Plant lists for professionals
For your convenience, we have compiled the following lists:
See below for
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Master spreadsheet of Virginia native plants, annotated for professionals
Links to pages on our website
Master spreadsheet of plants for professionals
A master list of native plants for professionals contained in a Google Sheet (the tabs at the bottom take you to different pages):
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Shrubs
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Trees
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Grasses
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Perennials
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Groundcovers
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Ferns
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Vines
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Ornamental ponds
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Non-Virginia plants - a few popular ones are listed for your convenience, all native to nearby states. Their value to the ecosystem is uncertain but is certainly higher than ones from further away.
Plants in bold most likely to fit the needs of professional landscapers, chosen because they are:
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Tough and reliable
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Almost all widely available
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Provide the “look” that your customers expect from landscaping plants
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Suitable for commercial as well as residential settings
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Native to Northern Virginia (with the exception of a few other Virginia natives that were included because of their popularity)
Many of the ones not in bold are garden-worthy in particular situations. Some of these are available only from native plant vendors.
The Common Trade Name column is for cultivar names to help with identification, since vendor websites do not always specify the species name. Being listed does not represent a recommendation.
A much longer list of garden-worthy Northern Virginia native plants (270 species) can be viewed in the Native Plants for Northern Virginia guide and via our online searchable plant app.
Builder’s Package
Plants on this list are super tough, versatile, and widely available in compact sizes.
Scientific Name | Common Name | Substitutes for: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Callicarpa americana | American Beautyberry | Japanese Beautyberry | Availability is variable |
Carex blanda | Common Wood Sedge | Liriope | |
Carex flaccosperma | Meadow Sedge | Liriope | Evergreen. |
Carex laxiculmus | Creeping Sedge | Liriope | Evergreen. |
Carex plantiginea | Seersucker Sedge | Liriope | nearly evergreen |
Clethra alnifolia | Sweet Pepperbush | Skip Laurel | |
Ilex glabra | Inkberry | Japanese hollies 'Soft Touch' and 'Compacta' | Evergreen. Shorter, fuller cultivars. |
Ilex opaca | American Holly | Creeping junipers | Evergreen. 'Maryland Dwarf' 3 feet tall, up to 10' spread |
Ilex verticillata | Winterberry Holly | Nandina, Burning Bush | |
Juncus effusus | Common rush | Liriope, Miscanthus | |
Juniperus virginiana | Eastern Red Cedar | Leyland Cypress | Evergreen. Cultivars in multiple sizes |
Magnolia virginiana | Sweetbay Magnolia | Skip Laurel | Evergreen. Cultivars in many sizes |
Morella cerifera | Southern Bayberry | Skip Laurel | Evergreen. |
Morella pensylvanica | Northern Bayberry | Skip Laurel | |
Muhlenbergia capillaris | Pink Muhly Grass | Fountain Grass | |
Panicum virgatum | Switchgrass | Miscanthus Grass | |
Physocarpus opulifolia | Ninebark | Nandina, Burning Bush | |
Rhus aromatica | Fragrant Sumac | Creeping junipers | 'Gro-Low' 2 feet tall and up to 8 feet spread |
Yucca filamentosa | Common Yucca | Japanese Barberry | Evergreen |
Commercial Settings Package
Tough, reliable plants, mostly tolerant of salt and compaction.
Plant Type | Scientific Name | Common Name | Substitutes for: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Shrubs | Viburnum prunifolium | Blackhaw viburnum | Other viburnums | |
Shrubs | Morella (Myrica) pennsylvanica | Southern Bayberry | Skip Laurel | Semi-evergreen |
Shrubs | Lindera benzoin | Spicebush | Forsythia | Availability is variable |
Shrubs | Itea virginica | Virginia Sweetspire | Burning Bush, Nandina | Not salt tolerant |
Shrubs | Aronia (Photinia) melanocarpa | Black Chokeberry | ||
Trees | Amelanchier canadensis | Serviceberry | ||
Trees | Amelanchier laevis | Serviceberry | ||
Trees | Amelanchier arborea | Serviceberry | ||
Trees | Cercis canadensis | Redbud | Japanese cherries | Not salt tolerant |
Grasses | Carex plantiginea | Blue Wood Sedge | Liriope | Nearly evergreen |
Grasses | Carex laxiculmis | Blue Wood Sedge | Liriope | Evergreen |
Grasses | Carex blanda | Blue Wood Sedge | Liriope | |
Shrubs | Clethra alnifolia | Sweet Pepperbush | Skip Laurel | |
Shrubs | Hamamelis virginiana | Witch Hazel | ||
Shrubs | Ilex glabra | Inkberry | Japanese Hollies, Privet | Evergreen. Shorter cultivars. |
Shrubs | Ilex verticillata | Winterberry Holly | Burning Bush, Nandina | Striking red berries in winter, cultivars in multiple sizes and colors |
Shrubs | Morella (Myrica) cerifera | Southern Bayberry | Skip Laurel | Evergreen |
Shrubs | Rosa carolina | Carolina Rose | Other roses, Japanese Barberry | |
Shrubs | Rhus aromatica | Fragrant Sumac | Creeping junipers | Gro-Low makes a short groundcover shrub |
Shrubs | Viburnum dentatum | Southern Arrowwood | Other viburnums | |
Shrubs | Viburnum nudum | Possumhaw | Other viburnums | |
Trees | Chionanthus virginicus | Fringe Tree | Kousa Dogwood | |
Trees | Juniperus virginiana | Eastern Red Cedar | Leyland Cypress | Cultivars in multiple sizes |
Trees | Magnolia virginiana | Sweetbay Magnolia | ||
Trees | Nyssa sylvatica | Black Gum | ||
Trees | Quercus coccinea | Scarlet Oak | ||
Trees | Taxodium distichum | Bald Cypress | ||
Grasses | Panicum virgatum | Switch Grass | Miscanthus grass | |
Grasses | Schizachyrium scoparium | Little Bluestem | Miscanthus grass | |
Grasses | Carex flaccosperma | Blue Wood Sedge | Liriope | Evergreen |
Perennials | Achillea millefolium | Common Yarrow | Annuals | Early summer bloom |
Perennials | Coreopsis verticillata | Tickseed Coreopsis | Annuals | Blooms all summer |
Perennials | Physostegia virginiana | Obedient Plant | Annuals | Compact cultivars that don't spread such as Miss Manners and Pink Manners. Mid to late summer bloom. |
Perennials | Rudbeckia fulgida | Black Eyed Susan | Annuals | Long late summer and fall bloom |
Shrubs | Yucca filamentosa | Common Yucca | Japanese Barberry |