As the common name suggests, Bushy Aster is an upright, bushier variety of native Aster.  Fast growing and easy going, will tolerate most soil conditions as it is found in both grasslands and bordering wetlands.

Tupelo, or Black Gum, is a deciduous tree that is often found around ponds, lakes and swampy areas.  Tupelo flowers are an important source of nectar for bees, honeybees make tupelo honey from it.  Tupelos produce blue-black fruits that support birds.   During the Fall, its shiny leaves are striking reds and purples.  

Easy growing light purple flowers bloom later in the season providing pollen sources for many bees and other insects.  Smooth Aster will flourish in mediocre and poor quality, rocky soils.  Works well in garden borders and neglected areas.

Forms clumps of stiff upright stems bearing flowers in a candelabra shape with a long bloom season.  Pinch the tops to encourage branching and a bushier growth habit.  Spreads slowly through roots and self-seeding. Use in moist sites such as around ponds and in rain gardens. 

This dainty plant has showy flowers. Plants can produce numerous seeds, making the plant readily self-seed. It's native habitat is dry, open, sandy sites.

Fast growing, generally pest and disease-free, and drought-tolerant. Colonies are often single-sexed, formed from a single, suckering parent. Only female plants produce flowers and berries. Leaves are extremely colorful in the fall.

This plant is prized for its long bloom season, and is good for naturalizing or in a rain garden. Has a minty aroma when crushed.  Can spread aggressively.

Super easy to grow and tolerant of most conditions.  Bright yellow flowers open at dusk and close by noon, hence the common name.  While each plant will only live 2 years, they will readily self-seed to create clusters of plants in successive years.  

Yes, Long Island has a native cactus! The Prickly Pear Cactus is a mounding, low-growing perennial found closer to the shoreline in sandy patches.  Easy to grow, hard to kill, and great for containers, too.  Be careful of the tiny hairlike spines when handling!  The paddles (nopales) and fruit (tuna) are edible and feature in Mexican cuisine. 

Swamp Rose Mallow, one of our native Hibiscus, can be found in marshes, wetlands, and near ponds and rivers.  Its large white or pink flowers open consistently between 9am-11am.  Its seeds are a source of food for many birds and its flowers attract hummingbirds and insects.  28 species of butterflies and moths utilize this plant as a host.