We specialize in offering hard-to-find, rare, and unusual native plant species. There are many native plants with amazing ecological benefits and ornamental potential, but are underused, unavailable, and difficult to find. Many of you have asked us for these plants over the years, and its great to be able to offer them when we can. Read about just a few of these unique plants below.  And, please do come to the nursery to browse the rest of our stock and say hi before the season ends.

Please note, all of our plants are nursery grown and propagated.

We never take plants from the wild. We discourage anyone from removing native plants from the wild, especially rare species. Our goal is to offer as many seed-grown crops as possible to encourage and promote genetic diversity among our plants.

---

Wild Climbing Rose (Rosa setigera)

Here is the best native substitute to the exotic, hybrid climbing roses that have adorned arbors and trellises in cottage gardens for generations. Our native climbing rose’s long, spindly canes are easily trained to fences, trellises, and other supports. It will generally reach heights of 8 to 12 feet with an equal spread if allowed. The flowers are large for wild roses and are born in clusters of 3 to 7 blossoms. The flowers in each cluster open individually over the course of several days, so as the older flowers fade to light pink, new ones open to reveal bright magenta pink. This staggered bloom creates a beautiful, multicolor affect within the clusters.

Wild roses are a superior source of nectar and pollen for several species of native bees, syrphid flies, beetles, wasps, moths, and butterflies. Faded blooms are soon replaced by fruits called hips, which ripen to a bright, scarlet-red. The hips often persist into the winter, looking especially pretty when tufts of fresh snow sit atop each dangling fruit. This is also when they are of particular interest to birds searching for food among the barren winter landscape. Cardinals, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Waxwings, Grouse, Turkey, and Quail are all known to feed on rose hips.

---

Red Spruce (Picea rubens)

The red spruce is the predominant spruce of south-eastern Canada, New England, and the only common spruce in Appalachia. From New England, its range extends south through the subalpine zones of the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and the Carolinas. It is a long-lived, very cold hardy tree. In Pennsylvania, it is mostly found in the Pocono Mountains in the Northeastern corner of the state, and the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains in the central part of the state. Compared to the more commonly planted White Spruce (Picea glauca), the Red Spruce is broader and more pyramidal in structure. The species reaches its greatest potential size in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

Interestingly, the Red Spruce is the preferred host of deer truffles: a symbiotic, mycorrhizal fungi (Elaphomyces granulatus). Deer truffles are the primary food source of the endangered Northern Flying Squirrel. The squirrels dig up the truffles under the cover of darkness. Deer truffles make up to 80% of the flying squirrel’s diet, and are primarily dispersed by the spores passed through the digestive system of the squirrels.

---

Mohr’s Rosinweed (Silphium mohrii)

Mohr’s Rosinweed is a rare, clumping perennial wildflower native to the south-eastern United States. It is only found in about 15 counties in Alabama, Tennessee, and extreme north-west Georgia. There, it is only found in small remnant prairies and limestone outcroppings, which are rare habitats in general. Its extremely limited range and particular habitat preference have led this plant to be recognized as vulnerable of extinction in the wild by NatureServe.

Though not native to the Mid-Atlantic Region, it performs well here and is valued by many of our local pollinators and birds. There are other Silphium species native to Pennsylvania and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic Eco-Region. Songbirds, such as finches will feed on the sunflower-like seeds of this plant. It prefers growing in full sun, but will tolerate light or dappled shade. It is not too picky about its soil. Grow it in average to dry soils with good drainage; it grows well in poor, rocky soils too. Expect it to reach anywhere from 2 to 5 feet tall, mostly dependent on moisture availability and soil quality.

---

Sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata)

This aromatic, cool-season grass is well-known and sought because of its cultural significance to many North American indigenous cultures. It is a rhizomatous species that can spread more than 2 feet per year, therefore site placement should be considered carefully as it is difficult to remove if no longer desired. Give it space to spread. It prefers moist to wet soils in full sun to light shade, but is adaptable to various conditions.

Awareness about this species heightened among native plant enthusiasts and gardeners when Robin Wall Kimmerer published her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants in 2013. Kimmerer is a renowned author, botanist, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

---

Wild Live-forever (Hylotelephium telephoides)

Our native “version” of the popular ‘Autumn Joy’ ornamental sedum! While its habit and appearance isn’t exactly the same, it does sport fall flowers and a unique succulent foliage. This rare endemic plant of the Appalachian Mountains is found from southern Pennsylvania to western North Carolina, with a few rare outlying populations. It is a rare species in Pennsylvania, with only a few known populations in the south-central part of the state.

---

Common Hop Tree, or Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata)

This small tree, or large shrub is an unusual member of the citrus family, but does not produce juicy fruits. Its greenish-white, “stinky” spring flowers give way to dry, papery, wafer-like seeds (samaras). Although this species is hard to find in cultivation, it is a fast-grower and adaptable to various conditions. One of the coolest parts of growing this plant is getting to observe giant swallowtail caterpillars feeding on its foliage, as it is the primary larval host for that butterfly! And, it can fit in almost any garden, because it generally only grows 10 to 15 feet tall and wide and will grow well in sun or shade.

---

Copper Iris (Iris fulva)

A lovely, somewhat dainty Iris that naturally occurs in the lower Mississippi River Valley region. It has become rare in its natural habitat due to wetland drainage and dredging operations. Its terra-cotta orange flowers are spectacular, and an unusual color among native plants. It thrives in moist to wet soils, or even shallow water in full sun to partial shade.

---

Common Violet (Pink Form) (Viola sororia f. rubra)

We love violets! They are so versatile, and many species are very easy to grow. The common blue violet grows in a wide variety of habitats, including lawns and sidewalk cracks! And, the common blue violet is a highly variable species, and so is not always the typical blue-violet color. The form rubra has gorgeous magenta-pink flowers, but otherwise behaves and looks the same. Please note, this is not a cultivar, it is a natural color form that occurs in nature. Like most violet species, fritillary butterflies utilize this species as a larval host plant.

---

Seersucker Sedge (Carex plantaginea)

Perhaps one of our most spectacular native sedges! Its broad, crinkled, chartreuse-green leaves form a dense clump that is truly outstanding in a shaded or woodland garden. In late winter or early spring, its flowers emerge as small, purplish-black spikes that are reminiscent of tiny paintbrushes. It generally grows 6 to 12 inches tall and wide, and can spread by seed in optimal conditions. If you plant them en mass, this species is an effective (and beautiful) groundcover.

It is best planted in average to moist, well-drained, fertile soils in full shade to dappled sun. Avoid too much direct sun exposure; it will adapt to dry soils in shade once well-established. Its foliage is somewhat evergreen.

---

Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)

The Nannyberry apparently got its name from folklore that believed nanny-goats were particularly fond of the withered fruits in winter. Well, we can’t really speak to that… However, its other common name is “sheepberry” because of the pungent musky odor of the overripe berries (reminiscent of wet wool)…and that is true. We have smelled it when cleaning the berries for seed harvesting.

The Nannyberry can grow 10 to 18 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide, blurring the line between a large shrub and small tree. In nature, it tends to be found in moist environments like stream banks, pond edges, low lying woodlands, and even borders of swamps and bogs. However, it is adaptable to drier soils. Flat clusters of creamy white, fragrant flowers bloom in late spring to early summer. Very attractive to bees and butterflies! Flowers are eventually replaced by berries that ripen from pink to blue to black.

---

Groundsel-Bush (Baccharis halimifolia)

This unique, woody member of the aster family is a fall favorite at our nursery! Its silver-blue foliage and showy, white seed fluff is really outstanding. Groundsel-Bush is an open, airy, multi-trunked shrub that grows between 5 and 12 feet tall depending on conditions. It tolerates salty soils, and therefore is a good choice for areas that get a lot of salt spray in the winter. It is also very tolerant of clay soils, drought, nutrient-deprived soils, and flooding. Best grown in full sun or light shade.

This shrub is dioecious, meaning the male and female plants are separate. The female plant produces the big clusters of pretty white seed fluff. Planting a male and female is best to achieve pollination, if desired. Groudsel-bush is a rare species in Pennsylvania. However, it has taken well to barren roadsides, edges of construction sites and railroads, and old fields where conditions aren’t favorable to many other native plants.