Hi there,
What is the best combinations of native plants for full sun areas and shaded areas?
Thanks!
Congratulations on wanting to grow native. The benefits of gardening with native plants are many including: attracting native pollinators and birds, easy maintenance and helping to conserve our natural heritage for future generations.
You would do well to grow native plants that attract pollinators such as monarchs and bees, as they are as essential to most flowering plants as light, water and good soil. Most native plants can be planted with other native plants that require the same conditions.
There are many information sources on line with in depth information on which native plants to grow where including Pollinator Garden: A Toronto Master Gardeners Guide with an emphasis on native plants and an excellent chart of suggested native plants. See: https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/gardeningguides/pollinator-garden-a-toronto-master-gardeners-guide/
The City of Guelph at https://guelph.ca/living/house-and-home/healthy-landscapes/landscape-planning/plant/native-drought-tolerant-plants/#!pane2 has an extensive list of plants native to southern Ontario for full sun, part sun/part shade and full shade. A small sampling includes:
Full Sun
Perenniuals
Anaphalis margaritacea, Pearly Everlasting
Asclepias tuberosa, Butterflyweed
Aster novae-angliae, New England Aster
Campanula rotundifolia,Bluebells/Harebells
Chamerion angustifolium, Fireweed
Coreopsis lanceoleolata, Lance-leaf Coreopsis
Desmodium canadense, Showy Tick Trefoil
Echinacea pallida, Pale Purple Coneflower
Euphorbia corollata, Flowering Spurge
Fragaria virginiana, Wild Strawberry
Geum triflorum, Prairie Smoke
Liatris aspera, Rough Blazing-star
Lupinus perennis, Wild Lupine
Oenothera biennis, Evening Primrose
Ratibida pinnata, Yellow Coneflower
Silpium laciniatum, Compass-plant
Solidago speciosa, Showy Goldenrod
Verbena stricta, Hoary Vervain
Shrubs
Amelanchier alnifolia, Saskatoon Berry
Ceanothus americanus, New Jersey Tea
Juniperus communus, Common Juniper
Prunus pumila, Sand Cherry
Rosa carolina, Carolina RosePart sun/Shade
Part Sun/Shade
Perennials
Allium cernuum, Nodding Wild Onion
Aster laevis, Smooth Blue Aster
Aster oolentangiensis, Sky Blue Aster
Campanula americana, Tall Bellflower
Coreopsis tripteris, Tall Coreopsis
Desmodium canadense, Showy Ticktrefoil
Heliopsis helianthoides, False Sunflower
Maianthemum stellatum, Starry False Solomon’s Seal
Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot
Penstemon digitalis, Foxglove Beardtongue
Rudbeckia hirta, Black-eyed Susan
Tradescantia ohioensis, Ohio Spiderwort
Vernonia missurica, Ironweed
Shrubs
Cornus racemosa, Grey Dogwood
Cornus stolonifera, Red-Osier Dogwood
Corylus americana, American Hazel
Juniperus horizontalis, Creeping Juniper
Physocarpus opulifolius, Ninebark
Shade
Perennials
Actaea rubra, Red Baneberry
Anemone Canadensis, Canada Anemone
Asarum canadense, Wild Ginger
Aster macrophyllus, Large-leaf Aster
Aquilegia canadensis, Canadian Columbine
Frageria virginiana, Wild Strawberry
Geranium maculatum, Wild Geranium
Helianthus divaricatus, Woodland Sunflower
Maianthemum racemosum, False Solomon’s-seal
Podophyllum peltatum, Mayapple
Polygonatum biflorum, Soloman’s Seal
Phlox divaricata, Wild Blue Phlox
Solidago flexicaulis, Zig Zag Goldenrod
Virgin’s Bower, Clematis virginiana
Shrubs
Cornus alternifolia, Alternative Dogwood
Cornus rugosa, Round-leafed Dogwood
Hamemalis virginiana, Witch-hazel
Prunus virginiana, Choke Cherry
The North American Native Plant Society also has an excellent site with a Canadian section for northern gardeners at https://www.nanps.org/
Other sites with downloadable brochures which could be helpful to you are:
https://cvc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Fact_2_How_to_Select_and_Buy_Native_Plants.pdf
https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/documents/nat/Native-Gardening-in-Ontario-brochure.pdf