Learn About Native Plants
Where Can I Get More Information?
The process of choosing what native plants to add to your gardens can be daunting.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite websites and resources to make this easier.
Note that some resources are available for the United States (US), some for Canada (CA) and some cover both.
Gratitude to those who have provide more regional sources of information. We’ve included several of them below.
Please note the resources below are not exhaustive. If you have great resources email them to us and we’ll add to this list.
| Name | CA or US or Both | Link | Best use |
| Pollinator Partnership Guides | Both | www.pollinator.org/guides | Enter your zip code and receive a FREE PDF document specific to your ecoregion. This resource will give you ideas of plants to add and the wildlife they will support. Great reference for beginners. |
| Homegrown National Park | US | https://homegrownnationalpark.org/keystone-plants/ | Excellent resource for keystone species, or plants that are critical because of their ecosystem services. Make sure to include several keystones from your region. |
| Birds Canada Garden for Birds | CA | https://birdgardens.ca/ | Find a variety of helpful resources from plant guides, to local nursery locator, and ideas for how to create beautiful native gardens in Canada. |
| Gardenia: Native Plant Finder | Both | www.gardenia.net/native-plants/united-stateshttps://www.gardenia.net/plants-by-region/north-america/canada | Another site that will let you search by region with a refined search based on the type of plants that you want to add. This site has more pictures and is visually captivating. |
| Canadensys | CA | https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search | A searchable database for all native vascular plants in Canada. Search by common or scientific names. |
| Audubon Native Plant Database | US | www.audubon.org/native-plants | After entering your zip code, you will be presented with a variety of native plants and the birds they may attract. You can sort and filter based on what you are looking for. There is also a link to local nurseries that may carry natives. |
| North Carolina Extension Plant Toolbox | US (NC and Southeast) | https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu | Resource to search for native plants specifically grown in North Carolina and bordering States. |
| Izel Native Plants | US (parts of) | https://www.izelplants.com/ | Learn about native plants in parts of northeast, northcentral, midwest and southeast using this resource. You can also order seeds, plugs and plants from this company. |
| Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation | US (Virginia) | https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/native-plants-finder | More regionally focused for those that are searching for native options in Virginia. |
| Native Plant Societies | Both | https://theplantnative.com/resources/native-plant-societies/ | Native plant societies that can be found in your state or province are excellent places to find local experts who can grow your native plant knowledge. Use this link to search and find one near you. |
| Native Plant Trust | US (New England and beyond) | https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/about/ | Plant conservation organization, with a focus on New England. See their “GoBotany” Plant ID key: https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/ |
| BONAP’s Taxonomic Data Center North American Vascular Flora | Both | https://bonap.net/tdc | Robust database, likely easier for a more experienced native plant user to use. Searchable by location and ind epth information on plants. |
| Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | US | www.wildflower.org/plants/ | Search by plant name (scientific or common) to learn about the growing conditions of plants. If you have a “trouble spot” enter the details on the location and the tool will feed you suggestions. Great for more advanced gardeners or those with difficult planting sites. |
| Garden for Wildlife | US | www.gardenforwildlife.com/blogs/learning-center | GFW serves as both an educational resource on native gardening for beginners and experts, as well as a plant resource. You can search by zip code, growing conditions, and wildlife preferences for identifying plants that their partner nurseries provide. They are continually expanding their offerings. |
| Prairie Nursery | US parts of CA | https://www.prairienursery.com/ | Resource for learning about and purchasing native plants. Recommended quality plants from Garden for Birds participants. |
| Native plant finder – National Wildlife Foundation | US | www.nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/Plants | Search results are based on the historic native ranges of plants as determined by the USDA NRCS Plant Database, which are based on range maps that go down to the county level. Another page here links to NWF Native Plant Suppliers. |
| bplant.org | US (L48) | https://bplant.org/ | Newer database with plant information covering most of the United States. Blog updates provide more in depth information on plant species. |
| Prairie Moon Nursery | US parts of CA | https://www.prairiemoon.com/ | Excellent source of seeds, bare root, plugs, and potted natives with a robust website containing information on each plant species. |
| USDA Celebrating Wildflowers – Links | US | www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/links | List of links to organizations – many state specific – that promote preservation, conservation, and knowledge about native plants. Most include a wide array of activities and information including field trips, wildflower walks, presentations, seed exchanges, native plant gardening, restoration information, photo galleries, botanical references, newsletters, plant lists, invasive plant information, and educational classes. |
| Wild Ones | US | https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/nursery-list/ | Wild Ones offers a variety of resources for gardeners from native plant garden designs, local chapters, native plant events and nurseries to find native plants in your State. |
| Grow Native! | US (Midwest: AR, IL KS, MO, NE, OK) | https://grownative.org/native-plant-database/ | Great source of prairie plants for parts of the midwest. Filter allows you to focus on specific plants that would meet specific growing needs and conditions. |
| California Native Plant Society | US (California) | https://calscape.org/ | An extensive catalog of plants to search and locate with a native plant nursery tool. Layout and garden design ideas available. |
| Blue Stem Natives | US (New England) | https://www.bluestemnatives.com/plants | A nice regional resource for both learning about and purchasing native plants in New England. Colorful images and easy to search database. |
| Morton Arboretum | US (Illinois, parts of midwest) | https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/ | Vibrant user-friendly website that is packed with information on Chicago/Midwest native plants, how to plant and care for them and their wildlife value. Note that not all plants listed are native species. |
| Jersey Friendly Yards | US (New Jersey) | https://www.jerseyyards.org/jersey-friendly-plants/ | Resource focused on native plants in New Jersey. Colorful and inviting for people in NJ who want a focused database for their state. |
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