At Jenkins, native plants are at the heart of what we do. Our Green Ribbon Native Plant® selection program highlights the beauty and benefits of plants native to eastern North America. These plants are not only adaptable to diverse environmental conditions and visually appealing, but they also play a crucial role in supporting the local ecosystem. By providing food and shelter for insects, birds, and other wildlife, native plants help sustain biodiversity and create healthier habitats. You can find these remarkable plants flourishing throughout the gardens at Jenkins, offering a perfect blend of beauty and purpose.
| YEAR | TREES | SHRUBS & VINES | HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Persimmon Diospyros virginiana | Lady fern Athyrium filix-femina Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis |
|
| 2022 | Woodvamp Decumaria barbara Sweet azalea Rhododendron arborescens | Pink muhly grass Muhlenbergia capillaris |
|
| 2021 | Coastal azalea Rhododendron atlanticum | Aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Wild ginger Asarum canadense |
|
| 2020 | Appalachian mountain mint Pycnanthemum flexuosum Whorled tickseed Coreopsis verticiallata Stokes’ aster Stokesia laevis |
||
| 2019 | Yellowwood Cladrastis kentukea Florida anise tree Illicium floridanum | Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium |
|
| 2018 | Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora | Black chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens | |
| 2017 | Hubricht’s bluestar Amsonia hubrichtii Rose mallow Hibiscus moscheutos Obedient plant Physostegia virginiana |
||
| 2016 | Smooth aster Symphyotrichum laeve Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata Wrinkleleaf goldenrod Solidago rugosa |
||
| 2015 | Chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia | Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa |
|
| 2014 | American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana | Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens | Plantainleaf sedge Carex plantaginea |
| 2013 | Alternateleaf dogwood Cornus alternifolia | Rosebay rhododendron Rhododendron maximum | Largeflower heartleaf Hexastylis shuttleworthii |
| 2012 | Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida | Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia | Indian Pink Spigelia marilandica |
| 2011 | Franklin Tree Franklinia alatamaha | no selection | White Wood Aster Eurybia divaricata Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum |
| 2010 | Summersweet Clethra alnifolia | American Wisteria Wisteria frutescens Bluestem Goldenrod Solidago caesia |
|
| 2009 | Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus | Strawberry Bush Euonymus americanus | Northern Maidenhair Fern Adiantum pedatum |
| 2008 | Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana | Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus parviflora | Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis |
| 2007 | Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum | Virginia Sweetspire Itea virginica | Wild Bleeding Heart Dicentra eximia |
| 2006 | Carolina Silverbell Halesia carolina | Dwarf Fothergilla Fothergilla gardenii | Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis |
| 2005 | American Holly Ilex opaca | Winterberry Holly Ilex verticillata | Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides |
| 2004 | Common Pawpaw Asimina triloba | Pinxterbloom Azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides | Foam Flower Tiarella cordifolia |
| 2003 | Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis | Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia | Allegheny Spurge Pachysandra procumbens |