Ecological generalists — plants with panoptic tolerances to where they steady down — power the planet . Many of these species lurk in the shadows of traditional gardens or sulk in obscurity on the garden flooring . But preponderance is their virtue ; they have conform to a spacious range of growing conditions across a considerable geographical footprint . You may find oneself plants on this list you ’ve previously regarded as weeds , perhaps only because you did n’t know their whole narration . They do n’t have to pull in top billing ; every garden want a supporting cast . Many on this list work hard at a valuable moment of the year before yielding the point to the showier flowers we ’ll apace snap for our Instagram provender . Here ’s a handful of my favorite generalists , many of which are native across North America , that merit a closer look .
Pussytoes
Name : Antennariaspp .
Zones:3–8
size of it : Up to 8 in grandiloquent and 18 inches full
Conditions : Full sun ; average to dry , well - drained soil
aboriginal range : Most of North America
This is a genus of nearly 40 low - growing , silvery - leaved industrial plant that form mean mats of foliage between other plant , particularly in meadow or at rock and roll outcroppings or woodland bound .
Meadow sedge
Name : Carex praegracilis
Zones:4–9
sizing : Up to 2 pes tall and 3 feet wide
Conditions : Full Dominicus to fond specter ; thrives in a broad reach of grunge status
aboriginal range : Western North America
Just one of hundreds of useful sedges native to North America , meadow sedge spreads by small-scale rhizomes to shape bunchy crowns of finely textured foliage .
Purple lovegrass
Name : Eragrostis spectabilis
Size : Up to 18 inch tall and encompassing
aboriginal range : easterly and central United States and Canada
This showy summer grass starts the season out as an invisible tuft that erupts into a cotton - confect cloud of pinkish and red . The plants unfold gradually by rhizomes .
Annual fleabane
Name : genus Erigeron annuus
zone : Annual
sizing : Up to 3 foot tall and wide
condition : Full sun ; thrives in a wide-cut range of soil experimental condition
Native stove : Most of North and Central America
Prized in Europe for its wildflowery personality , this aboriginal yearly draw an promiscuous , foaming spackling compound for all sorts of plantings . flora size can vary , depending on soil conditions and competition from neighboring plant .
Photo: courtesy of Dr. Kim Hummer-USDA/commons.wikimedia.org
Wild strawberry
Name : Fragaria virginiana
Zones:5–9
Size:6 inches tall and 24 inches wide
Photo: courtesy of Dr. Kim Hummer-USDA/commons.wikimedia.org
Growing from coast to coast , the common uncivilized strawberry turn up an efficacious interloper between improbable perennials and shrubs . springtime flowers and former summer fruit are a seasonal treat .
Selfheal
Name : Prunella vulgaris
Zones:3–9
Size:6 inches tall and 2 metrical unit wide
Found across the Earth in a ostensibly endless array of colors , this hardworking ground cover tolerates browsing and mowing . It is an ideal constituent for no - mow or scummy - mow lawn .
Kelly D. Norris is the author ofNew Naturalism : Designing and Planting a Resilient , Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden .
Photos , except where noted : Kelly D. Norris
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Photo: courtesy of Dr. Kim Hummer-USDA/commons.wikimedia.org
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