Native Plants for Haliburton County

Below is a selection of native plants suitable for growing in Haliburton County, Ontario, many of which are used in landscapes created by Grounded.

What are native plants?

Native plants are those that have co-evolved with the rest of nature. Because of that, they are better able to serve the needs of pollinators and the ecosystem as a whole. For an in-depth look at Haliburton native plants, please read this page.

What are the three native plant layers mentioned below?

In nature, plants don't just grow next to each other, they grow on top of each other and through each other too. By mimicking nature in our gardens, we can create a more diverse ecosystem, which also has the benefits of suppressing weeds and maintaining moisture.

Think of the three layers like a play on a stage. The groundcover layer is the stage itself, without which nothing else would stand up. The vignette layer is the actors on the stage. The structure layer is the scenery.

Groundcover layer

The groundcover layer does what it says on the tin. It covers the ground, suppressing weeds. About half the plants in our gardens are groundcovers.

Sand Dropseed

Little Bluestem

Ostrich Fern

Prairie Smoke

Wild Strawberry

Bottlebrush Grass

Canada Wild Rye

Bebb’s Sedge

Canada Anemone

Little Bluestem

Vignette layer

The vignette layer is where most of the flowers are. They come and go over the season in an always-changing pattern of colour, texture and height.

Native plant Heart-leaved Aster ( Symphyotrichum cordifolium)

Structure layer

The structure layer provides the framework for the garden. These plants are usually shrubs, which grow slowly but stay in the garden throughout the year.