Adopt-A-Median Plant List

There are a number of different plants to choose from to plant in the median.When selecting plants for your adopted median the most critical consideration is height. The vegetation in a median must not grow taller than two feet to avoid vision hazards. The occasional narrow spike of height is permitted as long as the planting remains see-through.

We also ask that volunteers use plants that are perennial (live for more than one season), salt-tolerant, and drought-tolerant. There are dozens of native short-grasses, sedges, and ground cover plants that both meet height criteria and thrive in these conditions. We strongly encourage the use of native plants due to their ecological value.

Scientific Name

Common Name

Growth Habit

Full Sun

Partial Sun

Shade

Wildflowers

Anemone canadensis

Canada anemone

Ground cover

x

x

Geranium maculatum

Wild geranium

Ground cover

x x x

Fragaria virginiana

Wild strawberry

Ground cover

x x x

Ruella humilis

Wild petunia

Ground cover

x

Campanula rotundifolia

Harebell

Individual

x x

Geum triflorum

Prairie smoke

Individual

x x

Liatris aspera

Rough blazing star

Individual

x x

Lupinus perennis

Lupine

Individual

x x

Allium cernuum

Nodding onion

Individual

x x

Drymocallis arguta

Prairie cinquefoil

Individual

x x

Coreopsis lanceolata

Sand coreopsis

Individual

x

Rudbeckia hirta

Black-eyed Susan

Individual

x x

Blephilia ciliata

Downy wood mint

Patch-forming

x x

Symphyotricum ericoides

Heath aster

Patch-forming

x x

Verbena stricta

Hoary vervain

Patch-forming

x x

Coreopsis palmata

Prairie coreopsis

Patch-forming

x x

Monarda punctata

Spotted bee-balm

Patch-forming

x x

Asclepias verticillata

Whorled milkweed

Patch-forming

x x

Asclepias tuberosa

Butterfly milkweed

Tidy clump

x x
Polemonium reptans

Jacob's ladder

Tidy clump

x x x

Grasses & Sedges

Bromus kalmii

Prairie brome

See-through grass

x x

Bouteloua curtipendula

Sideoats grama

Tidy clump

x x

Sporobulus heterolepis

Prairie dropseed

Tidy clump

x x

Schizachyrium scoparium

Little bluestem

Tidy clump

x x

Carex vulpinoidea

Brown fox sedge

Tidy clump

x x

Carex molesta

Field oval sedge

Tidy clump

x x x

Carex sprengelii

Long-beaked sedge

Tidy clump

x x

Shrubs

Amorpha canescens

Leadplant

Shrub-like

x x
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