Cimicifuga (Actaea) racemosa (Black Cohosh)
Such an impressive beauty, with its 5 to 6 foot bloom stalks and fabulous deep cut foliage,... deserves a special place in every woodland garden.
Rich, moist but well draining soil and part sun is perfect.
Wildlife benefits: A nectar and pollen source for beneficials and a host plant for Appalachian Blue and Spring Azure Butterfly.
Hardy to zone 4.
Gallon Pot $15.00
Actaea pachypoda (Doll's Eyes)
*listed as exploitably vulnerable in NY State
The white berried version of "Baneberry", with similar white bottlebrush bloom and growth habit to the red, but tends to bloom about 3 weeks later.
Baneberries like a moist but well draining, humus rich soil and partial shade.
Wildlife benefits: Ruffed Grouse, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, and American Robin enjoy the berries.
Hardy to zone 4.
Gallon Pot $15.00
Corydalis sempervirens (Rock Harlequin)
Like itsy bitsy bleeding hearts, this sweet little biennial will freely sow itself about, unobtrusively, in your well draining woodland bed, with about 1/2 day sun.
Very long bloomer and fabulous blue/green foliage!
Wildlife benefits: Larval host plant for the American Lady Butterfly.
6" pot $10.00
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit)
Our local, native Jack-in-the-Pulpit. (Pictured is the seed head which occurs in female plants come Fall, which eventually turn bright red)
Fascinating and beautiful,....No woodland garden is complete without them!
Moist, well draining soil in full to partial shade.
Wildlife benefits: Berries are a food source for many birds and small mammals. Larval host plant for 1 Lepidoptera Butterfly species.
Hardy to zone 4.
5 Pint Pot $10.00
Woodland Plants Page 1 (A-F)
Actaea Rubra (Red Baneberry)
*Listed as Exploitably Vulnerable in NY State
A shrubby perennial, with white bottlebrush-like bloom in Spring, and very showy red berry clusters by late Summer. Mature height is about 2 feet and nearly as wide.
Wildlife benefits: Many bird species eat the berries.
Hardy to zone 4.
Gallon Pot $15.00
Caulophyllum thalictroides (Blue Cohosh)
This Cohosh starts out in spring looking rather ominous, as its dark curled stem and leaves poke up in a curled claw position, waiting to unfurl. The bloom is a small dark star, which later turns into these fabulous, brilliant blue berries!
Likes a rich, moist but well draining soil in shade to partial shade.
Benefits to wildlife: Important plant for bees and woodland pollinators. Larval host plant for 3 Lepidoptera Butterfly species.
Hardy to zone 4.
Gallon Pot $15.00
c. Dawn Foglia
Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern)
*Listed as Exploitably Vulnerable in NY State
Such an elegant fern, with its flowing fronds, waving atop black wiry stems. An established grouping is breathtaking!
EASY to grow with good drainage and partial shade.
Wildlife benefits: Provides shelter/cover for birds and toads.
Hardy to zone 4.
Gallon Pot $15.00
WildThings Rescue Nursery Native Plants with purpose
Erigeron pulchellus (Fleabane/Robin's Plantain)
A late Spring bloomer, with large aster-like blooms atop dense spreading basal foliage.
This is a ground-cover, forming dense mats.
Likes partial shade and any well draining soil.
Wildlife Benefits: Nectar for small bees, Skippers and Butterflies.
Larval host for several Moth species, including Schinia lynx (Lynx Flower Moth), Schinia obscurata (Obscure Flower Moth), Eupithecia miserulata (Common Pug), and Synchlora aerata (Wavy-Lined Emerald).
Gallon Pot $15.00
Anemone canadensis
This native Anemone is a fast spreading groundcover in loose, sandy soil.
Lovely, large white blooms with very handsome foliage, too! Looks fresh all season, and very easy to grow.
Likes at least a half day of sun.
Wildlife benefits: Valuable nectar source for many butterflies. Important plant for our native woodland pollinators.
Hardy to zone 4.
Gallon pot $15.00
Carex plantaginea (Searsucker Sedge)
A low-growing edge of the woodland garden grass, with broad blue/green leaves, that forms nice full mounds, and knows its manners.
Good drainage is crucial.
Wildlife Benefits: Great source of cover for toads, frogs, salamanders and other small creatures.
Larval host for the Woodland Butterfly, Appalachian Brown.
Seeds are a food source for gamebirds.
Gallon Pot $15.00
Dicentra formosa (Western Bleeding Heart)
This is a groundcover. Low-growing and likes to scoot about the garden, (shallow rooted so does not harm its neighbors) Gorgeous foliage and blooms on and off all through the growing season.
Wildlife Benefits: Nectar source for native bees, butterflies and Hummingbirds. Cover for small creatures.
4" Pot $10.00
Asarum canadense (Canadian Wild Ginger)
Big heart-shaped, satiny leaves with little jug blooms hiding beneath in early spring.
Will eventually form a good sized colony, becoming a lovely groundcover.
Likes very well draining soil and partial shade.
Benefits to wildlife: Great alternate host plant for the beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. Cover.
Hardy to zone 4.
1 Gallon Pot $15.00
Anemonella thalictroides
Sweetest little woodlander, not just for its floriferous nature...but also for it's elegant foliage!
Will eventually self-sow about to form nice little colonies, which is perfect, as it looks best in large drifts, (in my opinion.)
Shade and very good drainage.
Wildlife Benefits: Plentiful pollen source for Honey Bees and small Native Bees, Halictid Bees, Little Carpenter Bees, Cuckoo Bees and Mason Bees. (No nectar here.)
Hardy to zone 4.
4" Pot $10.00
Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchmans Britches)
A Spring Ephemeral that dazzles with abundant showy blooms & beautiful mounds of blue-ish green finely cut foliage.
Disappears soon after it's finished blooming.
Wildlife Benefits: Many bees visit the flowers (Bumbles, Long-tonged, mason)
6" Pot $12.00
Erythronium americanum (Trout Lily)
A favorite Spring Ephemeral, with gorgeous blue-green mottled foliage and cheery yellow blooms, eventually forming a dense ground-cover, but disappearing with the warmth of early summer.
Moist soil and partial shade.
Wildlife Benefits: Important early pollen and nectar source for many native bees.
4" Pot $8.00