Tag Archives: native plant

Native Spring Ephemeral

Erythronium umbilicatum (Dimpled Trout-lily)

A quick scouting expedition for early spring ephemerals on Saturday, February 27 proved rewarding for my husband and me.

Nodding bud of Erythronium umbilicatum (Dimpled Trout-lily)

Native to southeastern United States, Erythronium umbilicatum (Dimpled Trout-lily) is coming into flower at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

Erythronium umbilicatum (Dimpled Trout-lily). Native to southeastern United States

Erythronium umbilicatum (Dimpled Trout-lily)

An Aquilegia Moment

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Native to eastern North America Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine) has been blooming in my garden since April 9. This is about the same time we noticed the spring’s first hummingbird visitor.

Recently I was reading on the black bench facing the meditation circle when a hummingbird came near. From my ring-side seat I watched it sip from one, two, three, four of the nodding red and yellow flowers.

In an instant the tiny bird was on its way, but the moment lingers still.

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine) and Tradescantia (Spiderwort)

Native Wildflowers

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Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort) and Phlox divaricata (Eastern Blue Phlox)

Sunday we visited the North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG) to check one of my favorite plantings, a wildflower display of Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort) and Phlox divaricata (Eastern Blue Phlox).

Their flower show is just getting underway.

Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort)

Phlox divaricata (Eastern Blue Phlox)

Both Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort) and Phlox divaricata (Eastern Blue Phlox) are eastern North American natives that look lovely blooming together.

Golden Ragwort and Eastern Blue Phlox are eastern North American natives.

The Botanical Garden has many other flowers blooming now also, including Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells), native to eastern North America. Here are several Virginia bluebells tucked in among the phlox and golden ragwort.

Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) are blooming too.

At right, Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) blooming among the phlox and golden ragwort.

Polemonium reptans (Spreading Jacob’s Ladder) is native to eastern United States. I have not been able to establish these in my garden despite three attempts, but plan to try again.

Polemonium reptans (Spreading Jacob’s Ladder)

In the woodland gardens I was delighted to find this Hepatica acutiloba (Sharp-lobe Liverleaf). A member of the Buttercup family – ranunculaceae – it is native to eastern North America.

Hepatica acutiloba (Sharp-lobe Liverleaf)

We saw quite a lot of trillium of various kinds. I did not see a sign identifying the yellow one.

Trillium

Great White Trillium is native to eastern North America.

Trillium grandiflorum (Great White Trillium)

Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy) is native to southeastern United States.

Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy)

There are two more natives that caught my eye Sunday. The first one, Aesculus pavia (Red Buckeye), is an attention grabber at this time of year with its long panicles of coral-red-orange tubular flowers. We saw quite a few of these, growing as shrubs and as trees. They are native to the southern and eastern parts of the United States.

Aesculus pavia (Red Buckeye)

Red buckeye is native to the southern and eastern parts of the United States

Trillium stamineum (Twisted Trillium) is native to three U.S. states: Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.

Trillium stamineum (Twisted Trillium)

Native to southeastern United States is this Fothergilla major (Witch-hazel family – Hamamelidaceae). I like its white and yellowish-green coloration, a fresh spring-like combination. It seems to be doing a happy dance.

Fothergilla major (Witch-hazel family – Hamamelidaceae)

There were many native ferns emerging and a beautiful but camera shy Halesia carolina (Carolina Silverbell). Mayapples are just beginning to bloom another visitor told us, but we did not see them. We saw many Mayapples though and will have to return to this garden soon.

Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple) is native to eastern North America.

Early April Charms

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The temperature is 79°F (26°C) at 7:00pm but it will cool down for the weekend about ten degrees. It has been sunny and warm this week and somehow I even managed to get a few things accomplished in the garden. There are quite a lot of weeds I still need to tackle, but I can see progress in the area of maintenance. Meanwhile plants are responding to the nice weather, putting on new growth, sending up shoots and displaying glorious blossoms.

Phlox subulata (Moss Phlox) is just beginning to open. It is planted in several locations around the garden and I just made an application with our architectural review board to put some in the “hell strip” near the street where grass struggles to grow.

I prefer the bluer hues and currently am growing Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Blue’ and the darker Phlox subulata ‘Purple Beauty’.

On the left is Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Cushion Blue’ and on the right, ‘Purple Beauty’.

Phlox subulata

This native Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine) is at about the same stage as last year and should bloom in a few days. This particular one is hovering above a thick mass of Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm), also a native plant.

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)

Despite being crowded out by evergreens in the back corner of the garden, a struggling Cercis canadensis L. (Eastern Redbud) is valiantly signaling another spring. This tree also is native to this part of North Carolina. The clusters of magenta flowers often grow out of the tree trunk itself.

Cercis canadensis L. (Eastern Redbud)

I pruned the Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ back to 7-8 inches in late winter and it is leafing out and forming a lot of healthy buds.

Clematis ‘Jackmanii’

Spiraea is in full bloom this week in the western border.

Spiraea

Another white flower in bloom now in my garden is Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft). This can be long-lived but I have lost many plants in the last few years due in part to voracious voles and perhaps also due to wet soil. Some have survived here at least ten years so there may be a difference in the variety also. At any rate, things are moving along. So nice to see the garden awakening.

Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)

Every Garden Needs A Few More Plants

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After wandering through the NC Botanical Garden yesterday, I stopped by the garden’s plant sale to select a native plant or two—but who can count when it comes to adding more plants to one’s garden?

It has rained all morning and thunder is rumbling now, so these little natives will have to wait a little longer to be set into the earth. It is a good time though to make a record of the new plants, along with a few notes from the tags.

Phlox divaricata (Eastern Blue Phlox) detail

3 Phlox divaricata (Eastern Blue Phlox)

Blooms April to May, Average soil, Part shade, Southeastern native perennial.

These phlox are already blooming profusely at NCBG.

Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower)

3 Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower)

Blooms September to October, Sun, Southeastern native perennial.

Provides nectar for butterflies and seeds for birds.

Chrysogonum virginianum (Green and Gold)

3 Chrysogonum virginianum (Green and Gold)

Native semi-evergreen ground cover, Blooms April to May, Part sun, Well-drained soil, Height 4-10 inches. Use for edging a path.

I have never had success with Green and Gold, but have admired it in many places so decided to try again.

Geranium maculatum (Wild geraniium)

1 Geranium maculatum (Wild geranium)

Blooms in May, Sun to part shade, Southeastern native perennial, Average to moist soil, Height 14-18 inches.
Pink 1 1/2 inch flowers

I have not had success with Wild geranium in the past either but it seems like one of those plants every garden should have.

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

1 Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

Native eastern United States, Snow-white flowers, Blooms in spring. Shade, Moist soil, Height to 6 inches. Blue-green foliage persists in the landscape until mid to late summer.

Plants grow slowly and take several years to reach mature size.

Red sap in the underground stems is the source of the common name, Bloodroot.

Italian Arum. Surprise!

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Protected and somewhat obscured by a gardenia, an Italian Arum thrives. Though not obvious at first, it sits tucked away under the large shrub, awaiting discovery from a passer-by.

The hastate or arrow-shaped leaves of Arum italicum (Italian Arum) add textural interest this time of year. The shiny deep green leaves, accentuated by light, vein-like markings, emerged in early fall (October) and remained evergreen all winter.

The garden was new and had very little shade when this plant was first added, so the arum was sited on the northern side of the house in a narrow strip along the foundation. For a couple of years it made a nice companion plant to a large clump of hostas, filling in when the hostas died back each year. The hostas are long gone (taken by drought, not deer, surprisingly) and the now mature foundation shrubs fully occupy the slender space.

I had planned to divide the Italian Arum this year and move some into the main garden where it might be more noticeable, to create a more effective display. In researching today how to divide Italian Arum I have learned that would not be wise. Unfortunately this plant is not native, rather it comes from Africa, Asia and Europe. It is listed as invasive in some parts of the U.S., including the nearby state of Virginia. Some North Carolina gardeners report Italian Arum as extremely difficult to eradicate and warn against planting it.

So this started out as a post about the surprise of coming upon a lovely and unusual plant such as Arum Italicum in the garden. It was supposed to end this way:

The arum certainly is fun where it exists now, lending that element of the unexpected. Walking by its hiding place, missing it at first, then glimpsing it at last and noticing its amazing surprise of shape and pattern, one is reminded of the joy plants can bring.

Arum Italicum (Italian Arum) held an even bigger garden surprise than I knew. This plant has always behaved well in this garden but if its seeds can spread and cause problems, I will have to seek some expert help for clarification and advice.

Meanwhile at least Arum Italicum did provide an opportunity to learn the word hastate:

Hastate, spear-shaped (hastata): Pointed, with barbs, shaped like a spear point, with flaring pointed lobes at the base
“Leaf shape.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. Dec 2011. Web. 1 Feb 2012.

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