— from the toolshed —

Ohio Native Plants — Meemaw's List

Updated May 2026

Why Ohio?

Here's the thing about Ohio — most folks don't realize what a special spot we sit on. We're not just one kind of place. The eastern half of the state is true Eastern Deciduous Forest — oak, hickory, beech, maple, all those big shady trees that drop acorns on your windshield every fall. But head west toward Indiana and the land flattens out and opens up into what used to be tallgrass prairie, full of big bluestem so tall you could lose a cow in it. And up north, near the lake, we've got marshes and oak savanna. Ohio sits on the seam where three or four whole ecoregions meet up. That's why our birds, our bugs, and our butterflies are so varied — they've got options.

What that means for you and me is that we've got an absolute treasure chest of native plants to choose from. Native plants are the ones that grew here before anybody named the place Ohio. Their roots run deep — sometimes ten, fifteen feet down — which means they sip groundwater you didn't have to pay the city for. They feed native bees and butterflies that fancy tropical nursery plants can't feed. And once they're settled in, you can pretty much leave them alone. No mowing, no fussing, no chemicals. Just sit on the porch and watch the goldfinches show up.

"A native plant garden isn't lazy gardening. It's smart gardening that looks like lazy gardening."

The List — What to Plant

I'm not going to dump every Ohio native on you. There's thousands. Here's a handful I keep coming back to in my own yard — the ones that earn their dirt.

Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea

Full sun, and she's not picky about soil — matter of fact, the meaner the dirt, the harder she blooms. Goldfinches will pick the seed heads clean in late summer, and the bees go absolutely silly for the flowers in July. If you plant one thing on this whole list, plant this. Cut her back hard in spring and she'll come back bigger every year.

Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta

Full sun, dry to medium soil — she'll grow in a sidewalk crack if you let her. Feeds small native bees and a whole crowd of butterflies, and the seed heads carry the birds clean into November. Plant her once and she'll politely self-sow a little colony for you. Cheerful as a yellow porch light.

New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Full sun to part shade, and she likes a little moisture in her toes. Here's why she matters — she blooms in September and October when most everything else is winding down, which means she's the last big buffet for monarchs heading to Mexico. Plant her behind something shorter, because she gets tall and a little wild-haired.

Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa

Full sun to part shade, average soil. Lavender pom-pom flowers that hummingbirds, bumblebees, and one very specific clearwing moth all fight over. Smells like Earl Grey tea if you crush a leaf — matter of fact, you can steep it. Just give her airflow; she'll powder up with mildew if she's crammed in tight.

Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis

Part shade and damp feet — she's the one you plant by the downspout or the low spot in the yard where everything else drowns. Bright red spikes in August, and she is THE plant for ruby-throated hummingbirds. They about line up. She's a short-lived perennial, so let her drop seed and she'll keep the show going.

Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa

Full sun, dry soil — the drier the better. Orange flowers that look like somebody lit a sparkler in the garden bed. Monarch caterpillars eat the leaves, and a hundred kinds of pollinators drink the nectar. She has a deep taproot, so plant her where you want her — she does not appreciate being moved.

Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca

Full sun, average to dry soil. Bigger and bossier than her butterfly cousin, with pink ball-flowers that smell like honey and vanilla had a baby. This is the workhorse monarch plant — the one they prefer for laying eggs. She spreads by underground runners, so give her a spot where she can roam, or put her behind a deep edging.

Switchgrass Panicum virgatum

Full sun, just about any soil. A tall, airy native grass that turns gold in fall and stands up all winter, catching frost and snow like a postcard. Songbirds shelter in her, and skipper butterflies lay eggs on the leaves. Plant her in a clump of three or five — she's a chorus singer, not a soloist.

Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium

Full sun, dry soil — she actually hates rich dirt, so don't pamper her. Blue-green blades in summer turning copper-orange in fall, and the seed heads catch the low light like nothing else. Host plant for a whole list of little skipper butterflies. If you've got a sunny strip where the lawn struggles, retire that lawn and put her there.

Pawpaw Tree Asimina triloba

Part shade when she's young, more sun as she grows up. Ohio's own tropical-tasting fruit — mango-banana-custard, I'm not kidding — and the ONLY host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly. Plant two for cross-pollination, give her a few years of patience, and you'll be eating something most of your neighbors have never even heard of.

Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis

Part shade to full sun, well-drained soil. In April she busts out in magenta-pink blooms right on the bare branches before the leaves even show up — looks like the tree changed its mind about being a tree. Early native bees depend on those blooms when nothing else is open. Heart-shaped leaves all summer long. A small tree with a big personality.

Spicebush Lindera benzoin

Part shade to shade, moist soil. A native shrub that nobody plants enough of. Tiny yellow flowers in earliest spring, then bright red berries the thrushes go crazy for, then buttery yellow fall color. Crush a leaf and you'll see where the name came from. Host plant for the spicebush swallowtail caterpillar — a green creature with fake eyes that'll make you laugh out loud.

Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis

Part shade, well-drained soil — she likes a rocky slope or a wall edge. Red-and-yellow nodding flowers in May, perfectly shaped for hummingbird beaks just as they're arriving back in Ohio. Self-sows politely. A short-lived perennial, but you'll never run out once she's settled.

Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia

Shade, moist humusy soil — woodland edge, north side of the house, under the oak. Frothy white flower spikes in May, neat heart-shaped leaves the rest of the year. Native bees pollinate her. Perfect for those shady spots where you're tired of fighting the dirt.

Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides

Shade to part shade, average to moist soil. Evergreen — that's where the name comes from; the fronds stay green at Christmas under the snow. Not a pollinator plant (ferns don't flower) but a ground cover that holds a hillside, shelters salamanders and toads, and looks tidy 365 days a year. Plant her with foamflower and call it done.

Where to Actually Buy Them

Here's the part nobody tells you — the big-box stores will sell you a "native" plant that's been sprayed with neonicotinoids that kill the very bees you're trying to feed. Don't do it. Buy from real Ohio native plant nurseries. They cost a hair more and they're worth every penny.

Three to Start With This Year If You're Brand New

I know that list up there is long, and looking at a long list is how folks end up planting nothing at all. So here's Meemaw's three. Buy these, plant 'em, and don't worry about the rest until next year.

  1. Purple Coneflower — sun, dirt, and three years from now you'll have a whole colony of them.
  2. Butterfly Milkweed — pick a dry sunny spot, plant her, walk away. The monarchs will find her.
  3. Wild Bergamot — the bumblebees will throw a parade for you in July.

That's it. Three plants. You can do three plants.

3, 5, 10! — three plants this year, five next year, ten the year after. That's how a garden gets made. Not in a weekend.

Same way compound interest works, matter of fact. You don't plant a forest on a Saturday. You plant three coneflowers, then you wait, then you plant five more, and one day you look up and the goldfinches are everywhere and you don't remember when that happened. That's the trick. Show up. Keep going.

If you're in Ohio and want to go deeper, these are the people Meemaw trusts: Plant It Native Ohio for plant sales and real Ohio-specific knowledge, Meadow City Nursery for sourcing plants from folks who actually know what they're selling, and Wild Ones Greater Cleveland if you want community — people who will happily spend an hour talking sedge with you. For a full list of Ohio and national resources, Meemaw's got a whole page on finding local native plant resources.

Now go on — Meemaw's got pawpaws to check on. 🌱