Native Plants

As part of the Teaching Gardens of Saint Michael's College, we constructed a garden on our campus that features the native plants of our region. The garden was designed by Botany students to help the members of the community learn about the plants of New England.

This garden was designed specifically to encourage campus wide awareness of our native flora. We have planned learning opportunities centered around native plants and their conservation and collaborated with Education majors to create age appropriate learning materials.

Our Plantings:

False Solomon’s Seal                                   Bloodroot
(Smilacina racemosa)                                    (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Trout Lily                                                       Bluebells
(Erythronium americanum)                       (Campanula rotundifolia)

Foamflower                                                  Mayapple
(Tiarella cordifolia)                                 (Podophyllum peltatum)

Turk’s Cap                                                    Meadowsweet
(Lilium superbum)                                  (Filipendula purpurea)

Viburnum                                                      St. John’s Wort
(Viburnum lantana)                                 (Hypericum kalmianum)

False Indigo                                                  Red-osier Dogwood
(Baptisia variicolor)                                 (Cornus sericea)

Black-eyed Susan                                        Butterfly Weed
(Rudbeckia fulgida)                                 (Asclepias tuberosa)

Ninebark                                                       Black chokeberry
(Physocarpus opulifolius)                          (Aronia melanocarpa elata)

Joe Pye Weed                                              Coneflower
(Eupatorium maculatum)                          (Echinacea purpurea X Echinacea  
                                                             paradoxa)

Columbine                                                     Ostrich Fern
(Aquilegia chrysantha)                            (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

Jack-in-the-pulpit                                        Lily of the Valley
(Arisaema triphyllum)                             (Convallaria majalis)

Tickseed Coreopsis                                     Lamb’s Ear
(Coreopsis grandiflora)                            (Stachys byzantina)

Arborvitae                                                    Cornflower
(Thuja occidentails)                                       (Centaurea Montana)

New England Asters                                   Cardinal Flower
(Aster novae-angliae)                              (Lobelia cardinalis)

Solomon’s Seal                                            Wild Ginger
(Polygonatum biflorum)                           (Asarum canadense)

Christmas Fern                                            Marginal Wood Fern
(Polystichum acrostichoides)                   (Dryopteris marginalis)

Intermediate Wood Fern                           Lupines
(Dryopteris intermedia)                          (Lupinus perennis)

American Bittersweet                                Cinnamon Fern
(Celastrus scandens)                              (Osmunda cinnamomea)

Wild Senna                                                  Obedient Plant
(Senna hebecarpa)                                 (Physostegia virginiana)

Bleeding Heart
(Dicentra sp.)