Gardening with Native Perennials

March 10, 2015

What do I mean by Native?• Native to the Southern Appalachians (West Virginia to Georgia) • Species plants, not a cultivar or a hybrid• Species=seed grown: each plant is genetically different• Silene caroliniana

• Cultivar=clone/vegetative propagation: distinctive characteristic resulting from cross pollination between plants of same species, or a genetic aberration (usually a chance find)• Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’

• Hybrid=clone/vegetative propagation: new plant resulting from crossing two or more species within a genus • Rhododendron catawbiense x R. griffithianum= R. ‘Cynthia’

Tiarella cordifolia not Tiarella cordifolia ‘Running Tiger’

Chelone lyonii not Chelone ‘Hot Lips’

Why Plant Natives?

• Beautiful and healthy • Food for native insects (pollinators) and birds, therefore

wildlife •More native insects means a lower usage of pesticides in

veggie gardens• Love the soil we have (you don’t have to amend soil for

natives)•Many are very deep rooted and help to block weeds• If happy, sow themselves around your garden: come true from

seeds

Gardening guidelines

•Know your plant: soil, light, environment•Know your plant’s friends: who likes to live near them

•Bring your favorite woods to your yard •Mix with non-natives

Sun-part shade with wet environment

• Inspired by a favorite spots in woods:• Monarda didyma – crimson bee balm• Monarda clinopedia – basil bee balm• Eupatorium maculatum – Joe Pye weed• Eupatorium rugosum – white snakeroot• Chelone lyonii – pink turtlehead• Lobelia sphilitica – big blue lobelia• Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal flower• Polygonatum biflorum – Solomon’s seal• Dryopteris marginalis – marginal wood fern• Onoclea sensibilis – sensitive fern

Sun-part shade with medium-dry environment

•Mixed garden:• Mt. Laurel• Japanese Maple• Eastern native bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia)• Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans)• Creeping thyme• Non-native sedum• Native sedum (Sedum telephoides)• Clumping foam flower (Tiarella wherryi)

Sun-part shade dry sandy rocky soil

• Drought tolerant plants - a mix of native habitats• Allium cernuum – nodding onion• Aquilegia Canadensis – native columbine• Asclepias tuberosa – butterfly weed• Chrysopsis mariana – Maryland golden aster• Eryngium yuccifolium – rattlesnake master• Most Helianthus species – native sunflower• Liatris aspera – rough blazing star• Parthenium interifolium – wild quinine• Penstemon smallii – Small’s penstemon• Phlox maculatum – native sweet William• Silene virginica – fire pinks

Part-full shade with medium soil

• Rich cove - natural community model • Actaea pacypoda- doll’s eyes• Adiantum pedatum – maidenhair fern• Allium trioccum – ramps• Arisaema triphyllum – Jack-in-the-pulpit• Cimicifuga racemosa – black cohosh• Hepatica acutiloba – acute-lobed hepatica• Mitella diphylla – bishop’s cap• Polygonatum biflorum – Solomon’s seal• Sanguinaria canadensis - bloodroot• Smilicina racemosa – Solomon’s plume• Tiarella cordifolia – foam flower