The following references provide extensive lists of plants suited to Orange County. Detailed information for each plant makes it easy to create an attractive and water-efficient landscape.
Season of interest
Bloom & Berry
Create a garden with year-round interest using our calendar of plants in bloom or with other seasonal interest, such as berries, bark or foliage. Each list item links to photos and culture information, making the calendar a great planning tool.
Water Need
- Landscape water needs
comprehensive, detailed, includes many plants used here - Xeriscape: a guide to developing a water-wise landscape
- Plants that Tolerate Drought
- Plants for Damp or Wet Areas
- Plants for Dry Shade
Natives
- Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of North Carolina
complete list of trees, shrubs & woody vines of Orange County, separate lists for native vs. naturalized plants, multiple photos for each species (e.g. leaf, twig, bark, flower), frequency of occurrence in Orange County, notes on form, habitat, etc. - Wildlife Friendly Landscapes
step-by-step instructions on how to: identify wildlife needs, map your yard, identify existing vegetation, design & implement a native landscape - North Carolina recommended
plant characteristics, bloom time, culture information, benefits, propagation, distribution, native habitats, sourcing - NCBG
- Recommended native species
trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses & sedges, ground covers, wildflowers; sublists of mesic perennials, list of NC sources. - Selecting plants for pollinators
regional guide for the Southeastern Mixed Forest Province; details on pollinators, habitats, plants - Izel
commercial site, marketplace for several nurseries that are dedicated to the responsible collection and propagation of native species. has photos of 475 plants native to our county - Natural communities of Orange County
These plant lists can help you to select plants that suit your site more closely than by using the more standard criteria such as sun/shade. The main page looks at our major natural communities and their associated plants, which can differ greatly between communities. There is a tool for you to discover which communities are present in your yard, plus descriptions, photos, and map links for local sites you can visit.
General
- Deer-resistant plants
- Stress-tolerant Bedding Plants
- Earth-Kind
includes many plants that are also grown in our area. Ratings are based on water use plus heat tolerance, soil tolerance, fertility requirements, and pest resistance for each Texas region. The region most closely matching our own is northeast Texas (Region C — Pineywoods area). comments on the habit, size, fruit and flowering, ornamental value, and disease susceptibility. If you are considering a particular plant, see if it is in the list and click on it to view these other attributes. Because the climate is not identical to ours, some virtues or concerns may not apply here. Earth-Kind also field-tests roses for tolerance to pests, heat, and drought while delivering outstanding landscape performance.
Ornamental Grasses
- Landscape uses for ornamental grasses
Excellent. Don’t miss the drought tolerance page or the grass comparison chart. Each grass page has photos and, for natives, distribution maps. - Hoffman Nursery
local wholesale ornamental grass nursery. Select grasses by function: Rain Garden, Bioswale, Erosion Control, Green Roof, Lawn Alternative, Meadow/Prairie
Trees
compaction-tolerance
Four major mechanisms permit some tree species to adapt to compacted soil, whose lack of medium and large pore spaces results in poor gas exchange with the atmosphere, limited tree-available water, and mechanical impedance to root growth:
- quick and effective reaction to mechanical damage
- continued respiration under low oxygen conditions
- absorbing roots that turn over, reorient, and adjust to changing soil conditions
- effective detoxification of the chemically reduced materials present in anaerobic conditions
The trees below tolerate compacted soil. Note, however, that many of the species in this list appear on the lists of problem trees shown further down on this page.
| Compaction-tolerant trees | |
|---|---|
| Betula nigra Cercis canadensis Crataegus spp. Diospyros virginiana Ilex spp. Juniperus virginiana Magnolia virginiana Nyssa spp. Pinus taeda Quercus bicolor Quercus lyrata Quercus macrocarpa Quercus michauxii Quercus nuttallii Quercus palustris Quercus phellos Quercus shumardii Taxodium distichum | river birch redbud hawthorns persimmon holly Eastern redcedar sweetbay tupelo/black gum loblolly pine swamp white oak overcup oak bur oak swamp chestnut oak Nuttall oak pin oak willow oak Shumard oak baldcypress |
- Urban Tree Selector
- South Carolina Urban Tree Species Guide
- Trees Tolerant of Compacted Soil
- Recommended Street Trees
Problem Trees
The table identifies trees that are genetically predisposed to problems that make them highly susceptible to storm damage. Read more about these issues, as well as trees that are susceptible to ice storms or lightning in Trees.
| Key F D R | poor form decay problems girdling roots |
| Problem trees | |
|---|---|
| F D R F D R F D R F D F D F D F R F F F D D D D D D R R | Red maple Silver maple Littleleaf linden European mountain ash Boxelder Willows Green ash Hackberry Bradford pear Amur cherry American basswood Northern pin oak Red oak Black oak Aspen Gray birch Norway maple Poplars |
Invasives
Because some species, including natives, are invasive in the right habitat, it is wise to check before you introduce any plant. The references below show how to identify and eliminate invasive species.
- Invasive exotic plants of NC
threat level, susceptible habitats, photos; also a list of recommended natives - Nonnative invasive plants of Southern forests
photos, recommended treatments, distribution maps - Invasive plant atlas of the US
The Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States is a collaborative project between the National Park Service, the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It will open on the distribution map for Japanese stiltgrass, with weed images displayed and links to factsheets, control measures, etc. The maps are a very nice feature of this site because distribution is shown at the county level. - Weed factsheets
maps at state level only, but superb factsheets with photos, details of threat, habitats, biology, and spread, management options - Controlling invasive plants
- Invasive exotic species
Sources
The Go Local section of our homepage lists regional parks, public gardens, and arboreta and has a searchable map of places of special interest. The map bubbles list visit highlights and, where available, plant lists and trail maps. There are also links to independent local retailers for plants, soil, mulch, amendments, and tools.
