River Bank Grape

Woody vine growing to 50 feet. White blooms in late spring followed by purple sweet-sour berries from late summer to fall. Adaptable to many sites and soil conditions and can be found growing in woodland edges and openings, sand dunes, thickets, powerline clearings, and areas along rivers, lakes, and ditches. Full sun to light shade. Moist to slightly dry conditions.

Zones 2-9

Northern Arrowwood

Grows 10 to 15 feet in clumps and thickets.  White flowers late spring followed by blue fruit and red fall color. Found in swamps, thickets, upland and floodplain woodlands. Good for birds.  Sun to partial sun. Moist soil.

Zones 4-9

Witherod or Wild Rasin

Grows 6 to 10 feet with a similar spread.  A slender, upright shrub with glossy, green leaves. White flowers in late spring followed by whitish fruit that turn a multitude of colors before becoming blue-black in fall. Red fall foliage. Found in damp clearings, swamps and moist thickets. Good for birds. Sun to shade. Moist to wet soil but tolerates drier conditions.

Zones 3-9

Highbush Blueberry

Grows from 3 to 10 feet with similar spread. Ornamental, upright shrub with white flowers in spring followed by edible blue fruits. Bright red fall color. Found in acidic lowlands, along lakes and in rocky woods. Excellent for birds and wildlife. Sun to shade. Wet to moderately dry acid, sandy, peaty soil.

Zones 3-8

Steeplebush

Grows 2 to 5 feet with similar spread. Pink blooms mid to late summer. Back of the leaves are fuzzy (tomentosum). Found in wet meadows, pond edges, swamps and seeps. Full to partial sun.  Moist to moderately dry soil.

Zones 3-8

Meadow Sweet

Grows 3-6 feet with similar spread. White to light pink blooms early to midsummer. Excellent for naturalizing and hedgerows. Great nectar plant for insects. Sun to partial shade. Wet to dry soil.

Zones 3-8

Yellow Indian Grass

Tall, bunching, sod-forming  grass reaching 3 to 8 feet with blue-green blades and a large, plume-like, golden-brown seed head. Fall color is deep orange to purple. Adaptable to occasional flooding and repeated burning. Favored by livestock. Full to partial sun.  Slightly moist to dry soil.

Zones 3-9

Softstem Bulrush

Perennial herb in the sedge family producing dense stands of narrow, tube-like culms reaching 4 to 8 feet. Grows from a long rhizome system. This sedge can be found throughout the world, growing in many types of moist and wet habitat, and sometimes in shallow water. Full or partial sun. Wet soils.

Zones 3-9

Little Blue Stem

18 to 24 inch warm season grass with fine-textured foliage that forms dense clumps reaching 1 foot wide. Blooms July through September. Red, blue and occasionally yellow stems with white seed tufts reaching 3 feet in the fall. Full sun. Well drained soil.
Zones 3-9

Elderberry

Grows to 10+ feet with a similar spread. Rapid growing, multi-stemmed  shrub with large pinnate leaves. Large clusters of white flowers in early summer are followed by dark purple-black fruits. Found in rich lowlands, thickets, along streams and roadsides. Great for birds and deer browse. Berries traditionally used for jam and medicine. Sun to light shade.  Moist to wet soil.

Zones 3-9