Native Plants with Adams Garden

New Seeds for 2012

2012-01-23T12:13:00.000-08:00

I just got in my 2012 seed order from Prairie Moon Nursery. I'm only trying five new plants this year, but as I noted in my last post, I have another half dozen from last year already started. The plants that I will be trying this year are:

Agastache foeniculum, Blue Giant Hyssop, a mid-western native that is often grown as an annual or short-lived perennial in New England. I normally would have gone with the species native to this area, A. scrophulariifolia, the Purple Giant Hyssop, but this plant can get a bit too large for a residential setting, reaching 6-7'. The Giant Blue Hyssop usually grows to about 3', a more manageable size for a suburban landscape.

Agastache scrophulariifolia in mid-October at
Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA. This was a small one,
others nearby were well over 6' tall.

Chamaecrista (formerly Cassia) fasiculata, Partridge Pea, is an annual that grows on poor well-drained soils. It is often used as a temporary ground cover when establishing a meadow planting and has been recommended for use on roadsides. As with other legumes, Partridge Pea help fix nitrogen into the soil.

Clematis virginiana, Woodbine, is a common woodland vine in the Eastern US. I would like to try it under my Norway Maple, as a complement to the Virginia Creeper that is doing so well. While it reseeds itself easily in the wild, it is more difficult to start indoors.

Lilium philadelphicum, Wood Lily, is a beautiful native lily that, while geographically wide spread, has seen its numbers diminished. This is due in part to harvesting of flowers from the wild. This may also be a tricky one to grow from seeds, but that will have to do until I find a good commercial source for the bulbs.

Solidago ulmifolia, Elm-leaved Goldenrod, is another shade-tolerant perennial. I had such good results last year from the Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (S. caesia), that I thought I would try another woodland goldenrod for comparison.

Since I don't have any plants to show off yet, here's a photo showing each of the five seeds.

Clock-wise from upper left: Agastache foeniculum, Chamaecrista fasiculata,
Clematis virginiana, Lilium philadelphicum, and Solidago ulmifolia.

I need to start the cold stratification for the Lily and Clematis right away!

Repurposing the Christmas Tree = Winter Mulch

2012-01-08T04:49:00.000-08:00

All decorations are off?

Looks sad,
but it's easy to move.

Our Christmas tradition is to leave our tree up through Epiphany, all 12 days of Christmas. In years before we started cutting our own tree, that could be a messy experience when taking down the decorations and moving it outside.

More recently, rather than having the town recycle the entire tree, we have been cutting off the branches indoors and slipping them into a big plastic bag. Cutting the branches in this way allows one final inspection for missing ornaments.

The branch-less tree is now much easier to take out of the stand and move outside. As for the branches, these make an excellent winter mulch. They shade the ground and reduce the affects of freezing and thawing. In the spring they are easy to remove.

The shallow-growing Heuchera, under these branches, are
susceptible to frost heaves. A good winter mulch reduces this effect.

I especially like to use these evergreen branches on the German Irises. These Irises like to stay close to the soil surface, and this way I have not added any 'soil' on top of them.

Branches over the German Irises. In the spring
I just pull away the branches and the Irises are ready to go.

For the rest of my winter mulching I will spread out the remainder of my chopped up leaves from this past autumn. These I will allow to decompose in place to build the soil.

If your tree is already out of the house, it's not too late to harvest some of the branches for use as a convenient winter mulch.

Getting a Jump on Seeds for 2012

2011-12-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

As I was flipping through the Feb 2012 issue of Garden Gate magazine, I came across an article about winter sowing perennial seeds. While I’ve seen this type of thing before, this time it sent me into action. I’ve been moaning about why some seeds I’ve tried just won’t germinate well, if at all. The method described in this article by Michelle Mero Riedel, can also be found at the ‘My Northern GardenBlog', and at the Winter Sown Seeds website. So today I grabbed the two containers I had on hand to give it a try.

1. Cut container, leaving a hinge
2. Make plenty of drain holes

3. Add seed starting mix

In short, it involves cutting 90% of the way across the top of a 1 gal plastic milk carton (or similar) cut, to create a hinged lid. After making some drain holes in the bottom it is loaded with pre-moistened seed starting mix. The seeds are sown at their recommended depth and the top is taped back in place.

4. Sink the containers in soil
outside in a sunny location

Next the carton is put outside in a sunny exposed location and sunken into the soil to simulate the actual soil conditions. In this way the seeds will experience actual winter conditions, but be protected from animals. The cover creates a mini-greenhouse for protection after germination and the contained soil-less mix will be easy to break-up for transplanting after the plants grow up a bit. It is important not to put the cap back on the jugs, otherwise the seeds will cook.

The first seeds that I am trying are one’s that did not germinate for me last time: Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Rosey Sedge (Carex rosea). As I get more containers I will also try this with the difficult Fernleaf False Foxglove (Aureolaria pedicularia) as well as with seeds that gave a lower % germination last season: Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corolorata), and Crowned Beggarsticks (Bidens coronata).

One trick I did differently from the article was to use a drill fitted with a brad point bit to drill very neat holes in the plastic, rather than using an awl or screwdriver. We’ll see next spring how this method compares my usual method of cold stratification in the refrigerator. So far this ‘winter sowing’ method has been pretty easy, plus it doesn’t take up space in the frig and I won’t need to use the grow lights for two months this spring. Also by winter sowing early, I won’t be digging into frozen soil to sink in the containers.

Native Plants Update 2011

2011-12-09T13:37:00.001-08:00

Now that most of the fall chores are done, I took some time to think about how some of my native plants were doing. My main focus is on those that I started from seed, but I have also put in some newer perennials and shrubs that put in as more mature specimens

New this Year from Seed

I successfully started the following species from seed this year.

• Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea, is a perennial, similar to the annual sweet everlastings (Pseudognaphallium obtusifolium) that I have had trouble transplanting into the garden in the past. These germinated well, but did not do well in ‘regular’ soil; however the ones that I put into a bed of decomposed bark chips seem to be taking hold. So it appears that these plants like a well drained, airy soil.

• Flowering Spurge, Euphorbia corollata, had limited germination but did grow well in the soilless mix. The transplants, like the Anaphalis above, showed a strong preference for lighter, well drained soils.

• Crowned Beggarticks, Bidens coronata, were difficult to germinate, unlike some of its prolific cousins. They did mature and bloom early in the season (June-August), but after setting seed this annual expired. This is in contrast to the Swamp Beggarticks that spend the summer growing to a good sized shrub before blooming in September.

It's nearly December and this plant has been trying to
bloom for awhile. The arrow shows one of the trilobed
leaves for which this species is named.

• The woodland sunflower, Helianthus divaricatus, also had limited germination, but produced fairly strong plants. Like the Brown-eyed Susans, these have spent their first year in the ground getting established. These have a reputation for being aggressive, so they have been put under the Norway Maple.

• Brown-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba, was difficult to germinate in moist sand. I did get better results with cold stratification in damp soil for 2 months in the refrigerator. These seedlings are spending their first year getting established in the soil, i.e., no flowers this year. Although with the extended warm weather this year there are a couple which have been trying to bloom since October.

Old from Seed

The following plants have performed well from seed in the past and I just wanted more of them:

• I really love the Orange Hummingbird Mint, Agastache aurantica ‘Navaho Sunset’, as much for the smell of its foliage as I do for the flowers. This perennial grows well from seed under lights and blooms the first year. Older plants are maturing to 2-2.5’ tall. So far I have not seen strong evidence of self seeding, but I believe it should.

Two shades of Sulfur Cosmos with
some American Bellflower in the back.

• Sulfur Cosmos, Cosmos sulphureus, are southwestern natives that grow and reseed well in garden soil in the Northeast. I had grown these in the past, but they were pushed out by my experiments with the more massive Bidens aristosa. I do prefer these in the garden since they are of more manageable size and have beautiful bright flowers. While they are fine left on their own, they do better, bloom-wise, with dead heading.

• Rock Harlequin, Corydalis sempervirens, is a favorite of mine, though, like many other natives this is not for general garden soil. It likes lean, well drained conditions. Some that I had growing in a pot, bloomed and started a second generation in an adjoining tray. I’m over-wintering these seedlings for next year. Once these plant have set a lot of seed they tend to peter out and die.

• The Indian Blanket, Gallardia pulchella, seeds that I got in Austin three years ago are still viable (refrigerator storage). These seeds produce variable plants that that will stand tall in the open or grow sideways to find an opening in more competitive environments. So far I have seen no evidence of self seeding in my New England garden, though the plants themselves need a good hard frost to kill them for the year.

• Cucumberleaf Sunflower, Helianthus debilis, is a Southeastern native that has made its way up the east coast as far as Maine. I got the cultivar ‘Pan’ three years ago and it seems to be coming back true to seed.

• Spotted Beebalm, Monarda punctata, is a short-lived perennial that is easy to start under lights and grows well in a variety of soils. After three years I am beginning to see signs of it spreading, just as the older plants are beginning to die off.

• I also bought the Texas native Drummond Phlox, Phlox drummondii, seeds in Austin three years back. Seeds stored in the refrigerator are still viable, and they will reseed themselves within a season, but I have not seen any overwinter up here naturally.

Purchased Native ‘Annuals’

This year I tried using all southwestern natives in my deck flower boxes. Just to be bold I went with a ‘primary’ color scheme: Mealy-cup Sage, Saliva farinacea, provided the blue spikes; I used Apache Beggarticks, Bidens ferulifolia, for yellow ‘fillers’ and the Drummond Phlox for a deep red, that I hoped would act as a ‘trailer’. I purchased the Sage and Bidens at a garden center and the phlox were from seed. While these plants survived the hot and occasionally very dry conditions, I found that the effect was compromised by ‘spotty’ blooming. The Salvia was a constant blue, but the Bidens tended to bloom in cycles that rarely coincided with the Phlox.

The Phlox is blooming while the yellow Bidens is between bloom cycles.

Returning on their Own

I have a fairly long list of annuals, biennials and perennials that are spreading mostly by seed. In managing these I need to be willing to toss out the extras (that I can’t give away) rather than let one or two aggressive species dominate. So here’s a quick summary of this years results:

• Red Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis reseeds well and stays ‘close to home’.

• Swamp Marigold, Bidens aristosa, vigorous self-seeder, but not too hard to pull out.

• American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum, also a vigorous self-seeder, but grows in dry shady locations.

• Strawberry Blite, Chenopodium capitatum, thought this was lost but it reappeared; this plant is too ‘sloppy’ for the flower garden, but it has other uses.

• Philadelphia Fleabane, Erigeron philadelphicus, mostly coming up from self-scattered seed in the lawn.

• Northern Sea Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium, was grown from seed started about 5 years ago and up until last year had been staying put. This past season I was finding it scattered around the garden. I have been moving the extra to underneath the Norway Maple, where this enthusiastic growth is needed.

• Sand Love Grass, Eragrotis trichodies, grows on dryish, sites with full sun. It produces attractive seed heads in early fall and slightly taller than it’s relative Purple Love Grass. This is a relatively short lived grass, so a decent seed bank will be needed to ensure its continued presence.

• Biennial Beeblossom, Gaura biennis has been reseeding itself since I first planted it in 2008. Even with cutting back in the early summer, this biennial will reach 6’ tall.

• American Pennyroyal, Hedeoma pulegiodes, has been reseeding itself consistently since 2008. It tends to concentrate in pavement cracks. When possible I have been moving this to more useful garden locations.

Scarlet, or Texas Sage

• Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, tends to stay close to the original planting location. My plants typically survive from 1-3 years.

• Scarlet Sage, Salvia coccinea, has been a surprise. It has reseeded itself in a variety of locations and matured on its own to give healthy, blooming specimens from July through September. Based on my experience with other red Salvias, I did not expect this one to come back so strongly.

• Showy Goldenrod, Solidago speciosa, spreads by both seed and underground runners. I have had to remove excess plants from the garden and am running out of places to put them.

• Swamp Verbena, Verbena hastata, is also an aggressive self-seeder. It grows in pavement cracks as well as in the garden.

New Perennials & Shrubs

In addition to the plants originally grown from seed, I put in the following perennials and shrubs. In the sun:

• Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa, is a tap-rooted perennial. It is found in coastal areas, so I am hoping that it will tolerate a roadside planting location.

• Sheep Laurel, Kalmia angustifolia, is a spreading shrub, growing to about 3’. I’m putting in place of some Meadowsweet that had grown too large.

Fall color of 'Blue Muffin' Viburnum
(a crimson colored leaf from a 'Winterthur'
Viburnum is to the back left).

In the shadier areas I added Canada Anemone, Anemone canadensis, Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum dipyllum, and Blue Stemmed Goldenrod, Solidago caesia. The Poppy and Goldenrod have performed well in the shade. The Anemone seemed to disappear after a month or so, but I could still find a leaf or two late in the season.

Finally, I added an Arrowwood Viburnum, Viburnum dentatum ‘Blue Muffin’, to the shrub border. Mainly I wanted to see how this oft used cultivar performs. So far my specimen stayed green longer than my 'Winterthur' Viburnum and, when the leaves did change, the coloration was fine, but not spectacular; a good foil for showier plants.

So, now I can start thinking about next year. More on that later....

Fall at Mount Auburn

2011-12-01T08:11:00.001-08:00

As the fall foliage season is coming to a close in New England I thought I would share just two of many photos I've taken at the Mount Auburn Cemetery, in Cambridge, MA.

This photo is one of my favorites every fall. The juxtaposition of the Crabapple, Japanese Maple and the Sycamore shows both the different forms and colors of these trees. Although the weather was rainy, the colors still show through.

Now that the leaves on the trees are gone many of the plantings featuring ornamental grasses have become quite spectacular. Especially with the lower angle of the sun, the grasses really light up in the morning and afternoon light.

Here at the planting atop Willow Pond Knoll, the red twig dogwood is really showing it's color. About 2 weeks ago the twigs were only slightly red-tinged, so the cooler weather has really brought these along, color wise.

Free Fertilizer!

2011-11-17T05:35:00.001-08:00

Before, since I don't have as many trees in front,
most to these leaves came from the street

Every year at this time I see so many people raking up and throwing out an excellent, free material for building their soil and feeding their plants and lawn. By mowing in the leaves you return nutrients to the soil, build organic matter, cut down on disposal or transportation costs and, best of all, you don’t need to bend over to pick up the leaves.

After. 10 minutes later, the leaves are 'gone'.

Last season I blogged about this same topic, and you can look back there to read about more good reasons to mow in your leaves. I can also refer you to a recent post from MassHort on fall preparations for more about mowing leaves. They also recommend lowering the mower blades for the last mowings of the season. I did that this year and I got some pretty clean results. There are some special cases that argue against mowing the leaves back into the soil, but there are many more cases where the benefits far outweigh any downside. So for the last mowing/raking of the year, lower the blades a little and just run over those leaves.

Chokeberries, they gotta find a new name

2011-11-11T07:09:00.001-08:00

NOT Burning Bush! This a Red Chokeberry,
Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' growing at the edge of a parking lot.

Flowers of Red Chokeberry in late May-early June

The Chokeberries are medium-sized shrubs native to eastern North America and have landscape attributes that make them good replacements for the invasive ‘Burning Bush’, Euonymus alatus. Like the Euonymus, these shrubs will grow under a wide variety of conditions and they have good fall color. In fact, this year seems to be an exceptional year for chokeberry foliage! In general, Red Chokeberry has more intense orange to red fall foliage, while Black Chokeberry is more a crimson red. Unlike the Euonymus, the Chokeberries do have showy pinkish-to-white 5-petaled flowers, they have edible berries in the fall and, as natives, they are not invasive.

The two most commonly available species of Chokeberry are: the Red, Aronia arbutifolia, and the Black, Aronia melanocarpa. There is a third species, Aronia prunifolia, the Purplefruit Chokeberry, which may be a natural hybrid of the red and black chokeberries.

 The

Pair of Red Chokeberries in a mixed native planting,
early June.

Red Chokeberry is an upright suckering shrub that will grow 6-12’ tall. Besides the bright red-orange fall foliage, it produces bright red berries that will persist into December. These fruits are edible, but bitter, which is probably why they do not get eaten right away by birds. While it will grow under a wide range of soil conditions from boggy conditions to dry soils, it prefers the moister conditions. Its native range is from the southeastern US to southern New England. The most commonly available form of Red Chokeberry is the cultivar ‘Brilliantissima’, noted for profuse quantities of glossy, red berries.

The Black Chokeberry is a smaller suckering shrub, growing to 3-6’ tall and wide. In addition to its crimson fall foliage it produces quantities of black berries that are eaten up by wildlife by November. Unlike the Red Chokeberry, the black berries, while tart, are more palatable and are used to make jellies and pemmican. These berries are notable for containing high levels of antioxidants and minerals. I went out to sample a berry, but they were already dried up; the taste was reminiscent of a dried fig. Next season I will take a taste while they still have some juice in them. The native range for Black Chokeberry is in the cooler climates of North America, mainly in the Northeast, from Michigan to Maine. There are several cultivars of Black Chokeberry available. The one I have is called Iroquois Beauty™ (‘Morton’). It is listed as a dwarf, growing to about 4’ tall and wide. I have not done any significant pruning in the 5 years I've had this plant.

Black Chokeberry, mid-Fall color.

Same plant at peak color in early November

These shrubs are tolerant of salt, drought, flooding and compacted soils. Other than in full shade, one of these Aronia species will grow nearly anywhere. In my work I look to use them in borders, mixed hedgerows and along woodland edges. Their foliage is less dense than that of the invasive Euonymus, so are better players in a mixed composition. Now if they could just find a better name...

Under the Norway Maple - Part 2

2011-10-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

As the growing season is slowly coming to a close I thought I would revisit the status of the native species I have be evaluating under my Norway Maple. There have been some improvements and some failures and one plant that I thought I lost has returned in a different spot. In general many of the plants continuing to grow, only slower and smaller due to competition from the mature Maple.

Maturing berries of Winterthur Viburnum start off
bright green, then turn pink, then finally dark blue.

First the good news. After 4 years of growing with no berries, I finally got a good crop from my Winterthur Viburnum (Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur'). While it had been slogging along at the edge of the tree canopy, it produced no fruit until I brought in a native form last fall. This year, with the cross pollination, mature berries were produced for the first time here.

Another plant the seems to be catching on is the Northern Sea Oats (Chasmantheum latifolium) that I moved in last year. These overwintered and grew fairly well in the shade along the back fence. I would like this grass to grow up and obscure the chain-link fence. A new addition, that seems to be working out is the Bluestemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia). The native habitat for this plant is in open woods, so at least this plant is used to the shade.

The Northern Sea Oats are doing well along the fence.
The new Bluestemmed Goldenrod is in full bloom (late September)
and the Witchhazel is just getting started

The Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) that I thought had faded away returned in a new spot and looked healthier this year than when it was first planted 4 years ago.

I transplanted a lot of 2nd year American Bellflowers (Campanulastrum americanum, a biennial) along the back edge of the garden. These did well though early and mid-summer until they died out after completing their bloom cycle. The test will be whether new plants return from the seed.

The biennial Allegheny Vine (Adlumia fungosa) did not come back with any new seedlings this year (unless they were lost in the spreading Virginia Creeper). A new addition that I thought would work but did not do well was Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis); I will keep a eye out for this next spring.

Successes

Other plants that are expanding are:

The Rosinweed is standing tall while the Smooth Aster
and Showy Goldenrod have flopped forward toward the sun.

American Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides, an annual returning from seed), Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve), Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium), Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia, now the dominant grond cover), and Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata).

I should give a shout out to the Rosinweed. While it does not have the prettiest flowers, it was in bloom all summer. Then, I cut the spent blooms back to some new flower buds and got the second flush shown in the photo. (Cutting back when no buds are present just leaves you with a leafy stem; I tried that last year.)

Plants holding their own:

Christmas Fern, Bellwort and Wild Bleeding Heart
have looked good all season.

Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Rosey sedge (Carex rosea), Alumroot (Heuchera villosa), Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla), Largeflower bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora), Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana )

Fading or gone:

Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia fragariodes) has disappeared and the Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) was down to only two sprigs in the spring before it disappeared. Hairy Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum pubescens) has been in this area for 4 years but it now seems to be in decline. I put in a new one this fall and am hoping for its return.

Plants that should work, planned for next season:

Last year I planned to put in Labrador violet (Viola labradorica) and Maple-leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) but didn't. I'll try to get those for next spring. I will will also give the Canada Anemone another shot. I also have some Large-leaf Aster (Eurybia macrophylla) that I should move over, seeing as it usually does well in dry shade.

In addition to using plants that are strong competitors that can get their share of moisture there are some maintenance practices that will help the understory plants survive under the Norway Maple (or other mature tree for that matter). Limbing up and thinning the canopy to let in more sunlight helps a lot. Also, new plants should be irrigated deeply the first year to get them established, as well as under droughty conditions (mid-summer). I have a rain barrel with a special low pressure soaker hose to help with this. Returning the leaf mulch to the understory area helps to build the soil.

Biennial Beeblossom

2011-10-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Biennial Beeblossom in mid-September

As the name implies Biennial Beeblossom, Gaura biennis, is a true biennial, it establishes a basal rosette the first season and the sends up the flower stalk the second. This stalk can reach 6 feet or more, with clusters of small white flowers borne on the ends of wand-like stems. Flowers in the cluster open 2 or 3 at a time and turn pink with age. As with other members of the Onagraceae, or Evening Primrose family, these flowers open in the evening and close up the following day. The blooming period is from July into October. After the first flush, plants can be cut back severely; they will produce a second flush of blooms. I have also cut the plant back by up to ½ in mid-June to give a plant only slightly shorter with many more flowering stems. I have transplanted second-year plants without loss of vigor. I even had a root-bound plant in a 4” pot grow to 3 feet tall and bloom successfully.

Basel rosette of Gaura biennis form in the first season

Fresh flowers open at 9:30 PM

A bumblebee making a landing on a Beeblossom flower.

The flowers of G. biennis are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, especially bumblebees. When bees visit the flowers they grab on to the long stamen and crawl to the corolla to get the nectar. In the process their abdomen rubs against the anthers and stigma of the flower thus transferring pollen. Several moths also visit this plant. Two interesting pink colored species are the Primrose Moth, Schinia florida, found in the eastern US and the Clouded Crimson, Shinia gaurea, found in the western half of the US. The first 2 years I grew this plant I did not see too much insect activity, but this year there were a lot of bumblebees visiting the plant at sunrise, while the flowers are still relatively fresh (but alas, no pink moths that I have seen).

The original native range for Gaura biennis in the United States is from the Southeast to Midwest and Pennsylvania. Populations have been found further east and west the northern states including Massachusetts. The native habitat includes open and disturbed places, open woods and stream banks. It can tolerate a range of soil moisture from moist to dry and exposures from full to partial sun. Best growth occurs when there is good sun, and not too much water or fertilization provided (it can flop over when it grows too tall).

Even after cutting back in June,
this plant is approaching 7 feet.

This plant can be rather lanky. Its tall habit with long stalked flowers may make it a good candidate for creating a screen or a back-of-the-border plant. I can see combining this plant with the American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum, which blooms from the end of June to the beginning of August. As the bellflower dies out the Beeblossom would take over blooming for another 6 weeks or so.

Seeds are available from several sources, mostly based in the mid-west, including Prairie Moon Nursery and Ever Wilde Farms. For seed started indoors, a 60 day period of moist stratification is recommended. In my hands this gave reasonable, though not exceptional results. My first generation of plants have reseeded themselves with moderate vigor so that I have had several plants growing consistently since 2008.

Lindheimer's Beeblossom,
Gaura lindheimeri.

The commercially more popular form of Gaura is Lindheimer’s Beeblossum, Gaura lindheimeri, which is a short-lived perennial. I also have this plant in my garden, but it does not seem to be as popular with the pollinators as the Biennial Beeblossom. The popularity of of this plant is that, as a perennial, it has a more consistent presence in the garden, a long period of bloom and at 2-3 feet it is of a more manageable size.

September Showers bring ... Mushrooms

2011-09-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

This year, in addition to all the native asters and goldenrods, our annual late summer trip to Downeast Maine featured a huge variety of mushrooms. Ususally on our walks through the woods we see a lot of different mushrooms, but this year was exceptional in both quantity and variety. All of the rain, about twice the average for August, has set the table for mushrooms to grow.

These were the first mushrooms I saw, but there were many more to come...

I'm not a mushroom expert, in fact I don't think I know any of the names, but I know I do like the way they look. The following are sampling of the hundred or so photos I took during a one hour walk. If anyone can tell me the names of these fungi it would be much appreciated.

This little cup is about an inch across.

This form was fairly common.

These white mushrooms were less common along our walk.

While I am often looking for a pristine specimen,
an aged cap can offer a more interesting image.

These inch-tall fungi are among my favorite, they look like tiny space invaders.

This older specimen shows a lot of character,
especially on the stalk.

This was my foavorite shot of the day. I had not seen
this type of mushroom growing in a standing tree before.

We almost missed seeing these dark mushrooms.

These were the only puffballs we saw this day.

More inch-tall mushrooms. I had to set the camera
on the ground to get this angle.

Another 'ground' shot.

These bracket mushrooms caught my eye with their irridescent edges.

Thank heavens for my digital camera and for auto-focus! I'm sure I would have run out of film in the first hour with my old SLR. I also want to thank my two mushroom spotters who found most of these for me.

North Point Park, Cambridge, MA

2011-08-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

I have heard, on and off, about the construction of North Point Park as a 'set aside' from Boston's Big Dig. It's in an area I always shied away from because of the the traffic. But on a quiet day last Sunday and a reminder from some landscaping associates I finally made the short trip into East Cambridge.

The 8.5 acre park was opened in Dec. 2007 and is on the north bank of the Charles River just east of Boston's Science Museum. For backgound on the history and construction I will refer you to a Wiki article and item from the Boston Globe. The design was done by Carr Lynch & Sandell of Cambridge and Oehme van Sweden of Washington, DC. Van Sweden is noted for their use for grasses, and it shows well in this park.

View looking northeast into Cambridge.

The park is designed for multiple uses and, on my visit, it seems to do them well. The landscape is varied. There are large open areas for lounging or more active pursuits. There are playground areas that are clean and modern. There are areas with dense plantings that offer some privacy and there are a couple of islands, linked by bridges. All of these work together to form an interesting and diverse experience. Another aspect that I found to be very nicely done is to have separate path systems for various modes of transport: Walking paths, Bike paths and Channels for kayaking.

Playground with fountain spary.

A more secluded gathering area.
I'm curious how this will be used.

A section of bike path around a stand of Prairie Coneflower.

View to the east. Plantings had to be selected to deter use by geese.

One of the Kayaking channels.

Looking at the plant palette, I was expecting to see all native plants, but what is here is a pragmatic mix of natives and non-natives with the focus on design and survivability, rather than strict use of native species. Personally, would have like to have seen more natives, but visually, this design 'works'.

Mix of grasses including native Panicum and non-native Pennisetum.

View south toward Boston through a hedge
of non-native Corneilian Cherries (Cornus mas).

Liriope and a dwarf Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
form an effective groundcover.

My favorite combination: Joe-Pye Weed and Hibiscus hybrid ('Lord Baltimore'?)

On this day the most striking plant compostition was the Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium dubium) and the hybrid Hibiscus. One of the reasons I like this is that they are both wetlands plants native to the eastern U.S. (or at least derived from eastern natives).

My biggest concern for this park is how it will be maintained. Will the beds be weeded out of invasives and plants blown in from other parts of the park, or will a form of succession be allowed. I noticed a few patches of purple loosestrife and bittersweet growing among the plantings. I also found a patch of Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense), a native of the southeastern U.S. that has spread across the continent. This is a really well defended plant with thorns on its stems and its leaves. Currently the park is not getting a lot of visitors. I hope people come and take notice of it and insist that it get the maintenance attention that it needs in the coming years.

Getting Viburnums to bear Fruit

2011-08-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last year I posted a blog on how using cloned plants may reduce the viability of seed produced in the garden. In some cases this is not a bad thing from a design point of view, if it is desirable to limit the number of ‘spontaneous’ seedlings and maintain a 'clean' ground plane. If your goal is to produce seeds and berries for wildlife, then the use of sterile, or self-sterile plants is of no advantage. The situation that brought this up was that the Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’ that I have has never produced more than a couple of small berries each year. After 5 years of this I investigated the situation and leaned that in order for Viburnums to produce seed it must be pollinated by a genetically distinct individual. (You see most cultivars are clones of the same individual.) So last summer I picked up a straight species form of Viburnum nudum and planted it nearby.

These pale green berries will turn pink, then dark blue as they ripen.

This year I’ve got many, many more berries forming on the ‘Winterthur’, as well as the species plant. The species and ‘Winterthur’ bloomed at the same time; this is very important for cross-pollination. There is a difference in form and fall color between the two plants. ‘Winterthur’ is more upright and the fall colors on a single plant vary from light orange to red. The species plant is more lax and turn a rich burgundy color in the fall. Now I’m looking forward to seeing some of those brightly colored berries later in the fall.

Fall color for 'Winterthur' cultivar

Viburnum nudum species in early November.

Only a few of the signature blue berries
matured on this lone Arrowwood Viburnum.

Earlier this year I also added an Arrowwood Viburnum, Viburnum dentatum ‘Christom’= Blue Muffin®, to fill a gap in a shrub border. To my knowledge there are no other Arrowwoods in the neighborhood. This species of viburnum blooms 3-4 weeks earlier than the ‘Winterthur’ and only two clusters of late blooms overlapped with the opening of the flowers on the ‘Winterthur’. On inspection today, the Arrowwood has just a few mature berries on the plant, all of the other flowers just fell off shortly after blooming. So it may be that the pollen from these two species is compatible, but their blooming times are so different that they are not practical mates.

In any case, now when I recommend Viburnums in a wildlife-friendly garden, I try to include two different cultivars of the same species, or look to see if there are some other plants of the same species growing nearby. I will need to look for a chart with bloom times for all of the Viburnums to see if there any other possibilities for interspecies compatibility, as is done with Holly.

A Rainbow of Colors

2011-07-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

As I was trying to think of some deep topics to discuss on my blog in late July, I was working in the garden and realized that just about everything was in bloom. In fact there are North American natives blooming in all the colors of the rainbow right now. So I thought I would share examples of each color from my garden.

Mixed border with Cosmos, Agastache and Spotted Beebalm

I’ll start with some of the warmer shades. I reintroduced the annual Sulfur Cosmos, Cosmos sulphureus, this year (it had been pushed out by the overly vigorous Bearded Beggarticks). These along with Orange Hummingbird Mint, Agastache aurantiaca ‘Navaho Sunset’, and the Spotted Beebalm, Monarda punctata, form a rather dense border on the south side of the house.

A self-seeded Blood Sage

Mixed in with these are a few Blood Sage, Salvia coccinea, a Texas native that reseeded from last year. Overall the red shades are underrepresented, the only other red is some Drummond Phlox, Phlox drummondii, also from Texas.

A native bee is sampling from a Wine Cup

For a really hot magenta I have Wine Cups, Callirhoe involucrata, native to the central U.S. This viney perennial has been doing well on it’s own for 5-6 years on the east side of the house.

Cooling down to the pinks, I have been really surprised with the Pink Tickseed, Coreopsis rosea; a Massachusetts native. It prefers moist soils and this one seems very happy growing in a crack in the driveway. There must be runoff collecting under the pavement. Another pink flowering native I have is Butterfly Gaura, Gaura lindheimeri. While native to Texas and Louisiana, it can be found growing in many gardens in the Northeast.

This Pink Tickseed has been growing in the driveway for more than 5 years.

Butterfly Weed

A new addition for me is the orange Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa. As it is quite drought tolerant, I’m trying it out in the ‘Hell Strip’ along the road. This area is exposed to a lot of sun and it is difficult to get water to soak in. Hopefully this tap-rooted plant can get established here.

Yellow seems to be the most commonly seen color for native plants. You see Black-eyed Susans and Yellow Coneflowers everywhere. I have them too. A couple of less commonly used species are the Prairie Coneflower, Rabitida pinnata, with its paler, more lax petals, and Whorled Rosinweed, Silphium trifoliatum. The coneflower has been just getting by, popping out from a dense border of Purple Coneflowers and a variety of native asters. On the other hand the Rosinweed stands tall (actually it leans forward) in the dry shade under a Norway Maple.

Whorled Rosinweed, leaves in whorls of three.

Prairie Coneflower

Inland Sea Oats turn golden in fall.

There is lots of green in the garden from all the leaves, but there are also some other green features. The green flowers of my Strawberry Blite, Chenopodium capitatum, are forming now, to be followed by bright red berries. Also there are grasses, such as the Inland Sea Oats, Chasmantheum latifolium, shown here.

'Victoria'

Moving on to blue, may last post was about the American Bellflower that is all over my garden. Instead I’ll show you the Mealycup Sage, Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria’, that I have in my flower boxes. This tender perennial native to the south-central U.S. it a common garden annual available at many nurseries in the Northeast. While not native up here it does get a fair amount of traffic from both native and honey bees.

For lavender I’ll show you my Wild Petunias, Ruellia humilis. This plant is native to the Eastern U.S., but not New England. I started this one from seed in 2007 and it slowly spreading into some of the sunnier and drier spots around the house.

Wild Petunia, late to emerge,
but in full bloom in early July.

Of course there is the ever popular Purple Cone Flower, Echinacea purpurea. Mine are from seed and I am seeing a lot of variation in size and color. Instead I’ll show the less popular Swamp Verbena, Verbena hastata. This somewhat weedy plant is found all over North America. It reseeds vigorously and will grow under a wide variety of conditions. I have been cutting mine back by half in mid-June to control their size and get a few more blooms. I started seeds for both the species (violet) and a naturally occurring pink form, ‘Rosea’, in 2008. As you can see I am still seeing examples of each, though the violet is much more prevalent.

A pink form of Swamp Verbena along with the more common Violet form.

Philadelphia Fleabane is found throughout North America

I have no black native flowers, but I do have a lot of white ones. There’s the long-blooming shrub Meadowsweet, Spiraea latifolia, the Bigleaf Asters, now known as Eurybia macrophylla, and purple-leaved Heuchera villosa. All of which I grew from seed from the New England Wildflower Society. Here I have Philadelphia Fleabane, Erigeron philadelphicus, that just blew in on its own.

Blooming is not over, there are still more plants to come, but it nice to see everything that is going on despite the heat of summer.

American Bellflower Update

2011-07-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

American Bellflower, in bloom from
late June through August

Over a year ago I posted some information on the American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum. This plant, or it's progeny anyway (it's a biennial) have been growing in my yard since 2008. It spends its first year as a rather innocuous rosette of leaves, but in its second year it shoots up to form a flower stalk between 2 and 6 feet in height, depending on location. This spring I had an over abundance of second year plants within about 5 feet of the 2009 plants that I let go to seed. This spread is consistent with the smooth round seed just falling to the ground from the tall flower stalks. Not wanting to throw any of these seedlings out, I redistributed them to a variety of areas in my yard that are normally difficult for growing flowering plants.

A spontaneous composition on
the edge of the driveway with
Spiarea latifolia, the blue
Campanulastrum and
Rudbecia hirta.

The Campanulstrum growing in
dry shade under a Crabapplealong a foundation.

Along the North side, here the Hostas
hide the legginess of the Bellflower

Growing in rocky soil from under the
deck - plants forming a screen.

It seems that the plant looks better in some of the more challenging locations, where its vigor is moderated. In rich soil with lots of sun it can become a floppy 6 foot monster. Some places where it is doing nicely are : cracks in the driveway, a sterile rocky area under a deck, north side of the house, under a Norway Maple and in the deep shade of a Crab Apple along a dry foundation. I think this latter location shows the American Bellflower at its best.

As far as pollinators, it seems that there is one particular bee, probably a type of Mason or Miner Bee (can anyone ID this for me?), that really loves this plant. The first couple of years I didn't see much action with bees, but this year the bee activity has taken off! A few larger bumblebees drop in, but they prefer the Meadowsweet (Spiarea latifolia var. alba) for the most part.

The meadowsweet is preferred by the bumblebees

I have been a little concerned with how vigorously this plant reproduces, however it is fairly easy to pull up so it can be controlled in the garden fairly easily. It is not as aggressive a reseeder as my Bearded Beggarticks (Bidens aristosa), which I am glad to say is easily edited out by selective pulling. The question of persistance of the seed remains. How many years will it lie dormant in the soil?

Also, since this bellflower is not a Massachusetts native, I wouldn't recommend its use near wild areas in this state. But I do think it works well as a North American native that is well adapted to the conditions of the modern residential landscape, particularly under trees and along shady foundations.

Update: Native Seeds for 2011

2011-06-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Following up on the Native Seeds for 2011 post, here’s a status report on what has and has not worked so far…

Did not germinate:

Allegheny vine (Adlumia fungosa) I’ve written a lot about this biennial vine. I just can’t get enough of it. I was surprised that the new seeds I bought this year did not germinate; however, I do have one self sown plant that is doing great and should be blooming soon. I also have overwintered and planted out some from last year. I’ll need to make a point of harvesting my own seeds this year.

Fern-leaf False Foxglove (Aureolaria peduculata) This biennial is parasitic on oaks, but, reportedly, does not need them for germination. None of these have germinated, despite trying several different germination conditions.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) This is the first year I’ve tried these and alas, none had germinated. Fortunately I did get some bare root plants from Prairie Moon Nursery, and these are developing nicely.

Rosey Sedge (Carex rosea) I’ve had a small clump of this perennial grass for nearly 5 years. I was not able to get the seeds I bought this year to germinate. I understand that Carex is generally a difficult plant to grow from seed.

Good germination:

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) This is a perennial with white, long lasting flowers similar to the annual Sweet Everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtussifolium) that I’ve tried several times before. These germinated really well, but have grown on very slowly and so far have not transplanted well. I just may not have the right touch, or location, for these plants.

Tall Swamp Marigold or Crowned Beggarticks (Bidens coronata) is an annual, with good-sized yellow flowers. These did not germinate last year when I cold stratified them in moist sand for 60 days, so this year I got a new batch of seed and conditioned them in moist soil for 60 days in the refrigerator. I was thrilled to see that they were sprouting within 5 days of coming to room temperature. I’ve got these blooming in the garden already! So far I would rate these better than the Bidens aristosa, for early bloom and a manageable size; however it’s still early so we’ll see how long the bloom continues and how vigorously they reseed themselves (a little, a lot or none at all?).

Browneyed Susan and American Pennyroyal in a pot.

Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) is a short-lived perennial, that while taller has a more delicate appearance than the typical Black-eyed Susan (R. hirta). Last year when I conditioned these in damp sand I got no germination. This year moist stratification in the soilless mix resulted in good and rapid germination after just 4 days of coming out of the refrigerator. I’ve moved some of these to pots and some into the garden. I don’t know if these will grow on to bloom this year, or if they need a season to get established.

Some germination:

Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata) Perennial also known as Wild Baby’s Breath. I thought this could be good for general landscape use, with white flowers through mid-summer. I got a low rate of germination and the plants seem slow to develop. Once the temperatures got over 90, the seedlings began to take off. I’m trying this in several locations and have this one in a pot. So I’m hopeful that at least one of these will mature.

Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) Perennial for dry shade. This plant can be weedy in the garden, but I really want to test it out under the Norway Maple where its vigor may be tempered by this challenging environment. Only 4 of these germinated, but these are developing nicely. I’ve already moved a couple under the 'nasty' Maple and they are continuing to grow.

Repeats, with good results:

Orange Hummingbird Mint (Agastache aurantica ‘Navaho Sunset’) grew quite well last year and I got good germination from the same crop of seeds as last year. Last year’s plants are a dense mass about 18” tall, not ready to bloom yet, but the foliage smells really great, even as tiny plants.

Native to rocky slopes, these transplants
are doing well among some Bearded Iris.

Rock Harlequin (Corydalis sempervirens) Even though the seed was for 2010, still gave a very good rate of germination. Some seedlings that I transplanted into rich humusy soil died immediately, while those interplanted with the Bearded Iris, in unimproved soil, are doing quite well.

Sulfur Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) these germinated well both indoors under lights and direct sown in the garden. I was concerned that I would confuse the seedlings with those from the Bidens aristosa that has reseeded itself all over the garden beds. There are a couple of features that distinguish the seedlings. The first pair of leaflets from the Cosmos are each nearly an inch long, compared to about ¼” for the Bidens, the Cosmos germinate about 2 weeks later than the Bidens (although the Bidens continue to germinate from late April to the middle of June) and while the leaves of both species are deeply divided, the Cosmos have broader rounder tips than those of the Bidens. I am pulling up and discarding the Bidens seedlings, this will be a test of whether I can eliminate this species from the garden so that I can test other plants.

Note the long cotyledon leaves and rounded leaf tips

Compare the first pair of leaves with
those of the Cosmos.

The annual American Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides) has been getting established from a planting 2 years ago. I’ve found that these reseed themselves rather well and grow well under lights (after 30 days cold stratification), but did not come up where I seeded them directly in the garden. I guess these do better when they find their own home. I’ve planted out a few of these and am growing some in pots. I plan to snag a few leaves to rub on my arms to test their mosquito repellent properties.

Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata) had germinated within 6 weeks in damp sand, while still in the dark in the refrigerator. I moved the germinated seedlings to starter mix and still ended up with a healthy crop of little plants.

Sweet Everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium) has given me trouble on transplanting in the past two years. An this year is no exception – lots of seedlings that do not transplant well. The directly sown seeds did not germinate. I think need to be put into really well drained coarse soil and are not appropriate to my garden conditions.

This seedling is developing faster than ones transplanted from
indoors. Monarda and Agastache are also cropping up.

Some other seedlings that are showing up on there own in the garden are from the Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea), Biennial Gaura (Gaura biennis), Strawberry Blite (Chenopodium capitatum) and of course the Swamp Marigold (Bidens aristosa). I was not certain if the seeds of the Salvia could overwinter here in the Northeast. Seeing these appear in new locations points out the importance of knowing what the seedlings for these annuals and biennials look like, otherwise I would have weeded them out as I was preparing the beds for other plants.

The reseeded catnip has deeper teeth on the leaf margin than for the Salvia coccinea,
the catnip leaf is also has a fleshier texture.

American Smoke Tree

2011-06-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

As I was driving through Mount Auburn Cemetery yesterday, the ‘blooms’ of a cluster of American Smoke Tree, Cotinus obovatus, caught my eye. Actually, the true fertile flowers are past, but it’s the fuzzy remains of the infertile flowers that line the flower panicle that are providing the show. This tree is dioecous, meaning that there are separate male and female plants. All of the trees in this cluster appeared to be female, judging by the seeds that were forming at the ends of the panicles. I have not, to my knowledge, seen a male tree in bloom; however, at treetrail.com they say that the male is actually showier. So although you can be sure whether you are getting a male or female plant, either way the smoke effect will be striking.

A few seeds from fertile flowers are at the tips of the panicle.

Close up of the 'smoke'

The species name, obovatus, refers to the distinctive oval shape of the blue-green leaves. It grows as a small tree or upright shrub , 20-30 feet tall. Young tree have a fairly ungainly appearance. These trees are probably about 8 years old. When they were planted here about 3 years ago, they were gangly stems without too many branches. So they have developed very nicely in just a few years.

Buds forming on a younger plant in early May

The native distribution of C. obovatus is scattered across the south central U.S. It is found in neutral to alkaline well drained soils, but will tolerate the more acidic soils in New England, as well. This preference of alkalinity may make it a good choice for planting on residential sites, with their limed lawns and cement foundations.

More commonly seen is the Purple Smokebush, Cotinus coggygria, which mostly grows as a multistem shrub with broad purple tinged leaves. The American Smoke Tree is harder to find, I purchased mine last year from New England Wildflower Society, but I have also found it at commercial nurseries.

Cotinus obovatus at the end of October

While the smoke-like inflorescence is an attractive feature, the fall color of these trees is really the feature that will knock your socks off. This photo was taken of the same tree in late October last year.

So far I’ve planted two of these (one for me, one for a client) and I am looking forward to watching them mature.

Celandine Poppy

2011-06-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

Note the single yellow flowers and the fuzzy, drooping seed pod.

The newest native addition to my garden is the Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum. It is a Midwestern native, but I have seen it growing in gardens here in the northeast where its large, clear yellow flowers and light blue-green foliage brighten up a shady spot. It is a mid-spring bloomer. Another reason I was interested in knowing this plant is its similarity to the introduced and quite weedy Greater Celandine, Chelidonium majus, a Eurasian native.

I had gotten into the habit of weeding out any plant with divided leaves, yellow flowers and light green foliage, assuming it was always Greater Celandine. One day I started to rip some out in a client’s garden and was told that this was not a weed and was in fact the native Celendine. So I figured I should learn to tell these plants apart.
Anyone who has pulled up either of these plants has seen the bright yellow or orange juice that can stain clothes. So that does not help distinguish the plants. The leaves are different, but both are deeply lobed and of the same general color. The easiest way I see to distinguish these plants is with the flowers and seed pods. The native Celandine poppy has large (nearly 2 inches) yellow flowers, borne singly, which matures to a single fuzzy pod that droops toward the ground.

Note the upright seedpods
of Greater Celandine

Greater Celandine has much smaller yellow flowers (1/2 inch) borne in small umbels. The seed pods are bean-like and project upwards. Also the leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, while for the Celandine Poppy all of the leaves occurs opposite one another; however this can be tricky to spot in a mass of foliage.

The plants have only been in for a week in a shady area that maintains slightly moist soil. Now we’ll see how it performs over the rest of the summer and how it looks when it comes back next year.

Since there are no natural populations of Celandine Poppy in Massachusetts, I’m sure I did not damage any native plants, but still it’s good to know how to tell these plants apart, especially now that I have some in the ground.

Squirrels eating the Norway Maple

2011-05-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the squirrels. While they are amusing to watch, they cause the most damage to the ‘cultivated’ parts of my landscape of any single creature in my backyard. They are constantly digging around new plants; they’ve dug up my single little huckleberry several times. I’ve been lucky in that they have not bothered my tulip or crocus bulbs, much.

Black Huckleberry in mid-April, has been dug up 2-3 times over 2 years.

On the positive side, I noted 3-4 years ago that I had fewer Norway maple seedlings to pull out of the lawn. Then that fall I saw the gray squirrels munching on the seeds, both in the lawn and in the rain gutters. I understand that these seeds are not the first choice for the squirrels, but they are plentiful and easy to come by.

Squirrel dining on Norway Maple flowers.

Then a couple of weeks ago I saw a squirrel eating the flowers off the Norway maple. This was a new one on me, but anything that reduces the seed production gets a gold star in my book. I did a little checking on the web and found an interesting post by Albert Burchsted, Apparently gray squirrels prefer the green flowers of the Norway maple over the reddish flowers of the Silver and Red Maples. The squirrels also prune the branch tips from several maple species, including the Norway, to get a drink of the rising sap. This explains the number of broken branch tips scattered on the lawn.

One other ‘destructive’ activity attributed to the squirrels is the snipping off of tulip flowers. While I have not actually seen the squirrels doing this, rabbits and/or birds may also share the blame, they seem to be likely candidates. The tulip flowers are neatly cut off at the base, leaving a mostly intact bloom to wither away nearby. While I have not been able to find my original source, I was told a while back that the animal doing this was after the condensation that collects inside the flower cup and not the flower itself. This creates a compelling image of a squirrel drinking from a tulip ‘cup’, but I would really like to see some proof.

Who did this, and why????

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has caught an animal, squirrel or otherwise, in the act of tulip vandalism.

Native Bulbs

2011-04-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Scilla growing under a Sargent Crabapple
at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA.

Spring is ushered in by a plethora of flowering bulbs. Despite my inclination toward natives I still plant all kinds of exotic bulbs. I especially like seeing the blue carpets of Scilla under trees and Crocus sprouting randomly in a lawn. So last fall, this got me thinking, what about native bulbs?

Crocus tommasiniansus between Prairie Dropseed mounds.

Some native bulbs that I knew of were Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and Camas (Camassia sp.). To check for more ideas I did a search of the USDA Plants Database looking for North American natives that are propagated from bulbs gave a list of 30 plants, including Alliums, Camassia, Iris and Sisyrinchium angustifolium (Blue-eyed grass). For corms, 17 Species were listed including Dicentra, Hypoxis (Yellow Star grass) and Liatris. (Note that all of the data for every single plant in this database is not fully stocked, so there are gaps, but it is still a useful tool, especially at the Genus-level.)

I decided to focus on the first three. Finding a source for these plants was not trivial, but after many hours on the internet I found a nursery in West Virginia that propagated their own natives: Sunshine Farm and Gardens. Also, they had all of the species I was after – one stop shopping!

No bloom on this one.

My best result, so far, has been with the Trout Lily, aka Dogtooth Violet, which began sprouting up in early April. At first it blended in with the early tulip foliage, but they distinguished themselves by the mottled coloration on the topside of the leaf. This coloration can be likened to that of a trout. (The backside of this leaf was a flat green, just like the tulip foliage.) A second plant, this one with a bloom, was initially more elusive, but certainly worth finding. Once opened, this small flower was hard to miss. this bloom lasted 7-10 days. As these were rather small bulbs when I put them in, I may have lost them amongst the Tulips in the leafy mulch that I used. These plants will spread by stolons, so if they are happy, I will eventually have a good sized patch.

In bud...

...two days later.

This brings up a very important point. It is a very good idea to sketch out a map or plan of where you put in your bulbs, because no matter how significant or important they seem at planting time in the fall, the memory fades by springtime. This is my current situation at home (however, not a mistake I make when working for clients).

So far I have not located the Bloodroot that I put in. Its deeply lobed foliage may allow it to blend in with many of the other spring plants that are active right now, like the Columbine, Coral Bells and Geraniums. And, if it’s not blooming, this may be a lost cause. Again, if I had only mapped out where these were put in I would know where to focus my search.

Most of the Camassia that are easily available are cultivars of species native to the Western US, like the Small Camas, Camassia quamash. The only species of Camassia native to the Eastern US is the Atlantic Camas, Camassia scilloides, with a native range from Georgia to Pennsylvania and west to Texas. Since Camas prefers moister areas, I did not save any for myself, but I did put some in for clients with more appropriate conditions (also where I did do a map). So I will be paying them a visit soon to see how they are doing. The Atlantic Camas has a preference for limestone-rich soils, so it may be a good choice in a residential setting for planting near a foundation.

Snowplows and Roadside Plantings, a Case for Native Annuals

2011-03-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I did the spring clean-up of a roadside bed I designed. The plants used were all Eastern North American species. As I was working I was reflecting on what did and did not work well. For the most part it has been doing quite well with little input from me. Up away from the main traffic flow Aronia (Aronia arbutifolia), Meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia) and Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) are growing well as are the perennials including Prairie Aster (Symphyotrichum turbinellum), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Appalachian Blazing Star (Liatris squarrulosa), Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida), Red Columbine (Aquilega canadensis) and my favorite grass, Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis).

When I designed this roadside bed back in 2006, I selected plants that I thought would withstand drought conditions, salt spray, full sun and wind. The one aspect that I had not fully appreciated was tolerance to disturbance, particularly resistance to snow plows! Where the bed is protected by a curb there is not much of an issue, but down near the highway the surface of the bed is often scraped over, either directly by the plows or as a result of snow being pushed up and over the sidewalk.

When I first learned that blueberries were salt tolerant I happily incorporated them into the roadside position. I thought people going by would be impressed at how versatile of a shrub blueberries were. I was shocked the following spring when I found the bushes pushed nearly a foot further into the bed, the result of plowing of the snow. Well, the plants are still there 4 years later, but just hanging by a thread. This is obviously the wrong place for what would otherwise be the right plant.

Problem area, after a fresh layer of leaf mulch.
The blueberry twigs are still in there.

Down by the road Seaside Goldenrod, Solidago sempervirens, is performing well. In fact, this is an example of a native species that is expanding into the urban environment in disturbed areas where road salt makes it difficult for other species to establish. The Prairie Dropseed in this area (those that haven’t been plowed over) are not doing as well. However, Sand Love Grass, Eragrostis trichodes, a new addition to this area does seem to be doing better.

Considering the conditions at this end of the planting I really need a plant (or plants) that will have a continued presence despite a nearly annual scraping of the top layer of soil. Use of a native annual, or perennial, that vigorously self-seeds should fit the bill. Since the plant starts each year anew, disruption of the crown and roots would not be an issue.

This year I have seeded in some American Pennyroyal, Hedeoma pulegioides, a true annual that grows in dry disturbed locations and produces a lot of seed. I also added seeds for a couple of perennials, Spotted Beebalm, Monarda punctata, and Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa, that are known to reseed effectively and have some salt resistance. By starting from seed I am testing whether this site has the right conditions for germination, a critical factor if they are to get established there.

To get some new ideas I turned to the Advanced Search function on the USDA Plants database. Here I looked for plants that will tolerate full-sun, drought and salt. While not every plant in the database is searchable in this way, it can provide many leads. Among the results was the Seaside Goldenrod that is already thriving there. A new lead that was generated was Beach Sunflower, Helianthus debilis. I’ve been growing this from seed in pots at home for a couple of years, now it’s time to put it to the test in the field!

Strawberry Blite, it's not a disease!

2011-03-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

Despite it’s common name (formerly of the genus Blitum) Strawberry Blite, Chenopodium capitatum, also known as Beetroot and Strawberry Spinach, has some attractive features. The small ball shaped flower clusters (up to ½ inch) start out green but shortly turn bright red. These flowers mature to bright red edible fruit clusters (to ¾ inch) that contribute to the plant’s common name. The leaves of this species, as with other members of the genus, can be eaten like spinach, fresh or cooked.

Since I was interested in seeing how the aesthetic value of this plant developed, I did not taste the leaves or roots, both of which are edible. I did try the red berries on several occasions. They were slightly sweet and not unpleasant, but the seeds were rather large and hard.

Nice leafy example of Strawberry Blite in good soil, late spring.

This plant is in the same genus as naturalized species Lamb’s Quarters, C. album, and as such I expected it to be equally vigorous. My experience with this plant has been mixed. I was able to get good germination of the seed under lights without any pretreatment, but I did have problems getting plants to develop after transplanting, in a variety of soils. I had better results direct sowing the seeds. The seed pack indicates that they should reach maturity in 40-60 days. In my crowded New England garden it took nearly 2 months for the plant to reach good size. It has an upright and branching form, 8-24 inches in height. The gray-green leaves are triangular (as much as 4 inches on the lower branches) and alternately disposed on the branches. The overall appearance is somewhat coarse.

The wild distribution of C. capitatum is throughout the northern half of North America including Alaska and into the Southwest. It is not usually found in the Southeast or lower Plains States. It is listed as a native to Connecticut, but as an introduced species to Massachusetts. The native habitat is in open woods and can also be found along roadsides. It is often observed reappearing after fires. It is noted the Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide to Southern New England that the seeds are very long lived. As with other members of the genus, it produces large amounts of seed. This may be a consideration in the garden, for once established, it may be difficult to permanently eliminate this plant from the site.

Overwintered plant developing flowers at end of May.

While listed by many sources as annual, I found that it is actually monocarpic. Well at least I did after I looked up what that means. A monocarpic plant lives to produce a single crop of seeds then it dies. In my case a couple of clumps of this plant grew as a leafy mass after transplanting and then developed flowers and fruits the following year before passing on. A monocarp is not necessarily short-lived. For example, Black Bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra, is also monocarpic, but it may take 70 years before it reaches maturity to produce a crop of seed. After that the plant will die a natural death.

The genus Chenopodium has high wildlife value. It is a food source for many birds including the snow bunting, catbird and morning dove. This species serves as a larval host for the common sootywing butterfly (Pholisora catullus). In addition to its value as a food plant, the red berries have been used dyes by several Native American groups.

The seeds are available from B&T World Seeds and Horizon Herbs (my source). While I would really like to use seeds from my own eco-region, the provenance of these seeds is not likely from this area seeing as one supplier is in Europe and the other in Oregon.

For me the jury is still out on this plant. Since I let most of the berries go to seed, I will watch for its return and test the flavor of the roots and leaves this time. As a garden plant, its habit was too lax to be a featured highlight, although it could work in the background. Has anyone else had experience growing this plant? Stay tuned.

Wild Urban Plants

2011-02-28T05:43:00.000-08:00

Ever since hearing Peter DelTredici speak about Wild Urban Plants and his ideas on urban ecology last November at the 13th Annual Trees in the Urban Landscape Symposium at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, I have been wrestling with how that fits in with my approach to the use of native plants in urban and suburban environments. This talk explored the plants that are flourishing in the wild, unmanaged spaces in our cities, where they came from and why they are there. While 25-35% of these species are native to North America, many more are introduced species from other parts of the world. The difficulty for me was the apparent acceptance of many invasive and potentially invasive species as the new order of things. To help sort things out and not jump to conclusions, I read over a copy of his book, Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast.

I’m of two minds about this book. On one hand it is an excellent field guide for plants growing without cultivation in an urban setting. It is organized in the same way as Uva, Neal and DiTomaso’s Weeds of the Northeast, but with additional historical and cultural notes on how and why the plant has gotten itself established in the urban environment. These notes were very interesting to me in gaining a better understanding of why many of these introduced plants are so common. DelTredici includes over 200 species that are found growing in cities in the Northeast, from Detroit to Boston and Montreal to Washington, D.C. In the introductory sections this book points out the difficulty of doing strict botanical restoration on an area where the original conditions no longer exist and restoration of those conditions is unlikely, if not impossible. The plants described in this book are examples of ones that have proven to be adaptable to the built environment that is the modern city.

Where I began to have real differences with this book was its description of the ‘Brave New Ecology.’ Here it states that the cosmopolitan collection of plants (natives and introduced species) is the default vegetation for cities in the Northeast. While most would agree that having some vegetation is better than nothing (with some exceptions), I believe that we could be operating at a higher level of ecological function if there were more native species filling the urban niches, than introduced species. The major ecological function that natives support better than most introduced species is supplying nutrition to insect larvae, one of the most basic levels on the food web. I would refer you to Douglas Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home for a fuller discussion of the role of native plants in the food web.

Also in this book DelTredici tends to treat the urban ecosystem as isolated from more rural, less disturbed ecosystems. If it were the case that the cosmopolitan plants were ill-adapted to life outside the city and did not spread beyond highly developed areas, I would have fewer issues with these conclusions. But the seed from many of the introduced species do not respect any borders, being spread by wind (black swallowwort) or birds (porcelainberry, buckthorns & barberries) into the wider environment.

Many of the introduced species in the ‘cosmopolitan collection’ got their foothold 200-300 years ago as new settlements and, later, cities were being built. These plants were imported along with the new settlers and were preselected for these new urban habitats being built. This made me think, what would happen in an urban site without the addition of exotic plants? If instead of the European mixed seed banks that were brought into the developing urban areas of the North American continent, there were only indigenous plants present to fill the urban niches. We may then see a greater array of regionally native plants in the urban environment. One reason this has not happened is that the native seed banks were not as large or as close to the urban environment as those of the cosmopolitan plants.

For nearly any habitat on earth there seems to be a plant or two that are able to grow there, as this book documents. In the case of the urban environment the ‘problem’ is that many introduced species were given first shot at these newly created lands, while otherwise appropriate native species were nowhere nearby. It would be interesting to see how some natives fared in the city when better matched to the actual growing conditions. Perhaps some more native species that grow on calcareous outcrops or cliffs would be found growing in sidewalk cracks. Looking at the plant community for calcareous outcrops in Massachusetts (found in west and central Massachusetts) there are a number of desirable plants, including red columbine, purple clematis and downey arrowwood.

A roadside planting of Seaside Goldenrod
and Appalachian Blazing Star
with some indigenous Milkweed

What I would like to see is a resource that looks for similarities between habitats in and around urban areas (the built environment) and natural areas that have similar chemical and physical attributes. In addition, there are many plant species that require disturbance to survive, in fact, many of these are on the threatened and endangered lists dues to a decline in ‘natural’ disturbance like fire and agriculture in the Northeast. Some of these may be candidates for native urban plants.

One example of a native plant that is expanding its range, included in his presentation but not cited in the book, is Seaside Goldenrod, Solidago sempervirens. This seaside species has been spreading inland along highways that have similar cultural (growing) conditions as in its native habitat, that is, sandy, salty soils with lots of wind and other disturbance.

Looking around the foundation and at cracks in the pavement around my house I have several native species flourishing. These include the understory tree, Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata) and herbaceous species, like pink tickseed (Coreopsis rosea), swamp verbena (Verbena hastata), a variety of asters and the ever-spreading bearded-beggarticks (Bidens aristosa).

These have been speading in cracks in my driveway
for over 5 years.

Introduced plants are not evil, they are just growing and reproducing as they were made to do. But, as the dominant sentient species, we have choices of what to use in our landscapes. Selecting plants that appropriate to the location and support the local ecology is more responsible than just picking plants for use as ornamentation. With a little work, and trial-and-error, we can find more native species to enrich our urban and suburban environments.

If you would like to hear more about native plants and urban ecology check you the Ecological Landscaping Association conference this week (March 3rd) in Springfield, MA. There will be a panel discussion titled "Native, Introduced, Invasive and Endangered Plants in the Landscape:Untangling the Roots of the Problem", the panel features three experts including Peter Del Tredici, Bill Cullina, a native plant expert and author and Jono Neiger a leading figure in permaculture.

Not Quite Spring in Charlotte

2011-02-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

I spent last week in the Charlotte, NC area to see what late winter is like a few zones warmer than New England. While for me it was a great break from 2+ feet of snow , the locals were complaining that, because of the unusually cold weather, they were running 2-4 weeks behind normal. Never-the-less it was nice to see some bare ground.

My first visit was to the botanical gardens at the UNC-Charlotte. Here you can see the 3-acre Susie Harwood Garden which contains mostly exotic ornamentals planted in an oriental-styled garden. Since there were not a lot of plants blooming, or leafed out, it was easier to appreciate the structure of the garden. Some early spring bloomers were familiar like the ‘Jelena’ Witchhazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’).

This Wintersweet, at 15', perfumed the air beneath.

Two shrubs that I had not seen before were the Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) and Yellow Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha). The Wintersweet had a very powerful, pleasant fragrance and was in full bloom. The buds of the Paperbush were quite striking in the winter garden; I’m sorry I could not hang around another week or two for them to open up. As zone 7 plants I will just have to enjoy the photos of these two.

This Dragon-eye Pine (Pinus wallichiana ‘Zerbina’) with its yellow-banded needles really caught my eye as I entered this garden. It grows as far north as zone 6 and could make it in southern New England. While there were several example of this species in the garden, I particularly liked this prostrate-growing cultivar.

Just across from the Harwood Garden is the 7-acre Van Landingham Glen featuring plants native to the Carolinas. The plants here are sorted out by habitat, including Pine Woods, Flood Plain and Costal Plain. In addition to the native species there is a collection of hybrid rhododendrons. Unfortunately for me, most of this garden was still at rest with only a few plants, such as Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) just beginning to stir.

Footbridge in the Van Landingham Glen

The next day was a little warmer, pushing 50°F, and I drove across Lake Wylie to see the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, NC. While relatively new, opened in 1999, the gardens here are very impressive. The current installations are primarily ornamental with a mix of native and exotic species and cultivars.

Canal Garden at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

It was very nice for the winter visitor that the gardening staff left many of the dried perennials and grasses in place to show off their winter-interest. This is certainly true to their mission of being a four-season garden. The native Possumhaw Holly (Ilex decidua) really popped out in the winter landscape.

In addition to the fountains and walks in the ornamental gardens there is a ½ mile woodland walk that is very well done with signage indicating key native species in a natural setting. Opening in May 2011 will be a ‘Meadowood’ walk featuring more native species in a natural setting. For the color starved there is an orchid conservatory that was in full bloom. This garden certainly merits future visits!

Another ‘garden’ in the Charlotte area is the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve just a little north in Huntersville, NC. Here are over 600 acres of land with native species, flora and fauna, in their native habitats. If spring had been a bit closer I would have made time to spend an afternoon here to see how the native plants really grow here – maybe next time.

Native Seeds for 2011

2011-01-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

After assessing what did and did not do well last year, I placed my seed orders for native seeds. Here’s a run down on what I’ll be trying this year.

New Plants
Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) A perennial with white, long lasting flowers. I’ve been frustrated growing the related annual Sweet Everlasting (see below), so I thought I would try a perennial version.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) This perennial that does well in dryer sunny locations and attracts many pollinators. I’ve seen a few plants commercially available but I wanted to make sure I had some growing this year.

Rosey Sedge (Carex rosea) I was given a small clump of this foot-tall perennial grass for nearly 5 years ago. I thought I should test it out in some different locations. This sedge prefers part to full shade.

Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata) This perennial is also known as Prairie Baby’s Breath. I thought this could be good for general landscape use, with white flowers through mid-summer.

Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) This perennial sunflower grows well in dry shade. It can be weedy in the garden, but I really want to test it out under the Norway Maple. I’ve seen this brightening up shady oak woodlands in the middle of summer. This is the first year that I have been able to find seed.

Repeats
Alleghany vine (Adlumia fungosa) I’ve written a lot about this biennial vine. I just can’t get enough. Note that these seeds need 90 days of cold stratification, so don’t wait if you want to try this one!

Orange Hummingbird Mint (Agastache aurantica ‘Navaho Sunset’) grew quite well last year and now I need more to try with clients. I really like the scent of the gray-green foliage and the flowers are pretty nice, too.

Rock Harlequin (Corydalis sempervirens) This another plant that I love. I just need more rocky places to put it.

Sulfur Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) This native of Mexico (a part of North America) grows as an annual in the Northeast. I had a crop that returned for 4-5 years until it got crowded out by some Bidens. I thought I would try to start it up again. While the bloom is similar to that of the swamp marigold (B. aristosa), this Cosmos starts blooming earlier and for a longer time. Also, the foliage is not as dense.

American Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides) has been getting established from a planting 2 years ago, but I’d like to try more in some different locations. This will do well along a path.

Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata) was pretty successful last year and I need more to try with some clients.

Sweet Everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium) has given me trouble on transplanting in the past two years. I’ll try this again, this time seeding directly in the garden in prepared soil (not in compacted turf).

One last try...
These three plants did not germinate for me last year, but I’ll try one more time with a lengthy stratification in moist starter mix.

Fern-leaf False Foxglove (Aureolaria peduculata) This biennial is parasitic on oaks, but, reportedly, does not need them for germination. I also have some of these scattered around a nearby oak. Stay tuned…

Tall Swamp Marigold (Bidens coronata) is an annual, with good-sized yellow flowers. I'm curious to see how if differs from the other Bidens I have around.

Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) is a short-lived perennial, that while taller, has a more delicate appearance than the typical Black-eyed Susan (R. hirta). I've posted a number of photos of this species over the past year.

Returning on their own:
I'm sure the Swamp Marigold (Bidens aristosa) will be back, but I will be pulling these up to make room for new plants. I will have a lot of the biennial American Bellflower (Campanulastrum americanum) in 2011, judging by the large number of rosettes in the 2010 garden. Also, I will keep an eye out for the return of any of the Texas native annuals: Indian Blanket (Gallardia pulchella), Drummond Phlox (Phlox dummondii) and Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea), that bloomed so nicely last year.

Upcoming Conferences in the New England Area

2011-01-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for landscaping conferences and meetings. Before we get too busy with the physical work, the wintertime is a time to do some learning and meet others who are doing similar work, as well as seeing what new plants and products are out there.

The following is a listing of some of the conferences happening in the New England area over the next 3 months. There may be others, but these are the ones that have crossed my desk recently.

22nd Annual Landscape Design Symposium on January 20th and 21st, 2011, titled: Uncharted Territory: An Expansive Approach to Environmental Landscape Design. This series of symposia was developed by Larry Weaner, one of the top people in the area of naturalistic design and the use of native species in the landscape. This 2-day event features 11 speakers covering a range of topics including history, plant selection, sustainable practices and natural landscape design. The conference is held at Connecticut College in New London, CT.

For the landscape professional you can't beat the 3-day long New England Grows, from Feb 2-4, 2011 at the new Boston Convention and Exposition Center. This is a huge show featuring both landscape equipment and supplies, plant materials, and consulting services. In addition there are a series of talks covering a wide range of landscape industry topics.

Natural Landscape Design: Meadows & Woods, Feb 16-18th, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA, is another Larry Weaner sponsored course. This is focused on the landscape design professional who wants to learn more about the natural design process and management of a naturalistic design, especially in the context of Meadows and/or Woods.

The ELA (Ecological Landscaping Association) conference is March 3, 2011. This one day conference is focused on using ecological methods in the landscape and is accessible to anyone interested in improving the ecological functioning of their landscape. In addition to a very good line up of speakers, there is a marketplace where you can see many new products and speak with the vendors. This conference is in Springfield, MA, so you can connect with people outside the Boston area. This was the very first landscaping conference I attended 6 years ago, and I have been there every year since.

2010 Flower Show

And finally there is the New England Spring Flower Show, March 16-20, 2011, at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. This event is sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. This year the theme is "A Burst of Color: Celebrating the Container Garden". Program detail do not appear to be available yet, but the topic of container gardening should be well suited to the Flower Show format. Last year I saw some crazy items and got some good ideas.

Check out the links for more information about each of these meetings. Except for the Tower Hill course, I am planning to attend all of these events. People ask me 'what do you do in the off-season', I tell them I attend conferences and get juiced-up for the spring. What are some other meetings that should not be missed this winter?

Native Annual Seeds that I tested in 2010

2011-01-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

As I get ready to order seeds for 2011, I’m looking back on the native annuals and biennials that I tried out last year. Some were successful and bear repeating while others went nowhere. Some of the failures were not surprising while others just wouldn’t germinate and I’m not sure why. So here’s a review of last years seeds.

Native to Massachusetts:

Adlumia fungosa (Allegheny vine, biennial) I got a few more plants from seed I collected in 2009. Even better, I saw several plants coming up on their own from the previous season’s plants!

Aureolaria pedicularia (Fernleaf yellow false foxglove, annual) None of these germinated. Since these plants are partially parasitic on oaks, my seed starting mix may not have been right, or they may not have been conditioned properly.

Bidens coronata (Crowned beggar’s ticks, annual) Very few of these seeds germinated and those few that did failed to mature. This was a surprise to me since other Bidens species tend to run wild in the garden. I’ll give this one another try, directly in the garden.

Corydalis sempervirens (Rock harlequin, short-lived perennial) These had good germination and transplanted well. I really love this plant. I’ll need to find more places with thin rocky soil for this plant.

Hedeoma pulegiodes (American pennyroyal, annual) sprouted freely in the garden near where I had planted seedlings in 2009 – even under the Norway Maple. While I couldn’t see them all, I could detect their aromatic aroma whenever I stepped on or mowed over them in the lawn. It is reported that these plants act as an insect repellant when rubbed on the skin. I hope to give that a try this year.

Neither the Hypoxis hirsuta (Eastern yellow star grass, perennial) nor the Polygala sanguinia (Purple milkwort, annual) seeds germinated for me this year. I will give up on these two for now, also I have run out of seed.

Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (Sweet everlasting, annual) These seeds germinate well, but the transplants do not mature well in the yard or in pots. Its native habitat is in depleted soils with little competition from other plants. However, I was surprised to find one out of the lawn, near the one successful plant from 2009. I’ll try these again with direct seeding in a prepared area.

Native to New England:

Monarda punctata (Spotted bee balm, biennial) germinated and transplanted well. It also bloomed quickly and was a big hit with the bees and some very interesting wasps in the garden. Since this Monarda prefers drier conditions, I have a roadside spot that would benefit from this plant that I would like to try it in this year.

Rudbeckia triloba (Brown-eyed Susan, biennial) failed to germinate for me. The germination conditions on the packet were fairly complex, especially when compared to relative Rubeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan) which germinates freely after a month of cold moist stratification. A small population of R. triloba is getting established at the Wildflower Meadow at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA.

For plants Native to other parts of North America I found the following:

Salvia, Spotted Beebalm, Agastache and Gallardia
all mixed together in my South-facing bed.

Agastache aurantiaca ‘Navaho Sunset’ (Golden hyssop, perennial) This cultivar germinated reasonably well and while it was a little slow to get started growing in the garden, it was up to full size and blooming by mid-July, producing a cloud of orangy-pink flowers. The foliage also smells really good when disturbed. We’ll see how well these overwinter/reseed. I’ll be growing more of these this year!

Cleome serrulata (Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, annual) again failed to sprout for me, either indoors or out. I can get the seeds to germinate, but not develop into seedlings. Again, there may be something wrong with my starter mix or the newly germinated seed may be too delicate to sow into the growing mix. In either case, I think I need to move on.

Eschscholzia californica (California poppy, annual/tender perennial) germinates well in the garden, but my site is a bit too cool to allow many of them to reach maturity. I usually get only a handful of blooms each year. This plant also shuts down when it gets too hot. While I loved this plant in my native California, I think it is time to move on from this one too.

Euphorbia marginata ‘Summer Icicle’ (Snow-on-the-Mountain, annual) is a tap rotted annual and is reported not to transplant well. So after soaking the seeds in warm water for a few hours these were planted directly in the ground in early June. When mature they provided foot-tall mounds of white foliage and flowers. This cultivar is shorter than the species (1-3’).

Gallardia pulchella (Annual blanket flower, annual) These seeds came from the Wildflower Center in Austin, TX. These germinated and transplanted well after 30 days of cold stratification (may not have been necessary). This species has a laxer form than the commercial cultivars, but it bloomed well both in pots and in the garden where it intermingled with the Spotted Beebalm and the Agastache. This plant was very popular with the bees. I allowed the flowers to go to seed so we’ll see if they are still viable in the spring.

Helianthus debilis ‘Pan’ (Beach sunflower, annual) reseeded itself into the same pot from last year. This is not too surprising since there are naturalized populations of this Texas native scattered along the Eastern seaboard up to the Northeast. This second generation had the same upright branching form of its parent.

Phacelia tanacetifolia (Lacy phacelia, annual) germinated very well and grew well in potting soil, but did not take well to being transplanted. It has been recommended as a cover crop, with the warning not to let it go to seed in agricultural fields. I may try this again as a direct sow plant.

Phlox drummundii (Drummond phlox – straight species, annual) also came from the Wildflower Center. These seeds germinated and transplanted well. The flowers were true to the species scarlet red, but there was some variation in flower shape. While I am not too hopeful that about the seeds overwintering outside, I did get a second generation late in the summer. Relative to other flowers in my Massachusetts garden, these flowers were not very attractive to the pollinating insects.

This petal shape, with the white edging,
was unique from the other plants I had this year

Salvia coccinea (Texas sage, annual/tender perennial) is another Texas native. Seeds for this plant germinated and transplanted well. It grew equally well in a pots and in the garden bed and was very attractive to the bees. Based on the native range of this species I don’t expect that any of the seeds would overwinter in my garden.

If you have any advice for growing the plants I listed here, I love to hear it. What new native plants are you thinking about trying for next year?

Under the Norway Maple

2010-12-17T05:09:00.000-08:00

One of the most common trees in the residential setting is the Norway Maple, Acer platanoides. It was first introduced into the United State in 1756 by John Bartram. It is well adapted to the climate in the Northeast and grows well under a wide range of growing conditions, making it a preferred tree in urban and suburban landscapes. It’s tolerance of for almost any environmental condition, ability to grow in the shade, prolific seed production and overuse in the landscape has led to this becoming a dangerously invasive species in the Northeastern US.

Working in residential landscapes I often encounter the difficulty of working around this species. Its dense shade and greedy roots that suck moisture out of soil make it difficult to underplant. While many consider the Norway Maple as allelopathic (producing compounds that retard the growth of other plants), there are studies that indicate that this is not the case. (One study found no experimentally measurable allelopathic effects from Norway Maple.) I think the problems encountered under a Norway maple are mainly due to the shade it casts and the dense network of roots that scavenge moisture and nutrients from the soil.

Norway Maple stump 6 years after a native species
restoration at Mount Auburn Cemetery

This photo shows the best method for dealing with a Norway Maple. Despite my disdain for this tree, I have not taken that step on my own property, yet. Since there is not another tree in the area to provide shade around the house for the hot afternoon sun I am hesitant to open up the canopy that much. Instead I have been exploring which native plants will grow under its canopy.

To get some ideas, I tried to learn about what grows the natural forest community along with Norway Maple in its native range (Europe and Asia). I thought I could find native equivalents to those European species. This tree is naturally found in mesic deciduous forests and mature riparian communities. While I did not find a definitive description of the other plants in this community (I’m sure that information is out there) I did get some clues from a site on the Plant Formations in the Central European BioProvince. One shocking conclusion jumped out.

Many of the perennials and shrubs that grow in forests along with the Norway Maple are also invasive, or have tendencies toward invasiveness, in North American forests. These include goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria), fig buttercup (Ficaria verna), Tartan honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica also L. xylosteum), yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), and lily-of the valley (Convallaria majalis). So I would be hesitant to recommend any new non-native species with the possibility of making a bad situation worse. However there were some others that are better behaved such as sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), European ginger (Asarum europaeum), Siberian squill (Scilla sibrica), Tartan dogwood (Cornus alba) and fumewort (Corydalis solida) and some really neat plants like common hazel, Corylus avellana (from which comes ‘Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick’ ).

In my own testing, I have been selecting native plant species that are tolerant of dry shade. So far I have found a number of natives that survive but do not flourish. It seems to be a general trend that all plants grow smaller and slower in that environment. However, there are a few that are more than holding there own. My plant list is as follows:

Smooth Aster and Showy Goldenrod,
both about 1/2 size of those
in other parts of the garden

Spreading:

American Bellflower (Campanulastrum americanum), American Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides), Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve), Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata) , Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana ).

Holding their own:

Male Fern, still green after a couple of frosts.

Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Rosey sedge (Carex rosea), Alumroot (Heuchera villosa), Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia fragariodes), Hairy solomon’s seal (Polygonatum pubescens), Largeflower bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora), Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), and Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum). This particular Viburnum was selected to improve pollination of the 'Winterthur' Viburnums nearby.

Promising, but still early:

Allegheny vine (Adlumia fungosa), Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolia), and Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica).

Failures, faded away or died outright:

Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), Fetterbush (Leucothoe fontanesiana), Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), and Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis). (When I moved the Leucothoe to a different shady location, without the root competition, it perked up after a couple of weeks.)

Plants that should work, planned for next season:

Labrador violet (Viola labradorica) and Maple-leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium),

In addition to using plants that are strong competitors that can get their share of moisture there are some maintenance practices that will help the understory plants. Limbing up and thinning the canopy to let in more sunlight has helped a lot. Also, new plants should be irrigated deeply to get them established as well as under droughty conditions (mid-summer). Returning leaf mulch to the understory area helps to build the soil.

I’d like to hear what other natives have worked for you under Norway Maples, or ones that have failed desperately.

Mistaken Identity

2010-12-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

Oops, both are actually Meadowsweet

On looking back on an older post from May 2010, I realized that I had misidentified a native Spiraea. While I had initially planted both Meadowsweet and Steeplebush in this spot, only the Meadowsweet had survived. This became evident while visiting my sister last week. I had given her a couple of pots of Steeplebush that I had grown from seed last year because she has a moister site, preferred by that particular species.

In this photo of Steeplebush, Spiraea tomentosa, gone to seed, you can see the the tight, upright flower plumes (typically pink to purple) and the deeply veined leaves, indicative to that species. While I think it would be happier growing out in a moister area of the yard (growing to 4' tall), it appears to have a very nice form growing in a pot. Maybe this is another 'Natives in Pots' candidate. I'll have to see if I still have some leftover seed.

Meadowsweet, Spiraea alba, on the other hand has looser flower panicles (white to pale pink) and the leaves are not as deeply veined. The specific variety I have, Var. latifolia, is native to drier upland sites, which explains how well adapted it is to growing around my house. Mine bloomed continuously from early June until October and was a favorite of the bees.

It just goes to show, no matter how badly you want to have a plant, sometimes it just isn't there.

Berries and Bark at Tower Hill

2010-11-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

I just attended the annual 'Trees in the Urban Landscape Symposium' at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylsten, MA, yesterday. It was a beautiful (but windy) day at a beautiful location. I'll talk about the symposium in a later post, but for now I'd like to show you the site. If you haven't been there recently, or at all, they have just opened a new Winter Garden and Limonia, which are great places to visit as the weather turns cold.

View of the Farmhouse across the Lawn Garden at Tower Hill

The last part of the symposium was a walking tour of these new areas and their Lawn Garden by Joann Vieira, Horticulture Director, Tower Hill Botanic Garden and Executive Director, John W. Trexler. Most of the leaves are gone from the trees and deciduous shrubs to reveal some of the highlights of the plantings.

Beautyberry with Paper Birch and Winterberry Holly

This scene was really lit up by the afternoon sun, with the native Paper Birch and Winterberry Holly, Ilex verticillata, in the background and Purple Beautyberry, Callicarpa dichotomata, up front. The bright red berries of the Ilex are very popular with the birds, especially later in the season, while the non-native beautyberry is less favored, providing more visual interest than wildlife value.

Another striking planting with a lot of winter interest was this cluster of 3 Paperbark Maples, Acer griseum, surrounding a mass of 'Brower's Beauty' Pieris. Some other interesting plants in this garden include some of the most luxurious Japanese Plum Yew, Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Prostrata', and Siberian cypress, Microbiota decussata, that I have ever seen. Alas, no photos of these. These two plants do show some resistance to deer browsing, a problem in this area. There was also a large Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens ‘Newport Blue’, at 5-6’ tall and wide that seems to be doing quite well at this zone 5 location. There was also a native Inkberry, Ilex glauca f. leucocarpa, that had white berries and a form more like the species than a compact cultivar. These berries do show up much better than the black berries that are normal to this species.

Winter Garden at Tower HIll

The new Winter Garden was designed to hold as much interest when viewed from the inside of the building as it is close up outside. This row of Bloodtwig Dogwoods, Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire', really shows well as the leaves are lost and will not interfere with longer views across the garden, even as they grow taller. This garden features a lot of low growing and other 'specialty' conifers.

Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Scarletta'

One of the native plants used here is a low growing cultivar of Fetterbush, Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Scarletta'. When protected from winter winds this plant is expected to grow 18-24" tall and have the scarlet tinged foliage in spring and fall. I find this a much more appealing plant than the 'Girard's Rainbow' cultivar, that is common in the trade.

So far my visits to Tower Hill have been limited to the Urban Tree Symposia in the fall, but I will need to make the 45 min drive from Boston in spring or summer so that I can appreciate more of what this garden has to offer. Tower Hill Botanic Garden is currently open Mon-Tue,Thu-Sun 10am-5pm and Wed 10am-8pm.

Making good use of all those leaves

2010-11-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Well we've had a pretty nice fall foliage season in New England this year, despite all the dire predictions that our unusually hot and dry summer would play havoc with foliage season. The inevitable end to foliage season is leaves on the ground that need to be cleared away. I've always hated the idea of buying bags to stuff with leaves in order to throw them away. That's kind of like throwing away money, isn't it.

A few years ago the maintenance staff at Mount Auburn Cemetery began a practice of mowing leaves directly into the lawns rather than picking them all up and transporting them to a compost yard. When you consider that leaves contain most of the minerals that the roots have taken out of the soil, returning those minerals to the ground essentially supplies the trees with the raw materials they need to produce a new crop the following year.

Pros for mowing in leaves:

No raking
No leaf bags
Relatively fast
No transporting leaves for disposal
Free fertilizer, may skip lawn and tree fertilization
Naturally builds soil organic content
No special equipment (just a mulching mower)

Cons:

Some leaf dust and scraps remaining
Need to make an extra pass with lawn mower
Dry leaves are abrasive toward lawn mower blades
Some leaves, like walnut, contain compounds that retard growth of other plants

Since I've learned about that practice, I've been using it at home for the past two seasons. This year my goal is that I will dispose of no leaves off of my property. The following images show before and after shots of mowing the leaves into the lawn. This job took me about 15 min, while raking and bagging would have taken at least an hour. If the grass was a little taller or I hadn't waited so long between mowings, most of the debris would have disappeared immediately. Also, since I have been doing this I have reduced the fertilization of the lawn to a single treatment with slow release fertilizer in the spring. (I'm not a turf expert, but this works for me.)

For the leaves in the shrub beds, I'll rake and/or blow them out then run the leaves through a chipper which reduces the volume about 5 fold. These leaves I'll save for a month or two then use them as a mulch on the garden and perennial beds.

Some more ideas about how to treat fallen leaves and their benefits can be found at this link to Ecosystem Gardening.

Asters in New England

2010-11-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Another thing besides beautiful foliage that New England has in the fall is an abundance of native asters. In the Massachusetts County Checklist there are 27 species of Aster indigenous to Massachusetts. (Technically speaking, however, there are no more New World asters, they have been reclassified into a number of new genera including Doellingeria, Eurybia, Ionactis, and Symphyotrichum.) A few of these native species, such as the purple New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) and Bushy Aster (S. dumosum) have become common in many gardens with cultivars such as ‘Alma Potschke’ and ‘Wood’s Purple’. I would like to call attention to some commercially less common species that I have purposely grown or that have appeared around my house.

One of my favorites, which I have grown from seed is the Smooth Aster, Symphyotrichum laeve. This is a medium tall aster that grows in full to part sun and relatively dry soils. Its stems are strong enough that it does not always needed to be staked. However like many asters cutting back by 1/3 at the end of June gives a stronger, bushier plant. The flowers are usually a lavender blue measuring over 1” wide. In this photo are some freely seeded plants that show some variation in flower color. These are most commonly commercially available as the ‘Bluebird’ cultivar.

The Big-leaf Aster, Eurybia macrophylla, is early blooming and grows well in dry shade. My plants started blooming in late June and did not start going to seed until early September. Here we see the fuzzy seed heads and a few residual blooms. This species will spread by both seed and rhizomes. It forms dense mounds of foliage and can be used as a ground cover. And It's still not bad looking when the seed heads replace the flowers.

Another shade tolerant species is the White Wood Aster, Eurybia divaricata. This species also grows in dry shade, e.g. upland woods. It blooming period is later than for the big leaf aster and it can be a vigorous spreader. This photo was taken at Mount Auburn Cemetery, but they are quite common in the woods in New England.

Two species that grow like weeds around my house are Heart-leaved Aster and Arrow-leaved Aster, Symphyotrichum cordifolium and S. urophyllum, respectively. Structurally these two asters are very similar. The most obvious difference is that the flowers of Heart-leaf asters tend toward blue-violet shades, while the Arrow-leaved asters are whiter.

In the garden they form clouds of light colored flowers that stand out against darker colored foliage.

I purchased the Heart-leaved aster thinking it would combine well with my yellow cone flowers (Rudbeckia), but the cone flowers are just passing as the aster begins to open up in mid-September. I need to find a later blooming yellow for this combination to work, such as the annual Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), or a late blooming Goldenrod like the ‘Fireworks’ cultivar (Solidage rugosa ‘Fireworks’). The Arrow-leaved aster just blew onto my property on its own.

The last aster that I have been working with is the Smooth Violet Prairie Aster (S. turbinellum). This aster is not native to New England, rather its home is in the Plains States. I got this plant for use in a parking lot island, where it gets no extra watering or special care, 4 years ago and it is still going strong. It has profuse blue-violet blooms from September to October on relatively stiff stems. The only care I give this plant is to cut it back by 1/3-1/2 in late June to keep it from getting too tall and flopping over.

My first preference was to use the Smooth Aster (a New England Native) on this site, but that plant was not available at the time of installation. I had only a single pot of Smooth Aster to put in at the time. While it is still surviving there, the Prairie Aster is really doing well in that location (and the bees love it, too).

Last Blooms of the Year

2010-10-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Over 7 months ago I was writing about all of the Witchhazels that were in bloom and how they were among the first plants to bloom in the new year. Well, Common Witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana, is among the last of the native shrubs to bloom. Sometimes you don't notice the flowers because the leaves are still attached. My 3 year old witchhazel began blooming about 10 days ago (early October) while the leaves were still quite green. Now bloom is peaking and the leaves are turning chartreuse and yellow.

These photos are of some older plants at Mount Auburn Cemetery. Leaf drop is underway and the flowers are becoming a more prominent feature of the plant. If you get close you can smell the distinctive witchhazel scent; although it as not as strong as for the hybrid, H. x intermedia, and Vernal Witchhazels, H. vernalis.

In this close-up you can see the 'wart' on the leaf that is actually a gall caused by the witch hazel aphid (Hormaphis hamamelidis). There are some stories that link the name of the plant to resemblance of these galls to the imagined warts on a witch's nose.

A Weekend in Mid-Coast Maine

2010-10-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

My wife and I are fortunate enough to have a friend who invites us up to their cottage in Mid-coast Maine at the end of the summer. For the botanist in me, this is a native plant wonderland, especially since I am more used to seeing invasives and exotics in my suburban landscape habitat. I would love to have this kind of native plant diversity around my home.

Most of the easily identified plants were late summer and fall blooming species; however I could pick out some early bloomers, like bluebead, Clintonia borealis. Up around the cottage and the nearby woods I found a variety of goldenrods, including silverrod, and asters and drifts of hairy Solomon’s seal, wintergreen, sweetfern, and maple-leaved viburnum.

One goldenrod I particularly like is the Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, Solidago caesia, since it grows well in shady locations – a good way to add some brightness to an otherwise dark location.

Mixed in with the Viburnum were seedlings of striped maple, Acer pensylvanicum, which has similarly shaped leaves, but they are about 4 times larger.

Along the gravel access road I spotted some indian cucumber root, Medeola virginiana, which I think is more striking in fruit than when it is actually in bloom. The plant shown is about 18" tall. Also along the road were masses of witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana, which I had never noticed before. This is probably due to my learning more about what plants look like, than would be the sudden appearance of full-sized shrubs. Witchhazel is one of the latest blooming native shrubs, here it is mid-September and the flowers were just beginning to open. In colder climates these shrubs bloom while the foliage is still attached, in warmer places the flowers may persist until after leaf drop.

A little deeper in the woods I identified a new plant for me, round-leaved dogwood, Cornus rugosa. At first I though it was another viburnum, since it had opposite pairs of leaves, but the leaves were decidedly un-toothed, so I dug a little deeper into the field guides. This looks like it could be a nice understory shrub to grow in the shade under pines.

Next to the pond near the cottage there are thickets of winterberry holly, meadowsweet and maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina). It took me a long time to ‘key out’ the maleberry, since I had never seen it before. This shrub grows in moist and sandy places and has flowers similar to blueberries. I originally had it as different shrub, leatherleaf, but some things about the description in the guide just didn’t seem right, particularly the dried flower clusters. So I kept at it using some other guides. It is ‘dangerous’ to use just one key or a limited set of observations when identifying unfamiliar plants on your own. If you are conflicted about a plant ID, you may have it wrong. This process can be tedious, but going through the details helps me remember the plant better than just reading what it is on a tag.

Popham State Park

We also made a trip to the beautiful sandy beach at Popham State Park, not far from Bath, ME. Of course I went in search of wildflowers. Here you see the aptly named seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) growing right out to the edge of the rocks. I also found some stunted New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) growing on the rocks a little closer to land.

'Cottage Garden'

Back at the cottage, there is some room among all these wild native plants for a small ‘cottage garden’. I was told that it took all summer for these sunflowers to reach maturity, growing from seed, but they made it none the less. Every time I visit here I learn some new native plants. Maybe next year I will grab my fern guide and venture a little deeper into the woods to see what’s growing there.

Wildflower Meadow in September

2010-09-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

I paid another visit to the Mount Auburn Cemetery Wildflower Meadow last week and I was floored by the intensity of the blooming. While it is still a little early for the asters to get going there was a ton of late summer plants going full tilt. One of my sentimental favorites is the Browneyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba. This is a biennial or short lived perennial. The first year here there were only a few plants in bloom. This year there were more than a dozen big healthy plants in full bloom.

Other species shown in this photo are the New England Blazing Star, Liatris scariosa var. novaeangliae, Showy Goldenrod, Solidago speciosa (a showy but aggressive species), and the white, cloud-like Hyssop-leaved Boneset, Eupatorium hyssopifolium. You can also see traces of some long blooming Shrubby Cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa, off to the left. Among the grasses that are showing off their seed heads are Little Bluestem and Side-oats Grama (foreground).

In a nearby area the Pink Turtlehead, Chelone lyonii, is blooming. This species is native to a small area of the Southeast, but these are 'escaped' populations also found in the Northeast, from New York to Maine. White Turtlehead, Chelone glabra, on the other hand, has a much wider native distribution throughout the eastern US.

Forked Bluecurls Close-up

Some other natives that are blooming in the area have also jumped to my attention. On a recent plant survey a native annual, Forked Bluecurls, Trichostema dichotomum, was blooming profusely on an otherwise dry hilltop in the Boston suburbs. It stood out as as a rather lush little plant (6-8") with deep blue flowers amongst the dried leaves and grasses. Its native habitat is on dry or sandy soils of upland woods and old fields. While some sources indicate it prefers part to full shade, these plants were growing in nearly full sun rooted at the fringes of rocky outcrops where moss and eroded stones collect. Looking carefully at the blow up, you can see the curly forked stamen that gives this plant its common name.

The last plant to mention this week is the Bearded Beggarticks, Bidens aristosa var. mutica. After watching this annual grow taller and taller for 3 months (now about 6' tall), it has finally burst into bloom. These plants are coming back from seed produced from the crop I planted in 2008. Right now it looks great and the bees love it, but I do question its position in the garden. This plant is probably better positioned to the back of a border where it forms a green curtain for the first part of summer before it begins its month of bloom in early September. It also produces a whole lot of viable seed, so if you hate garden 'editing', this may not be the plant for you.

It's not Poison Ivy

2010-09-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

As I was surveying which native species were growing successfully under my Norway Maple (for a future blog post), I came across many seedlings with ‘leaves of three.’ I thought, #Golly#, Poison Ivy! On closer examination, I realized that these were growing as individual plants, not a vine and the leaf shape, with its entire, unlobed margins, just wasn’t quite right for poison ivy. After checking some field guides and looking for similar plants growing in the area, I found out that these were seedlings of Wafer Ash, Ptelea trifoliata. The parent plant was growing behind the garage in an area I rarely paid any attention to.

Wafer Ash, also known as Hop Tree or Stinking Ash, is native to the Southeastern and Midwestern States, its native range does not extend up to Massachusetts, but it is listed as hardy to zone 5A. I’m not sure how this tree got into my yard. It’s not commonly used in the landscape trade and with a name like ‘Stinking Ash’ it’s not likely to be popular. This name refers to the musky odor of its bark and leaves when crushed. In this case, the name is a bit deceiving; I find that, while not pleasant, it does not smell as bad as something like wild Black Cherry.
Wafer Ash grows as a large shrub or small understory tree with irregular branching, usually growing to about 20 feet in height. The seedlings put down a tap root that can make them difficult to pull up. It is native to dry rocky uplands and is very tolerant of shade. These two features make it suitable for growing under a Norway Maple, with its dense network of thirsty roots and dense shade canopy. Wafer Ash prefers neutral soils and is listed as deer highly resistant and tolerant of salt and ‘mine spoils’. The only conditions it does not tolerate are soil compaction and flooding.

This tree blooms in early to mid-June in the Boston area with terminal clusters of yellow-green, sweet smelling flowers. (Some sources list flower scent as unpleasant, but I found it quite nice and detectable several yards away.) The tree serves as a larval host for Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Giant Swallowtail butterflies and is generally attractive to birds and pollinating insects. For more photos and information check out this link to the Wildflower Center.

The name ‘Hop Tree’ refers to its use in earlier times as a hop substitute in the brewing of beer. The dried seed pods (samara) can be decorative. My experience under the Maple and elsewhere in my yard is that these seeds high viability and offspring can appear just about anywhere. I don’t know if their spread is a result of being blown around naturally or from being caught up and thrown around by the lawn mower.

In my experience, the Wafer Ash is an excellent North American native understory tree with high wildlife value for dry, shady conditions. While it not commonly available in the landscape trade, there are a few commercial sources. Lacking that, I’ve got a bunch growing in my backyard. (You can reach me through the Adams Garden fan page on Facebook.)

Another Blazing Star, Liatris squarrulosa

2010-08-30T04:31:00.000-07:00

Blazing Stars, Liatris species, are widely used native plants with their distincive purple (and sometimes white) flower spikes. There are some 35 different species of Liatris native to the United States (not counting natural hybrids or variants). These can be broadly grouped into two flowering types, those with densely packed flower spikes and those with button-like flowers. A unique feature of both of these types is that the flower spikes begin opening from the top down, rather than from the base upwards. In the nursery trade, the most commonly seen forms are those with the dense spikes, like Liatris spicata or Gayfeather. Many cultivars of Gayfeather are available, ‘Kolbold’ is used a lot in the Northeast. These types usually peak in early to mid-summer.

I would like to bring an example of a button-flowered type to your attention. In 2006, I planted two species of this type in a parking lot garden, the rare New England Blazing Star (L. scariosa Var. novae-angliae), the only Liatris native to all of New England, and Appalachian Blazing Star (L. squarrulosa Var. earlei). After 4 years, the New England Blazing Star has petered out, but the Appalachian Blazing Star is getting stronger. (Soil conditions on this site may be more attuned to the Appalachian species, whereas the New England species prefers sandy soils.) Besides being really drought resistant, this season it survived over 6 weeks of mid-summer temperatures on less than 2 inches of rain, it blooms several weeks later later than the spike-flowered forms.

This first photo shows it near the end of July, just beginning to open. The L. spicata had finished blooming a couple of weeks earlier. The second photo shows it still going strong at the end of August.

In the background is another native, Stiff Goldenrod, Solidago rigida (which has recently been changed to Oligoneuron rigidum). This is one of the earlier blooming of the goldenrods.**

This last photo is of the New England Blazing Star taken last year at the Wild Flower Meadow at Mount Auburn Cemetery. The conditions on this site are less severe than those experienced in the parking lot garden. One difference between these two species is that the flower heads are relatively broader than on the Appalachian blazing Star. While the Cup-flowered Liatris are not what many people expect to see when they are asking for some Liatris for their garden, they are a way of extending the season for another 4-6 weeks, and the pollinators don't mind one bit. Unfortunately, these plants are not broadly avalable at regular nurseries, I got mine from the New England Wildflower Society, an excellent source for native plants in the Boston area.

**Just a note about goldenrods. As I explained to a friend who asked about these plants today, Goldenrod pollen is not the cause autumn hayfeaver, its pollen grains are too heavy and sticky to float through the air. The main culprit for causing hayfever at this time of year is ragweed.

Some Surprising Finds this Week

2010-08-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

As I was traveling through Mount Auburn Cemetery this week I was caught off guard by what appeared to be blooms on a Harlequin Glorybower, Clerodendron dichotomum. This was surprising to me because I recalled seeing it covered with pinkish blooms at the end of June. On closer examination I saw that these were actually bright red sepals surrounding a sapphire blue fruit (a drupe, actually). In a sense this shrub produces interesting ‘blooms’ twice in a season.

This Glorybower is not native to North America. It has it origins in China and Japan. It is cold hardy to Zone 6, and here in Boston it is approaching the northern limits of its range. Here at Mount Auburn, it has ‘died to the ground’ at least once, but as you can see it has regrown to a good sized shrub. For more information about this plant check out this link: http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/CLETRIA.pdf

Growing next to the Glorybower is a native shrurb, Bottlebrush Buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, a southeastern native anyway. The delicate white brush-like flowers that topped this plant at the beginning of July have grown into golf ball sized nuts that hit the ground with a small thud. Sometimes I wonder how could a flower like that turn into that fruit that looks so different.

The last big surprise, botanically anyway, was when I nearly bumped into this old Common Honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos. This particular tree is the straight species, not the thornless variety that is used in the landscaping trade. These water sprouts give a close up view of the 3” thorns that characterize this species.

Most of the commercially available plants available today are derived from a naturally occurring thornless variety G. triacanthos var. inermis, native to the Eastern United States. If it were not for this variety, I can imagine that the Common Honeylocust would only rarely be seen on any landscaped properties.

Who is pollinating whom?

2010-08-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks I have been watch may new plants to see what kind of pollinators they attract. Since most of these plants are new to the local area, they may not be normal fare for the local insects. It is quite likely that a plant that attracts many pollinator on its home turf, will be of little interest in a different region of the country.

What I have seen so far is a mix of results. The Indian Blanket, Gaillardia pulchella, is a long way from its native range up here in Boston, but is quite popular with the native bumblebees. The beautiful bright red Drummond Phlox, Phlox drummondii, which is equally far from home, has had no visits from pollinators that I have seen.

Here are some photos of some of the insect pollinators that I have spied in the past 2 weeks. Somewhat disappointing to me is that other than a few cabbage moths, I can't recall having have seen any butterflies in my yard this year, save for one Firey Skipper.

These wasps really surprised me, both by their size (nearly 2”) and their excitement over the Spotted Beebalm, Monarda punctata. For the first few days of bloom there was no activity around these plants but now they are rarely without a wasp or two.

This Agastache did not appear to be getting much attention, then I realized that the insects were taking a short-cut to the nectar by feeding at the calyx tube at the base of the flower, rather than crawling down the long flower tube.

I have not noticed these Long-horned bees in past years. They really like the Coast Sunflower, Helianthus debilis, and Black-eyed Susans, Rudbeckia hirta, shown here. These bees are hairier than many others and can get totally covered with pollen.

Hoverflys, shown here approaching the Red-Whiskered Clammyweed, Polanisia dedecandra, visit many of the smaller flowered plants, including American False Pennyroyal, Hedeoma pulegioides, and Snow-on-the-Mountain, Euphorbia marginata.

This Drone Fly, not a true bee, blends in quite well with the color scheme of the Orange Coneflower, Rudbeckia fulgida.

The Green Bee, shown below, is kind of flashy when the sun catches it.

I must admit that I really don’t know bugs that well and I may not be entirely correct in the ID’s I have provided. I have been very favorably impressed with the information and photos at the Bug Guide and would recommend it are a great place to get started to ID insects.

Wildflower Meadow at Mount Auburn Cemetery

2010-07-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

If you are in the Boston area and would like to see one of the area’s botanical treasures you should make a visit to the Mount Auburn Cemetery. The collection of trees dates from the early 19th century. Since many of the plants are labeled, it is a great resource for learning about trees and shrubs. Also, if you are planning a landscape and would like to see some full grown specimens.

One of the newer plantings at the cemetery is a native wildflower meadow located around the Washington Tower, at the highest point on the grounds. The plantings were put in 4-5 years ago using a mixture of grasses and perennial wildflowers native to eastern North America, as well as some common weeds that were already present on the site. Once established, the plan is to allow these plants to spread and intermix naturally with a minimum of human intervention.

The east-facing slope of the meadow (shown here) was planted with a variety of native grasses. This photo shows a concentration of Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). Other grasses planted in this meadow include Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum), Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) and Indian Grass (Sorgastrum nutans).

From this view from the top of the tower looking west, you can see how some of the plantings were laid out and are beginning to intermix. In the opposite direction there is a great view of the city of Boston, but that wasn’t where I my mind was focused on this day.

Closer up you can better recognize many of the plants, such as Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida), Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa, center back) and Shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa, at the very front). Some of the many other species that can be found in this meadow are Wild Petunia, Golden Alexanders, Butterfly Weed, Coreopsis and several Northeastern native asters.

Since my particular interest is in short-lived native species, I quickly focused in on a couple of my favorites like Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) and Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata). These species reproduce by seed and, by nature, more around the meadow. I need to keep a watch for them as they do not stay exactly in the same location every year.

If you would like to visit all 176 acres of Mount Auburn Cemetery, they are located at 580 Mount Auburn St. in Cambridge (and Watertown) Massachusetts and are open every day. Here’s a link to their website where you can find directions and listings of upcoming events. You can also visit the Facebook Page of the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery site to see many recent photos.

Some Surprises in July

2010-07-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

Redwhisker Clammyweed, Polanisia dodecandra, is a name I didn’t think I would be saying this year (who does?), but a few remaining seeds that I harvested from a lone plant germinated to give me a couple of strong seedlings. This annual is native to most of the U.S. and is often found in gullies and streambeds. It likes really well drained soils. With that in mind, when I transplanted these guys up I added sand and Perlite to my regular potting mix along with a layer of pea stones to the bottom of the pot to improve drainage.

This plant bears some resemblance to cleome, but is smaller and bushier. The white, cleome-like flowers have very long stamen. Some reports refer to it being a stinky plant, but, to me, it does not smell as bad as a cleome. Check out the NPIN website for more information and photos of larger, more mature plants.

As a result of not mowing my lawn for nearly a month, due to droughty conditions, I got another surprise. Some seeds for a Philadelphia Fleabane, Erigeron philadelphicus, germinated and went into bloom without my noticing. The seeds came from a plant that I rescued during a weeding job and left in a pot next to my house. This species is a little less common than the Annual Fleabane, E. annuus, which occasionally shows up on the edges of my property. I wouldn’t mind having more of these, but that would make quite an obstacle course if I insisted on continuing to mown my lawn as well.

I was also pleased to see the American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum, growing in some difficult locations. In rich soil these plants get very tall and lanky. This one, growing in the shade of a Norway Maple is more compact. I’ll keep a watch to see if it continues to look nice through the season. As a biennial, it sends its first year as a rosette of leaves only a few inches tall. I have a bumper crop of these from last years flowering crop. I think I will be moving more of these under this dreaded maple.

Lastly, here’s a recent photo of one of the Rock Harlequins that I planted in a rock wall. This is more akin to its natural environment. This has taken some extra irrigation to keep it going, since my wall is quite dry and does not collect moisture the way a real rocky cliffside would.

What comes after June? Native Blooms for the 4th of July

2010-07-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

When I changed the calendar over from June to July I felt a little sad because it is really too late to put in any new plants in the ground for the season. Of course, I really should have finished all that at the beginning of June. But then I started to look around the garden and found that many of the native plants I have were just starting to bloom. For some, I think they are 2-3 weeks ahead of time due to the warm and sunny spring we had this year in the Boston area. Here is a round-up of my native plants that are in bloom at the beginning of July.

Winecups, Callirhoe involucrata, was one my first North American natives that I put in. The first time I saw it was during a wildflower photography class I took in the Ft. Worth area. This native to the west-central US, has settled nicely into a sunny spot in front of my house. In this photo it is backed up by a clump of Northern Sea Oats, with their newly formed seed stalks.

The Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, shown here was grown from wild seed that I got from NEWFS. These plants show quite a bit of variation in the blossoms and sizes of the plants. For me, I like the surprise of finding an unexpected flower, or plant, in the garden.

Whorled Rosinweed, Silphium trifoliatum, is a very unfortunate name for this tough native perennial. It is slightly smaller than the more familiar and more fortunately named Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum). I have had these plants growing within the dripline of a Norway Maple for 3-4 years and they are multiplying, that’s a tough plant!

Big-Leafed Aster, Aster macrophyllus (now Euribia macrophylla) grows well in dry shade and will spread by seed and underground runners. My colony started as a single plant and is now beginning to dominate the space. I think this one is blooming several weeks early this year. It provides some interest in what can sometimes be a very drab location. Another similar native plant for dry shade is the White Wood Aster, but that doesn’t bloom until fall.

Pink Tickseed, Coreopsis rosea, can be tricky to grow. This colony moved from the border to some cracks in the driveway and has been going strong for over 5 years. I tried moving some back into ‘good’ soil but the plants couldn’t handle the competition. I likes moist soil, so maybe there is runoff being channeled under the asphalt.

Wild Petunia, Ruellia humilis, will bloom for at least 2 months starting in late-June. It can survive dry conditions in poor soil, but it is not a strong competitor when mixed with other plants in good soil.

The next three plants are from my Native Annuals Experiment. One is a return from seed and the other two are new for me.

Beach Sunflower, Helianthus debilis, has retuned from seed from last year’s plants. This annual sunflower is a cultivar called ‘Pan’.

Lacy Phacelia, Phacelia tanacetifolia, is an annual from the southwestern deserts. While it is reported to tolerate hot dry conditions, our recent heat wave has cooked at least one plant (3 weeks with no rain can be tough). These plants are recommended as an agricultural cover crop and as a great nectar source. This one is only 6" tall, but it normally grows to 3' tall. There are precautions about not letting it go to seed, as this species can get weedy.

Annual Indian blanket, Gaillardia pulchella, is from one of the seed packets I got at the Wildflower Center in Austin. Compared to the hybrid and perennial Blanket Flowers this one appears to have a more relaxed habit.