EPA Level III Ecoregion
Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain
1392 native plants for the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain ecoregion (Philadelphia area).
The Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain runs from southern New Jersey down across the Delmarva Peninsula and the Virginia tidewater, including Philadelphia, Wilmington, Dover, and Virginia Beach. The land is flat and low, the water table is close to the surface, and soils are sandy with pockets of poorly drained muck. Natives such as sweetbay magnolia, Atlantic white cypress, and seaside goldenrod are built for wet feet and salt air, both of which finish off the average nursery shrub.
Conditions: Flat sandy soils over a high water table, 42–48 inches of rain, humid summers and mild winters, salt exposure near the bay and ocean.
Cities and areas: Philadelphia, Virginia Beach, Wilmington, Dover, Salisbury, Newport News.
1392 Native Plants for the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain
HOA-friendly picks listed first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status. Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Wild Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
New Jersey-tea
Ceanothus americanus
Perennial Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Mallow-rose
Hibiscus moscheutos
Brown-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
Inland Sea Oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Smooth Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
Golden Groundsel
Packera aurea
Smooth Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Sevenbark
Hydrangea arborescens
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Virginia Mountain-Mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Spotted Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Creeping Polemonium
Polemonium reptans
Gulf Muhly
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia
Southern Blue Flag Iris
Iris virginica
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
River Birch
Betula nigra
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Showing 48 of 1392. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Splitbeard bluestem
Fall is the showpiece season, when silvery-white seed tufts appear.
- Rattlesnake master
Fall is when the flower heads turn into seed, so decide whether you want more plants next year.
- Golden tickseed
As a warm season annual in this climate, Golden Tickseed dies back for good at the first hard fall frost in Philadelphia, usually in October.
- Seaside goldenrod
Fall is peak season for this goldenrod in the Philadelphia area, with blooms carrying on until the first hard frost.
- Blue stemmed goldenrod
Fall is bloom time for this goldenrod in the Philadelphia area, with small yellow flowers opening along arching stems from around September into October.
- Wild pink
Fall in the Philadelphia area is mostly cleanup and prep time for wild pink, since the plant is not actively blooming.
- Plantain leaf pussytoes
Fall is a good time for light cleanup before the Philadelphia area's cooler weather sets in.
- Narrow leaf baccharis
A surviving, established plant may bloom in fall, but flowering this far outside its normal range should be considered a bonus rather than an expectation.
- Culvers root
Fall around Philadelphia (first frost typically early to mid November) is when Culver's root finishes its bloom cycle and heads into dormancy.
- Autumn sage
Fall is this plant's strongest bloom season in the mid Atlantic, often continuing until the first hard frost in late October or November. It is not on the ASPCA's toxic plant list for dogs, cats, or horses, based on the related culinary sage species the ASPCA has evaluated.
Build a plan for the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Philadelphia area.