THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503110033
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: WEEDER'S DIGEST
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDENING COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 264 lines
THIS IS THE year to go native. That doesn't mean you should dress like an American Indian, but you may want to plant some of the flowers, shrubs and trees that are native to this area, plants that may have grown in Colonial times.
They're tough because they grow naturally in southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina. They require less water, less fertilizer, less total care.
If that appeals to you, maybe you should pull out some of those shrubs that have to be continually pruned and watered. Of if you have an area not yet landscaped, use native plants.
Native flowers are often called wildflowers. The Vermont Wildflower Farm, a large purveyor of seeds, starts its video on how to build a wildflower meadow with the following instructions:
Do not use fertilizer;
Do not use lime;
Do not use peat moss.
You can't beat that for low-cost gardening.
Let's start at ground level with native ground covers and work up to trees. You'll note that many native plants go by more than one name. GROUND COVERS
Galax - A shade ground cover, often found in woods around Virginia Beach. Blooms are 5-inch white spikes in late spring.
Asarum, arum or wild ginger - Heart-shaped, green glossy leaves stay green all winter.
Partridge berry - A small, rapidly spreading evergreen ground cover with white blooms in late spring, followed by red berries.
Marsh marigold - Shiny green leaves disappear when hot weather arrives but reappear in the fall, followed by many yellow buttercup-type blooms. It often has the first blooms of spring. Its seeds spread, so the plant may appear in different places in the garden from year to year.
Pachysandra or Allegheny spurge - The best ground cover for shade; stays green year around. White blooms are insignificant. Easy to grow, but it does not like sunshine.
Ferns - There are many woodland ferns: Christmas, Cinnamon, Royal Fern and Bracken, to name a few, and they're all native. They prefer shade. One outstanding native that few people grow is the Japanese climbing fern. With beautiful delicate foliage, it is a winner, but sometimes hard to find. FLOWERS
Moving up from ground covers to flowers, there are many colorful native flowers for sun and shade.
SHADE LOVERS
Wild red columbine - Red and yellow nodding blooms in early spring are beguiling. The seeds will blow and germinate in other parts of your garden. This is the only columbine to grow unless you want to replant every two years. The colorful hybrids are beautiful, but they won't come back after a couple of years in our hot, humid summers.
Jack-in-the-pulpit or Indian turnip - Everyone who has ever walked in the woods is familiar with this wildflower. It grows 6 to 8 feet tall and has an unusual hood over its greenish-brown bloom that kids love to look at. Birds like the seeds.
Iris cristata or dwarf or crested iris - Only 6 inches tall, this blue iris prefers full shade and blooms in early spring.
Celadine or woods poppy - Yellow to orange blooms in early spring. Prefers full shade but may not come back the second year.
SUN LOVERS
Amsonia or Texas bluestar - This underused perennial grows 2 feet tall with many pale blue, star-shaped blooms in early spring.
Asclepias tuberosa or Butterfly weed - Grows 30 inches tall in full sun. Orange-yellow to red, flat-topped cluster blooms provide a perfect landing strip for butterflies.
Baptisia or white wild indigo - Grows 2 to 3 feet tall in full sun with white pea-like flowers. Beautiful blooms and foliage. A blue version also is available.
Coreopsis or ticksweed - Usually 2 feet tall, coreopsis is covered with 1-inch yellow blooms all spring. Butterflies like it; songbirds eat the seed.
Coneflower - In full sun, this plant has oversized daisy-shaped blooms, pink to rose in color. Grows 3 feet tall, flowering in late spring and early summer.
Monarda, bee balm or red bergamot - This native plant grows 4 feet tall in full sun with barn-red 4-inch clusters of blooms. There is also a purple version.
Oenothera or Sundrops - A yellow blooming plant that grows only 1 foot tall, providing lots of color in sun or half shade.
Phlox - Old-fashioned tall purple phlox is a native plant. It is much easier to grow in this area than any other phlox.
Crinum lily or southern swamp lily - A white, flushed with pink, true native lily. Very large bulbs are easy to grow. Not much good as a cut flower.
Joepyeweed - Perhaps the easiest of all native plants to grow. Found along roadsides, often 6 feet tall. Wants full sun. In late summer has soft violet-purple blooms.
Seashore mallow - This plant is abundant in the Cape Hatteras area, growing in ditches along the road. It will grow in your backyard if you have full sun, sandy soil and a wet spot. It doesn't mind being flooded, so it can be planted along the shoreline. Pink blooms from summer to early fall.
Liatris, gayfeather, blazing star - This tough plant has 3-foot, purply-pink bloom spikes between June and October. It prefers poor but moist soil. Excellent for cutting.
Rudbeckia or black-eyed Susan - There are several rudbeckias, all identifiable by their large yellow blooms and darker centers. Needs full sun and blooms in late summer. Will move around because birds and wind carry the seed.
Boltonia - Blue-green foliage grows 3 feet high or more, covered with small white, daisy-like flowers. A good filler for bouquets, taking the place of baby's breath.
Wild ageratum or Eupatorium - Grows 24 inches tall in sun or shade. Each stalk is covered with lavender-blue fuzzy flowers in late summer to midfall, creating a sea of blue. But it is very invasive, so be prepared to cope with that.
Helianthus or swamp sunflower - This dwarf sunflower grows only 3 feet tall and has small gold blooms 3 inches across. Blooms in the fall. Very easy to grow.
Goldenrod or Solidago - This is a ``love it or hate it'' plant. Once it moves onto your property, it never departs. Often seen along country roadsides, it grows as a 5-foot spike with a firework-like burst of yellow blooms at the top. There are new varieties that are shorter and brighter yellow. All are good for drying. Prefers full sun and wet feet.
SUN OR SHADE LOVERS
Virginia spiderwort or Tradescantia - Grass-like leaves with blue to lavender blooms in early summer. Will bloom in sun or shade and spreads quickly to engulf a bed. Could be used as a ground cover, because it's only 10-12 inches tall.
Cardinal flower or Lobelia cardinalis - Bright red flowers appear on 8-inch spikes atop 3-foot plants in late summer, just in time for hummingbirds. An easy plant to grow but must have lots of water. Now available in colors of white and pink. Will grow in sun or shade.
Stokesia - This flower is so sophisticated looking, you'd never guess it's native. Grows 28 inches tall in sun or shade with blooms of blue, lavender or white. Attractive foliage usually stays green all winter.
Phyostegia or obedient plant - A fine plant for cutting, it has 2- to 4-foot stalks topped by lavender, rose or white blooms. Does best in sun but will grow in shade. Spreads by roots, so it can be invasive.
Remember that most of these native flowers have been around a long time, and animals ate some of them in Colonial times - and still do. Rabbits will devour Cardinal flower, liatris and black-eyed Susan overnight. You will have to protect young plants from rabbits. VINES
Carolina jessamine - A popular vine with yellow, early spring blooms. Must have sunshine to bloom. Every seed that falls makes a new seedling in your yard.
Climbing hydrangea - This plant is classified as native but is sometimes difficult to grow and more difficult to get to bloom. But everyone wants a challenge, so a lot of gardeners try it.
Coral Honeysuckle - Don't confuse this with horrible Japanese honeysuckle that takes over your backyard if you're near a woods. This honeysuckle is bright orange-red and a very desirable plant.
Passion flower or maypop - Large, lacy lavender blooms all summer, but it can be invasive.
Wisteria - Lavender blooms in spring that are fragrant. A tough plant, it has been known to climb trees and eventually strangle them. SHRUBS
Inkberry - A member of the holly family, it will grow in wet spots and is evergreen.
Mountain Laurel - One of the most beautiful native plants in this area. They are practically impossible to move, and plants purchased in nurseries almost always die. They simply do not want to grow anywhere except where birds or wind have dropped their seeds. Consider yourself lucky if you have some of these beautiful plants.
Callicarpa or American beautyberry - Blooms are insignificant but are followed by very showy purple berries. Prefers full sun.
Calycanthus, Sweetshrub or Carolina allspice - Dark red blooms in spring smell like ripe fruit.
Clethra or sweet pepperbush - Blooms of white or pink on 8-inch spikes. Very fragrant in summer.
Strawberrybush, hearts-a-burstin or Wahoo - This plant is Euonymus americanus but seldom is called by its correct name. It grows wild in woods around Suffolk. Blooms are followed by large 1-inch strawberry-like seed pods that open to show scarlet seeds in fall.
Oakleaf hydrangea - Blooms are huge white clusters, often 12 inches long. Prefers a rich, acid soil.
Virginia stewartia or silky camellia - An underused shrub that grows to 15 feet tall with large single white blooms in late spring.
Yucca - You may not love it, but it is native to sandy soils from here to Louisiana and may grow where nothing else will. It grows 5 to 10 feet tall with evergreen leaves and requires no maintenance, rewarding you with 2-foot spikes of white blooms in midsummer.
Itea or Virginia sweetspire - A slow-growing, small shrub that blooms in spring with 4-inch white spires. TREES
EVERGREENS OVER 50 FEET
Gordonia lasianthus or loblolly bay - Grows in sun or shade; likes a wet soil. Gordonia blooms are white, opening one at a time from May to September, providing a bloom period of two to three months.
American holly - Many thrive throughout this area. Fragrant blooms in spring that are small and not showy, followed by red berries, if it's a female tree. One of the South's most versatile evergreens.
Longleaf pine and Loblolly pines - These pines are tall and good for this area. Longleaf has just what the name implies - long needles and very large cones. The loblolly, which is slightly shorter and has shorter needles, is prevalent throughout the area and provides just the kind of shade that camellias and azaleas prefer.
Live oak - This wonderful tree, sculptured by winds along the coast, is a pride of the South. Very slow-growing, but if your lot is large enough, this is a tree that will capture your admiration.
DECIDUOUS OVER 50 FEET
Most homeowners prefer evergreen trees, but if you want a tall tree that sheds its leaves each fall, try these:
River birch - It has light green leaves that turn yellow in fall, but it is grown mainly for its trunk, which is salmon to peach and peels to silver. Its brown catkins in summer can stain a patio or walkway.
Blackgum - Greenish new leaves that turn brilliant red in fall. It has shiny dark blue fruit and, best of all, doesn't have gumballs.
White or Willow oak - Grows wider than tall but reaches up to 100 feet tall when uncrowded. In fall, leaves turn an orange-red and it has large acorns. It has whitish bark and is a tough tree.
TREES 15 TO 40 FEET
Yaupon holly - An easy-to-grow native with small red berries that birds like. Grows in sun or shade, in wet or dry soil.
Wax myrtle or southern bayberry - Easy to grow, with a floppy, natural look. Often used for informal hedges and kept to 6-foot height.
Osmanthus or wild olive - Small white blooms in mid-winter that are very fragrant.
Amelanchier, often called Serviceberry or shadbush - Grows in woods throughout the area. Beautiful white blooms in spring. Grows well in sun or shade.
Eastern redbud - Rosy purple blooms in spring always attract attention.
Chionanthus virginicus, often called Fringetree, old man's tree, Grancy Graybeard - A beautiful showy tree with drooping white clusters of blooms in spring.
Flowering dogwood - This is the native dogwood that brightens every landscape. Prefers some shade but must have well-drained soil.
There are many more, including silverbell, witchhazel and sourwood, each planted for attractive blooms.
Native plants can be found at garden centers and in catalogs, and if you want to view a variety of them before shopping, visit one of several native gardens in the area (see related story).
Be good to yourself in '95, and make your gardening easier with some native plants. MEMO: Learn more about native plants by joining an organization devoted to the
subject. The John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society
serves Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, Williamsburg, Hampton, Newport
News, Poquoson and James City and York counties. The chapter meets
about six times a year, usually on the third Thursday; locations vary.
The next meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday at Grace Episcopal Church in
Kilmarnock. It also plans many field trips throughout the spring. Call
Sylvia Sterling (804) 693-2953 for information. The South Hampton Roads
Chapter serves Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and
Suffolk. It meets regularly with informational programs. Call Lee
Moomaw at 422-6470. Membership in either chapter is $15 per year.
ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff
Photos
VIRGINIA MARINE SCIENCE MUSEUM
Seashore mallow doesn't mind being flooded.
LEE MOOMAW
The coneflower blooms in late spring and early summer.
by CNB