Always check the scientific name of a plant. A plant may have more than one common name or the same common name may refer to more than one plant.
Scientific name |
Common name (flower color) |
Recommended space between plants |
Overstory Trees |
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Quercus ellipsoidalis |
Northern Pin Oak |
20 feet |
Quercus macrocarpa |
Bur Oak |
20 feet |
Shrubs |
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Tall (average mature height greater than 15 feet) |
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Viburnum lentago |
Nannyberry |
15 feet |
Medium (average mature height: 6-15 feet) |
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Corylus americana |
Hazelnut |
5-10 feet |
Viburnum trilobum |
American Highbush Cranberry |
10 feet |
Low (average mature height 5 feet and under) |
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Amorpha canescens |
Leadplant |
11/2 feet |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
Bearberry |
11/2 feet |
Ceanothus americanus |
New Jersey Tea |
2 feet |
Diervilla lonicera |
Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle |
5 feet |
Perennial Flowers |
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Tall (most plants are 3-5 feet) |
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Aster novae-angliae |
New England Aster (purple) |
24-36 inches |
Echinacea angustifolia |
Purple Coneflower (purple) |
24 inches |
Liatris aspera |
Rough Blazingstar (purple) |
6 inches |
Liatris pycnostachya |
Prairie Blazingstar (purple) |
6 inches |
Silphium perfoliatum |
Cup Plant (yellow) |
24-36 inches |
Solidago speciosa |
Showy Goldenrod (yellow) |
12 inches |
Medium (most plants are 2-3 feet) |
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Asclepias tuberosa |
Butterfly Flower (orange) |
12 inches |
Aster oolentangiensis |
Sky Blue Aster or Azure Aster (blue) |
24 inches |
Aster sericeus |
Silky Aster (purple) |
12 inches |
Chamaecrista fasciculata |
Partridge Pea (yellow - annual plant that reseeds) |
12 inches |
Liatris punctata |
Dotted Blazingstar (lavender) |
12 inches |
Lobelia siphilitica |
Great Blue Lobelia (blue) |
12 inches |
Penstemon grandiflorus |
Showy Penstemon (pink) |
18 inches |
Zizia aurea |
Golden Alexander (yellow) |
18 inches |
Low (most plants are 6 inches to 1 foot) |
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Antennaria neglecta |
Pussytoes (white) |
6 inches |
Campanula rotundifolia |
Harebells (blue) |
6-12 inches |
Geum triflorum |
Prairie Smoke (pink to red) |
9-12 inches |
Rudbeckia hirta |
Black-eyed Susan (yellow) |
24 inches |
Grass-like Plants |
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Tall (most plants are 3-6 feet) |
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Andropogon gerardi |
Big Bluestem |
24 inches |
Panicum virgatum |
Switchgrass |
24-36 inches |
Sorghastrum nutans |
Indiangrass |
24 inches |
Medium (most plants are 2-4 feet) |
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Bouteloua curtipendula |
Sideoats Grama |
12 inches |
Schizachyrium scoparium |
Little Bluestem |
18 inches |
Sporobolus heterolepis |
Northern Dropseed |
12 inches |
Short (most plants are 6 inches to 2 feet) |
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Bouteloua gracilis |
Blue Grama |
6-12 inches |
Juncus tenuis |
Path Rush |
6-12 inches |
Koeleria macrantha |
Junegrass |
12 inches |
