Native Plants to Gloucester County, VA
Black Eyed Susan- Rudbeckia hirta
Carol Heiser’s- Top Plants for Providing Good Habitat
These are good Gloucester natives that attract bees and other pollinators.
1. Some type of milkweed, such as swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), or common milkweed (A. syriaca), or butterfly weed (A. tuberosa
2. Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum);
3. Horsemint (Monarda punctata);
4. Some type of aster (such as New England aster Symphotricum novae-angliae or frost aster S. pilosum)
5. Some type of coneflower, such as black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) or green-headed coneflower (R. laciniata var. laciniata);
6. Joe pye weed (Eutrochium dubium or E. purpureum);
7. Smooth beard-tongue, eastern beard-tongue (Penstemon laevigatus);
8. Garden phlox, summer phlox (Phlox paniculata);
9. Common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum);
10. At least one of the goldenrods, such as gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) or sweet goldenrod (S. odora.) Many goldenrods are native to Gloucester.
If you want to check if a plant is native to Gloucester, maps and other information can be found on the Virginia Digital Atlas to Plants at http://www.vaplantatlas.org
Plant and seed sources: local chapters of the Virginia Native Plant Society and Master Gardener sales are good options. Locally, Mid Atlantic Natives in Cobbs Creek offers plug trays and bare root plants with a $150.00 minimum purchase.
The Plant Virginia Natives marketing partnership may be helpful: https://www.plantvirginianatives.org
Don’t forget to trade plants and seeds with friends and neighbors!
*Carol Heiser, retired Habitat Education Coordinator for the Department of Wildlife Resources, has successfully promoted the establishment of pollinator habitat across the Commonwealth.
Short List of Gloucester Native Plants
Flowers
| Swamp milkweed | Asclepias incarnata | spring, summer |
|---|---|---|
| Butterfly milkweed | Asclepias tuberosa | spring, summer |
| Common milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | spring, summer |
| Blue mistflower | Conoclinium coelestinum | summer |
| Dotted horsemint | Monarda punctata | summer |
| New England aster | Symphotricum novae-angliae | fall |
| Black eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | summer |
| Green coneflower | Rudbeckia lacinata | summer |
| Tickseed | Coreopsis sp. | summer |
| Garden phlox, fall phlox | Phlox paniculata | summer |
| Common boneset | Eupatorium perfoliatum | summer |
| Goldenrod | Solidago sp. | fall |
| Native sunflower | Helianthus sp. | summer |
| Joe Pye Weed | Eutrochium dubium or E. purpureum | summer |
| Smooth beardtongue | Penstemon laevigatus | spring, summer |
| Golden alexander | Zizia aurea | summer |
| Columbine Aquilegia | canadensis | spring |
| Common violet | Viola sororia | spring |
| Wild bergamot | Monarda punctata | summer |
| Swamp sunflower | Helianthus angustifolius | summer |
| Obedient plant | Physostegia virginiana | summer |
| Partridge pea | Chamaecrista fasciculata | summer |
| Cardinal flower | Lobelia cardinalis | summer |
| Great blue lobelia | Lobelia siphilitica | summer |
| Sneezeweed | Helenium autumnale | summer, fall |
| Lyre leaved sage | Salvis lyrata | spring |
Trees/shrubs
| Beautyberry | Callicarpa americana summer | fall |
|---|---|---|
| Winterberry holly | Ilex verticillata fall | winter |
| Red bud tree | Cercis canadensis | spring |
| Spicebush | Lindera benzoin | summer |