Landscaping with Native Plants - West Tennessee

1. Celebrate our natural heritage and Our natural heritage Natives vs. exotics
protect native plant communities WEST TENNESSEE The use of native plants in landscaping is a celebration of
our natural heritage and an awakening of a land ethic first
While many exotics are harmless, others pose serious
threats to biodiversity. Exotics that escape and naturalize
1. Learn more about native plants. Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Coastal Plain, expressed by Aldo Leopold more than 50 years ago. change the floral composition of native plant communi-
ties. Exotics that invade native plant communities spread,
The natural processes from which natives evolve repre-
2. Buy nursery propagated plant material. and West Tennessee Uplands sent the cog and wheel of a healthy ecosystem sustained
out-compete, and displace natives. Other exotics are
vectors for disease and exotic insects. Future introduc-
by a complex web of biological diversity.
3. Don’t dig plants from the wild. tions can be prevented by using native species.
Native plants have many inherent qualities and adaptive
Using natives also exhibits regional flora and promotes
4. Protect native plant and natural area habitat. traits that make them aesthetically pleasing, practical,
our natural heritage. Natives have often been overlooked
and ecologically valuable for landscaping.
and their aesthetic value ignored. Instead, many regions
5. Promote responsible landscaping practices. Using native plants contributes to the health and often look the same because overuse of the same exotics has
the restoration of an ecosystem. Landscaping with created a monotonous, predictable landscape.
6. Plant native and not exotic plant species. natives in an urban setting helps restore regional charac-
ter and places fewer demands on resources.
Basics about using natives
For more information When landscaping with natives match the right plants
Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation with the right site conditions. Consider using plants that
(TDEC) occur together in their natural habitats. Do your home-
Division of Natural Heritage work before planting; study the plants and the site con-
401 Church St., 8th floor, L&C Tower
Nashville TN 37243-0447 dition information in this brochure. Visit a natural area
615/532-0436 and observe how plants occur and design your landscape
accordingly. Buy nursery propagated plants. Remember,
Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council (TN-EPPC)
P Box 40692
.O. landscaping with natives is art imitating nature.
Nashville TN 37204
615/532-0436 Benefits of natives
Tennessee Native Plant Society ➤ Adapted to regional conditions and may require less
Department of Botany Native
maintenance and are cost-effective.
University of Tennessee species naturally occurring in a region (indigenous)
Knoxville TN 37996-1100 ➤ Hardy, withstand extreme winter cold, do not suffer
423/974-2256 Exotic from die back.
species introduced by humans, either deliberately
➤ Environmentally friendly, require fewer pesticides and
or accidentally (alien, non-native)
fertilizers because of natural adaptations.
➤ Promote biodiversity and stewardship.
➤ Provide food and shelter for native wildlife.
What are natives? ➤ Restore regional landscapes.
Natives are plants that evolved in place over geologic time
➤ Prevent future exotic introductions.
Text by and are distributed across the landscape largely in
Warner Park Nature Center response to climatic episodes and adaptation to site
Tennessee Natural Areas Program conditions related to land formation. Natives for wildlife
in the Division of Natural Heritage/TDEC
Brochure made possible by
LANDSCAPING Natives are generally defined as plants that occurred in
Using natives in landscaping helps sustain native butter-
flies, moths and other beneficial insects; native birds,
TN-EPPC
WITH North America before European settlement. This distinc-
tion is made because of the large-scale changes in the
reptiles, mammals, and other fauna. Fall migrating birds
depend on high-energy fruits from flowering dogwood
Co-sponsored by
Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.
Wolf River Conservancy
NATIVE flora that have resulted since European settlement and
the introduction of “exotic” plants.
and spicebush. Spring migrants feed
on insects that occur on oak trees.
Memphis Zoo
Tennnessee Field Office of The Nature Conservancy
Tennessee Native Plant Society
PLANTS Exotics are plants that are directly or indirectly, deliber-
ately or accidentally introduced by human action. To be
Beech and other native trees provide
nesting habitat, while Eastern red cedar,
TDEC Division of Natural Heritage more precise, natives are natural elements of a regional short leaf pine, and American holly
TDEC Bureau of State Parks PROMOTES BIODIVERSITY landscape. While some species are native to North provide winter cover and food.
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency America, they may be exotic to East Tennessee.
Tennessee Valley Authority
and endorses a land ethic that
➤ Don’t dig plants from the wild.
celebrates our natural heritage
➤ Buy nursery-propagated plant material.
100% post-consumer recycled paper 398

2. Native plant recommendations
FERNS
WEST TENNESSEE Maidenhair fern
Ebony spleenwort
Adiantum pedatum
Asplenium platyneuron
Lady fern Athyrium felix-femina
Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Coastal Plain, Silvery glade fern
Cinnamon fern
Diplazium pycnocarpon
Osmunda cinnamomea
Royal fern Osmunda regalis
and West Tennessee Uplands K LIGHT SOIL MOISTURE SOIL pH Sensitive fern
Broad beech fern
Onoclea sensibilis
Phegopteris hexagonaptera
F = full sunlight H = hydric; wet, plants periodically or often inundated by water B = basic; prefers limestone
West Tennessee comprises the Mississippi Alluvial Plain,
Coastal Plain, and West Tennessee Uplands. This region is
E P = partial shade
S = shade
M = mesic; moist, adequate soil moisture retention year-round
S = sub-xeric; moist to dry, seasonally moist, periodically dry
A = acidic; prefers acidic soils
R = restricted to either B or A
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
often referred to as the Gulf Coastal Plain because it was Y X = xeric; dry & drought resistant, little moisture retention, excessively drained
GRASSES
Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii
Giant cane Arundinaria gigantea
submerged between 40-70 million years ago by the Gulf River oats, Spangle grass Chasmanthium latifolium
Coastal Embayment. Site conditions within the region are COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME LIGHT MOISTURE SOIL pH COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME LIGHT MOISTURE SOIL pH Wild rye Elymus virginicus
Sugarcane plumegrass Erianthus giganteus
determined by topography, soil pH, soil depth, aspect, F P S H M S X B A R F P S H M S X B A R
Narrow plumegrass Erianthus strictus
SHRUBS TREES
availability of light, and hydrology. These site conditions Alder Alnus serrulata ● ● ● ● Red maple Acer rubrum ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Bottle brush Hystrix patula
Switch grass Panicum virgatum
support a mosaic of native plant communities. Indigobush Amorpha fruticosa ● ● ● ● ● Silver maple Acer saccharinum ● ● ● ● Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
Red chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Sugar maple Acer saccharum ● ● ● ● ● ● Indian grass Sorgustum nutans
➤ Inundated tupelo, cypress-tupelo, and scrub-shrub Black chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa ● ● ● ● ● ● ● River birch Betula nigra ● ● ● ● ● ● Gamma grass Tripsacum dactyloides
swamps. American beautyberry Callicarpa americana ● ● ● ● ● ● Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis ● ● ● ● ●
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Pignut hickory Carya glabra ● ● ● ● ● FLOWERS MOSAIC FOR FULL SUN
➤ Oak dominated alluvial bottomland hardwood forests. Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis ● ● ● Pecan Carya illinoensis ● ● ● ● Doll’s eye, White baneberry Actea pachypoda Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii
Giant yellow hyssop Agastache nepetoides New England aster Aster novae–angliae
Silky dogwood Cornus amomum ● ● ● ● Shagbark hickory Carya ovata ● ● ● ● ●
➤ Mixed mesophytic forests on slopes and ravines charac- Blue dogbane Amsonia tabernaemontana White wild indigo Baptisia alba
Hazelnut Corylus americana ● ● ● ● ● Mockernut hickory Carya alba ● ● ● ● ● ● Wild columbine Aquilegia canadensis Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata
teristic of the Chickasaw Bluffs. Hearts-a- bustin’ Euonymus americanus ● ● ● ● Yellowwood Cladrastis lutea ● ● ● ● ● ● Green dragon Arisaema dracontium Tall coreopsis Coreopsis tripteris
Persimmon Diospyros virginiana ● ● ● ● Goat’s beard Aruncus dioicus Joe–pye weed Eupatorium fistulosum
Swamp privet Forestiera acuminata ● ● ● ●
➤ Open canopy forests associated with warm season grass Wild ginger Asarum canadense Purple bee balm Monarda fistulosa
Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia ● ● ● ● ● American beech Fagus grandifolia ● ● ● ● ● Pink milkweed Asclepias incarnata
barrens. Wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens ● ● ● ● ● White ash Fraxinus americana ● ● ● ● ● Butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa
Gray-headed coneflower Ratibida pinnata
Black-eyed susan Rudbeckia hirta
Shrubby St. John’s Wort Hypericum prolificum ● ● ● ● ● ● Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Frostweed aster Aster pilosus
➤ Upland oak-hickory forests ranging from basic soil Tickseed sunflower Bidens aristosa
Sedum, stonecrop Sedum ternatum
Deciduous holly Ilex decidua ● ● ● ● Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus ● ● ● ● ● ● Indian grass Sorgustum nutans
types to heath-shrub dominated types. Common winterberry Ilex verticillata ● ● ● ● ● ● Red cedar Juniperus virginiana ● ● ● ● ●
Tall bellflower Campanula americana Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
Wild senna Cassia marilandica Rose vervain Verbena canadensis
Virginia willow Itea virginica ● ● ● ● ● Sweet gum Liquidambar styraciflua ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Fairy wand Chamaelirium luteum Ironweed Vernonia gigantia
Mississippi Alluvial Plain Spicebush Lindera benzoin ● ● ● Red mulberrry Morus rubra ● ● ● ● ● ● Butterfly pea Clitoria mariana
Tupelogum Nyssa aquatica ● ● ● ● ● Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata
LAKE Coastal Plain Mock orange Philadelphus inodorus ● ● ● ● ●
OBION WEAKLEY HENRY Cutleaf toothwort Dentaria laciniata
West Tennessee Uplands
Wild azalea Rhododendron canescens ● ● ● ● ● ● Blackgum Nyssa sylvatica ● ● ● ● ● ● ● White trout lily Erythronium albidum
BENTON Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica ● ● ● ● ● ● Virginia pine Pinus virginiania ● ● ● ● Mistflower Eupatorium coelestinum
DYER
GIBSON
CARROLL Winged sumac Rhus copallina ● ● ● ● Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata ● ● ● ● Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
Sycamore Platanus occidentalis ● ● ● ● ● Round leaved thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
CROCKETT
Carolina rose Rosa carolina ● ● ● ● ●
Late thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
LAUDERDALE Swamp rose Rosa palustris ● ● ● ● Black cherry Prunus serotina ● ● ● ● ● Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
HENDERSON
HAYWOOD MADISON Elderberry Sambucus canadensis ● ● ● ● ● Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides ● ● ● ● Morning honeysuckle Gaura biennis
TIPTON DECATUR
CHESTER Bladdernut Staphylea trifolia ● ● ● ● ● White oak Quercus alba ● ● ● ● ● Wild geranium Geranium maculatum
Small-headed sunflower Helianthus microcephalus
American snowbell Stryrax americana ● ● ● ● ● ● Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
SHELBY FAYETTE HARDEMAN MCNAIRY HARDIN Bigleaf snowbell Styrax grandifolia ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Southern red oak Quercus falcata ● ● ● ● ● ● Waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
Horse sugar Symplocos tinctoria ● ● ● ● Overcup oak Quercus lyrata ● ● ● ● Spider lily Hymenocallis occidentalis MOSAIC FOR SHADE
Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum ● ● ● ● ● ● Swamp white oak Quercus michauxii ● ● ● ● Spotted jewelweed Impatiens capensis Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum
Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Copper iris Iris fulva Thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum ● ● ● ● ● ●
Rough blazing star Liatris aspera
The Mississippi Alluvial Plain is the river floodplain com- Swamp haw Viburnum nudum ● ● ● ● ● Water oak Quercus nigra ● ● ● ● Thick-spike blazing star Liatris pycnostachya
Broad beech fern Phegopteris hexagonaptera
Alumroot Heuchera americana
posed of unconsolidated sediment from as far away as the Cherrybark oak Quercus pagoda ● ● ● ● Scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
eastern slopes of the Rockies to the western slopes of the SMALL TREES Willow oak Quercus phellos ● ● ● ● Downy lobelia Lobelia puberula Golden ragwort, butterweed Senecio glabellus
Northern red oak Quercus rubra ● ● ● ● ● Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica Spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera
Dwarf red buckeye Aesculus pavia ● ● ● ● ●
Blue Ridge Mountains. Hydric soil occurs in the flood- Fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata Violets Violet spp.
Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea ● ● ● ● ● ● Shumard oak Quercus shumardii ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● American agave, False aloe Manfreda virginica
plains along all the major rivers that drain the Gulf Coastal Hercules club Aralia spinosa ● ● ● ● Post oak Quercus stellata ● ● ● ● Virginia bluebell Mertensia virginica
Common cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
Plain. A fine particled clayey gumbo interspersed with Paw paw Asimina triloba ● ● ● ● Shingle oak Quercus imbricaria ● ● ● ● ● ● Partridgeberry Mitchella repens
Foxglove beard tongue Penstemon digitalis
sandy soils occurs along the Mississippi, while a friable Ironwood, Blue beech Carpinus caroliniana ● ● ● ● Black willow Salix nigra ● ● ● ●
Sundrops Oenothera fruticosa
silty loam occurs along smaller rivers, streams, and creeks. Northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa ● ● ● ● ● Sassafras Sassafras albidum ● ● ● ● Blue phlox Phlox divaricata
Redbud Cercis canadensis ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Bald cypress Taxodium distichum ● ● ● ● Tall garden phlox Phlox paniculata
The Coastal Plain is a gentle sloping plateau that begins Flowering dogwood Cornus florida ● ● ● ● American basswood Tilia americana ● ● ● ● ● Obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
Water elm Planera aquatica ● ● ● ● Jacob’s ladder Polemonium reptans
where the Chickasaw Bluffs rise above the Mississippi Washington hawthorn Crataegus phaenopyrum ● ● ● ● ●
Solomon’s seal Polygonatum biflorum
Cockspur thorn hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli ● ● ● ● ●
Alluvial Plain and extends to the West Tennessee Uplands. Yellow leafcup Polymnia uvedalia
Wahoo Euonymus atropurpureus ● ● ● ● ● ● VINES Black-eyed susan Rudbeckia hirta
The Coastal Plain is formed from finely ground wind- American holly Ilex opaca ● ● ● ● ● ● Peppervine Ampelopis arborea ● ● ● ● ● Wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
blown loess material derived from retreating northern Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata ● ● ● Crossvine Bignonia capreolata ● ● ● ● ● Mad dog skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
Starry campion Silene stellata
glaciers. The flat to rolling topography is caused by the Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana ● ● ● ● ● Rattan vine Berchemia scandens ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Fire pink Silene virginica
wind-blown loess that covers the sand, silt, and clay Southern crab apple Malus angustifolia ● ● ● ● ● ● Trumpet creeper Campsis radicans ● ● ● ● Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum
EMERGENT AQUATICS
Hop hornbeam Ostrya virginiana ● ● ● ● ● Virgin’s bower Clematis virginiana ● ● ● ● ● ● Blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium
deposited by the Coastal Embayment. False Solomon’s seal Smilacina racemosa
Water plantain Alisma subcordatum
Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Coral/trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens ● ● ● ● ● ● Scouring rush, horsetail Equisetum hyemale
Fragrant goldenrod Solidago odora
The West Tennessee Uplands is formed from the sand, silt, Water elm Planera aquatica ● ● ● ● ● Climbing hydrangea Decumaria barbara ● ● ● ● ● Elm leaved goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
Arrow arum Peltandra virginica
Climbing hempweed Mikania scandens ● ● ● ● ● Pickerelweed Pontederia cordata
American plum Prunus americana ● ● ● ● ● Indian pink Spigelia marilandica
and clay deposits that underlay the Mississippi Alluvial Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia ● ● ● ● ● ● Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia ● ● ● ● ● ● Wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
American lotus Nelumbo lutea
Plain and the Coastal Plain. Soils vary from clay to sandy. Carolina buckthorn Rhamnus caroliniana ● ● ● ● ● ● Passion flower Passiflora incarnata ● ● ● ● Bird’s-foot violet Viola pedata
Lizard’s tail Saururus cernuus
Smooth yellow violet Viola pubescens
The site conditions of the Western Valley, contiguous to the Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina ● ● ● ● ● Climbing magnolia Schisandra glabra ● ● ● Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia
Soft rush Scirpus validus
West Tennessee Uplands, are similar to the Western Bumelia Sideroxylon lycioides ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Wisteria Wisteria frutescens ● ● ● ● ●
Ragwort,butterweed Senecio glabellus
Highland Rim of Middle Tennessee. Southern rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Eardrop vine Brunnichia ovata ● ● ● ● ● Southern wild rice Zizaniopsis miliacea