There is a moment every year when we stand firmly between winter and spring, when the temperatures rise only to dip precipitously the next day, a false season that nevertheless gives us a breath of hope that the bitter cold days may soon be behind us.

It’s also a reminder that it is time to plot and plan your gardens for the upcoming planting season. In Camille T. Dungy’s memoir Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden she said that “everyone with a vested interest in the direction the people on this planet take in relationship to others…should all take some time to plant life in the soil. Even when such planting isn’t easy.”

It is in that spirit that we surveyed a group of our National Trust Historic Sites (NTHS) and members of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) program for native plants that can be found in their gardens. Spread out across multiple parts of the United States we grouped them by zones using the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, and we hope this serves as an inspiration for your own gardens in the months to come.

Zone 5B

Brucemore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa, NTHS) is home to Asclepias tuberosa, commonly known as orange butterfly milkweed. The Monarch butterfly is attracted to the flowers and the larvae eat the leaves and the plants, often creating the chrysalis on the plant itself. —David Morton, Curator of Landscape

The Jonathan Fisher House (Blue Hill, Maine, HAHS), is home to a pear tree whose fruit is used each year in combination with local apples to press cider at the house. According to Fisher’s diary, this tree was part of an orchard planted in the mid-1820s. Produced via top-grafting, in which cuttings from a desired variety are grafted onto a wild tree used for rootstock, the tree now sports both a grafted branch as well as the rootstock grown up. When recently sampled for DNA testing, the grafted branch was identified as Clapp’s Favorite.

Zone 6A

Scarlet bee balm (Monarda didyma), also known as bergamot or wteehaskwal in Munsee Algonquin, grows plentifully in the gardens of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site (Catskill, New York, HAHS). The native plant can be found beneath the 207-year-old honey locust tree (Gleditsia triacanthos) where the Cole family grew and enjoyed ornamental gardens for decades. During the summer, pollinators like bees and ruby-throated hummingbirds frequent the red blooms for their nectar. Today the site continues to grow scarlet bee balm as an homage to Thomas Cole’s daughter, Emily Cole (1843-1913), a distinguished china painter who found artistic inspiration in the plants growing around her family’s home, including the bee balm on one of her porcelain plates.

At the Spiral House Park (Saugerties, New York, HAHS), the late artist Tom Gottsleben, who was lovingly referred to as “The Butterfly Whisperer,” was a proponent of educating visitors about the importance of planting the native variety of common milkweed seed (Asclepias syriaca) each year as a way to save the monarch butterfly. Threatened with widespread habitat loss, monarchs have suffered a 90 percent population decline in recent decades that is directly linked to a decline in native milkweed, the invertebrate’s only caterpillar host plant. Without native milkweed, monarchs cannot complete their life cycle.

While Virginia Walker sourced many of the plants in the Virginia Walker Couse Garden at the Couse–Sharp Historic Site (Taos, New Mexico, HAHS) from mail-order catalogs, local nurseries, and seed exchanges, she also sourced many native species directly from the surrounding environment. The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), which thrives in New Mexico’s riparian areas along the banks of watercourses and lakes, in foothills, and along acequias (the traditional hand-dug irrigation ditches of northern New Mexico) and is likely among the native plants that Virginia cultivated in this manner. With its iconic delicate white spring blossoms, rich red summer berries, and golden fall foliage as well its traditional uses for jellies, syrups, and teas, the chokecherry was and continues to be both a beautiful and practical addition to Virginia's Taos garden.

Zone 6B

At Manitoga (Garrison, New York, HAHS), the house and studio are physically interwoven with the landscape. Built of natural materials found on site; stones for doorknobs, birchbark to panel a door, pine needles pressed into green plaster to echo the pine branches enveloping the house. For the wooden pergola, Russel Wright chose the deciduous vine Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla), with its large heart shaped leaves to perform as the “theatrical curtain”, gracefully draped over the pergola, screening the view of the Quarry Pond and Waterfall. From the Entry Court the water can be heard but not seen until the visitor “parted the curtain” to peer beyond. The design is intended to create a sense of mystery and to build anticipation for the drama to follow.

Zone 7A

Dogwoods (Cornus florida) are found in many prominent spots in the gardens at Kykuit (Tarrytown, New York, NTHS). These ornamental trees welcome visitors as they approach the Main House, enclose the Rose Garden, and line the walls on either side of the Forecourt where their distinctive silhouette of rounded crowns and horizontal branching structure are highlighted against the ivy and stone. Some of the oldest dogwood trees are in the Brook Garden. The Rockefeller family used the house most often during the Spring and Fall, so many of the plants chosen look best at those times of the year. By September the shiny red fruit, on which birds will happily feast, begin to ripen. Over the winter the bare branches and plump buds look striking outlined in the freshly fallen snow.—Clare Levy Strom, Head Gardener

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is an exquisite southeastern native shrub that provides year-round beauty in the Annie duPont Formal Garden at James Madison's Montpelier (Orange, Virginia, NTHS). Though not native to Virginia, this hydrangea species thrives in our mid-Atlantic climate and is adaptable to full sun and shade exposures. Its many attractions include exfoliating papery-bark, red to orange fall foliage, and beautiful conical panicles of flowers that emerge a creamy white before transitioning to pink and finally to a beautiful parchment color. Montpelier’s oakleaf hydrangeas were planted in the 1990s and can be found in the garden's southern end.—Robert Myers, Horticulturalist

The Art Center at Duck Creek’s (East Hampton, NY, HAHS) mature black and white oaks provide welcome shade for the many community members who gather on the lawn for our free concerts and family arts programming during the summer months. Indigenous oaks, red cedars, and white pines have returned spontaneously to their native habitat, which was cleared in the 18th century, when the property was part of a large farm. Their coloring book allows visitors to identify them, as well as the non-native trees, such as horse chestnuts, quince and crape myrtle, planted by the artist John Little and his wife, Josephine, after they bought the property in 1948.

Zone 7B

At President Lincoln’s Cottage (Washington, D.C., NTHS) in the summer, Hibiscus moscheutos (‘Lord Baltimore’ variety) commonly known as rose mallow or hardy hibiscus, is the star of the show in a pollinator garden next to the main entrance of our Visitor Education Center, welcoming guests with its large, showy scarlet-red flowers. A striking native perennial found in wetlands, marshes, and along riverbanks across eastern North America the hibiscus prefers moist, well-drained soils and full sun, often growing three–seven feet tall with large, showy pink, white, or red flowers up to eight inches wide, and blooms from July to September.—Seth Young, Historic Gardens and Grounds Interpreter

Threatened by invasive species, development and herbicides the bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) has colonized a beautiful swath of ground in Cliveden’s (Germantown, Pennsylvania, NTHS) shade garden. The site selected the bottlebrush buckeye as a main focal point when establishing a shade garden at the site over the past few years. Found in rich, moist woodlands, the bottlebrush has palmately compound leaves with 5-6 leaflets and can grow up to 12 feet tall. The plant produces showy white flowers in summer which resemble a bottle brush and attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators, as well as chipmunks and squirrels who enjoy the plants nuts.—Jaime Davenport, Gardener

One of the plants included in the President Woodrow Wilson House’s (Washington, D.C., NTHS) native plant garden was “Purple Palace” coral bells. This plant features very large, lustrous, star-shaped leaves, that range in color from deep olive green to purplish-bronze to a deep purple. It is one of the most widely planted varietals of coral bells (Heuchera micrantha). It performs best in part shade, is attractive to butterflies, and can grow up to 20 inches tall. The garden was designed in partnership with the Perfect Earth Project who encouraged the staff and volunteers to transform the garden into a safe, sustainable, urban space free of chemicals and pesticides, and good for flora, fauna, visitors, and the environment.—Felice C. F. Herman, Deputy Director

Planted by the Virginia Native Plant Society inOatlands’ garden over 20 years ago, Hamamelis virginiana, commonly known as witch hazel enhances Oatlands (Leesburg, Virginia, NTHS) landscape year-round and serves as a reminder of our sacred connection to Mother Earth. Recently, blooming amidst the snow, it showcased delicate spider-like yellow flowers as early signs of spring. Witch hazel, is a slightly aromatic shrub or tree native to Virginia and the eastern United States. We Indigenous Peoples historically used its forked branches as dowsing or divining rods to locate underground springs. European settlers adopted our practices and also recognized witch hazel’s medicinal properties. Today, witch hazel is valued for its topical applications as an astringent, toner, and lotion for inflamed skin, hemorrhoids, acne, and eczema.— Rene’ Locklear White is a member of the Lumbee Nation and a Loudoun County resident

In honor of the 25th anniversary of The Heckscher Museum’s stewardship of Arthur Dove and Helen Torr Cottage (Centerport, New York, HAHS) the garden contains butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) recognizing both the artists’ connection to nature - most often the subject of their abstract work - and the unique setting. The soil around the Cottage is very loamy due to its proximity to the Titus Mill Pond. The butterfly weed is hardy and well matched for the area, and because the Cottage is painted white, the perennial plant’s bright orange flowers are a great contrast. We planted young plants which should flower for years to come.—Master Gardner Caitlynn Schare (Cornell Cooperative Extension), Heckscher Museum Associate Director of Development

When Mabel and Victor D’Amico moved to Lazy Point and developed what is now the The Victor D'Amico Institute of Art/The Art Barge (Amagansett, New York, HAHS), the area was still decimated from the 1938 hurricane. Mabel did her best to soften the landscape using many native seaside plants, Dusty Miller (Jacobaena maritima) and Golden Rod (Solidago). Also, in the 1940s, widely used Japanese black (Pinus thunbergii) pines were introduced for seaside coverage. Planted 80 years ago, the largest specimen shows how she adapted the plant to scale it to the site. Mabel cut the new growth every June, stunting it. This created a giant bonsai-like plant that has matured and added to the modernist form of the House.

One of the Madoo Conservancy's (Sagaponach, NY HAHS) most prized trees is the Franklin tree (Franklina alatamaha) planted by founder Robert Dash at least 30 years ago. It was Dash's second go at this extraordinary tree. An attractive tree in and of itself, somewhat like a late summer blooming camellia, this tree is noted for its discovery by one of our earliest botanists Joh Bartram who founded what is now called Bartram's Garden founded in 1728. If not for Bartram’s efforts, the Franklina alatamaha would now be extinct.

Zone 9A

Possumhaw Holly (Ilex decidua) are small, deciduous tree or shrub,15-30 ft. tall, with pale gray, twiggy, horizontal branches located on Villa Finale’s (San Antonio, Texas, NTHS) property in different areas of the gardens. The glossy, oval, toothed leaves remain dark green through autumn, finally turning yellow with inconspicuous flowers preceding clusters of persistent, red berries on female trees which provide winter color. According to people who knew Walter Mathis, these trees may have been transplanted from the Texas Hill Country and brought to his landscape. They are very drought-tolerant, resilient small ornamental trees that fit well into the local landscape and have withstood the recent subfreezing weather Texas has had in the past few years, in addition to the annual droughts.—Orlando R. Cortinas, Manager of Buildings & Grounds

At Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park (Cornish, New Hampshire, HAHS) the eastern white pine (Pinus strobus var. stobus) towers over the forest that surrounds the historic estate of Augustus and Augusta Saint-Gaudens. However, the species looks very different within the park’s historic landscape. Evergreen hedges made up of approximately 1,500 hemlock and white pines plants extend nearly 3,000 linear feet to delineate a district parameter and series of garden rooms. While hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) was historically one of the most popular plants for formal hedges in the Northeast, the choice of Eastern white pine by the Saint-Gaudens family was perhaps more pragmatic. Garden designer and fellow member of the Cornish Art Colony Frances Duncan described the white pine hedges in 1906 as “serving both as a defense against the chance sight-seers and affording a soft, dark background for the gayety of poppies and the daintiness of delicate sweet peas.”

Throughout Pope's Museum (Ochlocknee, Georgia, HAHS) gardens there are heirloom camellia bushes that are 50-100 years old. Blooming from November-February this lovely pink flowered selection showcases a section of the artwork of Laura Pope Forester found on the front entranceway portico.

Zone 9B

The gardens of the Shadows-on-the-Teche (New Iberia, Louisiana, NTHS) were designed by William Weeks Hall, the last private owner of the property. For Hall, an artist, the gardens were his palette. In his personal writings, he once wrote, “If people would only think of color combinations first and then find the plant forms supplying these, they would get somewhere.” Hall selected each planting and specified its exact location in the gardens based on sun, shade, color and period of bloom, and the size and nature of the foliage.

The southern magnolia, a broad leaf evergreen with a straight trunk that can reach 90’ in height, is most easily identified by its flowers: large, creamy white, and fragrant blooms have six thick petals that are wider at the tip, creating the flower’s cupped shape.—Jayd Buteaux, Senior Manager of Operations and Marketing

Zone 10A

Cooper-Molera Adobe’s (Monterey, California, NTHS) garden bursts all year long with the vibrant hues of California poppies. As California’s state flower, these drought-tolerant natives are not only a stunning addition to the landscape but a vital resource for local pollinators. The historic adobe garden is enhanced with these low maintenance, sustainable flowers.—Karyn Lee-Garia, Executive Director

The tranquil and lush gardens at the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens (Winter Park, Florida, HAHS) are an integral part of the story and legacy of the world-renowned sculptor. In 1950, when Polasek settled and built his home he intended to integrate his classical sculptures into a garden setting which would complement the beauty of god’s creatures. In the fall of 2024, a garden featuring native plants was added in conjunction with the exhibition Natural Florida, featuring paintings of Florida plants, wildlife, and landscapes by Emma Sears Marsh and Joy Postle. The garden includes twelve species native to Central Florida, including starry rosinweed (Silphium astericus), Stokes' aster (Stokesia laevis), and shortleaf wild coffee (Psychotria tenuifolia).