Companion species
Pick one plant and see what grows with it: the natives that share its ground in the wild, and the ones that pair with it in a yard because they want the same sun, soil and climate.
In the wild
Common Hoptree (Wafer Ash) grows in rocky ground, the forest understory, stream banks and sandy barrens
These natives share that ground, so they will look right together and want the same care.
Black HuckleberryGaylussacia baccata shares sandy barrens, rocky ground and the forest understory
DeerberryVaccinium stamineum shares sandy barrens, rocky ground and the forest understory
Gray DogwoodCornus racemosa shares stream banks, rocky ground and the forest understory
American BeautyberryCallicarpa americana shares the forest understory and sandy barrens
Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatum shares stream banks and the forest understory
Carolina BuckthornFrangula caroliniana shares rocky ground and the forest understory
Common HackberryCeltis occidentalis shares stream banks and rocky ground
Dwarf Chinquapin OakQuercus prinoides shares sandy barrens and rocky ground
In the yard
Trees to plant it under
Common Hoptree (Wafer Ash) takes some shade, so it can live beneath these.
How the matches are made
Every species we grow is tagged with the natural communities it lives in: floodplain forests, swamps, stream banks, rich slopes, dry ridges, sandy barrens, rocky ground, old fields, the forest understory, the mountains and the coast. Wild neighbors are the species that share one or more of those tags, with the closest matches first. Yard pairings use the plant's own needs instead: overlapping hardiness zones and soil moisture, and for the shade pairings, a size difference of at least two classes and a smaller plant that tolerates part shade or shade.
Sharing a habitat tag does not mean two plants always grow side by side, and a tag says nothing about how far apart to plant them. Use the planting-site check for the spot itself, and the growth estimator for how much room each one will want in twenty years.