Cooperative Extension Publications

By Lois Berg Stack, Extension Professor and Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, University of Maine

For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.
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VIDEO: Native Plants in Maine (YouTube)

Nearly 1500 species of native plants are part of what makes Maine a unique place. Native plants—also called indigenous plants — are those that either originated here or arrived without human intervention.

We have brought many nonnative plants — exotic or alien plants — to Maine as food, fiber, and landscape plants. In addition, we have introduced some nonnative plants unintentionally, as contaminants in crop seed, in the soil of other plants, and in ships’ ballast.

Why are native plants important?

Native plants form the historical basis of our landscape, provide food and habitat for animals, and serve as natural sources of food, fiber, and other products.

Native plants can serve several functions in the landscape. Native shade trees such as red oak and white ash, and evergreens like white pine and eastern hemlock, form the structure of the natural landscape. Fruiting shrubs such as black chokeberry, gray dogwood, and winterberry provide food for wildlife and add seasonal interest to the landscape. Groundcovers like bearberry and creeping juniper can be planted to preserve a sense of open space while reducing the size of lawns. Native perennials and ferns can be used in woodland gardens.

To find out more about native plants that are useful in the landscape, see “Additional Resources” below.

Can nonnative plants cause problems?

Most of the nonnative plants we’ve introduced have a very positive impact on our society and do not threaten our natural landscape. A few, however, have escaped cultivation and become naturalized. In some cases, invasive nonnative plants have displaced native plants, thereby degrading the integrity and diversity of our native plant communities. We’ve all witnessed the spread of purple loosestrife in our wetlands, where it has established large colonies and displaced native plants. Other invasive nonnative plants in Maine include multiflora rose, common and glossy buckthorns, shrubby honeysuckles, Asiatic bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, and Japanese barberry.

While native plants should form the major part of every landscape, selected noninvasive, nonnative plants can add beauty and interest. However, if these nonnative plants were planted exclusively, they would change the overall look of our collective landscape. Over time, our more heavily populated areas could become less “native” in appearance, and more dominated by nonnative trees, shrubs, and other plants. How Maine will look fifty years from now depends a great deal on what we choose to plant today. Each of us, in our own landscape, can play a part in preserving the integrity of the Maine landscape by using native plants.

Where can I get native plants for my landscape?

Below you will find a list, compiled in 2008, of Maine nurseries and garden centers that sell native plants. All of these companies sell propagated native plants only and do not sell plants dug from the wild. Some sell only wholesale, others only retail and some do both. The list is coded to indicate which businesses sell trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, vines, and groundcovers. Some nurseries and garden centers sell many types of native plants, while others specialize in just a few types. If you are looking for specific native plants, call ahead.

What else can I do to protect Maine’s native landscape?

• Avoid disturbing natural areas or clearing the land of native plants.
• Purchase only propagated native plants, not those dug from the wild.
• Do not purchase or plant invasive nonnative species.
• Discuss your concern about invasive nonnative plants with your local nursery or garden center professionals. Encourage them not to sell these plants, but rather to expand their offerings of propagated native plants.
• Learn to identify plants, so that you can learn more about them and determine if they have invasive tendencies. You can take samples of plants to local nurseries and garden centers for identification, or to your local county Extension office.
• Learn to identify and control invasive nonnative plants in your landscape (see “Additional Resources” below).
• Get involved in community efforts to control invasive nonnative plants on public lands.

Additional Resources

• UMaine Extension’s publications catalog or 800.287.0274 (in Maine)
• Bulletin #2500, Gardening to Conserve Maine’s Native Landscape: Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid, University of Maine Cooperative Extension bulletin: provides a list of native plants that are useful in the landscape
• Maine Invasive Plants & Entire Series, University of Maine Cooperative Extension series 2503: provides identification and control information for twenty-two terrestrial and aquatic invasive plants

For more information: Contact Matthew Wallhead, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist/Assistant Professor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, at matthew.wallhead@maine.edu.

*plant list/catalog is available

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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.

© 2002, 2008, 2016, 2018

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