Native Plants

Welcome to the native plant collection at Lockwood's

We have a commitment to native plants and make it our mission to educate our customers about the many beautiful natives that will fill their landscape and garden needs.  Our reasons?

• We understand that native plants are essential for sustaining a complex community of native birds, insects, amphibians and mammals.  We hope to help customers develop yards that are eco-friendly and truly sustainable.
• Native plants are needed in home gardens, more than ever before, as a way to replace a little bit of natural landscape that is so rapidly disappearing.  If we--and our customers--don't grow these plants, who will?
• Native plants are often (not always) much more easily adapted to the soils and weather we have.  A Red Osier dogwood has no problem with a wet, clay-based soil, cold winter winds and temperatures down to minus twenty degrees farenheit.  A Japanese pieris would rot and falter, or die after the first winter, in the same location.
• We've used native plants all along, but many people just don't know what is native or exotic.  Many of our favorite plants--Clethra (summersweet), Asclepias (butterfly weed), and Amelanchier (serviceberry)--happen to be native.  See our listing of a few native plants below.

What is Native Anyway?

There are purists who wish us to garden with only local plants, from this part of New York State, for instance.  Others consider plants from the Northeast to be native, and some consider plants which were here before the first European settlers arrived to be native.  We think it is important to use native plants, especially if they're from our region, but even if they are native to other regions.  The key factors:  is the plant in a site that suits it, and is it useful to our wildlife?

These are some of the native plants we carry at Lockwood's.  In many cases we have multiple cultivars of each species.  In the case of trees and shrubs, about half our stock is actually native plants!  Let our staff help you select which native plants are right for your yard and garden.

Native Trees and Shrubs at Lockwood's

Amelanchier spp. (Serviceberry or Shadbush)

Aronia melanocarpa (Black chokeberry)

Cephalanthus occidentalis (Buttonbush)

Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)

Chionanthus virginicas (White Fringetree)

Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet, Sweet Pepperbush)

Cornus spp.* (Silky Dogwood, Gray Dogwood, Red Osier Dogwood)

Corylus americana (American Hazelnut, Filbert)

Crataegus (Hawthorn)

Gaultheria procumbens* (Winterberry)

Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel)

Hydrangea arborescens, H. quercifolia (smooth and oakleaf hydrangeas)

Hypericum densiflorum (St. John's Wort)

Ilex decidua (Possumhaw)

Ilex glabra* (Inkberry), I. laevigata* (Smooth Winterberry), I. verticillata* (Winterberry Holly)

Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire)

Kalmia angustifolia, K. latifolia (Z5a/6)(Sheep Laurel, Mountain Laurel)

Lindera Benzoin (Spicebush)

Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay Magnolia--Z5b, sheltered area)

Mahonia aquifolium* (Oregon Grape)

Myrica or Morella pensylvanica (Bayberry spp.)

Philadelphus grandiflorus (Mock Orange)

Potentilla fruticosa (Bush Cinquefoil)

Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark)

Rhododendron spp. (Azalea, Rhododendron)- some species

Rhus* -- Gro-Low Sumac

Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant)

Salix discolor, S. caprea*, other spp. (Pussy Willows)

Sambucus* --all (Elderberry)

Spiraea alba, S. corymbosa, S. tomentosa (Spiraea)

Stewartia ovata (Stewartia)

Vaccinium spp. (Blueberry)

Viburnum* acerifolium (Mapleleaf Arrowwood), V. dentatum (Southern Arrowwood), V. prunifolium (Black Haw), other spp. B. W. N.

Vitex agnuscastus (Chaste Tree)-B, Bu

While Lockwood's does not sell many large trees, the most valuable thing you can do for the largest number of wild animals and to benefit the native ecosystem is plant a native shade tree such as a White Oak.

 

Native Perennials at Lockwood's for Birds, Butterflies, Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects

These perennials include cultivars of native species that usually have value for native insects, including butterflies and other pollinators:

Achillea A. ptarmica or A. millefolium (Yarrow)

Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)

Aquilegia formosa (Crimson Columbine)

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

Boltonia asteroides (Bolton's Aster)

Eupatorium (many species) -- (Joe Pye Weed)

Geranium (perennial Geranium cultivars)

Heuchera villosa, hybrids that flower

Kniphofia hybrids (Torchlily)

Liatris spicata (Gayfeather)

Monarda spp. (Bee Balm)

Penstemons

Rudbeckia spp. (Black-Eyed Susan)

Salvia spp. (Sages)

Scabiosa spp. (Pincushion Flowers)

Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)

Verbena

Vernonia noveboriensis (New York Ironweed)

Finally, observe your plants at home or in garden centers and public gardens.  Experts can recommend, but butterflies, bees and birds can show you which plants really make a difference.

 

 

 

 

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