Ohio Native Plants

Want to replenish native trees in your state? Find the best selection of indigenous species for the State of Ohio here at Nature Hills Nursery! Ranging from USDA growing zones 5 and 6, Ohio has fluctuating temperatures throughout the seasons, much like many other continental regions.

Choosing native trees for your State means you will know your tree will thrive where it is well suited to climate and soil because they originated there! They need less water once established. Native selections establish faster and tolerate the changing climate, weather, and anything else your State may endure.

Plus you’ll feed pollinators pollen and nectar, seeds for songbirds, and provides food for a wide variety of wildlife like the Cardinal, which is the Ohio state bird!

Best Ohio Native Trees

Bordering Lake Erie, Ohio can have a continental climate with hot and humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. You’ll find a mix of temperate deciduous forest and temperate grassland throughout this state.

Find your Hardiness Zone, and then choose any tree that has a range that includes yours! Check with your local County Extension Office for more information if needed and for the many microclimates within these zones.

Best Native Evergreen Trees For Ohio

Many conifers and broadleaf evergreens can be found in Ohio! Check out these trees that keep their leaves year-round for privacy, slow down the wind and drifting snow, and add winter interest.

• American Holly Trees
• American Larch (deciduous conifer)
• Bald Cypress Tree (deciduous conifer)
• Balsam Fir Tree
• Eastern Hemlock
• Eastern Red Cedar Tree (Redcedar)
• Eastern White Pine
• Loblolly Pine

Native Flowering Trees to Grow in Ohio

Feed pollinators and hummingbirds nectar and pollen they evolved alongside in your State! Many of these trees are host plants for native pollinator larvae too!

• American Basswood/Linden Trees
• Bigleaf & Cucumber Tree Magnolia
• Carolina Silverbell Tree
• Dogwood - Pagoda, White, Pink & Red Flowering, Gray, Roughleaf, Silky, & Swamp 
• Eastern Redbud Tree
• Pussy Willow Tree
• Tulip Poplar/Tulip Tree
• Witch Hazel (American Witchhazel)
• White Fringe Tree & Grancy Greybeard Tree

What Are Native Shade Trees in Ohio?

Fall color abounds in the Buckeye State and the State tree, the Ohio Buckeye, offers wildlife plenty of food while cooling your landscape with its big foliage display. Ohio can have hot days in the summer too, so a good, shade tree that handles snow load, gives your backyard lush relief from the sun, and goes big with an autumn show is a must-have!

• American Beech Tree
• American Chestnut
• American Elm Tree
• American Hornbeam 
• American Hop Hornbeam
• American Sycamore
• Ash - Mountain, White & Green
• Birch Trees - River, Paper Bark, & Sweet
• Black Gum Tree
• Black Willow
• Box Elder Tree (Boxelder)
• Buckeye Trees - Ohio, Red & Yellow
• Cottonwood/Eastern Cottonwood Tree
• Hackberry/Common Hackberry Trees & Sugarberry Tree
• Kentucky Coffee Tree
• Maple Trees - Black, Silver, Red, & Sugar
• Northern Catalpa Tree
• Oak Trees - Black, Blackjack, Bur, Chinquapin, Northern Red, Pin, Scarlet, Shingle, Shumard's, Swamp White, White & Willow Oak Trees
• Quaking Aspen
• Sassafras Tree
• Sourwood Tree
• Sweetgum (Sweet Gum) Trees
• Washington Hawthorn Tree
• Yellowwood Tree

Native Fruit & Nut Trees in Ohio

We love edible landscaping trees that look great and feed you! Feed the diverse amounts of wildlife and songbirds found throughout Ohio as well!

• American Persimmon
• American Plum/Wild Plum Tree & Chickasaw Plum
• Black Cherry Tree
• Black Walnut Tree
• Hazelnut/Native American Filbert Tree/Shrub
• Bitternut, Butternut, Pignut, Red, Shellbark & Shagbark Hickory Trees
• Paw Paw (Pawpaw) Trees
• Red Mulberry Tree
• Allegheny & Downy Serviceberry

Much Needed Natives!

Whether you are adding shade or flowers, privacy, or a long-lasting legacy to your landscape, Nature Hills is here to help you find the perfect tree for your Ohio landscape!

Help keep your State's native biodiversity intact by planting trees native to your area! Nature Hills is committed to helping you preserve your State’s unique beauty with plants and trees that are sure to do well in your garden without impacting your native landscape!