Shopping-List Plants for the Northeast

If you’ve run into a garden rut, we’ve got you covered. It’s time to start planning for your first trip to the local nursery or garden center. What plants will you need for a new garden area? Are you noticing a lack of excitement or color outside (we call this the midspring slump)? Just itching for an exciting new addition to a well-established bed? Now is the time to make a list of the perennials, shrubs, and/or trees that will fill those needs.

To help you make the best choices, we’ve asked regional garden experts to tell us what plants are on their spring shopping lists. These plants serve a range of purposes in the garden, but all are region-specific stars. From out-of-this-world flowers to show-stopping foliage and everything in-between, discover fantastic plants that would be a welcome addition to any garden in the region.

Find great shopping-list plants for the Northeast below, and check out this comprehensive collection of articles to discover more springtime planting and planning inspiration.

Name: Wisteria macrostachya ‘Betty Matthews’

Zones: 4–8

Size: 15 to 20 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil

Native range: South-central United States

There is something magical to me about wisteria. The fast-growing vines of Summer Cascade™ flush out with bright green, sprawling foliage in spring. Then, come June, the plant becomes covered with perfect grapelike bunches of delicate lavender flowers that measure 8 to 12 inches long; they look like they came out of a storybook. After the flowers fade they are replaced by unique seedpods that are brown, slightly fuzzy, and up to 5 inches long. This native, noninvasive vine can be shaped for a tamer look, or you can train it up an