Garden plants for Canada
159 plants that appear on garden plant lists for Canada: vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees that gardeners there commonly grow, native or introduced. Each links to a growing guide with spacing, sun, water, hardiness, toxicity and sources.
Canada spans more than one climate. Being on this list does not mean a plant suits your own site: check its hardiness and water needs against your local conditions, and avoid plants listed as invasive in your area.
Plan a garden with these plants â
Vegetables (11)
- Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum
- Bush bean Phaseolus vulgaris
- Carrot Daucus carota subsp. sativus
- Garden pea Pisum sativum
- Lentil Lens culinaris
- Lettuce Lactuca sativa
- Potato Solanum tuberosum
- Pumpkin Cucurbita maxima / C. pepo
- Rhubarb Rheum x hybridum
- Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
- Zucchini (courgette) Cucurbita pepo
Herbs (5)
- Alfalfa (lucerne) Medicago sativa
- Anise hyssop Agastache foeniculum
- Motherwort Leonurus cardiaca
- Short-toothed mountain mint Pycnanthemum muticum
- White (yellow) mustard Sinapis alba
Fruit (9)
- American persimmon Diospyros virginiana
- Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana
- Cloudberry (hjortron) Rubus chamaemorus
- Dwarf apple tree Malus domestica
- Haskap (honeyberry) Lonicera caerulea
- Kolomikta kiwi (variegated kiwi vine) Actinidia kolomikta
- Raspberry Rubus idaeus
- Strawberry Fragaria x ananassa
Flowers (72)
- Basket of gold (golden alyssum) Aurinia saxatilis
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- Blue false indigo Baptisia australis
- Blue flag iris Iris versicolor
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis
- Carpathian bellflower (tussock bellflower) Campanula carpatica
- Cheddar pink Dianthus gratianopolitanus
- Chinese monkshood (Carmichaelâs aconite) Aconitum carmichaelii
- Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca · invasive in some regions
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum
- Creeping babyâs breath Gypsophila repens
- Creeping Jacobâs ladder (spreading Jacobâs ladder) Polemonium reptans
- Culverâs root Veronicastrum virginicum
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · invasive in some regions
- Davidâs lily (Lanzhou lily) Lilium davidii
- Daylily Hemerocallis fulva · invasive in some regions
- Drumstick primula Primula denticulata
- Dutchmanâs breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- Dwarf iris (netted iris) Iris reticulata
- Early crocus (Tommasiniâs crocus) Crocus tommasinianus
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- False Solomonâs seal (feathery false lily of the valley) Maianthemum racemosum
- False sunflower (ox-eye) Heliopsis helianthoides
- Fan columbine (miyama-odamaki) Aquilegia flabellata
- Flax (linseed) Linum usitatissimum
- Garden rose Rosa x hybrida
- Glory of the snow (chionodoxa) Scilla luciliae
- Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea
- Golden clematis (orange-peel clematis) Clematis tangutica
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Grecian windflower Anemone blanda
- Grey-headed coneflower (yellow coneflower) Ratibida pinnata
- Henryâs lily Lilium henryi
- Lanceleaf coreopsis (tickseed) Coreopsis lanceolata · invasive in some regions
- Late tulip (species tulip) Tulipa tarda
- Maiden pink Dianthus deltoides
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
- Mexican hat (prairie coneflower) Ratibida columnifera
- Missouri evening primrose (bigfruit evening primrose) Oenothera macrocarpa
- New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis
- Nodding onion Allium cernuum
- Obedient plant (false dragonhead) Physostegia virginiana
- Ohio spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis
- Orange coneflower (black-eyed Susan âGoldsturmâ) Rudbeckia fulgida
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida
- Peony Paeonia lactiflora
- Perennial candytuft Iberis sempervirens
- Perennial flax (blue flax) Linum perenne
- Prairie blazing star (gayfeather) Liatris pycnostachya
- Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea
- Purple pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea · invasive in some regions
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea
- Regal lily Lilium regale
- Rock soapwort Saponaria ocymoides
- Rough goldenrod (âFireworksâ) Solidago rugosa
- Siberian squill Scilla siberica · invasive in some regions
- Smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve
- Sneezeweed (helenium) Helenium autumnale
- Soapwort (bouncing bet) Saponaria officinalis · invasive in some regions
- Striped squill (puschkinia) Puschkinia scilloides
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata
- Tansy Tanacetum vulgare · invasive in some regions
- Tiger lily Lilium lancifolium
- Trout lily (yellow adderâs tongue) Erythronium americanum
- Tulip Tulipa gesneriana
- White rock cress (Caucasian arabis) Arabis caucasica
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba
- Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa
- Wild geranium (spotted cranesbill) Geranium maculatum
- Woodland phlox (wild blue phlox) Phlox divaricata
Shrubs (22)
- American highbush cranberry Viburnum trilobum
- American witch hazel (common witch hazel) Hamamelis virginiana
- Arrowwood viburnum Viburnum dentatum
- Beautybush Kolkwitzia amabilis
- Bog rosemary Andromeda polifolia
- Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Chinese juniper Juniperus chinensis
- Climbing hydrangea Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris
- Common lilac Syringa vulgaris
- Flowering currant (red-flowering currant) Ribes sanguineum
- Fragrant viburnum (Farrerâs viburnum) Viburnum farreri
- Japanese holly (inutsuge) Ilex crenata · invasive in some regions
- Japanese snowball (doublefile viburnum) Viburnum plicatum
- Korean lilac (âMiss Kimâ) Syringa pubescens subsp. patula
- Labrador tea Rhododendron groenlandicum
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus
- Slender deutzia (himeutsugi) Deutzia gracilis
- Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina · invasive in some regions
- Star magnolia (shidekobushi) Magnolia stellata
- Summersweet (sweet pepperbush) Clethra alnifolia
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · invasive in some regions
Trees (19)
- Balsam fir Abies balsamea
- Black gum (black tupelo) Nyssa sylvatica
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus
- Full-moon maple (hauchiwa-kaede) Acer japonicum
- Giant sequoia (Wellingtonia) Sequoiadendron giganteum
- Himalayan birch (bhojpatra; white-barked jacquemontii) Betula utilis
- Japanese white pine (goyĆmatsu) Pinus parviflora
- Kashmir rowan Sorbus cashmiriana
- Paperbark maple Acer griseum
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera
- Red maple Acer rubrum
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum
- Sawara cypress Chamaecyparis pisifera
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum
- Tamarack (American larch) Larix laricina
- Trembling aspen Populus tremuloides
- White spruce Picea glauca
- Windmill palm (Chusan palm) Trachycarpus fortunei
Grasses (9)
- Barley Hordeum vulgare
- Blue grama (eyelash grass) Bouteloua gracilis
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans
- Northern sea oats (river oats) Chasmanthium latifolium
- Oats Avena sativa
- Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis
- Rye Secale cereale
- Wheat (bread wheat) Triticum aestivum
Groundcovers (12)
- Biting stonecrop (goldmoss) Sedum acre
- Bunchberry Cornus canadensis
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense
- Claret cup cactus (kingcup cactus) Echinocereus triglochidiatus
- Cobweb houseleek Sempervivum arachnoideum
- Eastern prickly pear (hardy prickly pear) Opuntia humifusa
- Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
- Hosta Hosta spp.
- Mayapple (American mandrake) Podophyllum peltatum
- Prostrate speedwell Veronica prostrata
- Red clover Trifolium pratense
- Twinflower Linnaea borealis
Reference values for planning, not horticultural, veterinary or medical advice. Varieties, soils and local climates differ: check with a local nursery or extension service.