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WaterSense

What to Plant

What to plant banner

You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.  The U.S. has many different climate zones and topographic and geographic features. Each state and even areas within states differ in their ability to support different plant species without the need for supplemental water and fertilizers. The following plant lists will help you identify plants appropriate for your location.  Before you begin, you might also want to determine your USDA plant hardiness zone Exit.

When designing your landscape for water-efficiency, be sure to choose plants that are defined as low water use or drought tolerant for your area. These plant species will be able to survive in your climate with minimal, if any, need for supplemental watering. See these simple tips for water-efficient landscaping for more ideas on lowering water use in your yard.

Search a state below to explore lists of native plants available for that area.  Type in Nationwide for lists that cover all states. 

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State Native Plants
Nationwide Plant Native
Nationwide Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Nationwide USDA Plant Database
Nationwide Izel Native Plants for your Garden
Nationwide North American Native Plant Society
Nationwide Floridata—Plant Profile List
Nationwide Lowes Plant Search
Nationwide National Gardening Association—USDA Hardiness Zone and Plant Finder
Nationwide High County Gardens—Beautiful Plants for the WaterWise Garden
Alabama Alabama Smart Yards—Alabama Cooperative Extension System (pg. 65)(100 pp, 6,788 K, About PDF)
Alabama Drought–Tolerant Landscapes for Alabama—Alabama Cooperative Extension System(18 pp, 268.5 K, About PDF)
Alaska Alaska Department of Fish and Game—Native Alaskan and Exotic Plants used by wildlife
Arizona Arizona Department of Water Resources—Drought Tolerant/Low Water Use Plant Lists
Arkansas Plant Native List for Arkansas, Louisiana, Eastern Oklahoma, and Eastern Texas
Arkansas University of Arkansas—Drought Tolerant Plants Suitable for Arkansas Landscapes(2 pp,62.8 K, About PDF)
California Contra Costa Water Saving Plants
California The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Plant List
California Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants—California Native Plant Wiki
California San Diego County Water Authority Landscape Resources
California Nifty 50 Plants for Water Smart Landscapes  (2 pp, 1,741 K, About PDF)
California Water Wise Gardening in Santa Barbara County
California Water Wise Gardening in Fresno Region
California The San Francisco Low Water Use and Climate Appropriate Plant List
Colorado Colorado State University—Colorado Plant Database
Colorado Harlequin's Gardens—List of Trees for Xeriscapes
Colorado Plant Select—Plant Smarter
Connecticut Connecticut Botanical Society—Gardening with Native Plants
Connecticut "Uconn Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines"
Delaware Wildlife Habitat and USFWS—Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Delaware Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
Florida Florida-friendly Plant Database
Florida Drought–Tolerant Plants for North and Central Florida—University of Florida(19 pp, 315 K, About PDF)
Florida Native Florida Plants for Home Landscapes(15 pp, 546 K, About PDF)
Florida Natives for Landscaping—Florida Native Plant Society
Florida The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design - Florida-Friendly Landscaping(114 pp, 10.4 MB, About PDF)
Georgia Georgia Coastal Plain Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping and Wildlife Habitat - University of Georgia Marine Extension Service
Georgia Georgia's Native Plants - Georgia Native Plant Society
Georgia Wildflower Center of Georgia - Georgia State University Native Plant Botanical Garden
Georgia Part 1: Native Plants for Georgia - The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Georgia Part 2: Native Plants for Georgia - The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Georgia Part 3: Native Plants for Georgia - The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Hawaii Native and Introduced Plants of Hawaii
Hawaii Kaua'i Native Plant Society—Dryland native plants and trees recommended for xeriscape gardens (PDF)(1 pp, 20 K, About PDF)
Hawaii Native Nursery Plant Guide
Idaho Landscaping with Native Plants—University of Idaho Extension(24 pp, 1.3 MB, About PDF)
Idaho Landscaping with Native Plants of the Intermountain Region - Idaho Native Plant Society(13 pp, 457 K, About PDF)
Illinois Illinois' Best Plants
Illinois Earth-Friendly Landscaping—The Conservation Foundation
Illinois Directory of Wildflowers - Univeristy of Illinois Extension
Illinois Plant Profiles - Chicago Botanic Garden
Indiana ViteGreenhouses—Indiana Native Plants
Indiana Landscape-Worthy Indiana Natives - Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society
Iowa Earl Mae Seed and Nursery—Drought Tolerant Plants (PDF) (2 pp, 44 K, About PDF)
Iowa Introduction to Iowa Native Prairie Plants - Iowa State University (8 pp, 1.2 MB, About PDF)
Iowa Short, Showy Native Plants - State Library of Iowa
Kansas Water-Wise Plants Trees and Ornamentals for South Central Kansas (4 pp, 609 K, About PDF)
Kentucky Native Plant List - Kentucky and Tennessee
Louisiana Plant Native List for Arkansas, Louisiana, Eastern Oklahoma, and Eastern Texas
Louisiana Louisiana Ecosystems and Plant Identification
Maine Maine Bureau of Land and Water Quality—The Buffer Handbook Plant List (52 pp, 3.5 MB, About PDF)
Maryland Wildlife Habitat and USFWS—Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Maryland Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
Massachusetts University of Massachusetts—Drought Tolerant Plants for the Landscape (PDF) (3 pp, 32 K, About PDF)
Massachusetts Native Plants Suitable for the Cultivated Cape Cod Landscape—Cape Cod Commission (2 pp, 65.31 K, About PDF)
Massachusetts North American Plants for New England Gardens—UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry (5 pp, 31.4 K, About PDF)
Michigan Michigan Native Plants Database
Michigan Native Trees - City of Ann Arbor
Michigan Northern Michigan's Native Plants—Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
Michigan Regional Plant Lists - Upper Peninsula - Michigan State University
Michigan Regional Plant Lists - Southern Lower Peninsula - Michigan State University
Michigan Regional Plant Lists - Northern Lower Peninsula - Michigan State University
Minnesota Living Landscapes in Minnesota: A Guide to Native Plantscaping–USDA (40 pp, 11 MB, About PDF)
Minnesota Native Plant Encyclopedia—Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Blue Thumb—Planting for Clean Water
Mississippi Native Shrubs for Mississippi Landscapes—Mississippi State University Extension Service
Mississippi The Crosby Arboretum Plant List—The Crosby Arboretum (11 pp, 112.8 K, About PDF)
Missouri Plant Finder—Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Grow Native!—Missouri Prairie Foundation
Missouri Native Plants for Your Landscape—Missouri Department of Conservation
Montana Montana Native Plant Society - Native Plant Landscaping
Nebraska Perennials in Water Wise Landscapes—University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension (4 pp, 754 K, About PDF)
Nebraska Wildflowers for the Home Landscape—University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension (4 pp, 667 K, About PDF)
Nebraska Nebraska State Arboretum – Waterwise Landscapes
Nebraska Recommended Species for the Western Great Plains—Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
Nevada Truckee Meadows Water Authority 
New Hampshire Native Plant List for New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont - PlantNative
New Hampshire A New Hampshire Plant Palette - University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension (5 pp, 29 K, About PDF)
New Jersey Incorporating Native Plants in Your Residential Landscape—Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
New Jersey Jersey Friendly Yards
New Jersey Landscaping for Water Conservation—Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
New Jersey Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat Improvement in New Jersey’s Coastal Plain Region—Cape Atlantic Conservation District (16 pp, 856 K, About PDF)
New Mexico New Mexico Plant List
New Mexico Southwest Yard and Garden Plant Advisor—New Mexico State University
New York Wildlife Habitat and USFWS—Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
New York Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
North Carolina Going Native - Urban Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants - North Carolina State University
North Carolina Common native plant species—Mecklenburg County Government - Trees, Shrubs, Grass and Flowers
North Carolina Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants—North Carolina State University
North Carolina Native Plants—Asheville Botanical Gardens 
North Carolina Native Wildflowers for Your Garden—North Carolina Botanical Garden
North Carolina Recommended Native Species—North Carolina Native Plant Society
North Dakota Living Landscapes in North Dakota: A Guide to Native Plantscaping— USDA (40 pp, 7.8 MB, About PDF)
North Dakota Lawns, Gardens, and Trees in North Dakota -  North Dakota State University Extension Service  
Ohio Plant Recommendations for Special Conditions - Ohio Landscape Association
Ohio Ohio Native Species for Landscape and Restoration Use—Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio Go Native! Native Species Lists - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Oklahoma Plant Native List for Arkansas, Louisiana, Eastern Oklahoma, and Eastern Texas
Oklahoma Plant Selections for Oklahoma—Oklahoma Proven
Oklahoma Under–Utilized Native Plants of Oklahoma—OKPLANTtrees(84 pp, 14 MB, About PDF)
Oregon Rod's Garden—Perennial Color
Oregon Rod's Garden—Shrub Color
Oregon Rod's Garden—Trees
Oregon Rod's Garden—Vines
Oregon City of Salem—WaterWise Plants (PDF)(4 pp, 103 K About PDF)
Oregon Clean Water Services—Native Plant Finder
Oregon City of Ashland—Native Plant Guide
Oregon Regional Water Providers Consortium—Water–Plant Guide
Oregon Water–Efficient Plants for the Willamette Valley—Eugene Water & Electric Board 
Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat and USFWS-Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed 
Pennsylvania Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
Rhode Island RI Native Plant Guide—College of the Environment and Life Sciences
South Carolina Native Plant List for Coastal South Carolina—South Carolina Native Plant Society(3 pp, 37.2 K, About PDF)
South Carolina Plants that Tolerate Drought—Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service(11 pp, 155 K, About PDF)
South Dakota Living Landscapes in South Dakota: A Guide to Native Plantscaping—USDA(45 pp, 13 MB, About PDF)
Tennessee Landscaping with Native Plants—Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council (7 pp, 297 K, About PDF)
Tennessee Native Plant Selector—Tennessee Valley Authority
Texas Smart Scape Plant Search
Texas Austin City Connection—Native and Adapted Landscape Plants (56 pp, 10 MB, About PDF)
Texas Texas A&M Agrilife Water University Plant Database for North Texas
Texas Plant Native List for Arkansas, Louisiana, Eastern Oklahoma, and Eastern Texas
Texas Earth-Kind Plant Selector
Utah Utah Water Wise Plants
Utah Central Utah Gardens
Vermont Northern Drought-Resistant Plants
Virginia Wildlife Habitat and USFWS—Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Virginia Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation—Native Plants
Virginia Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
Virginia How to Landscape with Native Plants at Home—James River Association (23 pp, 2 MB, About PDF)
Washington Saving Water Partnership—The Plant List
Washington King County—Native Plant Guide
Washington Native Plants—Spokane Smartscape
Washington Washington Native Plant Society—Native Plant List
West Virginia Wildlife Habitat and USFWS—Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
West Virginia Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
West Virginia West Virginia Pollinator Handbook (138 pp, 2.4 MB, About PDF)
Wisconsin A Guide to Selecting Landscape Plants for Wisconsin—University of Wisconsin-Extension(24 pp, 409 K, About PDF)
Wisconsin Landscape Plants of the Upper Midwest—University of Wisconsin–Madison
Wisconsin Landscaping for Water Quality—Center of Environmental Study(12 pp, 555 K, About PDF)
Wisconsin Blue Thumb—Planting for Clean Water
Wyoming LaBonte Park’s Outdoor Learning Center Water–Wise and Native Plant Demonstration Garden—University of Wyoming Extension Service(49 pp, 4.5 MB, About PDF)
Wyoming The WyoScape Xeric Demonstration Garden—University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service(46 pp, 3.4 MB, About PDF)
Wyoming Water–wise Plants for Wyoming—University of Wyoming Extension Service
Wyoming Water–Wise Wyoming Gardens—University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service(9 pp, 104 MB, About PDF)