Plant Finder

User Guidelines

The Plant Finder is a multi-faceted tool to assist designers, contractors, maintenance personnel, community groups and the general public in selecting plants that perform well within the public right-of-way. It expands on the lists included in previous versions of the Manual and should be used in conjunction with the guidance provided in the Landscape Chapter.

The Plant Finder database is not comprehensive and there is no guarantee that these plants will survive at a specific site. All plants within the public right-of-way must be selected based on site-specific conditions and approved by the appropriate agency or agencies with jurisdiction. Download the Plant Finder User Guide for instructions on how to use the tool.

The information in this database was generated by DOT, Parks, other agency staff, and local horticulture professionals based on their first-hand knowledge as well as from existing resources. Download the Plant Finder References page for a full list of sources.

Plant Basics

Characteristics

Tolerances

Leaf icon

Collections:

Common:

Robin Hill Apple Serviceberry

Scientific:

Amelanchier x grandiflora

'Robin Hill'

Plant type:

Trees, Shrub

Height:

15-25 ft

Spread:

15-25 ft

Shape:

Vase-Like Upright

Bloom:

Tinged with pink at first, but later fade to white. Larger blooms than other amelanchiers

Blooming period:

Mar - May

Fruit:

Edible fruit starts out green, changing to red, and finally maturing to purple-blue-black in Summer. Resemble blueberries in appearance

Foliage:

Dark green, alternate, elliptic, serrated leaves about 2"-4" long

Fall:

Leaves turn an outstanding tomato-orange in the fall

Bark:

Smooth gray bark

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Fall Color

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Neutral (5.0-7.4)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

4a - 9b

'Robin Hill' has a dense, upright form and is noted for its outstanding fall color. 

Edible fruit may attract birds.

Apple serviceberry

Collections:

Common:

Apple Serviceberry

Scientific:

Amelanchier x grandiflora

Plant type:

Trees, Shrub

Height:

15-25 ft

Spread:

15-25 ft

Shape:

Rounded

Bloom:

Showy, 5-petaled, slightly fragrant, white flowers in drooping clusters

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

Flowers give way to small, green berries which turn red and finally mature to a dark purplish-blue-black. Resemble blueberries. Edible

Foliage:

Finely toothed, obovate leaves emerge with a bronze-purple tinge in spring and mature to lustrous dark green in summer

Fall:

Yellow-orange to red fall color. Colors early and leaves fall early

Bark:

Often a multi-stemmed tree or tall shrub. Bark is typically smooth and silver-grey

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Neutral (5.0-7.4)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

4a - 9a

Amelanchier x grandiflora is a hybrid cross between A. arborea and A. laevis. 

Root suckers are common.

Edible fruit may attract birds.

Amsonia

Common:

Hubricht's Bluestar

Scientific:

Amsonia hubrichtii

Plant type:

Perennial

Height:

2-3 ft

Spread:

2-3 ft

Shape:

Upright Clumping

Bloom:

Powdery blue, star-like flowers appear in terminal clusters in late spring atop stems rising to 3' tall

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Ornamentally insignificant

Foliage:

Green, feathery, soft-textured, needle-like, alternate leaves. Very appealing. Cut back six inches following flowering to promote better growth

Fall:

Extremely attractive bright yellow-gold fall color. One of the signature features for this plant

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Unknown

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

5a - 8a

Best fall color occurs in full sun, but flowers last longer with some afternoon shade. Too much shade will cause the stems to flop over.

Bushy Bluestem

Collections:

  • Median Plants

Common:

Bushy Bluestem

Scientific:

Andropogon glomeratus

Plant type:

Grass/Grass-like

Height:

3-6 ft

Spread:

2-3 ft

Shape:

Clumping

Bloom:

Flower stalks rising up to 6' tall are topped by dense, fluffy, silvery-pink to white panicles

Blooming period:

Sep - Feb

Fruit:

Seed plumes are attractive

Foliage:

Vibrant blue-green leaf blades growing 3-4' tall

Fall:

After frost, the foliage and bushy panicles turn coppery-orange with the panicles softening into billowy plumes. Fall color persists well into winter. Cut plants back in late winter/early spring prior to new growth

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Summer, Fall, Winter

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

Low

pH:

Requires Acid (5.0-7.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med to Wet

Hardiness:

5a - 9a

Other:

Native, Pollinator

Unlike most Andropogon spp. this plant thrives in moist areas and does not like to dry out. Prefers moist, fertile, loamy soils.

Image

Common:

Windflower

Scientific:

Anemone x hybrida

'Honorine Jobert'

Plant type:

Perennial

Height:

3-4 ft

Spread:

1.5-2 ft

Shape:

Compact Mounded

Bloom:

Attractive single white flowers with 6-9 overlapping petals and yellow center stamens appear on graceful stems rising above the foliage

Blooming period:

Aug - Oct

Fruit:

Flowers are followed by rounded seed heads at the end of the stems, although they rarely produce seeds

Foliage:

Trifoliate dark green leaves

Fall:

Fall blooming perennial. Leaves may blacken in winter; consider cutting the plant back in the fall

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Low

pH:

Acid to Neutral (5.0-7.4)

Soil:

Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med to Wet

Hardiness:

4a - 8a

'Honorine Jobert' is a compact hybrid noted for its slightly cupped, pure white flowers and contrasting yellow stamens. Deer resistant.

May also be found in trade as Anemone japonica. 'Honorine Jobert' is synonyous with A. x hybrida 'Alba'.

Aquilegia canadensis

Common:

Columbine

Scientific:

Aquilegia canadensis

Plant type:

Perennial

Height:

2-3 ft

Spread:

1-1.5 ft

Shape:

Upright

Bloom:

Intricate drooping red and yellow bell-like flowers 5 spreading sepals and a mass of bushy yellow stamens; unique backward-pointed nectar tubes. Remove flowering stems after bloom to encourage additional blooms

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Flowers are followed by 5 pod-shaped follicles with long beaks containing numerous small black seeds

Foliage:

Delicate, biternate, light-green to blue-green three-lobed leaves

Fall:

Ornamentally insignificant. Foliage will turn yellow and sometimes red or orange in fall if soil conditions are right. Cut-back once the foliage begins to decline

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

3a - 8a

Other:

Native, Pollinator

Flowers may attract hummingbirds and other pollinators.

Somewhat tolerant of urban pollution.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Collections:

  • Acid-loving Plants

Common:

Common Bearberry

Scientific:

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Plant type:

Shrub, Groundcover

Height:

0.5-1 ft

Spread:

3-6 ft

Shape:

Spreading

Bloom:

Miniature, drooping, urn-shaped, white-to-pink flowers in small terminal clusters

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Rounded, berry-like fruits. Fruits ripen to a bright red, sometimes remaining on the plants throughout winter. Edible, but not particularly appealing to humans

Foliage:

Branchlets are clad with alternate, short-stalked, leathery, rounded-at-the-tip, obovate to spatulate, evergreen dark green leaves, which are shiny above, but paler beneath

Fall:

Leaves turn bronze or a reddish color in winter before becoming green again in spring

Bark:

Branchlets mature to reddish brown, with papery peeling bark on older twigs

Special Qualities:

Showy Fruit, Evergreen

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Requires Acid (5.0-7.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

3a - 6b

Usually grows well in poor infertile soils. Extremely winter hardy. Moderate to large scale ground cover with year round interest. Helps control soil erosion on slopes and hillsides. Effective when grown around shrubs, along sunny border margins, in naturalized areas and in native plant gardens. 

Fruits are attractive to birds and other small mammals.

Armeria maritima 'Alba'

Collections:

  • Plants for Movable Planters

Common:

Sea Thrift

Scientific:

Armeria maritima

'Alba'

Plant type:

Perennial

Height:

0.25-0.5 ft

Spread:

0.5-0.75 ft

Shape:

Mounded

Bloom:

Tiny, white flowers bloom in mid-spring in globular clusters (0.75-1" wide) atop slender naked stalks rising above the foliage. Deadhead to encourage additional blooms. Sporadic flowering can occur throughout the summer

Blooming period:

Apr - Jun

Fruit:

Ornamentally insignificant

Foliage:

Stiff, linear, grass-like, dark green leaves (to 4" tall)

Fall:

As the plant is evergreen do not cut back like other perennials. Remove any dead leaves prior to new growth in spring

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage, Evergreen

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

Low

pH:

Acid to Neutral (5.0-7.4)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand

Moisture:

Dry/Drought

Hardiness:

4a - 8a

'Alba' is noted for its grass-like foliage and globular white flower heads.

Best grown in infertile, dry, well-drained soils in full sun. Good drainage is essential. Slow-grower.

May attract butterflies.

Red Chokeberry

Common:

Brilliant Red Chokeberry

Scientific:

Aronia arbutifolia

'Brilliantissima'

Plant type:

Shrub

Height:

6-8 ft

Spread:

3-4 ft

Shape:

Vase-Like

Bloom:

Clusters of white to light pink, 5-petaled flowers appear in spring

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

Larger, abundant, glossy red fruits appear in dense clusters along the branches. Fruits ripen in late summer and persist well into winter. Edible

Foliage:

More lustrous, glossy dark green leaves with a pubescent grayish-green underside. Elliptic to obong to obovate leaves growing up to 3.5" long

Fall:

One of the best shrubs for brilliant fall color. This cultivar is noted specifically for its brilliant red fall color

Bark:

Multi-stemmed, brown

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Wet

Hardiness:

4a - 9a

Other:

Native

More commonly found than the species. 'Brilliantissima' is most noted for its attractive glossy red berries and red fall foliage color. It differs from the species by being more compact, producing more lustrous foliage with superior red fall color, and producing larger, glossier and more abundant fruit. 

Good substitute for Euonymus alata.

Red Chokeberry

Common:

Red Chokeberry

Scientific:

Aronia arbutifolia

Plant type:

Shrub

Height:

6-10 ft

Spread:

3-6 ft

Shape:

Vase-Like Upright

Bloom:

Clusters of white to light pink, 5-petaled flowers appear in spring

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

Abundant, glossy, 0.25" diameter red fruits appear in dense clusters along the branches. Fruits ripen in late summer and persist well into winter. Edible

Foliage:

Glossy dark green leaves with a pubescent grayish-green underside. Elliptic to obong to obovate leaves growing up to 3.5" long

Fall:

One of the best shrubs for brilliant fall color. Intense, shiny, raspberry to crimson, with purplish highlights. Can also have some orange mixed in, especially in shady sites

Bark:

Multi-stemmed, brown

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Wet

Hardiness:

4a - 9a

Other:

Native

Best when massed together or the plant can become leggy.

Grows best in moist soil, but tolerant of dry conditions once established.

Good substitute for Euonymus alata.

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