Native plants for Dubuque County, Iowa
34 native plants recorded in Dubuque County, Iowa
USDA has only 47 plant records of any kind for Dubuque County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 34 below as a floor.
By type: 28 wildflowers and herbs, 6 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 13 of them (38%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Dubuque County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 13 | 0 | 21 |
| Half shade | 7 | 6 | 21 |
| Under trees | 3 | 10 | 21 |
| Heavy clay | 7 | 6 | 21 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 9 | 4 | 21 |
| Never watered | 2 | 11 | 21 |
| Stays soggy | 6 | 7 | 21 |
Sun all day in Dubuque County: 13 rated natives
11 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Common ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: severe - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Half shade in Dubuque County: 7 rated natives
7 wildflowers and herbs. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · toxicity: severe - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · toxicity: moderate - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Devil's beggartick (Bidens frondosa) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · rapid growth - Yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · perennial · high shade tolerance · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Under trees in Dubuque County: 3 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: severe - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Heavy clay in Dubuque County: 7 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: severe - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Sandy, drains fast in Dubuque County: 9 rated natives
7 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: severe - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Never watered in Dubuque County: 2 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight
Stays soggy in Dubuque County: 6 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs. The first 6, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · perennial · takes saturated soil - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil · toxicity: moderate - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Devil's beggartick (Bidens frondosa) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · rapid growth
Natives Dubuque County has that most of Iowa does not
5 natives here are on file in no more than 5 of Iowa's 99 counties. A few of them:
- Marginal woodfern (Dryopteris marginalis): 3 counties
- Drummond's aster (Symphyotrichum drummondii): 3 counties
- Longbract frog orchid (Dactylorhiza viridis): 4 counties
- Yellow marsh marigold (Caltha palustris): 5 counties
- False melic (Schizachne purpurascens): 5 counties
Where to start in Dubuque County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Dubuque County gives you the most rated choice (13 plants), and Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) is the easiest start on that list. Never watered is the hard one here: 2 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 21 unrated natives too.