North American Natives for a Patio Container

Last year I had spotty results using the combination of Mealy-cup Sage (Salvia farinacea), Phlox drummondii, and Bidens ferulifolia to do a Native-species planting box scheme using primary colors.  The sage performed well, but the Phlox didn't transplant well and the Bidens bloomed in cycles, so I rarely had all three color blooming at once.  This year I stuck with the Salvia (cultivar 'Victoria Blue') as my tall plant and used a Lantana cultivar 'Bandana-Rose Improved' as the 'spiller' and Zinnias from the 'Profusion' series as 'fillers.'

This Lantana starts out yellow and ages to a pinkish-red.
The Zinnias had not bloomed yet.

In this flower box I also got a surprize.  A Drummond Phlox reseeded itself and has grown much better than the ones I grew indoors last year.  This past winter was mild enough to allow the seeds of this Texas species to overwinter in the flower box.  I also got a bunch of Salvia reseeding themselves as well.  This was great, I got bonus plants for free!

Native species that I have found to work well in a sunny flower box are native to Mexico and the Southwest US.  The hot and often dry conditions encountered in these containers is not unlike their native environment.  At first, I hesitated to use the Zinnias.  They have been highly bred and manipulated, but then I remembered the these plants actually have their origins in the North America, Mexico to be more specific.  The ones you see in the garden centers have been horticulturally improved for features like color, long bloom and resistance to powdery mildew, to name a few.

The 'Profusion Series' are hybrids of Zinnia elegans (the common tall Zinnia) and Z. angustifolia (Narrow-leaf Zinnia).  They tend to be about a foot tall with 1.5 inch flowers in a wide variety of colors that are supposed to bloom all summer.  I am using the cherry- and the white-flowered cultivars.  So far the cherry-form matured more quickly and is a little larger than the white-flowered form.

In checking out the progress of this Zinnia the first thing I noticed was the intricacy of the flower bud.  Maybe all Zinnia buds look like this, but this is the first time I noticed.  So now I'll watch and see if these Zinnias keeps pace with their neighbors.

I was happy to see that this cultivar still has fertile flowers
 - a bonus for the pollinators.

In another sunny area a random selection of blooms caught my eye.  Here the magenta-colored Wine-cups (Callirhoe involucrata) have encroached on a new planting of 'Apricot Sparkles' Day lily (yes, not everything I have is native).  To these, some self-seeded Wild petunias (Ruellia humilis) have also popped up.  I don't think I would have planned on this color combination, but the three taken together work for me.

I don't think the Daylily and the pale lavender Petunia would work
together if it weren't for the intense color of the  Wine-cups.

Native Plants Update 2011

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....

Native Annual Seeds that I tested in 2010

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?

Who is pollinating whom?

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.

Natives in Pots

There are many reasons to grow outdoor plants in containers. You may not have space in the ground, or they can be used as decorations on a deck or patio, or you may just want to bring the plants closer to where the people are. The main reason I have been growing native plants in pots is that I do not have the right growing conditions in the ground to raise the the plants I want from seed. This is particularly the case for annuals from some of the hotter parts of the country.

Here are some of the plants that I am growing this year. Lantana, Lantana camara, is technically a North American native, since its native range includes Mexico and Puerto Rico. It behaves well as a bedding or potted plant in colder climates, but it is invasive in the warmer parts of the US, particularly Florida and Texas. I really love the red-orange-yellow multi-colored flowers and long blooming period.  These I bought from a nursery and mixed in with other classic annuals like the Lobelia, shown here.  The rest of the annuals I have grown from seed.

While on a trip to Austin, TX, I picked up seeds for Drummond phlox, Phlox drummondii, and the annual Indian Blanket, Gaillardia pulchella, at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. These appeared to be species plants and not any crazy cultivars. So far the Phlox has made it to bloom, with its scarlet red flower. The Indian blanket is just a week or so away. Another Texas native I have growing in pots and in the ground is Scarlet Sage, Salvia coccinea. None of these plants really started growing until the temps here got well into the 80’s.

I was really happy to see that some seed from the Beach Sunflower, Helianthus debilis ‘Pan’, that I grew last year had germinated in the same pot. Native to the Texas coast, this species has spread up the East Coast all the way to Maine. Here it is in bloom last year in the same pot. I have also grown Bearded Beggarticks (Bidens aristosa) in pots. Given half a chance, this eastern native reseeds itself readily.

Some native annuals that I had in pots last year are Devil’s Claw (Proboscidea louisianica), Yellowdicks (Helenium amarum ‘Dakota Gold’), and Bird’s Eye Gilia (Gilia tricolor).

The native perennial that I have in a pot is the Crimson-eyed Rosemallow, Hibiscus moscheutos, that I bought from the New England Wildflower Society. While it is native to New England, I just don’t have the sunny moist site it would like to keep it in. I over-wintered this in its pot by storing in a plastic bag with salt marsh hay in an unheated garage. It looks pretty happy so far. The blooms are expected in late summer.