This photo gallery of spring blooming native plants were taken in my garden and in natural places and public parks in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. These blooms are on trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, and herbaceous flowers. These plants are indigenous to the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Upland regions. Many of these plants are also native to areas further north in the northeastern United States.
Identifying Spring Blooming Native Plants
I provide this photo gallery to help you choose spring blooming native plants for your garden. You can choose by color, form, etc.
These photos can also help you identify spring blooming native plants that you may have seen but don’t know their names. I have included the most common name used in my area of the mid-Atlantic and the scientific name to aid in identification and purchasing. Some of the plants are well-known like Dogwood. Some lesser known plants include Wild False Indigo (Baptisia australis) or Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum). Many of these plants are readily available in nurseries and plant catalogs.
Tough and Easy to Grow
Generally, these plants are tough and survive well in this region. The plants that do particularly well in my Philadelphia garden:
- Wild False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
- Violets (Viola spp.)
- Columbine
- Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia)
- Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
- Coral Bells (Heuchera sanguinea)
- Northern Blue Flag
- Pinxterbloom Azalea (Rhododendrum periclymenoides)
- Common Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis L.)
They bloom reliably every year without much work from me. That makes a win-win plant.
Spring is a good time to seek out a native plant focus public garden or environmental center and take photos of plants to include in your garden.
There are many more spring bloomers than pictured here. I’ll add to this photo gallery as I photograph more blooms. I’ll also make a quick post when I update any of the photo galleries.
I have a native plants lists list you can download (pdf) which includes many spring blooming native plants for the northeast and midatlantic regions.
The USDA Plant Database has extensive information on native plants in the United States.
Books on Native Plants for Pennsylvania, the MidAtlantic, and the Northeast – links to Amazon.com
Many native trees have spectacular blooms in the spring. Redbud trees are a good example.
Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History by Princeton University Press
Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation by Donald Leopold – my favorite book on native plants. I refer to it often.
Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States: The Guide to Creating a Sustainable Landscape by Tony Dove
Gardening and Landscaping with Native Plants
Landscaping with Native Plants in PA
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/plants/nativeplants/index.htm
Spring Bloom Native Plants Gallery
