Tennessee

Native plants in Knoxville

330 plants native to this area with Sow catalog pages.

170 of them need no watering beyond Knoxville’s own rainfall

Yard rebates in Knoxville

1 program from the city, the county or local utilities pay residents for yard projects.

Seasonal
Trees Knoxville Tree Adoptions and Volunteer Canopy
Trees Knoxville (nonprofit urban forestry group)
Young 1- or 3-gallon trees; Volunteer Canopy neighborhoods can reserve 5-gallon trees at no cost; cost of standard adoptions not published (page calls them adoptions, not giveaways). Trees Knoxville reports 450 saplings given away free in 2025.

Every Tennessee program

Showing 330 plants

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Trees73

Canopy and structure

Red Maple

Acer rubrum

Photo: caymanmatt · CC BY 4.0

Redbud

Cercis canadensis

No watering needed Photo: John Thomlinson · CC BY 4.0

Eastern Arborvitae Northern White Cedar

Thuja occidentalis

Photo: Michael Naumoff · CC0 1.0

River Birch

Betula nigra

No watering needed Photo: wcmorton · CC0 1.0

Tulip Poplar

Liriodendron tulipifera

No watering needed Photo: Daniel Atha · CC0 1.0

Sweetgum

Liquidambar styraciflua

Photo: andrew2285 · CC0 1.0

Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida

No watering needed Photo: Maura · CC BY 4.0

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Photo: kedmunds11 · CC0 1.0

Red Oak

Quercus rubra

Photo: Peter · CC BY 4.0

Eastern Redcedar

Juniperus virginiana

No watering needed Photo: Jonathan Layman · CC BY 4.0

Black Tupelo

Nyssa sylvatica

Photo: Navin Sasikumar · CC BY 4.0

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis

Photo: geosesarma · CC BY 4.0

Pagoda Dogwood

Cornus alternifolia

Photo: Robert Stegmann · CC BY 4.0

White Fringetree

Chionanthus virginicus

No watering needed Photo: Sydney Olsen · CC BY 4.0

Common Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

Photo: Ian Wolfe · CC0 1.0

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea

No watering needed Photo: Étienne Léveillé-Bourret · CC BY 4.0

Shumard Oak

Quercus shumardii

No watering needed Photo: lanechaffin · CC0 1.0

Sourwood

Oxydendrum arboreum

No watering needed Photo: Emily Summerbell · CC BY 4.0

Pin Oak

Quercus palustris

Photo: Amelia Tauber · CC BY 4.0

Eastern White Pine

Pinus strobus

Photo: TEAMVALOR786 Succulents and cacti, The future of nature is in your hands · CC BY 4.0

Bur Oak

Quercus macrocarpa

No watering needed Photo: Reuven Martin · CC0 1.0

White Oak

Quercus alba

Photo: sblumen · CC BY 4.0

Boxelder

Acer negundo

Photo: Ryan Sorrells · CC BY 4.0

Eastern Hemlock

Tsuga canadensis

Photo: Nick Kleinschmidt · CC BY 4.0

Pawpaw

Asimina triloba

No watering needed Photo: Farren Dell Rossman · CC BY 4.0

Common Hackberry

Celtis occidentalis

No watering needed Photo: Dávid Horváth · CC BY 4.0

Scarlet Oak

Quercus coccinea

Photo: Andrew Conboy · CC BY 4.0

American Hornbeam

Carpinus caroliniana

Photo: Bonnie Isaac · CC0 1.0

Cucumbertree Magnolia

Magnolia acuminata

Photo: Will McFarland · CC BY 4.0

American Linden

Tilia americana

Photo: Tom Scavo · CC BY 4.0

Kentucky Coffeetree

Gymnocladus dioicus

No watering needed Photo: M. Whitson · CC BY 4.0

Spicebush

Lindera benzoin

Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0

Shrubs60

Backbone planting

Smooth Hydrangea

Hydrangea arborescens

No watering needed Photo: Emily Summerbell · CC BY 4.0

Creeping Phlox Moss Phlox

Phlox subulata

No watering needed Photo: Ben Cloutier · CC BY 4.0

Ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius

Photo: jyoung2399 · CC BY 4.0

Chokeberry

Aronia melanocarpa

Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0

Hardy Hibiscus

Hibiscus moscheutos

Photo: botanygirl · CC BY 4.0

Buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Photo: Gregory Bennett · CC0 1.0

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata

Photo: Adam Kranz · CC0 1.0

American Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis

No watering needed Photo: Melanie Gaddy · CC0 1.0

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis

Photo: geosesarma · CC BY 4.0

Pagoda Dogwood

Cornus alternifolia

Photo: Robert Stegmann · CC BY 4.0

White Fringetree

Chionanthus virginicus

No watering needed Photo: Sydney Olsen · CC BY 4.0

Common Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

Photo: Ian Wolfe · CC0 1.0

Carolina Allspice

Calycanthus floridus

Photo: Allan Harris · CC0 1.0

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea

No watering needed Photo: Étienne Léveillé-Bourret · CC BY 4.0

Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

No watering needed Photo: Leila Dasher · CC BY 4.0

Large Fothergilla

Fothergilla major

Photo: Carol Ann McCormick · CC BY 4.0

Japanese Spurge

Pachysandra procumbens

Photo: juniper_likethetree · CC BY 4.0

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia

Photo: Tyler Radtke · CC0 1.0

Fragrant Sumac

Rhus aromatica

No watering needed Photo: Susan Berry · CC0 1.0

Mountain Laurel

Kalmia latifolia

Photo: Dalton Watt · CC BY 4.0

Pawpaw

Asimina triloba

No watering needed Photo: Farren Dell Rossman · CC BY 4.0

Spicebush

Lindera benzoin

Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0

New Jersey Tea

Ceanothus americanus

No watering needed Photo: Dan Wilder · CC0 1.0

Wintergreen

Gaultheria procumbens

Photo: Brandon Corder · CC BY 4.0

American Hazelnut

Corylus americana

No watering needed Photo: Mark Richman · CC BY 4.0

Prickly Pear Cactus

Opuntia humifusa

No watering needed Photo: Lexi Destria · CC BY 4.0

American Holly

Ilex opaca

No watering needed Photo: Shannon · CC0 1.0

Red Buckeye

Aesculus pavia

Photo: Jeff Clark · CC BY 4.0

Smooth Sumac

Rhus glabra

No watering needed Photo: Tony KM · CC BY 4.0

Silky Dogwood

Cornus amomum

Photo: Elizabeth Axley · CC BY 4.0

Cockspur Hawthorn

Crataegus crus-galli

Photo: Becky Dill · CC0 1.0

False Indigo Bush

Amorpha fruticosa

No watering needed Photo: Dmitry Trutsko · CC BY 4.0

Grasses31

Movement and texture

Northern Sea Oats

Chasmanthium latifolium

No watering needed Photo: Gold eagle Kroll · CC BY 4.0

Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris

No watering needed Photo: Brandon Corder · CC BY 4.0

Pennsylvania Sedge

Carex pensylvanica

No watering needed Photo: Frog The Kermit · CC BY 4.0

Purple Love Grass

Eragrostis spectabilis

No watering needed Photo: Reuven Martin · CC0 1.0

Sideoats Grama

Bouteloua curtipendula

No watering needed Photo: Andrea Grover · CC BY 4.0

Red fescue

Festuca rubra

No watering needed Photo: Jens Søgaard Hansen · CC BY 4.0

Seersucker Sedge

Carex plantaginea

Photo: Tom Scavo · CC BY 4.0

Cherokee Sedge

Carex cherokeensis

Photo: Jesse · CC BY 4.0

Splitbeard Bluestem

Andropogon ternarius

No watering needed

Blue Wood Sedge

Carex flaccosperma

Photo: Will McFarland · CC BY 4.0

Soft Rush

Juncus effusus

Photo: GBIF contributor · CC BY 4.0

Bottlebrush Grass

Elymus hystrix

No watering needed Photo: Skyler Principe · CC BY 4.0

Path Rush

Juncus tenuis

Photo: Stephen James McWilliam · CC0 1.0

Virginia Wild Rye

Elymus virginicus

Photo: Jason Leduc · CC0 1.0

Eastern Gamagrass

Tripsacum dactyloides

No watering needed Photo: Rich Sommer · CC BY 4.0

Fringed Sedge

Carex crinita

Photo: Trix Niernberger · CC0 1.0

Ivory Sedge

Carex eburnea

Photo: Dan MacNeal · CC BY 4.0

Rosy Sedge

Carex rosea

Photo: Jeremy Atherton · CC BY 4.0

Whitetinge Sedge

Carex albicans

Photo: hr_dragonfly · CC BY 4.0

Texas Sedge

Carex texensis

No watering needed Photo: Senna Bryce Robeson · CC BY 4.0

Poverty Oatgrass

Danthonia spicata

No watering needed Photo: botanygirl · CC BY 4.0

Giant Cane

Arundinaria gigantea

Photo: Shelby Lyn Sanders · CC BY 4.0

Fox Sedge

Carex vulpinoidea

Photo: Brandon Corder · CC BY 4.0

Reed Canary Grass

Phalaris arundinacea

Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0

Creek Sedge

Carex amphibola

No watering needed Photo: Bonnie Semmling · CC BY 4.0

Eastern Woodland Sedge

Carex blanda

Photo: Matt Felperin · CC BY 4.0

Ravenfoot Sedge

Carex crus-corvi

Photo: Sarah Fitz · CC0 1.0

Softstem Bulrush

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani

Photo: Tommy Forrest · CC0 1.0

Broomsedge Bluestem

Andropogon virginicus

No watering needed Photo: Annika Lindqvist · CC BY 4.0

Woolgrass

Scirpus cyperinus

Photo: Alan Weakley · CC0 1.0

Bottlebrush Sedge

Carex lurida

Photo: Steven Lamonde · CC BY 4.0

Perennials167

Seasonal colour

Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

No watering needed Photo: Rochelle Davis · CC BY 4.0

Orange Coneflower

Rudbeckia fulgida

Photo: Kristály Cravens-Liszak · CC BY 4.0

Creeping Phlox Moss Phlox

Phlox subulata

No watering needed Photo: Ben Cloutier · CC BY 4.0

Blazing Star Gayfeather

Liatris spicata

No watering needed Photo: worldbird · CC BY 4.0

Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

No watering needed Photo: k2018lena · CC0 1.0

Garden Phlox

Phlox paniculata

No watering needed Photo: Andy Wilson · CC0 1.0

Swamp Milkweed

Asclepias incarnata

Photo: Mike Gooley · CC0 1.0

Foxglove Beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

Photo: Bob Schwartz · CC BY 4.0

Bee Balm Oswego Tea

Monarda didyma

Photo: LJ Moore-McClelland · CC BY 4.0

Obedient Plant

Physostegia virginiana

Photo: Andrew St. Paul · CC BY 4.0

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

No watering needed Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0

Blue Wild Indigo

Baptisia australis

No watering needed Photo: Nathan May · CC BY 4.0

Hardy Hibiscus

Hibiscus moscheutos

Photo: botanygirl · CC BY 4.0

Lanceleaf Tickseed

Coreopsis lanceolata

No watering needed Photo: Silvia Cova · CC0 1.0

Wild Bergamot

Monarda fistulosa

No watering needed Photo: Tom Pollard · CC BY 4.0

Eastern Red Columbine

Aquilegia canadensis

Photo: Craig Hensley · CC BY 4.0

False Sunflower

Heliopsis helianthoides

No watering needed Photo: W Rao · CC BY 4.0

Common Sneezeweed

Helenium autumnale

Photo: Thomas Koffel · CC BY 4.0

Great Blue Lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica

Photo: Andrew Conboy · CC BY 4.0

Foamflower

Tiarella cordifolia

Photo: Paul Bade · CC BY 4.0

Strawberry

Fragaria vesca

No watering needed Photo: myarobilliard · CC0 1.0

Woodland Phlox

Phlox divaricata

No watering needed Photo: Jacqueline Raiford · CC BY 4.0

Bluestar

Amsonia tabernaemontana

Photo: Leila Dasher · CC BY 4.0

Hairy Alumroot

Heuchera villosa

Photo: Scott Morris · CC BY 4.0

Wild Geranium

Geranium maculatum

No watering needed Photo: sophia_herrmeyer · CC BY 4.0

Virginia Iris

Iris virginica

Photo: mfeaver · CC BY 4.0

Rattlesnake master

Eryngium yuccifolium

No watering needed Photo: Alex Heyman · CC0 1.0

Common Milkweed

Asclepias syriaca

No watering needed Photo: Dilrukshan Priyantha Wijesinghe · CC BY 4.0

Coral Bells

Heuchera americana

No watering needed Photo: Alaina Krakowiak · CC BY 4.0

Brown-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia triloba

No watering needed Photo: Alexis Williams · CC BY 4.0

Virginia Bluebell

Mertensia virginica

Photo: Melinda Soltys · CC0 1.0

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed

Eutrochium purpureum

No watering needed Photo: Jason Swanson · CC0 1.0

Vines18

Verticals and screens

Trumpet Honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens

Photo: Carrie Seltzer · CC BY 4.0

American Wisteria

Wisteria frutescens

Photo: Will McFarland · CC BY 4.0

Crossvine

Bignonia capreolata

Photo: natgrace18 · CC0 1.0

Virgin's Bower

Clematis virginiana

Photo: Roy Boyle · CC0 1.0

Trumpet Creeper

Campsis radicans

No watering needed Photo: Bryant Brumbill-Corral · CC BY 4.0

Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

No watering needed Photo: Tyler Cannon · CC BY 4.0

Purple Passionflower

Passiflora incarnata

No watering needed Photo: snail_hiker · CC BY 4.0

Muscadine

Vitis rotundifolia

Photo: Jill DeVito, PhD · CC0 1.0

Leather Flower

Clematis viorna

No watering needed Photo: Terri Koontz · CC0 1.0

Wild Potato Vine

Ipomoea pandurata

No watering needed Photo: Becky Dill · CC0 1.0

American Bittersweet

Celastrus scandens

No watering needed Photo: Owen McElroy · CC0 1.0

Heartleaf Peppervine

Ampelopsis cordata

No watering needed Photo: Tommy · CC0 1.0

Summer Grape

Vitis aestivalis

No watering needed Photo: Lauren McLaurin · CC BY 4.0

Common Greenbrier

Smilax rotundifolia

Photo: Luke · CC BY 4.0

Hedge Bindweed

Calystegia sepium

No watering needed Photo: Arnim Littek · CC BY 4.0

Eastern Poison Ivy

Toxicodendron radicans

Photo: Ryan · CC0 1.0

Bristly Greenbrier

Smilax tamnoides

No watering needed Photo: Vince Hale · CC0 1.0

Saw greenbrier

Smilax bona-nox

No watering needed Photo: Conway Hawn · CC0 1.0

Ferns10

Shade and damp

Northern Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum pedatum

Photo: Jason Hill · CC BY 4.0

Christmas Fern

Polystichum acrostichoides

Photo: John Brew · CC BY 4.0

Marginal Wood Fern

Dryopteris marginalis

Photo: Lynn Harper · CC0 1.0

Cinnamon Fern

Osmundastrum cinnamomeum

Photo: Erik · CC BY 4.0

Sensitive Fern

Onoclea sensibilis

Photo: laurawies · CC BY 4.0

Ebony Spleenwort

Asplenium platyneuron

No watering needed Photo: Daniel Atha · CC0 1.0

Broad Beech Fern

Phegopteris hexagonoptera

Photo: Alan Weakley · CC0 1.0

Hairy Lip Fern

Myriopteris lanosa

No watering needed

Bulblet Fern

Cystopteris bulbifera

Photo: Jaime McGuigan · CC BY 4.0

Marsh Fern

Thelypteris palustris

Photo: Анна Митрошенкова · CC BY 4.0

Succulents4

Dry and architectural

Adam's Needle

Yucca filamentosa

No watering needed Photo: Tom Field · CC BY 4.0

Prickly Pear Cactus

Opuntia humifusa

No watering needed Photo: Lexi Destria · CC BY 4.0

Whorled Stonecrop

Sedum ternatum

No watering needed Photo: botanygirl · CC BY 4.0

False Aloe

Agave virginica

No watering needed Photo: Sequoia Janirella Wrens · CC0 1.0

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Yard rebates in Knoxville

Trees Knoxville Tree Adoptions and Volunteer Canopy

Trees73

Shrubs60

Grasses31

Perennials167

Vines18

Ferns10

Succulents4

More of Tennessee

Design a Knoxville garden with these plants