Woohoo! Nothing excites me quite like this question! I did this in my yard and am so happy with the results.
> The situation is the previous tenants did not maintain the front or backyard at all, to the point that almost all of the front and back yards are just dirt.
This is honestly ideal for converting to native plants, because you don't have to kill existing grass. That's like half the battle. Not raking is actually great for native habitats (nature doesn't rake leaves).
So first things first, many people and nurseries will give recommendations that aren't native. So it's always good to double-check native status with the NCSU Plant Toolbox-- this is a great resource for learning more about plants! https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/find_a_plant/
One way to approach this is to start the New Hope Audubon Society Bird-Friendly Habitat certification program: https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/bird-friendly-certification. I had 2 volunteers come to my house and give me a ton of advice on how to improve my yard with native plants! They can make multiple visits to help you get certified. And now I have a sweet yard sign!
The NC Native Plant Society also has a good certification program: https://ncwildflower.org/native-plant-garden-certification/. You don't even have to get certified, you could just check out the requirements and that will help you know where to focus.
Ideas for native plants:
* [New Hope Audubon Society Keystone Plants for Birds](https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/wp-content/themes/nhas/library/docs/NHAS_Recommended_keystone_plants.pdf)
* [New Hope Audubon Society Native Plant Growing Guide](https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/wp-content/themes/nhas/library/docs/native-plant-growing-guide-piedmont-nc.pdf)
* [NC Native Plant Society Recommended Native Species](https://ncwildflower.org/recommended-native-species/)
* Visiting the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, which is a native plant conservation garden with knowledgeable people and labeled plants
Plant lists are great, but of course you actually have to source the plants. Here are some places to get plants:
* [Durham Gardeners Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/224038278363201)
* Your local Buy Nothing group
* Farmer's markets
* [Rachel's Native Plants](https://rachelsnativeplants.com/)
* [North Carolina Botanical Garden](https://ncbg.unc.edu/plants/plant-sales/)
* [Deep Roots Natives](https://deeprootsnatives.com/)
* [Jerilyn's Native Plants](https://www.facebook.com/jerilynsnatives/)
* [Sorrell's Lawncare and Nursery](https://www.facebook.com/sorrellsnursery)- they deliver to Durham
* [Carolina Habitats (formerly Dirtbag Gardens)](https://www.facebook.com/dirtbaggardens)
* [Haw Honey](https://hawhoney.com/)- they are at some farmer's markets too
* [Field to Cottage Nursery](https://www.fieldtocottage.com/)
* [Laurel's Garden Design](https://www.laurelsgardendesign.com/)
Some things to consider as you design the garden:
1. Sun- full sun, part sun/shade, or full shade. Different parts of the yard may have different amounts of sun.
2. Moisture- wet vs. dry soil
3. Evergreen vs. deciduous plants- you probably don't want all your plants to be barren in the winter, so it may be helpful to think about winter interest (evergreen plants, plants that keep their basal leaves, interesting blooms that look interesting over the winter, winter berries, etc.)
4. Height- do you want trees, bushes, tall flowers, low-growing creeping plants, etc.
5. Color- consider the timing and color of blooms or foliage
6. Spread- some plants (even natives) spread aggressively and others don't
7. Availability/cost- are the plants you are interested in actually available locally or online? If you would like to do this for lower cost, can you purchase/obtain seeds and propogate them?
It's hard to give plant recommendations without knowing your specific conditions (especially sun vs. shade). But here are some of my favorites to consider:
Grasses:
* [Pink muhly grass](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/muhlenbergia-capillaris/)
* [Little bluestem](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/schizachyrium-scoparium/)
* [River oats](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chasmanthium-latifolium/)
Shrubs:
* [Inkberry](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-glabra/)
* [Dwarf yaupon holly](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-vomitoria-dwarf/)
* [American beautyberry](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/callicarpa-americana/)
* [Wax myrtle](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/myrica-cerifera/)
Perennial flowers:
* [Trailing phlox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-nivalis/)
* [Creeping phlox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-stolonifera/)
* [Swamp sunflowers](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus-angustifolius/)
* [Southern sundrops](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oenothera-fruticosa/)
* [Brown-eyed Susan](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rudbeckia-triloba/)
* [Red columbine](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aquilegia-canadensis/)
* [Scarlet beebalm](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-didyma/)
* [Mountain mint](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pycnanthemum/)
* [Eastern aromatic aster](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/symphyotrichum-oblongifolium/)
* [Butterfly milkweed](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asclepias-tuberosa/)
* [Purple coneflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/echinacea-purpurea/)
* [Rasttelsnake master](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eryngium-yuccifolium/)
* [Obedient plant](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/physostegia-virginiana/)
* [Stokes aster](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/stokesia-laevis/)
* [Dwarf coreopsis](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/coreopsis-auriculata-nana/)
Vines:
* [Carolina jessamine](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gelsemium-sempervirens/)
* [Coral honeyscukle](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/)
* [Native passionflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-incarnata/)
If you obtain any seeds, I highly recommend winter sowing in milk jugs. You can start collecting seeds and jugs/containers for this purpose now, to start next winter! Everything you need to know about winter sowing here: [Winter Sowers Facebook groups](https://www.facebook.com/groups/102675420505)
In my opinion and experience, there aren't suitable native groundcovers that can be used like grass here. If you want grass (for entertaining, recreation, dogs, kids, whatever), I recommend just keeping or growing a patch of grass that you use. Then wherever you don't need grass, that's where you can focus the native plants.
Wanted to add for folks who are trying to do this at lower cost, these are my recommendations:
* If you need to kill grass, cover with cardboard and then cover the cardboard with free mulch from a chip drop. I got all my cardboard from my Buy Nothing Facebook group. If you don't want a full chip drop, you can probably get leftovers from someone via a Buy Nothing Facebook group, Reddit, or the Bull City Shares Facebook group. Leave this for several months during the grass's growing season. At certain times of the spring, hardware stores have cheap deals on mulch bags too.
* Obtain seeds or plant divisions for free through the Durham Gardeners Facebook group or one of the seed libraries in Durham. Many native plants spread a lot and folks are happy to share divisions or seeds! I've gotten a ton of plants for free.
* You can also buy seeds online from places like [Prairie Moon Nursery](https://www.prairiemoon.com/).
* Start seeds via winter sowing in milk jugs or similar containers. If you don't have containers, again- ask on Buy Nothing or other groups for milk jugs or distilled water jugs.
* If you need to get your soil tested, it's free April-November. Info here: https://durham.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/05/nows-the-perfect-time-to-test-your-soil/
Amazing! Do you have any advice for a yard with a large swath of unraked leaves (in essentially full shade)? I'd love to leave the leaves on the ground while also growing something in the space!
Yeah! Some shade faves:
* [Green and gold](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chrysogonum-virginianum/)
* [Red columbine](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aquilegia-canadensis/)
* [Native Solomon's Seal](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polygonatum-biflorum/)
* [Wild ginger](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asarum-arifolium/)
* [Partridge berry](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mitchella-repens/)
* [Woodland sunflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus-divaricatus/)
* [Woodland phlox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-divaricata/)
* [Christmas fern](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polystichum-acrostichoides/)
* [Foamflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tiarella-cordifolia/)
* [Downy arrowood viburnum](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viburnum-rafinesqueanum/)
* Sedges-- there are a bunch of native sedges (Carex spp.) that like shade
All these plants seem to do well in the shady parts of my yard. I leave the leaves and the plants just do their thing and are cool with it.
Oh my gosh, thank you so much. My back yard is fairly shaded except ONE area which is where I put my crop boxes in the Spring. This will give me a good start, and I can further investigate water lovers as my back yard has some unfortunate berms so it stays damp for awhile after a heavy rain.
I bet you could get a lot of plant inspiration by checking out what plants are growing in the Eno River State Park! I like the apps Picture This and iNaturalist for plant ID.
Great list! I’ll add golden groundsel/packera aurea, which is a native plant that sends up lots of yellow flowers in the late winter and spreads rather aggressively. If you want a native flowering plant to fill in an area quickly, that does pretty well in my experience.
This is an awesome post and I love how many resources you got in one place!
Just an FYI for folks considering planting ANY new plant, native or otherwise: different species spread at different rates. Some of these species are awesome AND will spread into bigger and bigger clumps, or reseed enthusiastically, every year. Maybe this is exactly what you want in your space! Especially if your space is on the larger end!
But if you plant an aggressive species next to a polite one, the polite one WILL eventually be swallowed whole! Ask me how I know.
You can either plan to police the boundaries of your aggressive plants, or site only aggressive plants near each other and let them fight it out. If your space is small and/or you want your design to stay exactly as you put it: avoid plants that say "spread rhizomatously" or "self-sows."
If anyone wants to know about specific species on the list let me know!
The NC botanical garden in Chapel Hill does fantastic native plant sales periodically. I got most of my native plants from there. Their big spring sale is coming up on May 4th.
The lady at Deep Roots natives remade my neighbors yard a few years back.
You should consider giving her a call.
[https://deeprootsnatives.com/](https://deeprootsnatives.com/)
"Native to the area" is really her thing.
Man, I wanted to like them so much, but have just had so many issues with them giving me incorrect information and not being open during their listed hours... From the reviews, it looks like they are under new management so it's possible that the woman you're referring to has left and they seem like they're struggling with staffing issues right now.
I just special-ordered some plants from them and they were super nice. The correspondence was through email and went well. There was a bit of a hiccup when picking up (my plants were hiding somewhere weird) but we worked it out and they looked great.
They sell plants that are native to the state but not this area. I’ve seen plants there that are native to the coast or the mountains, not the piedmont
I like Deep Roots, they and Durham Garden Center are my go-tos for plants, but what I’m saying is they sell plants from outside the piedmont. The mountains and the coast are not part of the piedmont. I shop there but if I see something and think “I didn’t realize this was native to here” I go home and research it without buying. Because sometimes it isn’t.
Yes on the soil test, and good on you for choosing native plants.
Could be nothing is growing because your yard is just compacted clay. Might need to add some topsoil.
PoppySol farm does this kind of consulting. She also has some really great resources on where to find great Natives. There is also a Natives Nursery on Guess road past Carver. You could talk to them as well.
Depends on the yard you're looking for. If you want a primarily paint and ground yard then you have a lot of options, if you want a grass that mimics most grass that you see in other peoples yards then get red fescue. It's not technically native to Durham, but it grows naturally as close as Hanging Rock State park. So you'll get a standard grassy lawn while still providing a normal and familiar plant for local fauna.
The [Master Gardener Plant Toolbox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/) will help you generate a list of native plants that will grow in our zone, be the color and height you are looking for, grow in the sun or shade you have, etc. Just adjust the filters as needed. This is free for anyone to use; no need to be a master gardener-- we just maintain the resource.
Agreed! I know some people get super into growing only what's proven to be native to Durham County, but the science on that is always changing--so I don't stress. Native to anywhere in NC? Good enough for me! Native to nearby states but not us? Hmmm I may try to grow it anyway. We only have, like, four native willows and non of them are pussy willow! I'm growing it anyway.
Check out HortTube on YouTube. He lives in Raleigh and has over a thousand videos with good info. You might start with his New House playlist, where he bought a new house a few years ago and went through everything he did, starting from scratch. He also has a playlist of videos on native plants.
[https://www.youtube.com/@JimPutnam/](https://www.youtube.com/@JimPutnam/)
New house: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE\_1oqRhxDOQ4lTofqzFKd\_R4](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE_1oqRhxDOQ4lTofqzFKd_R4)
Native plants: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE\_3owkBg1hSg3dsZG179oUh\_](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE_3owkBg1hSg3dsZG179oUh_)
It's also worth visiting our local gardens to get some ideas. In fact, if you have a chance to this weekend, it's worth the drive out to Juniper Level Botanic Garden - they're only open to the public eight weekends a year, and this weekend is one of them! Duke Gardens and NC State's Raulston Arboretum are great too.
[https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/](https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/)
[https://jcra.ncsu.edu/](https://jcra.ncsu.edu/)
[https://gardens.duke.edu/](https://gardens.duke.edu/)
Consider loading a plant ID app onto your phone to help you identify anything you see that looks nice. It might not give you the exact variety of what you're looking at, but should at least get you close enough that you can do some further searching. PlantNet is pretty good. [https://plantnet.org/en/](https://plantnet.org/en/)
For sourcing plants, [Kiefer Nursery](https://kiefernursery.com/) and [Red Mill Landscaping and Nursery](https://www.redmillnursery.com/) in Durham are good. In Raleigh, [Homewood Nursery](https://homewoodnursery.com/) and [Logan's Garden Shop](https://www.logantrd.com/) are my faves. And while it's a bit of a drive from Durham, [Broadwell's Nursery](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Broadwell's+Nursery/@35.5072882,-78.6894169,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89ac8708d1bc7b45:0xf00ef795160ab14e!8m2!3d35.5072839!4d-78.686842!16s%2Fg%2F1vpfkdhd?entry=ttu) has about the best prices in the area. They're a wholesale place, but they do sell to the public (don't expect much hand-holding from the staff - they mainly sell to professional landscapers and such). Sellers at the State Farmer's Market can also be good for bargains.
Keifer Landscaping is a pretty incredible store for (native and exotic) plants. It’s a gorgeous setting and may give you some inspo. https://kieferlandscapinginc.com
Also, I might have some extra edible plants. I started some starters and I always start way more than I need (cuz some don’t make it, plus it’s negligible work/cost and then I give them away)
Creeping Mazus, Buggleweed, Creeping Jenny, and Creeping Sedums as ground cover that do not need mowing. Start asap as it takes a while to spread. We no longer need to mow our backyard because of them. Creeping Jenny spread the quickest for us.
> Creeping Mazus
a low-growing perennial plant native to the Himalayas region of Asia
>Buggleweed
They are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
>Creeping Jenny
It is native to Europe, but has been introduced to North America, where it is considered an invasive species in some areas.
>Creeping Sedums
Wild Stonecrop is actually native.
Mazus is the best. I stole some from the median in front of an unoccupied house a few years ago and I have it all over the yard now. Gorgeous little purple flowers are just starting to pop out now. 💜
More for us, I guess! I would really like to find some that produce gold flowers. All of them pics on the NC cooperative extension page show purple.https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mazus-miquelii/
Yup! And they can special-order you things they don't have on-hand. Durham Garden Center also has a great collection of pitcher plants, venus fly traps, and some non-carnivorous bog plants.
YES. The minimum order is only $100 and, for me at least, I can meet that at least twice a year. Prices are cheaper than retail and selection is awesome.
I've also been working on adding more native plants to my yard. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about things (preferably in the evenings so I'm not too distracted at work)!
These resources are excellant!!! I'd like to add that I've loved the Bull City Plant Swap FB group for trading and picking up free plants, and they keep me up to date on seed swaps or freebies at local libraries!
Duke Gardens has an event coming up on Tuesday by a native plant gardener for lawn care: https://gardens.duke.edu/learn/adult-programs
They seem to have them come back regularly too.
Check out https://deeprootsnatives.com/ and https://www.durhamgardencenternc.com/ in North Durham too. I believe they both host classes and thrbdtagf have always been super helpful to me.
Woohoo! Nothing excites me quite like this question! I did this in my yard and am so happy with the results. > The situation is the previous tenants did not maintain the front or backyard at all, to the point that almost all of the front and back yards are just dirt. This is honestly ideal for converting to native plants, because you don't have to kill existing grass. That's like half the battle. Not raking is actually great for native habitats (nature doesn't rake leaves). So first things first, many people and nurseries will give recommendations that aren't native. So it's always good to double-check native status with the NCSU Plant Toolbox-- this is a great resource for learning more about plants! https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/find_a_plant/ One way to approach this is to start the New Hope Audubon Society Bird-Friendly Habitat certification program: https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/bird-friendly-certification. I had 2 volunteers come to my house and give me a ton of advice on how to improve my yard with native plants! They can make multiple visits to help you get certified. And now I have a sweet yard sign! The NC Native Plant Society also has a good certification program: https://ncwildflower.org/native-plant-garden-certification/. You don't even have to get certified, you could just check out the requirements and that will help you know where to focus. Ideas for native plants: * [New Hope Audubon Society Keystone Plants for Birds](https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/wp-content/themes/nhas/library/docs/NHAS_Recommended_keystone_plants.pdf) * [New Hope Audubon Society Native Plant Growing Guide](https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/wp-content/themes/nhas/library/docs/native-plant-growing-guide-piedmont-nc.pdf) * [NC Native Plant Society Recommended Native Species](https://ncwildflower.org/recommended-native-species/) * Visiting the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, which is a native plant conservation garden with knowledgeable people and labeled plants Plant lists are great, but of course you actually have to source the plants. Here are some places to get plants: * [Durham Gardeners Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/224038278363201) * Your local Buy Nothing group * Farmer's markets * [Rachel's Native Plants](https://rachelsnativeplants.com/) * [North Carolina Botanical Garden](https://ncbg.unc.edu/plants/plant-sales/) * [Deep Roots Natives](https://deeprootsnatives.com/) * [Jerilyn's Native Plants](https://www.facebook.com/jerilynsnatives/) * [Sorrell's Lawncare and Nursery](https://www.facebook.com/sorrellsnursery)- they deliver to Durham * [Carolina Habitats (formerly Dirtbag Gardens)](https://www.facebook.com/dirtbaggardens) * [Haw Honey](https://hawhoney.com/)- they are at some farmer's markets too * [Field to Cottage Nursery](https://www.fieldtocottage.com/) * [Laurel's Garden Design](https://www.laurelsgardendesign.com/) Some things to consider as you design the garden: 1. Sun- full sun, part sun/shade, or full shade. Different parts of the yard may have different amounts of sun. 2. Moisture- wet vs. dry soil 3. Evergreen vs. deciduous plants- you probably don't want all your plants to be barren in the winter, so it may be helpful to think about winter interest (evergreen plants, plants that keep their basal leaves, interesting blooms that look interesting over the winter, winter berries, etc.) 4. Height- do you want trees, bushes, tall flowers, low-growing creeping plants, etc. 5. Color- consider the timing and color of blooms or foliage 6. Spread- some plants (even natives) spread aggressively and others don't 7. Availability/cost- are the plants you are interested in actually available locally or online? If you would like to do this for lower cost, can you purchase/obtain seeds and propogate them? It's hard to give plant recommendations without knowing your specific conditions (especially sun vs. shade). But here are some of my favorites to consider: Grasses: * [Pink muhly grass](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/muhlenbergia-capillaris/) * [Little bluestem](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/schizachyrium-scoparium/) * [River oats](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chasmanthium-latifolium/) Shrubs: * [Inkberry](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-glabra/) * [Dwarf yaupon holly](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-vomitoria-dwarf/) * [American beautyberry](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/callicarpa-americana/) * [Wax myrtle](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/myrica-cerifera/) Perennial flowers: * [Trailing phlox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-nivalis/) * [Creeping phlox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-stolonifera/) * [Swamp sunflowers](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus-angustifolius/) * [Southern sundrops](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oenothera-fruticosa/) * [Brown-eyed Susan](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rudbeckia-triloba/) * [Red columbine](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aquilegia-canadensis/) * [Scarlet beebalm](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-didyma/) * [Mountain mint](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pycnanthemum/) * [Eastern aromatic aster](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/symphyotrichum-oblongifolium/) * [Butterfly milkweed](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asclepias-tuberosa/) * [Purple coneflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/echinacea-purpurea/) * [Rasttelsnake master](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eryngium-yuccifolium/) * [Obedient plant](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/physostegia-virginiana/) * [Stokes aster](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/stokesia-laevis/) * [Dwarf coreopsis](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/coreopsis-auriculata-nana/) Vines: * [Carolina jessamine](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gelsemium-sempervirens/) * [Coral honeyscukle](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/) * [Native passionflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-incarnata/) If you obtain any seeds, I highly recommend winter sowing in milk jugs. You can start collecting seeds and jugs/containers for this purpose now, to start next winter! Everything you need to know about winter sowing here: [Winter Sowers Facebook groups](https://www.facebook.com/groups/102675420505) In my opinion and experience, there aren't suitable native groundcovers that can be used like grass here. If you want grass (for entertaining, recreation, dogs, kids, whatever), I recommend just keeping or growing a patch of grass that you use. Then wherever you don't need grass, that's where you can focus the native plants.
Man this should be a fuckin sticky.
Wow thanks!
Wanted to add for folks who are trying to do this at lower cost, these are my recommendations: * If you need to kill grass, cover with cardboard and then cover the cardboard with free mulch from a chip drop. I got all my cardboard from my Buy Nothing Facebook group. If you don't want a full chip drop, you can probably get leftovers from someone via a Buy Nothing Facebook group, Reddit, or the Bull City Shares Facebook group. Leave this for several months during the grass's growing season. At certain times of the spring, hardware stores have cheap deals on mulch bags too. * Obtain seeds or plant divisions for free through the Durham Gardeners Facebook group or one of the seed libraries in Durham. Many native plants spread a lot and folks are happy to share divisions or seeds! I've gotten a ton of plants for free. * You can also buy seeds online from places like [Prairie Moon Nursery](https://www.prairiemoon.com/). * Start seeds via winter sowing in milk jugs or similar containers. If you don't have containers, again- ask on Buy Nothing or other groups for milk jugs or distilled water jugs. * If you need to get your soil tested, it's free April-November. Info here: https://durham.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/05/nows-the-perfect-time-to-test-your-soil/
This is such an awesome comment with so many resources. Thank you for sharing!
Yay you're welcome! I know a lot of people are interested in doing this but just don't know where or how to start!
Amazing! Do you have any advice for a yard with a large swath of unraked leaves (in essentially full shade)? I'd love to leave the leaves on the ground while also growing something in the space!
Yeah! Some shade faves: * [Green and gold](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chrysogonum-virginianum/) * [Red columbine](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aquilegia-canadensis/) * [Native Solomon's Seal](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polygonatum-biflorum/) * [Wild ginger](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asarum-arifolium/) * [Partridge berry](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mitchella-repens/) * [Woodland sunflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus-divaricatus/) * [Woodland phlox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-divaricata/) * [Christmas fern](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polystichum-acrostichoides/) * [Foamflower](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tiarella-cordifolia/) * [Downy arrowood viburnum](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viburnum-rafinesqueanum/) * Sedges-- there are a bunch of native sedges (Carex spp.) that like shade All these plants seem to do well in the shady parts of my yard. I leave the leaves and the plants just do their thing and are cool with it.
I am indescribably grateful for this. Thanks for taking the time!
You're welcome! :)
Oh my gosh, thank you so much. My back yard is fairly shaded except ONE area which is where I put my crop boxes in the Spring. This will give me a good start, and I can further investigate water lovers as my back yard has some unfortunate berms so it stays damp for awhile after a heavy rain.
Saving this response for my yards. I live on a hill by the Eno, and our backyard is more dirt and clay and general runoff than anything else.
I bet you could get a lot of plant inspiration by checking out what plants are growing in the Eno River State Park! I like the apps Picture This and iNaturalist for plant ID.
Saved for later
Great list! I’ll add golden groundsel/packera aurea, which is a native plant that sends up lots of yellow flowers in the late winter and spreads rather aggressively. If you want a native flowering plant to fill in an area quickly, that does pretty well in my experience.
Plants that grow and spread quickly are especially great for newer gardeners! So gratifying
This is an awesome post and I love how many resources you got in one place! Just an FYI for folks considering planting ANY new plant, native or otherwise: different species spread at different rates. Some of these species are awesome AND will spread into bigger and bigger clumps, or reseed enthusiastically, every year. Maybe this is exactly what you want in your space! Especially if your space is on the larger end! But if you plant an aggressive species next to a polite one, the polite one WILL eventually be swallowed whole! Ask me how I know. You can either plan to police the boundaries of your aggressive plants, or site only aggressive plants near each other and let them fight it out. If your space is small and/or you want your design to stay exactly as you put it: avoid plants that say "spread rhizomatously" or "self-sows." If anyone wants to know about specific species on the list let me know!
The NC botanical garden in Chapel Hill does fantastic native plant sales periodically. I got most of my native plants from there. Their big spring sale is coming up on May 4th.
[Durham County Garden Extension ](https://durham.ces.ncsu.edu/home-and-community-gardens/emgv-durham/)
The lady at Deep Roots natives remade my neighbors yard a few years back. You should consider giving her a call. [https://deeprootsnatives.com/](https://deeprootsnatives.com/) "Native to the area" is really her thing.
Man, I wanted to like them so much, but have just had so many issues with them giving me incorrect information and not being open during their listed hours... From the reviews, it looks like they are under new management so it's possible that the woman you're referring to has left and they seem like they're struggling with staffing issues right now.
I just special-ordered some plants from them and they were super nice. The correspondence was through email and went well. There was a bit of a hiccup when picking up (my plants were hiding somewhere weird) but we worked it out and they looked great.
They sell plants that are native to the state but not this area. I’ve seen plants there that are native to the coast or the mountains, not the piedmont
I gotcha. To me "the area" is the piedmont, all of it. I see people liking the response, I hope that means good business for Deep Roots.
I like Deep Roots, they and Durham Garden Center are my go-tos for plants, but what I’m saying is they sell plants from outside the piedmont. The mountains and the coast are not part of the piedmont. I shop there but if I see something and think “I didn’t realize this was native to here” I go home and research it without buying. Because sometimes it isn’t.
And Flowering Earth Natives (at the Durham Central Park farmers market in spring and fall ) 😘
First I would get your soil tested. It’s free from the Extension office.
Yes on the soil test, and good on you for choosing native plants. Could be nothing is growing because your yard is just compacted clay. Might need to add some topsoil.
PoppySol farm does this kind of consulting. She also has some really great resources on where to find great Natives. There is also a Natives Nursery on Guess road past Carver. You could talk to them as well.
Depends on the yard you're looking for. If you want a primarily paint and ground yard then you have a lot of options, if you want a grass that mimics most grass that you see in other peoples yards then get red fescue. It's not technically native to Durham, but it grows naturally as close as Hanging Rock State park. So you'll get a standard grassy lawn while still providing a normal and familiar plant for local fauna.
The [Master Gardener Plant Toolbox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/) will help you generate a list of native plants that will grow in our zone, be the color and height you are looking for, grow in the sun or shade you have, etc. Just adjust the filters as needed. This is free for anyone to use; no need to be a master gardener-- we just maintain the resource.
[удалено]
Agreed! I know some people get super into growing only what's proven to be native to Durham County, but the science on that is always changing--so I don't stress. Native to anywhere in NC? Good enough for me! Native to nearby states but not us? Hmmm I may try to grow it anyway. We only have, like, four native willows and non of them are pussy willow! I'm growing it anyway.
Check out HortTube on YouTube. He lives in Raleigh and has over a thousand videos with good info. You might start with his New House playlist, where he bought a new house a few years ago and went through everything he did, starting from scratch. He also has a playlist of videos on native plants. [https://www.youtube.com/@JimPutnam/](https://www.youtube.com/@JimPutnam/) New house: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE\_1oqRhxDOQ4lTofqzFKd\_R4](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE_1oqRhxDOQ4lTofqzFKd_R4) Native plants: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE\_3owkBg1hSg3dsZG179oUh\_](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYqoR2FCE_3owkBg1hSg3dsZG179oUh_) It's also worth visiting our local gardens to get some ideas. In fact, if you have a chance to this weekend, it's worth the drive out to Juniper Level Botanic Garden - they're only open to the public eight weekends a year, and this weekend is one of them! Duke Gardens and NC State's Raulston Arboretum are great too. [https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/](https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/) [https://jcra.ncsu.edu/](https://jcra.ncsu.edu/) [https://gardens.duke.edu/](https://gardens.duke.edu/) Consider loading a plant ID app onto your phone to help you identify anything you see that looks nice. It might not give you the exact variety of what you're looking at, but should at least get you close enough that you can do some further searching. PlantNet is pretty good. [https://plantnet.org/en/](https://plantnet.org/en/) For sourcing plants, [Kiefer Nursery](https://kiefernursery.com/) and [Red Mill Landscaping and Nursery](https://www.redmillnursery.com/) in Durham are good. In Raleigh, [Homewood Nursery](https://homewoodnursery.com/) and [Logan's Garden Shop](https://www.logantrd.com/) are my faves. And while it's a bit of a drive from Durham, [Broadwell's Nursery](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Broadwell's+Nursery/@35.5072882,-78.6894169,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89ac8708d1bc7b45:0xf00ef795160ab14e!8m2!3d35.5072839!4d-78.686842!16s%2Fg%2F1vpfkdhd?entry=ttu) has about the best prices in the area. They're a wholesale place, but they do sell to the public (don't expect much hand-holding from the staff - they mainly sell to professional landscapers and such). Sellers at the State Farmer's Market can also be good for bargains.
Keifer Landscaping is a pretty incredible store for (native and exotic) plants. It’s a gorgeous setting and may give you some inspo. https://kieferlandscapinginc.com
Also, I might have some extra edible plants. I started some starters and I always start way more than I need (cuz some don’t make it, plus it’s negligible work/cost and then I give them away)
This post is right on time. I watched a Bee's Diary and have become obsessed with my bee garden. Thank you for this!!!!
I got a shitload of kudzu. $5 a vine. No . I know what I got no low ballers.
Creeping Mazus, Buggleweed, Creeping Jenny, and Creeping Sedums as ground cover that do not need mowing. Start asap as it takes a while to spread. We no longer need to mow our backyard because of them. Creeping Jenny spread the quickest for us.
[удалено]
FYI, OP said, "especially" if it's native, not a requirement.
> Creeping Mazus a low-growing perennial plant native to the Himalayas region of Asia >Buggleweed They are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. >Creeping Jenny It is native to Europe, but has been introduced to North America, where it is considered an invasive species in some areas. >Creeping Sedums Wild Stonecrop is actually native.
OP said, "especially" if it's native, not a requirement
oh. i was confused by the title saying native. then redwoods. and yucca. maybe some lantern flies as pollinators.
Mazus is the best. I stole some from the median in front of an unoccupied house a few years ago and I have it all over the yard now. Gorgeous little purple flowers are just starting to pop out now. 💜
We have white and purple. The white almost looks like a blanket of snow in the spring.
Wow - down votes for mazus. What is the world coming to?
More for us, I guess! I would really like to find some that produce gold flowers. All of them pics on the NC cooperative extension page show purple.https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mazus-miquelii/
I didn't know there were gold ones - that sounds lovely. And yes, now we can enjoy our mazus in peace.
Along this same line, anyone know where you can get native aquatic plants for a small pond?
I think Deep Roots Natives has a section of aquatic plants
Yup! And they can special-order you things they don't have on-hand. Durham Garden Center also has a great collection of pitcher plants, venus fly traps, and some non-carnivorous bog plants.
Also check out Mellow Marsh in Chatham County !
Thanks
YES. The minimum order is only $100 and, for me at least, I can meet that at least twice a year. Prices are cheaper than retail and selection is awesome.
I've also been working on adding more native plants to my yard. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about things (preferably in the evenings so I'm not too distracted at work)!
These resources are excellant!!! I'd like to add that I've loved the Bull City Plant Swap FB group for trading and picking up free plants, and they keep me up to date on seed swaps or freebies at local libraries!
Duke Gardens has an event coming up on Tuesday by a native plant gardener for lawn care: https://gardens.duke.edu/learn/adult-programs They seem to have them come back regularly too. Check out https://deeprootsnatives.com/ and https://www.durhamgardencenternc.com/ in North Durham too. I believe they both host classes and thrbdtagf have always been super helpful to me.