Unfortunately, there really aren't any. If they are 'native' (or even long time adapted) they need the conditions they're in to survive, and that includes dormancy. What you want are tropicals only, e.g. Ficus, etc., that will need particular care as well (and won't necessarily agree with what the animals need). I suggest you go to the Terrariums forum to start with and present the conditions (size, animals to be included, etc.) of the new installation to them and see what they say.

I agree with lucy, and I think the terrarium folks will be able to help you out.

Are you thinking of having the planters between exhibits within reach of the children? As someone who has worked at different times in a day care center and as a professional indoor plant technician, I feel obligated to warn you that, even with the best supervision, these plants are going to get beat up pretty fast and need replacing frequently, so budget accordingly, or else put them out of reach somehow.

It sounds like a fun project. I live in Maryland - which museum is it?

I disagree. Shade-tolerant evergreen native plants aren't abundant in the United States, but they do exist. For example, Hydrocotyle is a native marsh plant that tolerates shade. If its soil is moist, it should stay green all year long.

Even evergreen plants native to temperate climates go dormant. If that weren't the case, we'd be growing things like rhododendrons or Colorado spruce indoors.

Are you saying Hydrocotyle will go dormant indoors in front of a sunny window and staying at 72 degrees year round? I haven't tried it yet, but I expect it to stay green all year round.

There are some U.S. native plants that allegedly can be grown indoors...if you live in the Southeastern subtropical zone.

- Tillandsia

- Lisianthus

- Astereae

- Sarracenia

- Passiflora

There are more if you live in California or the Desert Southwest.

Anything that doesn't require a long, dark cold season is the best bet.

The OP is building a display with Maryland natives though

Maybe the OP should ask this of her fellow Marylanders? I'm a native So Californian and would not have a clue what would be native in Maryland. We own property that borders native wilderness and all the time I find interesting plants pop up in partial shade. No clue what it is, but here is one. If it was by a sunny window, it would probably do fine with just a little sun.

The OP posted this 8 years ago so I doubt they will see any of these posts and if they do the museum display probably is already finished.

If anyone else is interested in this kind of discussion, there are both perennial and native forums here, as well as state/regional ones.

Though -- as has been pointed out -- this is an ancient thread resurrected by some post necromancy spell, I'll respond.

@s8us89ds

The OP had expressed an interest in plants <u>native to Maryland</u>. This, then, would translate to winter hardy/temperate plants.

Perennial plants native to the northern regions require a cold winter dormancy -- even the evergreens. It is not merely a matter of utilizing "indoor grow lights". It is more a matter of providing the freezing or near freezing temps these plants require to go and remain in a dormant state for 3-6 months of the year. Without it, they decline and die. This makes them unsuitable as houseplants as there is no practical way to provide them with such conditions indoors. (Even bonsai trees -- if species from the "Great White North" are used -- MUST be given a cold dormancy.)

Now perhaps it might be possible to selectively breed for a lack of dormancy. However, such a program would take years to bear fruit (so to speak) and would likely result in plants which would not go dormant when reintroduced to outdoor life. This would nullify their usefulness as a way to replenish outdoor natives.

Finally, most live plants simply do not work well in vivariums long term. Providing conditions the plant require to thrive (not merely survive) whilst simultaneously providing the correct conditions for animals is surprisingly difficult. Furthermore, animals typically beat the heck out of live plants in the confines of a terrarium in short order. (Think how quickly the grass in one's yard gets killed off in certain spots because of all the foot traffic.)

So for American native species like Purple Coneflower, Dwarf Palmetto, or Southern River Fern...we would simply keep them indoors for the 6 to 9 warm months and then put them on a back porch or a patio during the winter. Sounds easy.

It would provide a nice source of natives to transplant into the yard...and vice-versa. It would provide more "seamless" overall gardening: indoors, outdoors, and in the "in-between" areas like porches and sunrooms. It would discourage the horticultural industry from distributing so many alien and invasive plants which are escaping into the wild, introducing pathogens to our natives, and slowly eliminating native birds and other wildlife.

This can be done with plants that have a large (longitude) range and only need slight changes in temperature/sun/moisture; or plants that grow as a perennial or shrub in the southern part of their range but as a annual or forb in the northern part of their range.

At good example would be Scarlet