- Nature's Best to You. | info@jniplants.com
Nursery
WI Natives
Trending Topics
March 7, 2023
At first glance, Wisconsin in late winter might seem like a world frozen in time, hibernating under a white blanket, but there is more than meets the eye! Slowly, but surely, nature is starting to make moves. The following are some plants that will help carry wildlife through late winter, just before spring has finally sprung.
October 31, 2021
How to Choose a Tree A surprising number of people walk into our retail store and ask, “Do you sell trees?” or “Do you have any shade trees?” or “Do you have any ornamental trees?” We all smile and say yes; after all, trees are kind of our thing, and […]
December 15, 2010
Blue Giant Hyssop is a Wisconsin native perennial commonly found in drier prairies and upland forests. Leaves and flowers are fragrant, similar to licorice. Great nectar source for bees, butterflies, and their allies. The aromatic leaves can be used to make herbal teas or jellies. Seeds can be added to cookies or muffins.
December 15, 2010
Shooting Star is a Wisconsin native spring ephemeral of the prairie. They are completely done with their season and go dormant by mid-summer. Wide color variation naturally occurs from purple to pale pink to almost white. Mahogany-colored seed pods that are often not noticed because other tall species have over-topped them by that time.
October 18, 2010
Leadplant Amorpha canescens Description & Overview A Wisconsin native prairie plant, this wily perennial loves full sun. This is a resilient plant with a long taproot which makes it drought tolerant and great for an area with sandy, dry soil. The blue/purple flower racemes in later summer last up to […]
September 27, 2010
Sky Blue Aster is a Wisconsin native fall-garden, heavy-blooming perennial with bright blue flowers that bloom from August through October. It is extremely valuable to pollinators at a time when little else is blooming.
September 27, 2010
Zig Zag Goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis Description & Overview This native woodland perennial is a boon to wildlife and to someone with a shady yard. Zig Zag Goldenrod prefers part-shade and fertile soil but is also tolerant of heavy shade and clay soil. Once established it will also tolerate dry soil. […]
September 27, 2010
Common Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius Description & Overview Common Ninebark is a tough, Wisconsin native shrub. Does it look a little wild? Yes, yes it does. Is it for everyone? Nope. But if you are looking for a shrub that can handle the bitter cold, many soil types, and even the […]
September 27, 2010
Bigleaf Aster Eurybia macrophylla Description & Overview Bigleaf Aster is a Wisconsin native woodland perennial aster that spreads by rhizomes to form a lush carpet of large, hairy leaves that grow up to 8-inches in length. It has rather delicate flowers with thin lavender/blue petals that appear in late summer. […]
September 27, 2010
Pale Purple Coneflower is a Wisconsin native perennial with large, daisy-like flowers with drooping pale-rose petals. Great for pollinators including bees and butterflies.
September 27, 2010
Stiff Coreopsis Coreopsis palmata Description & Overview Stiff Coreopsis can handle many soil types and all the heat while gifting us with pretty, long-lasting yellow flowers in late summer followed by orange to purple foliage in the fall. This perennial is a hardy, reliable Wisconsin native that butterflies (and many […]
September 27, 2010
Red Milkweed Asclepias incarnata Description & Overview Red Milkweed is a fast-growing, wet soil loving, Wisconsin native perennial with beautiful deep pink flowers that attract many insects. The Monarch Butterfly uses it as a host plant. Although it can tolerate moderate moisture and even heavy clay, Red Milkweed, also known […]
September 27, 2010
Spikenard Aralia racemosa Description & Overview Is it a perennial? Is it a shrub? No, it’s Spikenard! This native, shrubby perennial thrives in the shady, moist, fertile soils of forest floors but can also tolerate rock and clay. It has beautiful, large, compound green leaves with showy white flower racemes […]
September 27, 2010
Speckled Alder is a small, Wisconsin native tree that's commonly found in wetter soils. It is extremely valuable for many wildlife species and an important host plant for many pollinators.
August 24, 2010
Red Maple is a Wisconsin native tree that's tolerant of most soils and sites. This is evident by its presence in many different ecotypes throughout its native range from Maine to Florida and west to Texas.
August 19, 2010
Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana) is a Wisconsin native tree with tremendous wildlife value. Musclwood is a great mid-story landscape tree.
August 18, 2010
Virgin’s Bower Clematis virginiana Description & Overview Virgin’s Bower is a Wisconsin native vine that naturally occurs along rivers in moist, low woodland areas. It’s a wonderful, versatile addition to a native landscape. You can grow it in full sun, but it also does well in mostly shade. This vine […]
June 3, 2010
Rattlesnake Master is a Wisconsin native prairie plant that features interesting white golf ball-like flowers with thistle-like foliage. It is a pollinator magnet, attracting many bees, butterflies, wasps, skippers, hairstreaks and more!
March 30, 2010
Allegheny Serviceberry is a Wisconsin native multi-stemmed tree or small shrub, with a narrow and upright, oval form. Fragrant white flowers bloom in spring, followed by purple, edible, sweet fruits that ripen in June. These coveted berries are used in jams, jellies, and pies if you can get to them before the birds! Dark green foliage turns a brilliant orange-red in fall extending the season of interest. Pollinator-friendly, Allegheny Serviceberry is a host plant for the Red-Spotted Purple and Viceroy butterflies.
March 24, 2010
Bush Cinquefoil is a cheery Wisconsin native shrub that explodes with shiny, bright yellow flowers in June, blooming continuously through September. This prolonged flowering period supports many pollinators including bees and butterflies, making it a great choice for native gardens.
March 15, 2010
Paw Paw is a delightful, tropical-looking small-scale tree that has an unusual, edible fruit. Forming loose colonies, Paw Paw's luscious green foliage turns a lovely golden-yellow in autumn. Its delicious fruit is fragrant and tasty, some describing it as a cross between a banana and a mango.
February 17, 2010
Sweet Black-eyed Susan is a superb Wisconsin native perennial with sweetly fragrant, buttery yellow, daisy-like flowers and purplish-brown centers. Seeming to dance upon tall stems, masses of flowers bloom from July through October. With larger and longer-lasting blooms compared to other Black-eyed Susan, they're great in cutting, cottage, or native gardens.
February 16, 2010
Northern White Cedar is a Wisconsin native conifer with a tall and slender form and flattened yellowish-green scale-like leaves. Furrowed bark is reddish-brown to gray. Northern White Cedar is a good choice for screening in moist to low-growing areas.
February 15, 2010
Glade Mallow is a Wisconsin Plant of Special Concern (WI DNR) and unique not only in the landscape but for its nyctinasty. Clusters of fragrant, white tubular flowers bloom from June to August, opening in the morning and closing at night. With large, deeply cut dark green leaves, Glade Mallow provides texture once flowers are spent. Found in alluvial soils along streams and rivers, Glade Mallow needs consistently moist to wet soil to thrive.
February 11, 2010
Eastern Red Cedar is a Wisconsin native conifer with a dense columnar to pyramidal shape and fragrant grayish-green to bluish-green foliage. Excellent for roadside plantings as they handle heat, dryness, and road salt. The female Eastern Red Cedar produces small silvery-blue berries that songbirds and wildlife covet, particularly Cedar Waxwings.
February 9, 2010
Basswood (aka American Linden) is a Wisconsin native tree with large green leaves, aromatic summer flowers, and great wildlife value.
February 4, 2010
Northern Charm Boxwood has a uniform, compact and rounded habit perfect for low-growing hedges or borders. Delicate, semi-glossy, emerald-green foliage has a bluish cast during the growing season, changing to a rich black-green in winter.
January 27, 2010
Whorled Milkweed is a Wisconsin native perennial that blooms later than most other milkweeds, extending nourishment options for pollinators well into fall. Clusters of small, white flowers appear, followed by interesting pods that split open to release silky-covered seeds. Whorled Milkweed is an excellent food source for the larvae of Monarch Butterflies as well as short- and long-tongued bees.
January 25, 2010
Anise-Hyssop is Wisconsin native plant noted for its pale purple, nectar-rich flower spikes that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. The foliage of Anise-Hyssop is highly fragrant, reminiscent of licorice, and quite textural, adding interest even through winter once the leaves have died back.
January 25, 2010
Bottlebrush Buckeye blooms in mid-summer exploding with delicate white fragrant bottlebrush-shaped flowers. A wonderful understory shrub in woodland settings, or as a dazzling centerpiece, fluffy white flower clusters contrast beautifully against bold, deep green leaves.
January 5, 2010
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed is a lowland and wetland perennial native to Wisconsin. Blooming in late summer through fall, its fragrant flowers are a favorite of Monarch butterflies and pollinators. A showy centerpiece with tall stature and pink umbrella-like blooms, in fall, flowers mature into beige-colored seed clusters that are attractive into the winter.
September 27, 2000
Witherod Viburnum Viburnum cassinoides Description & Overview Witherod viburnum is typically found in wetter conditions such as swamps and marshes, moist fields, and woods. This native North American shrub offers visual interest during all four seasons with white flowers in the spring, beautiful red-orange leaves in the fall, and fruit […]
January 21, 2000
American Chestnut, while rare, are a stunning tree in the landscape with creamy white catkins, wide branching, and abundant fruit production. While other areas of the country struggle to grow American Chestnut, they seem to fare well in the Midwest, providing food for wildlife and bringing diversity to our forests.