Southeast Michigan natives

Native plants - those naturally found in southeast Michigan - actually help improve water quality, and they're an attractive alternative to turfgrass. Natives generally have deeper roots, which absorb runoff and break down pollutants that would otherwise go straight into storm drains and rivers. Native trees, shrubs and grasses encourage a healthy yard, and require less maintenance than non-natives!

Why is it important to plant native shrubs and wildflowers? While many non-native plants, such as purple loosestrife, are colorful and attractive, they are considered "invasive" because they out-compete native species and disrupt wildlife habitat. Native plants, on the other hand, offer nesting sites and food for wildlife.

A garden of prairie wildflowers, for instance, will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your backyard. Best of all, natives are adapted to our local soils and climate, so they do not need watering and require very little fertilizer or pesticides, which can pollute our waterways. Native plants have deeper roots than lawn grasses. Replanting part of your lawn with native plants will help stormwater soak into the soil. Keeping stormwater on your property rather than running out to stormdrains helps filter pollutants, recharges the watertable and slowly sends cold water to our creeks and rivers. Find out more about native plants by calling the MSU Extension Master Gardener Hotline. In Oakland County, call 248-858-0887, and in Macomb County, call 586-469-5063.

There are native plant nurseries in Michigan that offer a wide variety of affordable plants native to southeast Michigan and grown in Michigan. Some even offer free site assessments to determine what plants will work best in your yard!

Michigan Wildflower Farm 11770 Cutler Rd. Portland, Michigan 48875 517-647-6010 Native Plant Nursery P. O. Box 7841 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107 734-667-3260 Nesta Prairie Perennials 1019 Miller Rd. Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001 616-343-1669 JFNews Nursery P.O. Box 7780 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107 734-222-9690	Sandhill Farm 11250 10 Mile Rd Rockford, Michigan 49341 616-691-8214 Wetlands Nursery, Inc. P. O. Box 14553 Saginaw, Michigan 48601 989-752-3492 Wildtype Native Plants 900 N. Every Rd. Mason, Michigan 48854 517-244-1140
Contact Clinton River Watershed Council for a free SE Michigan Native Plant CD (developed by Springfield Twp) that includes tip sheets and searchable database. Click here to learn how to use native plants to create rain gardens.

What plants are native to southeast Michigan? Here are just a few examples of the many plants that are native to our area, and are easy to find in most nurseries! Be sure to ask for native plants by there scientific name when purchasing.

Ferns	Christmas Lady Maidenhair Ostrich Royal Sensitive
Grasses	Big bluestem Cordgrass Indian grass Junegrass Purple lovegrass Wool-grass
Shrubs	Blueberry Buttonbush Dogwood Fragrant sumac Elderberry Michigan holly Serviceberry Spicebush
Trees	American beech Ash (Red, Green) Blackgum Black walnut Canada hemlock Douglas fir Flowering dogwood Hawthorn Hickory Maple (Red, Sugar) Oak (Red, White) Ohio buckeye Paw paw Sycamore White pine
Wildflowers	Anemone Black-eyed Susan Blazing star Butterfly weed Columbine Coral bells Purple coneflower Woodland poppy

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