When choosing plants for our gardens it makes sense to look around the neighborhood to see what is thriving since there is a fair chance that it will succeed for us too. Often what you will find are native plants which are adapted to the local conditions. This article by Helen Yoest which I found on Our State website describes plants that are native to North Carolina but the general principle applies countywide.
North Carolina has a vast array of native plants. Some are more suited to home gardens while others are best viewed in their native habitat. This is due mostly to their availability or lack thereof. But even if you can?t have every kind of native plant you want in your yard, this provides a great excuse to travel throughout our state to see wildflowers in the wild.
Here are six native plants that will suit all of our North Carolina regions:1) Wood-Anemone, Anemone quinquefolia
Thriving in moist, well-drained soil and rich woods, Wood-Anemone, often referred to as Thimbleweed, is as easy to grow as it is to love. Reaching a maximum height of a foot with large, white flowers, Wood-Anemone stars in the spring border.
Suitable in Zones 3-9Photography courtesy of Emily via Flickr
2) Carolina Lupine, Thermopsis villosa
Native to the mountains, Carolina Lupine thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. The showy, yellow spires of its sweetpea-like flowers make the lupine a tough plant in the spring. It reaches four feet tall.
Suitable in Zones 3-10Photography courtesy of Uleli via Wikimedia
See more at Our State
Feature photo: Larkin Kinsella, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Flickr
