Bring your love of nature home! The plants and trees you add to your garden and landscaping can support healthy urban habitats.
The following trees are beneficial to wildlife and pose very little risk of property damage. Anyone who has lost a tree to a storm or has dealt with trees encroaching on power lines or plumbing can feel confident planting these! (our favorites are listed in BOLD)
Junipers
Arborvitae
Paperbark Maple
Serviceberry
Redbud
Fringetree
Dogwoods
Kousa Dogwoods
Cornelian cherry dogwood
Smoke tree
Winter king hawthorn
Royal star magnolia
Sweetbay magnolia
Ann Magnolia
Flowering Crabapples
Red buckeye
Carolina silverbell
American hornbeam
Paw paw
Witch hazel
Some plants can be invasive in nature and crowd out other plants. Honeysuckle is well known for creating dense thickets, for example. Many garden centers have removed invasive plants like honeysuckle from their inventory, but you will still find certain species widely sold. Seeds from these plants can be carried into the parks by wildlife, wind, or even on your shoes while enjoying the trails. When shopping for your garden, consider native plants to add beauty and ecological benefits to your space while supporting our work to keep urban natural areas healthy.
Plants to avoid:
Ivy
Privet
Burning bush
Periwinkle
Wintercreeper
Honeysuckle
Callery pear
Learn more about native plants:
Choose Natives! Promoting Native Plants in the Mid-Atlantic
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