Shinleaf Native Plants
A Selection of the Plants we Sell
Every month from May through September we will feature an endangered native plant species and sell it at a discount during that month.
All the photos below are from our gardens and meadows.
Please note: We do not sell plants on line, only in person at the nursery.
SPOTTED JOE-PYE WEED
Eutrochium maculatum
You have likely seen Joe Pye Weed growing in wet areas, often in masses along the roadside. Tall and sturdy, Joe Pye Weed flowers are a distinctive dusty pink color that blends beautifully with other fall bloomers like Goldenrod, Boneset, and New York Ironweed. It prefers sunny moist conditions and can grow six to eight feet tall. It is host plant to the Great Tiger moth and the Three Lined Flower moth and an important source of nectar for Monarch butterflies.


GREAT BLUE LOBELIA
Lobelia siphilitica
Great Blue Lobelia is considered "critically imperiled" in Vermont and Massachusetts. It produces stalks of deep blue tubular flowers that grow 2 to 3 feet tall. It loves wet, sunny spots and is valuable to pollinators as a late-summer bloomer. Great Blue Lobelia attracts bees and butterflies, is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae, and is loved by hummingbirds.
SNEEZEWEED
Helenium autumnale
Sneezeweed is considered "critically imperiled" in Vermont and "imperiled" in Massachusetts. It can grow up to 5 feet tall, with a mass of bright yellow daisy-like flowers swaying at the top. It blooms from late Summer into the Fall, providing critical late-season food and nectar for pollinators. It prefers wet soil and full sun, and in the wild is found along ponds, lakes, and rivers and in wet meadows. It is host plant for a number of bees, including the Rusty Patched Bumblebee, which is considered a"Species of Greatest Conservation Need" (presumed extinct) in Vermont.


COMMON MILKWEED
Asclepias syriaca
Numerous different insects are known to feed on Common Milkweed, including flies, bees, ants, wasps, beetles, skippers, and butterflies. It will thrive almost anywhere and can be a prolific spreader, so plant it somewhere you don’t mind it taking up some space. It blooms in mid-summer, prefers full sun, and can grow up to 8 feet tall. Common Milkweed is the sole host plant for the Monarch butterfly caterpillar.
ANISE HYSSOP
Agastache foeniculum
Anise Hyssop is a bee and butterfly magnet! We once counted 10 monarch butterflies at a time, and dozens of bumblebees, on our Hyssop plants. Its anise flavored leaves have medicinal uses and make a lovely tea. It self-seeds readily, is deer resistant and drought tolerant, and attracts songbirds once it goes to seed.

WILD SENNA
Senna hebecarpa
Senna is native to CT, MA, NH, and VT, and is considered "critically imperiled"in VT, NH, and MA. This bright summer bloomer is found in fields and forest edges and grows up to 6 feet high. It is in the pea family, and so fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it available to the plants around it. Its bright yellow flowers attract bees and it is host plant to several Sulphur butterflies.

WILD SENNA
Senna hebecarpa
Senna is native to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and is considered "critically imperiled" in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. This bright summer bloomer is found in fields and forest edges and grows up to 6 feet high. In the pea family, it fixes nitrogen in the soil making it available to the neighboring plants. Its bright yellow flowers attract bees and it is host plant to several Sulphur butterflies.
NODDING ONION
Allium cernuum
Nodding Onion produces slender stalks topped with pale pink downward-facing umbels of pollen and nectar-rich flowers. All parts of the plant are edible, including the long grass-like leaves, the small bulbs, and the flowers. It can be divided every few years to produce multiple new plants, or left to spread and seed itself. Having a wide US native distribution, it tolerates a variety of conditions. It is host plant for the Hairstreak Butterfly.


WILD BERGAMOT
Monarda fistulosa
According to the USDA Plant Database, Monarda fistulosa is native to the entire continental US except California and Florida. It is host plant for the Hermit Sphinx Moth, Orange Mint Moth, Pink Patched Looper Moth, and Rustic Quaker Moth. Long-tongued bees, butterflies, skippers, and hummingbirds also seek out the nectar. It’s a slow spreader, tends to grow in tight clumps, and prefers full sun. Wild Bergamot is deer resistant and tolerates a wide range of soil types.
CARDINAL FLOWER
Lobelia cardinalis
Cardinal Flower grows in striking spikes of bright crimson flowers. It is shown here in a "wild" bed with other Fall bloomers including Goldenrod, Joe-Pye-Weed, and Boneset. It is especially loved by hummingbirds and and is host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly and other moths and butterflies. In the wild it grows in marshes and stream beds. It thrives in spots that have moist to wet soil and full to part sun.


CULVER'S ROOT
Veronicastrum virginicum
Culver's Root is native to Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. It is threatened in Massachusetts and endangered in Vermont. Its delicate white spikes can grow as high as 7 feet. In the wild it is found in woodlands, deciduous forests, and clearings. It likes plenty of sun and moist to average soil. Culver's Root attracts bees and butterflies, and it is host plant for the Buckeye butterfly.
BLUE-EYED GRASS
Sisyrinchium montanum
These tiny flowers grow 6 to 18 inches tall in grass-like clumps, but they are actually in the Iris family. They bloom from spring into early summer, the violet-blue flowers opening only when the sun shines on them, and closing in the evening. We find them sprinkled through our moist meadow, but they are drought-tolerant once established. They self-seed well, so you may find tiny new clumps scattered about in the spring. They provide much needed pollen and nectar for pollinators in the early spring, and are native in all 6 New England states.


Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Wild Columbine is one of the earliest spring bloomers and is a favorite of long-tongued insects and hummingbirds. It grows up to 3 feed tall and has beautiful red and yellow flowers and attractive fern-like foliage. It does well in partial shade or sun as long as it has well-drained soil. It is native to the entire eastern half of the US, including all New England States.