Native Plants

• What is a Native Plant?
• Why Include Native Plants in Your Garden?
• Native Plants and Climate Change

• Recommended Native Plants for Maryland
• Native Plants for Shade
• Native Plants for Shady Slopes
• Deer Resistant Native Plant List
• Native Plants for Meadows in Maryland's Coastal Plain
• Cultivars of Native Plants
• Gardens to Attract Butterflies
• Plant This Not That
• Native Ground Covers for Sun and Shade

Chesapeake Natives, Inc.: Promoting, Protecting and Propagating Plants Native to the Chesapeake Region

A non-profit that sells only Maryland native plants.

Maryland Native Plant Society

The Maryland Native Plant Society provides a list of nurseries and vendors who sell native plants as well as a list of upcoming native plant sales.

Environmental Concerns Nursery

• Native Plants of Maryland

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed

• Landscaping with Native Plants
• Native Plants for Northern Virginia

• Chesapeake Bay Native Plant Center
• Native Plants of North America
• Audubon Native Plants Database
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Missouri Botanical Garden

Ecoregional Revegetation Application (ERA) 

An Exhaustive native plant database with a downloadable spreadsheet that includes growth rate, propagation, pollination value, pollinators (Southern Maryland is Region 65, Southeastern plains)

Maryland Plant Atlas 

The Maryland Plant Atlas aims to provide accurate information regarding native and naturalized plants of Maryland based on the Wesley Knapp and Robert Naczi checklist, Vascular Plants of Maryland (2021). They keep the information up to date and provide a list of changes to the checklist since publication.

University of Maryland Extension State Native Plants

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants 

This list of rare, threatened, and endangered plants is made periodically with the most recent list from 2019. This page provides the lists separated by county and details the conservation status rank and State legal status as well as fact sheets.

Home and Garden Information Center

Get science-based, sustainable gardening and integrated pest management education for better human and environmental health.

Have a Gardening Question?

Get answers from our team of Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturists, Extension Faculty, and Master Gardeners.

Maryland Grows Blog

We help Maryland residents grow! Learn timely tips to manage your lawn, ornamental plants, and food gardens, with advice from University of Maryland experts and certified horticulturists

• Nurture Natives: A Guide to Invasive Species and their Native Look-Alikes
• Bad Plants Planted by Good People
• Maryland Invasive Plants Prevention and Control
• USDA Forest Service: Plants & Animals
• Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
• USDA National Invasive Species Information Center
• Global Invasive Species Database
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium
• Images of Invasive and Exotic Species

Join Master Gardeners of Charles County Molly Moore and Marlene Smith in this recorded presentation as they introduce 10 simple steps to ethical native seed collecting, and share their personal experiences. 

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View the PowerPoint Presentation.

Join Master Gardeners of Charles County Molly Moore and Marlene Smith in this recorded presentation as they introduce 10 simple steps to winter sowing native plants, and share their personal experiences.

Watch the Video

Mike Raupp, "The Bug Guy" for the University of Maryland Extension, teaches you the clues to use to find out what’s eating your garden.

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On November 15, 2025, the Bel Alton Demonstration Garden Project presented its design plan, plant selection, and the challenges of installing and maintaining the demonstration garden through the seasons. The presentation also covered the importance of using native plants to create habitat for birds and pollinators. 

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All you need to know to create a garden from scratch, featuring Joyce Browning Horticulturist, Master Gardener Coordinator, Harford County.

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On March 21, at Christ Church La Plata, the Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education project held a workshop on choosing a container for gardening, selecting the right growing mix, planting in containers, choosing the right cultivar, and more. Participants also learned how to grow berries in a home garden, both in-ground and in containers. 

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Winning the battle against garden pests without using dangerous chemicals from Mike Raupp.

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The Bel Alton Demonstration Garden project presented on Seed Saving and Cleaning of native plants from the demonstration garden at the Extension office on September 27, 2025. Participants learned about ethical collecting, cleaning, labeling, and storage of native seeds. Also, participants got to take home some of the seeds they cleaned and packaged. 

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The Bel Alton Demonstration Garden project presented on winter sowing at the Extension office on January 10, 2026. Participants learned how to winter sow and took home prepared containers for their gardens. The presentation also included tips on winter-sowing vegetables. While the method may be similar, the timing and reasons for using this propagation method differ slightly. 

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On April 11, at the Charles County Extension Office, the Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on "Vegetable Garden Planning." The presentation covered the planning of the site, types of gardens, soil testing, planting seeds versus transplants, fertilization, watering, weed management, and garden pests. 

View the slide presentation