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Welcome to the Ohio Native Plant website!
It might not feel like it… but Ohio spring wildflowers will be appearing soon!
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), Blue-Eyed Mary (Collinsia verna), and Dutchman’s Britches (Dicentra cucullaria)
NEW! Ohio Native Plant Posters
Free to Download! These five posters were designed by native plant conservationist, Nancy Linz, to help educate the public about what native plants are, and why they are so important. Please download these free posters and use them in classrooms, nature centers, parks, arboretums, and retail outlets to teach people about native plants.
The first three posters discuss why native plants are unique and different from other green plants, and why they are crucial to the survival of native bees, birds, butterflies, caterpillars, other wildlife, and the overall health of our fragile environment.
The fourth poster discuss what we can all do in our yard and community to make a difference. And the fifth poster explains the types of native plants to consider planting to provide food and shelter for wildlife from early spring through winter, to support habitats in different plant strata from tall trees to grasses, and the best plants to plant for different types of pollinators.
These 5 posters have been designed to be printed in 4 sizes: 11” x 17”, 14” x 20”, 18” x 24”, and 26” x 48”. The 11” x 17” posters print well on 8.5” x 11” paper. To download these posters, click on the button below.
On July 18, 2019, Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill into law designating April as Ohio Native Plant Month. This made Ohio the first state in the country to have a law recognizing the importance of native plants for an entire month!
Where Can You Buy Native Plants? See Our Ohio Map!
Instead of the long list of growers we had in the past, we now have an interactive map that shows where native plant providers are located across Ohio. Click on the pin to find an address, phone number, website, and more.
Plant a Pollinator Garden!
Do you have a small area of lawn that you would like to convert into a Pollinator Garden full of native perennials to attract bees, butterflies, and other wildlife?
Grey-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Why are Native Plants so Very Important?
Ohio Native Plants of Distinction!
Starting in 2022, we highlighted four GREAT Ohio native plants including the Bur Oak (large canopy tree), Eastern Redbud (understory tree), Northern Spicebush (woody shrub), and Purple Coneflower (Perennial). In 2023, we added the Sugar Maple (large canopy tree), PawPaw (understory tree, and our Ohio Native Fruit), Virginia Bluebells (early-flowering perennial), and Swamp Milkweed (an amazing native milkweed for mid-summer pollinators). In 2024 the Ohio Native Plants of Distinction were the Wood Poppy, Winterberry Holly, Tulip Poplar, and the native Honeysuckle Vine.
New in 2025, the Ohio Native Plants of Distinction include the Black Gum (spring flowers that feed many bee species, and outstanding fall color), White Fringetree (a tree covered with showy flowers in spring and blue fruit for wildlife in fall), the Blue False Indigo (a very beautiful perennial with large stalks of showy purple flowers), and Palm Sedge (a great clump grass for damp areas).
Learn about all of these great Ohio Native Plants and consider adding them to your gardens this year to support birds, bees, caterpillars, and other wildlife!
The Ohio Native Plants of Distinction
Ohio Planted Over 1/2 Million Native Trees in 2020 and 2021! Congratulations Ohio!!!
In 2021 we had a goal of recording the planing 200,000 native trees and woody shrubs across Ohio, and people wrote to tell us about 331,800 (and I’m sure we were not told about all of them!).
In fact, our two year total exceeded 500,000! Over 1/2 Million Native Trees and Woody Shrubs Planted to support wildlife, pollinators and ecosystems across Ohio!
Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)