Native plants for Franklin County, Iowa
4 native plants recorded in Franklin County, Iowa
USDA has only 5 plant records of any kind for Franklin County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 4 below as a floor.
By type: 3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 4 of them (100%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Franklin County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Half shade | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Under trees | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Heavy clay | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Never watered | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Stays soggy | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Sun all day in Franklin County: 4 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- 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 - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Half shade in Franklin County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance
Under trees in Franklin County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Heavy clay in Franklin County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Sandy, drains fast in Franklin County: 2 rated natives
1 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Never watered in Franklin County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance
Stays soggy in Franklin County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Where to start in Franklin County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Franklin County gives you the most rated choice (4 plants), and Common ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina) is the easiest start on that list. Stays soggy is the hard one here: 1 rated plant, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 0 unrated natives too.