This website was developed to help gardeners incorporate wildflowers into their gardens by giving information on various native wildflowers. The idea is not to recommend plants, but rather to give enough information to make your own decision as to whether or not a wildflower suits your needs. The website may also be helpful to people who have wildflowers on their property and those who simply enjoy seeing plants in natural settings and want help identifying them. 

Native Habitat

When selecting native plants, consideration should be given to the plant’s natural habitat. Each species developed in a specific habitat and will grow best when given conditions that resemble that habitat. Some species developed in wooded sites and so shade will be needed. Woods, however, may be dense or open, so different plants tolerate varying degrees of shade. Plants from open woods may be able to tolerate a fair amount of sun. Other species developed in open areas like prairies and fields. These plants are usually going to need full sun.

There is some overlap with habitats. Plants that are considered wetland plants developed in wet sites, such as swamps and stream banks and need a consistent amount of water (but not necessarily wet soils). Wetland plants may also be found in wooded areas that are wet and these plants would have a need for shade. Other wetland plants may have developed in wet meadows or prairies and thus would need full sun.

They are usually defined as plants recorded as growing wild in an area at the time that scientific collection began in that area. Other plants are considered introduced. The scope of Wildflowers covers several Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin). Plants included on the website are native to one or more of those states (some may also be native to states outside the scope of this website).

From a more subjective viewpoint, gardeners need to consider what native means to them. Some people are satisfied as long as the plant is considered native to North America or the United States. Others may feel that they only want to use plants native to the state in which they live. Yet others may want plants to be native to their immediate area (the region or county in which they live). Each gardener must decide what they will accept as native.

Some of the native wildflowers have become “domesticated” over the years and there may be cultivated varieties available that differ from the species. Again, each gardener must decide if they will be a “purist,” growing only naturally occurring species, or if they will accept these cultivated varieties. The website features only naturally occurring species.

A Note of Caution

The interest in native plants is growing, but a plant’s nativity does not make it automatically a great garden plant. Every native plant will not be a good match for every garden. Some native plants can be aggressive in their growth, so that factor must be considered, especially if the plant will be placed in a small garden. If naturalizing is the goal, however, plants that are aggressive growers or self-sowers could be considered desirable.

Not all native plants are attractive and that should be taken into consideration. This is a subjective decision that each gardener must make. Another subjective choice, but a far more serious one, is the matter of poisonous plants. Among both introduced plants and natives, there are plants that may be harmful to some degree and a few that are deadly. It is not the intent of this website to list which plants are poisonous. In some cases, the poisonous nature of a plant has been noted, if the plant is particularly toxic. However, if a plant is not designated as poisonous, it is not automatically a ‘safe’ plant. Safety should always be a concern in the garden. Don’t select a plant without knowing more about it, whether it is a native or introduced plant.

There are some commonly held misconceptions about native plants. It is often stated that native plants have fewer disease and insect problems. This is not necessarily true. Some native plants have few problems while others are constantly plagued. We have higher expectations in a managed landscape. A native plant suffering from a disease or insect in the woods, may go unnoticed. The same plant in a traditional landscape may give a poor appearance.

Another misconception is that native plants are adapted to the area so they will have superior growth. In terms of cold hardiness, this is true. However, when we look at soil conditions we see a different picture. Many of the soils in suburban and urban sites are disturbed; they may be primarily subsoil (which is inadequate for plant growth) or a subsoil/topsoil mix. Mycorrhizal fungi that are found in undisturbed soils may be missing. These fungi help native plants absorb water and nutrients from the soil, leading to better growth. So we may have a native plant in an altered environment. This doesn’t mean that native plants can’t be grown in urban and suburban sites. It means that we must do what we can to make those sites as appropriate as possible. We should expect the possibility that the plant will not reach its full potential (in terms of size and flowering) in these sites.

A third misconception is that native plants are always more desirable than non-native species. Poison ivy and poison sumac are natives, but they are far from desirable. Some natives are aggressive growers, spreading rapidly. They may overwhelm a small yard or may not fit well in a traditional landscape. As with any plant group, careful selections need to be made.

Do not collect plants or seeds from wild areas as this may endanger a particular stand of plants and may be illegal. Buy plants and seeds from reputable nurseries that are propagating plants rather than collecting from the wild. Some native plants may be on the endangered or threatened plant list.