Native Plant Landscaping in Southeastern PA

What Sets Blue Tree's Native Plant Landscaping Apart

Anyone can put a few natives in a bed. Designing a native landscape that actually works is harder, and it is what Blue Tree does. A degreed designer reads your site, sun, soil, moisture, slope, and deer pressure, then chooses natives and proven adapted species that fit those exact conditions and the look you want. The result is a landscape that establishes quickly, holds its structure through the seasons, and needs far less water, fertilizer, and pesticide than a conventional planting. Blue Tree has designed native landscapes across Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Berks, and Philadelphia Counties since 1983, and the same team that designs the planting installs and can maintain it.

Written by Stephen Roehm, a Blue Tree landscape designer with a Penn State degree in Landscape Contracting. Reviewed by Jeff Mattiola, Blue Tree's founder and president.

Established

Lower

Water and Maintenance

70 to 90

Employees

Our Native Landscape Process, Step by Step

From the first site visit to the final walkthrough, one designer manages your native planting. Here is how it comes together.

Step 1: Free On-Site Consultation

A Blue Tree designer walks your property and reads the conditions that decide which natives will thrive: sun and shade through the day, soil and moisture, slope, and deer pressure. Then we talk through the look you want, from formal native beds to a naturalistic meadow. The visit is free with no same-day pressure. Timeline: 1 visit, about 60 to 90 minutes.

Step 2: Custom Design and 3D Renderings

Your designer builds a planting plan keyed to your site: native and adapted species, mature sizes, bloom sequence, and how the planting reads from the house and street. You review the design, often with 3D renderings, and refine species and placement before anything is ordered. Timeline: 2 to 4 weeks.

Step 3: Materials, Proposal, and Permitting

Your designer sources native stock from trusted regional growers, favoring plants already acclimated to Southeastern Pennsylvania, and prices the project as one itemized proposal. You see exactly which species and sizes you are getting before you sign. Timeline: 1 to 2 weeks.

Step 4: Professional Installation

Crews prepare and amend the soil, correct drainage, and set each plant for its mature size, then finish with mulch. Natives are placed for how they spread, so the planting fills in the way it should. Timeline: 1 to 2 weeks.

Step 5: Aftercare & Warranty

Every native planting ships with a watering guide for the critical first season, and all plant material is backed by a one-year, one-time replacement warranty from the date of installation. Ongoing bed care is available through Premier Outdoor Services. Timeline: ongoing.

Native Plantings for Every Part of the Yard

Native and adapted species do different jobs in different spots. These are the native plantings Southeastern PA homeowners ask Blue Tree for most, each chosen for the conditions it actually has to live in.

A large house with neatly trimmed shrubs, colorful blooming flowers, mulched garden beds, and a manicured green lawn on a sunny day.

Native Perennial Beds

Coneflower, bee balm, switchgrass, and other natives layered for a long bloom season and food for pollinators.

A landscaped garden with vibrant purple coneflowers, ornamental grasses, and lush greenery borders a neatly mowed lawn beside a house, with tall trees in the background under soft sunlight.

Native Shrubs and Hedgerows

Itea, viburnum, winterberry, and other native shrubs for screening, structure, and four seasons of interest.

Lush garden with ferns and hostas under tall trees, bordered by a stone wall, next to a house in the background. Sunlight filters through the trees, creating a serene, shaded landscape.

Shade and Woodland Plantings

Ferns, woodland phlox, and native groundcovers that turn dry shade under mature trees into a finished planting.

A modern house with large windows is bordered by a lush garden filled with flowering plants, tall grasses, and a curving bed of smooth river rocks, all surrounded by green lawn and trees.

Rain Gardens and Wet Areas

Native plantings that handle standing water and runoff, turning a soggy low spot into a designed feature.

A lush front yard filled with blooming wildflowers and butterflies in front of a house, with sunlight filtering through tall trees in the background.

Pollinator and Meadow Plantings

Native grasses and wildflowers planned for pollinators, birds, and a softer, naturalistic look with less mowing.

A stone pathway winds through a landscaped garden with blooming bushes, colorful flowers, manicured shrubs, and a large house in the background on a sunny day.

Deer-Resistant Natives

Natives and adapted species deer tend to leave alone, for properties where browsing is a constant battle.

Built for Southeastern Pennsylvania's Native Range

Native means native to here, and that is the point. Southeastern Pennsylvania sits in USDA hardiness zones 6b and 7a, with clay-heavy soils, humid summers, cold winters, and heavy deer pressure in much of the region. Plants native to this range are adapted to all of it, which is why they establish faster and need less water, fertilizer, and spray once they take hold. Blue Tree's native plant palette for this region focuses on species with documented performance across Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Berks, and Philadelphia Counties. Canopy and mid-story: Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), river birch (Betula nigra), serviceberry (Amelanchier species), and spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Perennial groundplane: black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), wild blue indigo (Baptisia australis), Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum), wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), and native asters (Symphyotrichum). Grasses and sedges: switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica). These selections also support native pollinators and song birds, which Chester and Montgomery County homeowners increasingly request as part of a complete landscape. Blue Tree has planted natives in these conditions since 1983, sourcing from PA-ecotype growers where available, and chooses proven performers over trend plants so the landscape holds up for decades, not seasons. For a broader selection guide, explore Blue Tree's guide to the best plants for Southeastern Pennsylvania.

A curved stone walkway bordered by dark bricks winds through landscaped gardens with green shrubs, ornamental grasses, mulch, and solar path lights, leading to a patio area in a spacious yard.

Pair Native Plantings with the Rest of the Yard

Garden Design and Planting. Blend natives with ornamentals for a fuller, year-round planting. Explore garden design.

Drip Irrigation. Low-volume watering that gets natives through their first summers, then largely steps back. Explore drip irrigation.

Ongoing Bed Care. Seasonal mulching, editing, and maintenance handled by the same team through Premier Outdoor Services.

Part of Blue Tree's Planting Design and Installation services, available across Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Berks, and Philadelphia Counties.

A landscaped area with green shrubs, large stone boulders, and a curved concrete pathway beside a beige stucco house with a window and decorative wall art. Blue sky with clouds is visible in the background.

Curated Transformations

Browse recent native and landscape projects from across Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Berks, and Philadelphia Counties.

Everything Your Outdoor
Space Needs. One Team.

From the pool to the patio to the plants that frame it all. We handle the full picture so nothing falls through the cracks.

A luxurious backyard pool features stone walls with multiple cascading waterfalls, built-in lights, fire bowls, and surrounding lush greenery and flowers, creating an elegant and relaxing outdoor space.

Custom Pools & Water Features

Resort-style pools, spas, waterfalls, and grottos, designed for your property, not from a catalog

Explore Pools

Stone outdoor kitchen with built-in grill built by Blue Tree

Patios, Walls & Outdoor Kitchens

Structures built to last generations by craftsmen who take pride in the details

Explore Hardscapes

A well-maintained front yard features neatly trimmed grass, vibrant flower beds, shrubs, and small trees in front of a stone house, all bathed in warm sunlight.

Landscape Design & Planting

Native plants, seasonal color, and designs that thrive in Southeastern PA's climate

Explore Landscapes

A green fertilizer spreader sits on a neatly mowed lawn in front of a suburban house, surrounded by well-kept bushes and colorful flowers on a sunny day.

Lawn Programs

Science-backed fertilization, weed control, and aeration for the lawn your neighbors will notice

Explore Healthy Yards

A large backyard with a lit swimming pool, lounge chairs, and landscaping at dusk. Trees and a house with glowing windows are visible under a darkening sky.

Landscape Lighting

Professionally designed LED systems that add safety, security, and ambiance after dark

Explore Landscape Lighting

A large, well-manicured green lawn in front of a stone house with landscaped flower beds, bushes, and small trees, surrounded by tall trees with autumn foliage.

Year-Round Care

Seasonal cleanups, pool service, and ongoing care that keeps everything looking its best

Explore Premier Services

Common Questions

Pricing is site-specific. Plant count, plant size, bed preparation, removal work, access, irrigation, and aftercare all affect the total. Blue Tree reviews the property and provides an itemized proposal before installation. Long-term care depends on how well each plant is matched to the site and the maintenance plan.

No single plant list fits every property. Blue Tree may consider purple coneflower, blue wild indigo, black-eyed Susan, switchgrass, and big bluestem for sunnier sites. Wetter or lower areas may call for cardinal flower, butterfly weed, or foxglove beardtongue. The final list depends on sun, soil, moisture, deer pressure, mature size, and the design goals for the property.

Blue Tree checks for invasive plants during the site assessment and accounts for removal before the new planting is installed. Plants the team may flag include burning bush, Japanese barberry, English ivy, and lesser celandine. The removal plan depends on the species, extent, and condition of the site, and any follow-up is listed in the written scope.

Native plants can provide food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and other local wildlife when they are matched to the site and allowed to complete their seasonal cycles. Blue Tree selects plants for the property's light, moisture, soil, and design goals, then arranges them as part of a complete landscape. Results vary by plant selection, site conditions, and ongoing care.

Native planting is not maintenance-free. Establishment requires watering, weed control, and monitoring. After that, maintenance depends on planting density, site fit, mulch strategy, and the desired seasonal appearance. Blue Tree provides care instructions and can include ongoing maintenance in the written scope.

Blue Tree sources native plant material from regional nurseries when suitable stock is available. The designer reviews species, cultivar, size, condition, and site fit before finalizing the plant list. Availability changes through the season, so any approved substitutions are documented before installation.

Ready to Start?

Whether you're dreaming of a resort-style pool, a patio built for gathering, or a landscape that finally feels like you, let's talk.

Request a Free Consultation

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Custom Design Proposal

Transforming Southeastern PA Outdoors Since 1983

Core Services

Company

Resources

Native Plant Landscaping in Southeastern Pennsylvania

What Sets Blue Tree's Native Plant Landscaping Apart

Our Native Landscape Process, Step by Step

Native Plantings for Every Part of the Yard

Native Perennial Beds

Native Shrubs and Hedgerows

Shade and Woodland Plantings

Rain Gardens and Wet Areas

Pollinator and Meadow Plantings

Deer-Resistant Natives

Built for Southeastern Pennsylvania's Native Range

Pair Native Plantings with the Rest of the Yard

Curated Transformations

Everything Your Outdoor Space Needs. One Team.

Custom Pools & Water Features

Patios, Walls & Outdoor Kitchens

Landscape Design & Planting

Lawn Programs

Landscape Lighting

Year-Round Care

Common Questions

How much does native plant landscaping cost compared to a conventional ornamental planting?

Which native plants perform best in southeastern Pennsylvania gardens?

What invasive plants should I remove before installing a native landscape, and are they common in southeastern PA?

What wildlife and ecological benefits does native plant landscaping provide in southeastern PA?

How much maintenance does a native plant landscape require once it is established in southeastern PA?

How does Blue Tree source native plant material, and why does it matter?

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Designed and built as one project.

Everything Your Outdoor
Space Needs. One Team.