Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Wednesday - June 10, 2009

From: Lyndonville, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Container Gardens
Title: Container native plants for New York area
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I live near Lake Ontario (zip 14098). Would like to know what to plant in window boxes that have southern exposure and are in direct sun 4-6 hrs a day

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants has selected native plants for you to choose from that are of various heights (all less than two feet), produce blooms at different times of the year, and/or have attractive foliage when not in bloom. They will all grow in part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun per day). If you would like to see more possibilities, please go to our Recommended Species page and select New York from the map or pull-down menu for a list of commercially available native plants suitable for landscaping. You can limit that list by using the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option and selecting from the various categories; for instance, you could select 'Herb' from General Appearance and the appropriate Light Requirement and/or Soil Moisture for your situation. (Note: For those plants that have a wide distribution, e.g., Black-eyed Susan, the early and late bloom times will apply to the more southerly climates.)

Aquilegia canadensis (red columbine) , blooms February through July

Campanula rotundifolia (bluebell bellflower) blooms June through September

Dicentra cucullaria (dutchman's breeches) attractive foliage, blooms April and May

Gentiana puberulenta (downy gentian) blooms August through October

Hypoxis hirsuta (common goldstar) blooms May through June

Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine) blooms May and June

Maianthemum stellatum (starry false lily of the valley) attractive foliage, blooms May and June

Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox) blooms March through May

Phlox subulata (moss phlox) a low-growing plant that blooms March through June

Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan) blooms June through October

Tiarella cordifolia (heartleaf foamflower) blooms April through July

Trillium undulatum (painted trillium) blooms April through June