Bulletin #2500, Gardening to Conserve Maine’s Native Landscape: Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid
Originally developed by Extension Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, Lois Stack, University of Maine Cooperative Extension with Judy Hazen Connery, Natural Resource Program Manager, Acadia National Park.
Reviewed and updated by University of Maine Cooperative Extension staff, 2023.
For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.
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Maine’s Native Landscape
Maine’s landscape offers spectacular variety, with ocean beaches, lakes, rivers, mountains, fields, and forests. Maine is locally influenced by both coastal and inland weather patterns. This creates relatively mild areas, and areas that are almost arctic, all within the state’s 300-mile length and 200-mile width. Maine rises from sea level to over 5,000 feet in elevation at the top of Mount Katahdin. This wide range of elevation results in a diversity of habitats including flat sandy plains, rolling hills, rounded summits, and craggy mountains with sheer cliffs. Maine’s forests vary from spruce and fir near the coast to hardwoods in the western hills, and mixed hardwood/softwood forests in the North. More than 100 types of habitats have been identified with about 1,500 native plant species spread across the state’s varied landscape.
What Are Native Versus Non-native Plant Species, and Why Should I Care?
Native plants are those species that either originated here or arrived in Maine without human intervention, perhaps thousands of years ago. Non-native species were brought intentionally for horticultural or other uses or came accidentally in ships’ ballasts, crop seed, or in soil. Some non-native plants continue to escape from cultivation and become naturalized in wetlands, lakes, woods, fields or roadsides.
Natural predators and diseases are often left behind when non-native plants are moved to new places. Therefore, their spread is uncontrolled and such non-native species as purple loosestrife, Japanese barberry, and Asian honeysuckles can become serious pests.
One long-term effect of invasive non-native species is to degrade habitat for native plants and animals. Some non-native plants choke out native vegetation, diminish the availability of food and habitat for wildlife, and alter the behavior of native animals such as pollinators, plant-eating insects, and fruit-eating birds. Unchecked, invasion by non-natives could drive some species to extinction. This is why non-native plants are a major concern to people who want to protect native species and natural areas.
Plants to Avoid and Why
Most familiar nursery plants are not invasive and are appropriate for planting. However, a few popular species, including purple loosestrife and Japanese barberry, are highly invasive. A single purple loosestrife plant can produce three million seeds in a single season! Even tiny root fragments can grow into new plants. Japanese barberry is invading Maine’s forests because birds disperse its seeds over long distances. Both species are very difficult to eradicate once they become established. Other plants that have invaded southern New England, such as Callery pear and mile-a-minute vine, are poised to invade Maine, enabled in some cases by global climate change.
On January 14, 2017, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry adopted rules that prohibit the sale of 33 terrestrial plant species determined to meet the invasive plant criteria described in the rule. Additional information can be found on DAFC’s website. The 33 plants listed below are illegal to import, export, buy, sell or intentionally propagate after December 31, 2017. The ban includes all cultivars, varieties, and hybrids of these plants.
What Can You Do to Help?
- Promote native plants by refusing to purchase or transplant them.
- Grow plants that do not “jump the fence” or escape from your garden.
- Try growing some native plants as ornamentals and as food for birds and pollinators.
- Eliminate invasive non-natives from your yard and garden. Remove the plant, including roots, and dispose of them in a way that does not allow them to spread to a new site.
Urge your garden center managers to expand their selection of propagated native plants.
Looking for Native Plants at Your Garden Center
Native plants are well adapted to Maine’s climate and are therefore hardy. Most plants in the Native Plant Recommendations are available at local garden centers, where professionals can help you with plant selection. Ask if their native plants are nursery-propagated. Collecting plants, cuttings, seeds, or sods from the wild can devastate natural populations. If the nursery cannot guarantee that its native plants are nursery-propagated, purchase your plants elsewhere.
Avoid collecting native plants from wild areas; some species are vulnerable to over-collecting. Also, leaving open disturbed soil in natural areas can allow those sites to be colonized by weedy or invasive species.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Horticulture Program’s Invasive Plants website describes and lists invasive exotic plants that present threats to native Maine terrestrial habitats, their history and alternatives to invasive plants.
Key to Light and Moisture Abbreviations
Light:
F=full sunlight
P=partial shade
S=shade
Moisture:
H=hydric; wet, periodically or often inundated by water
M=mesic; moist, adequate soil moisture all year
S=sub-xeric; moist to dry, seasonally moist but periodically dry
X=xeric; dry, little soil moisture retention, excessively well drained
Native Plant Recommendations
Trees | Shrubs | Vines and Ground Covers | Perennials: Flowering Plants | Perennials: Ferns
| Trees | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NAME
|
|||||
| Common | Scientific |
 |
|
Height | Comments |
| Balsam fir | Abies balsamea |
F,P |
M |
75′ | Open growth in hot, dry locations; evergreen; coastal trees susceptible to adelgids |
| Red maple, Swamp maple | Acer rubrum |
F,P |
M |
60′ | Excellent fall color; tolerates wet spring soils |
| Sugar maple, Rock maple | Acer saccharum |
F,P |
M |
75′ | Excellent orange-red fall color; beautiful large shade tree |
| Mountain maple | Acer spicatum |
F,P |
M |
30′ | Good for naturalizing |
| Yellow birch | Betula alleghaniensis |
F,P |
M |
100′ | Does best in cool soils and cool summers; beautiful bark; long lived |
| Paper birch | Betula papyrifera |
F |
M |
70′ | Beautiful white bark year-round; tolerates poor, dry soils |
| Gray birch | Betula populifolia |
F |
M |
40′ | Does well in poor soils; good for naturalizing |
| American hornbeam, Blue-beech | Carpinus caroliniana spp. virginiana |
F |
M |
30′ | Good for naturalizing; tolerates periodic flooding |
| Cockspur hawthorn |
Crataegus crus-galli |
F |
M |
30′ | Glossy green leaves; 2″ thorns; persistent dark red fruits |
| White ash | Fraxinus americana |
F |
M |
80′ | Due to the spread of Emerald Ash Borer in Maine, this native tree is no longer recommended. You can find the most up-to-date information on Emerald Ash Borer at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry website. |
| Green ash | Fraxinus pennsylvanica |
F,P |
M
|
60′ | Due to the spread of Emerald Ash Borer in Maine, this native tree is no longer recommended. You can find the most up-to-date information on Emerald Ash Borer at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry website. |
| Larch, Hackmatack, Tamarack |
Larix laricina |
F |
H,M |
80′ | Good in well-drained and moist-to-wet naturalized sites |
| Black gum, Black tupelo |
Nyssa sylvatica |
F,P |
M |
50′ | Excellent yellow-orange fall leaf color |
| American hop- hornbeam |
Ostrya virginiana |
F,P |
M,S |
40′ | Slow to establish after transplanting; good medium-sized tree |
| White spruce, Cat spruce |
Picea glauca |
F,P |
M |
60′ | Good specimen or windbreak; evergreen |
| Black spruce | Picea mariana |
F,P |
M |
40′ | Tolerates wet sites; evergreen |
| Jack pine | Pinus banksiana |
F |
S,X |
50′ | Useful for windbreaks or mass plantings in sandy soil; evergreen |
| Red pine, Norway pine |
Pinus resinosa |
F |
S,X |
80′ | Good windbreak; tolerates dry soils well; evergreen |
| White pine | Pinus strobus |
F |
M,S |
80′ | Handsome specimen; not tolerant of salt; evergreen |
| Bigtooth aspen |
Populus grandidentata |
F |
M,S |
70′ | Fast growing, short lived; good yellow fall leaf color |
| Quaking aspen, Trembling aspen |
Populus tremuloides |
F |
M |
50′ | Fast growing, short lived; good yellow fall leaf color |
| Pin cherry, Fire cherry, Bird cherry |
Prunus pensylvanica |
F |
M |
35′ | Adaptable; fast growing; tolerates poor soil; susceptible to disease |
| Black cherry | Prunus serotina |
F |
M |
60′ | Interesting black bark; white flowers in spring; wildlife food source; susceptible to disease |
| White oak | Quercus alba |
F |
M |
80′ | Large tree; transplant when young |
| Northern red oak |
Quercus rubra |
F |
M |
75′ | Transplants readily; good fall red leaf color |
| Black willow | Salix nigra |
F |
H,M |
35′ | Tolerates wet soils; twigs can cause lawn litter |
| American mountain-ash |
Sorbus americana |
F |
M |
30′ | Fruit eaten by wildlife |
| Showy mountain-ash |
Sorbus decora |
F |
M |
30′ | Fruit eaten by wildlife |
| Pagoda dogwood | Swida (Cornus) alternifolia |
F,P |
M |
25′ | Moist soil is important; white flowers in early June |
| Northern white-cedar, Arborvitae | Thuja occidentalis |
F,P |
M |
60′ | Useful hedge or specimen plant; tolerates alkaline soil; susceptible to deer browse |
| Basswood, American linden |
Tilia americana |
F,P |
M |
80′ | Large tree; tolerates alkaline soil; good for urban landscape |
| Eastern hemlock |
Tsuga canadensis |
F,P,S |
M |
70′ | Graceful evergreen; does not tolerate drought or windy sites; susceptible to adelgids on coast |
| Shrubs | |||||
|
NAME
|
|||||
| Common | Scientific |
|
|
Height | Comments |
| Downy serviceberry, Downy shadbush |
Amelanchier arborea |
F,P |
M |
25′ | Useful in edible and wildlife landscapes; excellent orange fall color |
| Eastern serviceberry | Amelanchier canadensis |
F,P |
M |
20′ | Useful in edible and wildlife landscapes; yellow-gold fall color |
| Smooth serviceberry, Allegheny serviceberry | Amelanchier laevis |
F,P |
M |
25′ | Useful in edible and wildlife landscapes; leaves are bronze in spring |
| Bog rosemary | Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla |
F,P |
H |
1-2′ | Leathery evergreen leaves; requires very moist acid soil |
| Buttonbush | Cephalanthus occidentalis |
F |
H |
6′ | Good for wetland plantings |
| Sweet-fern | Comptonia peregrina |
F,P |
S,X |
3′ | Aromatic foliage; interesting texture; good in dry sandy soil |
| Gray dogwood | Swida (Cornus) racemosa |
F,P,S |
M |
15′ | Spreads by suckering stems; many birds eat its white fruits in fall |
| Red-osier dogwood | Swida (Cornus) sericea |
F |
H,M |
6’ | Red stems attractive in winter; spreads by suckering stems; tolerates wet soil |
| American hazelnut | Corylus americana |
F,P |
M |
15′ | Good for naturalizing; fruit eaten by wildlife; tolerates alkaline soil |
| Bush cinquefoil |
Dasiphora floribunda (Potentilla fruticosa) |
F |
M,S,X |
4′ | Good summer-flowering shrub; tolerates alkaline soil |
| Bush-honeysuckle | Diervilla lonicera |
S,P |
M |
5′ | Spreads by suckering stems; very hardy, adaptable |
| Leatherwood | Dirca palustris |
S |
M |
4′ | Yellow fall color; thrives in moist, shady sites |
| Common witchhazel | Hamamelis virginiana |
F,P |
M |
15′ | Avoid droughty sites; yellow flowers in October; yellow fall leaf color |
| Winterberry, Black-alder | Ilex verticillata |
F,P |
H,M |
10′ | Bright red fruits persist into midwinter; excellent wetland plant |
| Common juniper | Juniperus communis var. depressa |
F |
M,S,X |
3′ | Tolerates drought, wind, sterile or alkaline soils; evergreen |
| Sheep, laurel, Lambkill | Kalmia angustifolia |
F,P |
M,S |
3′ |
Adaptable to many soils; best in very acid soil; good for naturalizing |
| Northern bayberry |
Morella caroliniensis (Myrica pensylvanica) |
F,P |
S,X |
6′ |
Good for massing; useful in poor soil sites; aromatic foliage |
| Sweetgale | Myrica gale |
F |
S,X |
4′ |
Bushy plant; dark green foliage; aromatic foliage |
| Black chokeberry | Aronia (Photinia) melanocarpa |
F,P |
H,M,S |
6’ | Spreads by suckering stems; wine-red fall color; good wildlife plant in wet or dry soils |
| Beach plum | Prunus maritima |
F |
M,S |
6′ | Good for edible landscape; salt-tolerant |
| Choke-cherry | Prunus virginiana |
F |
M |
30′ | Spreads by suckering stems; white flowers in spring; wildlife food source |
| Rhodora | Rhododendron canadense |
F,P |
H,M |
3′ | Magenta flowers in spring; best in very acid soil |
| Labrador tea | Rhododendron (Ledum) groenlandicum |
F,P |
H,M |
3′ | Transplants well; good for moist-to-wet naturalized sites |
| Staghorn sumac |
Rhus hirta (R. typhina) |
P |
M,S.X |
25′ | Spreads by suckers; good mass plant for dry slopes |
| Meadow rose | Rosa blanda |
F |
M |
5′ | Spreads by suckering stems; single light pink flowers; red hips in fall and winter |
| Pasture rose | Rosa carolina |
F |
M |
5′ | Pink single flowers in midsummer; small red hips persist into winter |
| Virginia rose | Rosa virginiana |
F |
M,S |
5′ | Spreads by suckering stems; good in dry and seaside sites; good barrier/hedge |
| Pussy willow | Salix discolor |
S |
H,M |
15′ | Fuzzy flowers in early spring; good for naturalizing; tolerates wet soil |
| Black elderberry |
Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis |
F |
M |
12′ | Useful in edible landscape; tolerates alkaline soil |
| Red elderberry | Sambucus racemosa subsp. pubens |
F |
M |
20′ | Flowers in mid to late July; handsome red fruit in midsummer |
| Gray dogwood | Swida (Cornus) racemosa |
F,P,S |
M |
15′ | Spreads by suckering stems; many birds eat its white fruits in fall |
| Red-osier dogwood |
Swida (Cornus) sericea |
F |
H,M |
6’ | Red stems attractive in winter; spreads by suckering stems; tolerates wet soil |
| Canadian yew | Taxus canadensis |
P,S |
M |
6′ | Hardiest yew; good for naturalized shady landscape; evergreen |
| Highbush blueberry | Vaccinium corymbosum |
F |
M |
8′ | Good for edible or wildlife landscapes; best in very acid soil |
| Mapleleaf viburnum |
Viburnum acerifolium |
P,S |
M,S |
6′ | Suckering; good for mass plantings in shady sites |
| Hobblebush | Viburnum lantanoides (V. alnifolium) |
P,S |
M |
8′ | Open shrub; good for naturalized landscape |
| Arrowwood viburnum | Viburnum dentatum var. lucidum |
F,P |
M |
15′ | Durable; good for hedges; tolerates alkaline soil |
| Nannyberry | Viburnum lentago |
F,P |
M,S |
15′ | Good for wildlife and naturalized landscapes |
| Witherod, Wild-raisin | Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides |
S,P |
M |
10′ | Excellent fall foliage and fruit color |
| Highbush cranberry | V. opulus var. americanum (V. o. var. trilobum) |
F,P |
M |
12′ | Excellent for screening; good for wildlife landscapes |
| Vines and Ground Covers | |||||
|
NAME
|
|||||
| Common | Scientific |
|
|
Height | Comments |
| Running serviceberry | Amelanchier spicata (A. stolonifera) |
F,P |
M |
2’ | Stoloniferous groundcover; forms thickets |
| Bearberry | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
F,P |
S,X |
6” | Best in poor, sandy, very acid soils; salt-tolerant; groundcover |
| American bittersweet | Celastrus scandens |
F,P |
M,S |
— | Climbing vine; separate male and female plants; tolerates alkaline soil |
| Bunchberry | Chamaepericlymenum canadensis (Cornus canadensis) |
P,S |
M |
6″ | Spreading groundcover; white flowers in spring; red fruit in fall |
| Virgin’s bower | Clematis virginiana |
F |
M |
— | Climbing vine; white flowers in late summer; best in alkaline soil |
| Checkerberry, Wintergreen | Gaultheria procumbens |
P,S |
M |
6″ | Evergreen groundcover; leaves fragrant when crushed; reddish in fall |
| Creeping juniper | Juniperus horizontalis |
F |
M,S,X |
1′ or less |
Adaptable; tolerates hot, dry sites and alkaline soil; evergreen |
| Partridgeberry | Mitchella repens |
S |
M |
2″ | Delicate plant; red fruits persist into winter |
| Woodbine, Virginia creeper |
Parthenocissus quinquefolia |
F,P,S |
M,S,X |
— | Vigorous vine; tough; maroon fall color; tolerates alkaline soil |
| Lowbush blueberry |
Vaccinium angustifolium |
F |
M |
2′ | Slow; good for edible or wildlife landscapes; requires acid soil |
| Large cranberry |
Vaccinium macrocarpon |
F |
H,M |
6″ | Slow; good for edible or wildlife landscapes; requires acid soil |
| Fox grape | Vitis labrusca |
F |
M |
— | Handsome foliage; good vine for arbors and fences |
| Perennials: Flowering Plants | |||||
|
NAME
|
|||||
| Common | Scientific |
|
|
Height | Comments |
| White baneberry; Red baneberry | Actaea pachypoda, A. rubra |
P,S |
M |
24″ | Attractive, but poisonous fruits |
| Columbine | Aquilegia canadensis |
F,P,S |
M,S |
12″ | Early spring flowers |
| Spikenard | Aralia racemosa |
P,S |
M,S |
36″ | Good for back of border |
| Silverweed | Argentina anserina |
F |
S,X |
6″ | Yellow flowers, silvery leaves |
| Jack-in-the-pulpit | Arisaema triphyllum |
P,S |
H,M |
12″ | Flower green and brown; bright red fruits |
| Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca |
F |
S,X |
36″ | Flowers attract bees; monarch butterflies lay eggs on leaves |
| Marsh marigold | Caltha palustris |
F,P |
H,M |
12″ | Showy yellow flowers in early spring |
| Harebell | Campanula rotundifolia |
F,P |
M,S,X |
12″ | Delicate blue-purple flowers |
| Blue cohosh | Caulophyllum thalictroides |
P,S |
M,S |
36″ | Blue fruits; back of border |
| White turtlehead | Chelone glabra |
P,S |
H,M |
24″ | Interesting white flowers in midsummer |
| Bluebead-lily | Clintonia borealis |
P,S |
M,S |
12″ | Pale yellow flowers; fruits poisonous |
| Trout-lily, Dog’s-tooth-violet | Erythronium americanum |
P,S |
M |
6″ | Flowers early spring |
| Boneset | Eupatorium perfoliatum |
F |
H,M |
24″ | Green flowers; good for drying |
| Joe-pye weed | Eutrochium (Eupatorium) maculatum | F |
H,M |
48″ | Purple flowers in fall; attracts pollinators; good for drying |
| Blue flag | Iris versicolor | F,P |
H,M |
24″ | Elegant form; blue-purple flowers; easy to grow |
| Indian cucumber-root | Medeola virginiana |
P,S |
M |
12″ | Interesting magenta floral bracts |
| Obedient plant | Physostegia virginiana |
F,P,S |
M,S,X |
24″ | Flowers pink, leaves dark green; good cut flower |
| Solomon’s seal | Polygonatum pubescens |
P,S |
M |
18″ | Arching stems; white flowers in early spring; tall groundcover for shade |
| Bloodroot | Sanguinaria canadensis |
P,S |
M |
12″ | Showy white flowers in early spring |
| New England aster |
Symphyotrichum (Aster) novae-angliae |
F,P |
M,S,X |
24″ | Fall flowers are deep purple |
| New York aster |
Symphyotrichum (Aster) novi-belgii |
F,P |
M,S,X |
24″ | Fall flowers are purple |
| Foam-flower | Tiarella cordifolia |
P |
M |
6″ | Delicate white flowers in early spring |
| Wild-oats | Uvularia sessilifolia |
P,S |
M |
6″ | Creamy, bell-shaped flowers in early spring |
| Violet | Viola species |
P |
M |
2-6″ | Various species and colors; most self-sow to form groundcovers |
| Perennials: Ferns | |||||
|
NAME
|
|||||
| Common | Scientific |
|
|
Height | Comments |
| Maidenhair fern | Adiantum pedatum |
P,S |
M |
18″ | Graceful black stem; nearly circular fronds; tolerates alkaline soil |
| Lady fern | Athyrium angustum |
P,S |
H,M |
18″ | Lacy fronds; reddish in spring |
| Hay-scented fern | Dennstaedtia punctilobula |
F,P |
S,X |
12″ | Fragrant lacy fronds; tolerates hot, dry sites; spreading |
| Spinulose wood fern | Dryopteris carthusiana |
P,S |
M,S |
24″ | Lacy fronds; reddish in spring |
| Marginal wood fern | Dryopteris marginalis |
F,P |
S,X |
24″ | Easy to grow; fronds blue-green; tolerates rocky sites |
| Ostrich fern | Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica |
P,S |
M |
36″ | Edible fiddleheads; beautiful green fronds; plume-like fertile fronds |
| Sensitive fern | Onoclea sensibilis |
F,P |
H,M |
12″ | Easy to grow; spreads; persistent bead-like fertile fronds in winter |
| Cinnamon fern | Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (Osmunda cinnamomea) |
P,S |
H,M |
36″ | Easy to grow; attractive cinnamon-colored fertile fronds in spring |
| Interrupted fern | Osmunda claytoniana |
F,P,S |
H,M,S,X |
36″ | Easy to grow; spreads well; luxuriant spring growth |
| Royal fern | Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis |
F,P,S |
H,M,S |
36″ | Vase-shaped; interesting fertile fronds; sterile fronds finely dissected |
| Long beech fern | Phegopteris connectilis |
P,S |
M |
6″ | Small size fern, low growing; spreads well |
| Christmas fern | Polystichum acrostichoides |
P,S |
M |
12″ | Leathery, evergreen fronds |
| The botanical names in this plant list are consistent with those found in: Haines, A. 2011. Flora Novae-Angliae: a manual for the identification of native and naturalized higher vascular plants of New England. Yale University Press. | |||||
This publication was made possible by:
- Friends of Acadia
- Garden Club Federation of Maine
- Josselyn Botanical Society
- Maine Natural Areas Program
- Maine Department of Conservation
- Maine Department of Agriculture
- Maine Landscape and Nursery Association
- Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- National Park Service
- Plant Conservation Alliance
- The Nature Conservancy
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- University of Maine Horticulture Club
- U.S.D.A. Forest Service
Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
© 2003, 2017, 2020, 2023
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