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

Friday - August 14, 2009

From: Brooklyn, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Container Gardens, Cacti and Succulents
Title: Native plants for a New York, NY apartment?
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What are some native Mid-Atlantic/New England plants that can be grown well indoors? I live in an apartment in New York City and have recently realised that the plants I've been growing are all foreign (and in one case, potentially invasive) species. I'd like to change that, but I can't find any information on native houseplants anywhere.

ANSWER:

We love your train of thought! Unfortunately, with the exception of cacti and succulents, very few North American native plants are well-suited for indoor gardening. Some people have success growing some woodland plants in terrariums, but even those are rarely long-lived. About eleven species of Sedum are native to New York and the surrounding states. You might have some success culturing a kind of rock garden in your apartment window using some of those lovely and interesting groundcovers.

From the Image Gallery

Woodland stonecrop
Sedum ternatum