soaring white flower spikes
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Asclepias incarnata
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Swamp Milkweed
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Upright (3-5’)
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Moist/wet/ave; Sun/Part Sun
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Pink & white flowers;
butterflies, bees, cut flowers
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Asclepias verticillata
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Whorled Milkweed
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Fine foliage (1-2’)
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Average to dry soils; Sun
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White flowers; butterflies,
bees, cut flowers
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Aster divaricatus
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White Wood Aster
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Upright (1-2’)
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Average to dry soils; Shade
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White flowers; tough plant for
dry shade
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Campanula rotundifolia
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Round-leaved Bluebell
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Delicate (1-1.5’)
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Moist to dry; Sun/Part sun
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Blue, bell-shaped flowers over
a long season
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Cassia hebecarpa
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Wild Senna
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Imposing (3-6’)
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Moist to dry; Part sun
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Dramatic form; interesting
yellow flowers
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Chelone glabra
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Turtlehead
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Upright (3’)
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Moist/wet/ave; Sun/Part Sun
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Interesting white flowers;
Naturalizes in wet areas
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Eupatorium fistulosum
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Hollow Joe Pye Weed
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Imposing (3-8’)
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Moist to wet; Sun/Part sun
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Pinky-purple flowers;
butterflies, bees
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Eurybia divaricata
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Black Cohosh, Bugbane
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Foliage to 3’
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Moist woodland conditions
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Great background plant;
soaring white flower spikes
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Gentiana clausa
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Closed Gentian
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Sprawling (1-1.5’)
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Moist; Part sun
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Beautiful blue-violet flowers
to end the year
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Helenium autumnale
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Helen’s Flower
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Upright (3-5’)
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Moist to average; Sun
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