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Engineering Downtown Offices Closed to Public, Dec. 26 & 27, 2024.
Offices will be closed, however, City of Madison Engineering Division staff will be available by phone: 608-266-4751 and email: engineering@cityofmadison.com.
Adopt-A-Median Plant List
There are a number of different plants to choose from to plant in the median.When selecting plants for your adopted median the most critical consideration is height. The vegetation in a median must not grow taller than two feet to avoid vision hazards. The occasional narrow spike of height is permitted as long as the planting remains see-through.
We also ask that volunteers use plants that are perennial (live for more than one season), salt-tolerant, and drought-tolerant. There are dozens of native short-grasses, sedges, and ground cover plants that both meet height criteria and thrive in these conditions. We strongly encourage the use of native plants due to their ecological value.
|
Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Growth Habit |
Full Sun |
Partial Sun |
Shade |
|
Wildflowers |
|||||
|
Anemone canadensis |
Canada anemone |
Ground cover |
x |
x | |
|
Geranium maculatum |
Wild geranium |
Ground cover |
x | x | x |
|
Fragaria virginiana |
Wild strawberry |
Ground cover |
x | x | x |
|
Ruella humilis |
Wild petunia |
Ground cover |
x | ||
|
Campanula rotundifolia |
Harebell |
Individual |
x | x | |
|
Geum triflorum |
Prairie smoke |
Individual |
x | x | |
|
Liatris aspera |
Rough blazing star |
Individual |
x | x | |
|
Lupinus perennis |
Lupine |
Individual |
x | x | |
|
Allium cernuum |
Nodding onion |
Individual |
x | x | |
|
Drymocallis arguta |
Prairie cinquefoil |
Individual |
x | x | |
|
Coreopsis lanceolata |
Sand coreopsis |
Individual |
x | ||
|
Rudbeckia hirta |
Black-eyed Susan |
Individual |
x | x | |
|
Blephilia ciliata |
Downy wood mint |
Patch-forming |
x | x | |
|
Symphyotricum ericoides |
Heath aster |
Patch-forming |
x | x | |
|
Verbena stricta |
Hoary vervain |
Patch-forming |
x | x | |
|
Coreopsis palmata |
Prairie coreopsis |
Patch-forming |
x | x | |
|
Monarda punctata |
Spotted bee-balm |
Patch-forming |
x | x | |
|
Asclepias verticillata |
Whorled milkweed |
Patch-forming |
x | x | |
|
Asclepias tuberosa |
Butterfly milkweed |
Tidy clump |
x | x | |
| Polemonium reptans |
Jacob's ladder |
Tidy clump |
x | x | x |
|
Grasses & Sedges |
|||||
|
Bromus kalmii |
Prairie brome |
See-through grass |
x | x | |
|
Bouteloua curtipendula |
Sideoats grama |
Tidy clump |
x | x | |
|
Sporobulus heterolepis |
Prairie dropseed |
Tidy clump |
x | x | |
|
Schizachyrium scoparium |
Little bluestem |
Tidy clump |
x | x | |
|
Carex vulpinoidea |
Brown fox sedge |
Tidy clump |
x | x | |
|
Carex molesta |
Field oval sedge |
Tidy clump |
x | x | x |
|
Carex sprengelii |
Long-beaked sedge |
Tidy clump |
x | x | |
|
Shrubs |
|||||
|
Amorpha canescens |
Leadplant |
Shrub-like |
x | x |