How to Get More Trilliums for Free

Trilliums are shade loving spring wonders. They can be harder to find and on the more expensive side. They are really interesting spring plants though. So when I came across an old blog post by NYT columnist and famed gardener Margaret Roach about how to divide them, I mentally tucked it away. The thing is you divide them just when they are at their prime in spring. Last year I finally tried it. It totally works!

Since these are ephemeral plants, growing and blooming in spring and then dying back not to be seen again until next spring, if you want to divide them, now is the time when you can see where they are. If you are super diligent, I suppose you could mark their locations and search for the underground rhizomes in fall. I am not that organized.

Right now, it's very easy to dig them up. Here is Margaret's post on how to do it. I tried it last spring and turned three plants into ten. This year, I am aiming to do more.

I use a hand tool called a weeding fork. I feel like if I accidentally dig into the plant it won't be as big a cut as with a trowel. Yesterday, I dug up a wedge petal trillium (Trillium cuneatum) plant with several blooms by gently pushing the fork into the ground about 5" from the base of the stems. Going as deep as I could, I began to softly loosen the plant from beneath and remove it. This particular plant had one tuber and I did not see any obvious growth nodes or place to separate the plant so I replanted this one and tried again with another plant.

This second plant had several tubers nestled together. After removing the clump, it was very easy to gently separate it into four parts - three new tubers and the remainder of the original. You can watch a 20 second video here.

I replanted and then watered well. When you replant, make sure the white part of the stem is below the soil surface. I'll make sure these don't dry out over the next couple of weeks and next spring, I should have three new trilliums!

Where to Plant Trilliums

This may seem obvious but sometimes, the obvious can elude! I originally planted three trilliums along the side of our house in a shady woodland garden, technically the ideal location for trilliums. They grew among heuchera 'autumn bride' and other perennials. The only thing is I never saw the trilliums both because of the location and the other perennials which were already growing tall as well, obscuring the trilliums. A couple of weeks ago, as the trilliums were just emerging from the ground, I dug them up and moved them to a shady spot near the front walk among smaller plants. So much better for these amazing ephemerals. Somewhat of a duh moment but sharing nonetheless!

If you are looking to purchase trilliums, now is the time for that too before they die back. Like other ephemerals, you may also be able to find bare root plants in winter or early spring too. Nurseries that currently have trilliums include Watermark Woods, Nature by Design and Kollar Nursery.

Happy Gardening!

Happily, it seems as though we have more and more places to buy native plants. This means more availability for Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) this year. A good sign indeed. Some years, they have been harder to find.

You likely already know Virginia bluebells. A great beginner plant and oh so cheerful in any type of garden, Virginia bluebells grow best in moist soils where they get bright sun in spring and then shade for the rest of the growing season. Under a deciduous tree is perfect. Mine grow in average moisture soil and do just fine. Virginia bluebells will self seed if the conditions are right.

These plants are ephemeral, meaning they emerge in late March to early April, bloom for about three weeks or so, and then the plant dies back and will not emerge again until the following spring. Once you plant them, there is no care needed. The plants take care of everything!

Because they do die back in May, Virginia bluebells are usually planted in between later blooming perennials. In the bed above, I first planted the silver sedge (Carex platyphylla) and then later added the bluebells. In spring you don't even see the sedges. Once the bluebells die back, it's just sedges.

These bluebells are planted with wood poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum), native to more western parts of the watershed. The foliage of the wood poppies also dies back once the heat of summer arrives. This bed is planted with later blooming perennials that take over once the spring flowers are gone.

Here, bluebells are planted with golden ragwort (Packera aurea), another moisture loving spring flowering perennial. I also have neighbors who planted Virginia bluebells in and among an array of non-native tulips - to stunning effect. You really can't go wrong with bluebells!

Most native plant nurseries and many garden centers have Virginia bluebells in quart sized pots now. Plant More Natives and Izel Plants have Virginia bluebells available by mail. Once bluebells go dormant though, they are typically not offered for sale. If you miss the spring availability, several on-line sources sell bare root plants during the winter.

If you have tips for encouraging Virginia bluebells to self sow, please add them in the comments!

Happy spring gardening.

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides used to prevent insect damage on plants. These insecticides are a threat to pollinators and other beneficial insects when they are used to grow plants sold in nurseries. Since one of the major benefits of gardening with native plants is feeding insects who sustain the food chain, we want to avoid those plants. But how?

Increasingly, nurseries are able to hold themselves out as neonicotiniod free. Typically, these nurseries are either growing their own plants or working with a small network of growers they know and trust. If a retail nursery is not growing its own plants from seed, ensuring plants are neonicotiniod free can be a complex and labor intensive effort as often times seedlings are grown by one nursery, shipped to a grower or two who nurture the plants to reach retail size when they are then shipped to the nursery where you shop -- lots of stops along the way.

A couple of weeks ago, the weekly post listed our native plant nurseries here in the central Chesapeake watershed. There were some good questions about which nurseries are neonicotinoid free. The list that follows are the native plant nurseries I am aware of who believe they are neonicotinoid free. This is not to say plants in other nurseries or garden centers have been treated with neonicotiniods. It may be those businesses do not have the capacity to undertake the significant effort to ascertain this or other factors at play. It's always worth asking. Some nurseries may be able to tell you which plants they are certain are not treated.

Also, some plant brands are specifically labeled as "neonic free." American Beauty Native Plants are always sold in the light green pots, are available at many of the garden centers in our area and are grown without neonicotinoids. Here is the list.

Nurseries

Herring Run Nursery

Baltimore City

Lauren’s Native Plant Nursery

Ellicott City, Maryland (Howard County)

Kollar Nursery 

Pylesville, Maryland (Harford County)

Unity Churchill Nursery

(Queen Anne's County, MD)

Watermark Woods

Hamilton, VA

Wildflower Native Plant Nursery

Bethesda, MD (Montgomery County)

Order & Pick-up Nurseries

Adkins Arboretum

Ridgely, MD (Caroline County)

Bona Terra Nursery

Washington D.C. and Friendship, MD (Anne Arundel County)

Butterfly Alley

Hollywood, MD (St. Mary's County)

Chesapeake Natives

Upper Marlboro MD (Prince Georges County)

Earth Sangha

Springfield, VA

Environmental Concern

St. Michaels, MD (Talbot County)

Nature By Design

Alexandria, Virginia

On-Line Mail Order Nurseries

Ecoplantia

Chevy Chase, MD

Izel Plants

Washington D.C.

Mid-Atlantic Native Plant Farm

Cobbs Creek, VA

Plant More Natives

Richmond, VA

My major concern is I inadvertently leave a nursery off of the list. If you are a nursery selling neonicotinoid free native plants and are not listed here, please leave a comment below and I will follow up with a post! Thank you in advance for your patience.

It's spring! Happy Gardening.

If you are reading this, it is likely you have, or are about to become, just a bit nutsy for native plants! It's spring. Rains have likely moistened the soil in your garden. Sun and warmer temps are on their way. What better time to create a new flower bed sure to be buzzing with life by the time July rolls around?

Step 1: Select a Spot that Gets Six Hours of Sun

This will be a sun loving bunch of flowers, so six hours of direct sun is ideal for your new bed. It also helps if the area is one where you have easy access to water.

Step 2: Prep the Area if Needed

Is your spot covered in weeds or lawn? Please go here for easy directions on how to convert the area to a plantable bed within 45 days or so. If your spot has bare soil and no roots surfacing, standing water or other obvious impediments, you can go to step 3. Note there is no need to till or break up the soil.

Step 3: Choose your flowers

These perennial flowers have similar growth habits and should not out compete each other. They bloom at different times with the goal of always having flowers throughout the growing season. They are also fairly tolerant of a wide range of soil types. These recommendations feature white, blue and lavender flowers with a touch of yellow. There are many, many potential combinations and plants to choose from!

Blue Dogbane (Amsonia tabernaemontana)

Small light blue flowers in mid spring and adds great color in fall.

Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis)

White flowers in late spring, early summer.

Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)

Blue flowers in late spring, early summer. Skip this one if your soils are dry.

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Lavender blue flowers from early summer through fall. Native to areas west of the Chesapeake region.

Tickseeed (Coreopsis lanceolata)

Yellow flowers in early summer and sporadically after.

Skullcap (Scutellaria incana)

Blue flowers in summer and distinctive seed heads.

Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

Yellow flowers in late summer and early fall. Not one of the aggressively growing goldenrods.

Smooth Aster

Blue to purple flowers in fall.

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Small white flowers in fall.

Step 4: Source your plants

These plants are commonly available from native plant nurseries including some who sell on-line and ship plants. Here is a list of native plant nurseries. Very helpfully, most now maintain on-line inventories so you can see what is available!

Step 5. Plant

If you are planting in an area where you are converting lawn to bed, peak under the cardboard at about the four week mark to see if your new bed is ready. If the grass and or weeds are brown and soft, it's ready. If you have to wait a few more weeks, that's ok too!

Determine whether you will plant in groups or intersperse the plants to create a more informal look. Whether you are planting 2" plugs or quarts or larger size pots, it always helps to set the plants out, take a step back and see if you are happy with it. Keep in mind the height of the perennials. You may want to place taller flowers to the back or in the middle of the bed. Then again, there are some people who like the abundantly full look and don't hesitate to plant taller flowers in front.

Step 6: Mulch and Water

Mulch bare areas to keep weeds out and moisture in. Once the bed fills in this will not be necessary. Water every couple of days for the first few weeks and then you can taper off. I always think it is a good idea to water newly planted plants once a week in their first year unless there has been a lot of rain. The consistent moisture helps get plants established.

Step 7: Enjoy!

Happy Gardening.

Nature is amazing and I guess it should not be surprising a plant native to the eastern U.S. might have a look a-like in a foreign land. Interesting! Distinguishing among them can be a challenge. Here is how to tell the difference between common natives and ornamental look a-likes.

Beautyberries

Beautyberry shrubs are coveted for their bright purple berries in fall. Both native beautyberry and several types of Asian beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma,  Calllicarpa japonica, and Callicarpa bodinieri) are commonly sold in local garden centers. The Asian shrubs are quite similar to the native though slightly more uniform in growth habit.

You can distinguish between the two by looking at the berry clusters. Berry clusters of native beautyberry form directly on the branch. Berries on the Asian shrub are attached by short stems.

Clematis

Clouds of white blooms covering fences and trellises in fall are a fresh sight. From any distance, it can be hard to tell the difference between our native clematis (Clematis virginiana) and the invasive Asian clematis commonly sold as sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora).

You can distinguish between the two by looking at the leaves.  The leaves of native clematis are grouped in threes and are a lighter green as seen above right. The leaves of sweet autumn clematis are darker green and more leather like in texture as shown in the lower right. .

Dogwood Trees

Dogwoods in bloom signal spring is truly underway. Both native dogwood (Benthamidia Florida) and Asian kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) trees are sold and planted throughout our area.

For a time in the mid-Atlantic, native dogwoods were particularly prone to anthracnose, a fungal disease affecting native dogwoods.  In our area, some nurseries stopped carrying native dogwoods because of the disease but then began carrying them again as the threat of disease seemed to have lessened and disease resistant varieties became available.

Native dogwoods bloom in April and ornamental Kousas bloom in June. Kousa dogwood has a more uniform flower with pointed petals and mottled bark.

Native dogwoods have small seed like fruits. Ornamental dogwoods produce gumball sized fruit.   

Fringe Trees

Fringe trees are easy to grow sun loving trees with amazing flowers that look like, well, fringe! Fringe trees flower just as foliage unfurls and the effect is ethereal. Add to that, the subtle fragrance and blue fruits on female trees later in summer and wow! Great tree. Native fringe trees (Chionanthus virginicus) bloom in mid to late spring. .

To tell the difference, look at the flowers. The native fringe tree flowers grow on old growth and emerge behind the leaves. The flowers on the Asian fringe tree emerge at the tip of the branch. This post from Clemson has good photos of the two types of trees.

Honeysuckle vines

Native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempivirens) is a versatile vine — grow it on a mailbox post, train it to cover a fence or let it climb a wall.  If you can think of it, it will probably do it. It blooms prolifically in spring and then throughout the summer and is quite manageable with a little pruning from time to time. It holds on to objects with tendrils, It is nowhere nearly as aggressive as its asian alternative, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Japanese honeysuckle is an aggressive vine that twirls around anything it can. The Missouri Botanical Garden calls it a “dreadful weed.”

Native honeysuckle has lighter green foliage and pink, coral or orange flowers. Japanese honeysuckle has darker green foliage and white and yellow flowers.

Please note there are also shrub honeysuckles form Europe and Asia that are also quite invasive. This four minute video from Penn State Extension gives an excellent overview of those.

Wisteria

Wisteria flowers draping from a pergola or trellis is a classic. Wisterias from China and Japan are aggressive growing vines considered invasive in Maryland. American wisteria (Wisteria frutescans) is equally beautiful but not nearly as aggressive a grower.

The flowers tell the difference. American wisteria flowers are shorter and almost pine cone shaped. Asian wisteria have long drooping flowers.

There are so many similarities between these plants yet their origin makes a world of difference!

Happy gardening.

Whether you are new to gardening, a pro with an ornamental garden or nuts for natives it can help to have a strategy for your gardening season. You might want to go all in for ecological benefit this year or be motivated more by aesthetics. Or perhaps this is the year to be pragmatic based on time, budget or life. With any luck, one of these easy strategies for adding native plants to your garden will fit your native plant plans!

Keystone Plants

If you are in the category of wanting to do all you can do for the planet with your garden, keystone plants are the ones for you. Native plant guru Dr. Doug Tallamy has identified a group of special plants. They make up just 14% of all native plants yet support 90% of our caterpillars and specialist bees. These are the superstars of native plants. Dr. Tallamy says "they drive the terrestial food system." In our area, this group includes white oak trees (Quercus alba), river birches (Betula nigra), blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum), woodland sunflowers (Helianthus divaricatus), blue wood aster (Symphiotrichum cordifolium) and goldenrods (Solidago), all native plants that are widely available. Here is a detailed list of keystone plants for our eco-region.

Layering

If your garden already is mature or has basics like foundation plantings, shrubs and a tree or two, you may wonder what more it can take. This is a question that often arises for homeowners who inherited an ornamental garden. Adding layers is the thing to do. If you want to encourage more birds to your garden without the need for filling bird feeders, adding multiple layers of plants at varying heights is one of the best things you can do.

If you have a tree surrounded by a circle of mulch, perhaps layer in Christmas ferns (Polystichum acrostichoides) or other shade loving perennials like wild ginger (Asarum canadense), allegheny pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens), or heuchera (Heuchera americana). If you have a hedge, might you plant a row of perennials flowers in front. If you have a large tree, could you plant one of the fabulous native understory trees like a redbud (Cercis canadensis) or dogwood (Benthamidea florida) nearby. Adding shrubs is also key.

Convert a Patch of Lawn

If you have a lawn, one of the easiest things you can do is convert a part of it to a garden bed. Standard turf lawns are high maintenance and have very low ecological value. No need to dig it up. Cardboard, some ground staples and mulch are all that's needed. Depending on rainfall, you can have a nice area for planting in as little as 30 days. Please go here for more info.

Grow a New Flower Patch

Select a sunny spot and plant a group of perennial flowers that speak to you. You might focus on choosing a spring, summer and fall blooming perennial to get a long season of blooms. Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis), skullcap (Scutellaria incana), blue hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) and smooth asters (Symphyotrichum leavis) make a good combo. Or maybe you want to focus on one season in particular as above?

Plant One Tree or Shrub

If this is your season to be pragmatic, planting one tree or shrub makes a difference! Maybe you have always wanted a dogwood or redbud or something more unusual like a fringe tree. Or perhaps you want to maximize the eco-benefit of your one tree or shrub? If so, the following list from Dr. Tallamy of the top trees for species of caterpillars supported is for yo. Please note trees not recommended for residential use have been omitted.

Oaks (Quercus alba) (supporting over 500 species)

Willow (Salix nigra) (supporting over 450 species)

Cherry, plum or wild plum (Prunus Americana) (supporting over 450 species)

River Birch (Betula nigra) (supporting over 400 species)

Crabapple (Malus coronaria) (supporting over 300 species)

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) (supporting over 280 species)

Pine (Pinus strobus) (supporting over 200 species)

Another note about planting trees. A number of experts recommend planting small size trees because the root systems establish much more strongly and the tree will be much healthier from the start. A labor and budget saver too!

Choose a Statement Plant

Maybe this is the year to choose one plant that really wows you? Maypop (Passiflora incarnata) or Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica)? You can read more about maypops here and Indian pink here.

Add a Container

Containers count. A single container with a single plant can make a difference. Make it a container with a keystone plant, like the smooth asters above, and you have really done something!

If you have a strategy that worked well for you, please do share it. We will all appreciate it. Of course, not everyone wants to garden with a strategy. Freestyle is a lot of fun too!

Happy Gardening.

Your local native nurseries are stocking, growing and getting ready for spring and a number have been open all winter! If you want an easy shopping experience, reliable advice to increase your chances of success and enhance your garden, these are the places to go. These local businesses specialize in locally grown native plants (a rarity), are surviving in a very competitive industry, all while providing an environmentally important service.

A number of our local nurseries have shifted their business models a bit over the past several years. Some with regular retail hours moved to on-line ordering and scheduled pick-ups. Others will deliver. Others have limited early spring ordering for later in spring pickup. Please call to check before heading out to a nursery if you have any questions about how the nursery works!

Nurseries To Visit

A Little Farm & Nursery 

Stevensville MD (Queen Annes County)

A Little Farm & Nursery, an independently owned full service garden center, has a good selection of native ground covers, grasses, perennials, shrubs and small trees.  The team gardens with native plants. Open year round but a good idea to call ahead to find out about native plant inventories. Looking for kid friendly activities? You have found your place! You can read more here.

Ecoasis Garden Center

Bowie, Maryland (Prince Georges - Anne Arundel County line)

Ecoasis is a small nursery about 5 minutes from Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville. They may be small but they have a good selection of native shrubs and trees at competitive prices at their sunny road side location including larger sumac, serviceberry, and river birches. In past years, inventories were more robust in late spring.  If you are looking for something specific, it is advisable to call ahead. They also carry many organic products.

Herring Run Nursery

Baltimore City

Herring Run Nursery in Baltimore is a treasure trove of quality native plant straight species and cultivars. You will find hundreds of perennials, shrubs and some young trees laid out in tidy rows in a sunny field behind a municipal golf course. Days and hours vary by month You can also place on-line orders for pick-up. On-line orders placed now will be available for pick-up on March 14th. Hours information is here. The Nursery reopens on March 14th!

Kollar Nursery 

Pylesville, Maryland (Harford County)

The Kollar family has been growing and selling native plants for about 30 years and it shows. They sell perennials, shrubs and trees as well as a very curated selection of ornamental shrubs and trees. Kollar sells straight species and hybrids and can explain the virtues of each choice. Once you see the unassuming sign at the side of the driveway, turn in and enjoy! You can read more here.

Lauren’s Native Plant Nursery

Ellicott City, Maryland (Howard County)

Lauren's Garden Service offers design and installation as well as their retail nursery. The nursery offers straight species and cultivars of native perennials, shrubs and trees. Plants are organized by size and light conditions.  The nursery maintains an on-line inventory of plants. They also usually have a great assortment of high quality topiary forms and also offer a retail store with lots of botanical fare. You can read more here. Reopens in April!

Unity Churchill Nursery

(Queen Anne's County, MD)

This full service, year round garden center specializes in native plants and grows some their own plant stock for sale.  They offer a strong selection of native plants in all sizes from plugs to mature trees and maintain an on-line inventory of plants.  Their list of native plants native to the Eastern Shore (and grown by the nursery) is super useful. You can also place on-line orders for pick-up. They also sell plugs. The Spring Open House will be held Saturday, March 23rd!

Watermark Woods

Hamilton, VA

This nursery in Loudoun County is a treasure of hard to find and popular natives set amid a sylvan setting.  The nursery sells quart and gallon sized plants and some larger shrubs and trees. They have a great selection of water loving perennials too. The inventory and current sale items are available on the website.  They also welcome special orders for larger numbers of plants. Opens for the season on April 2nd!

Wildflower Native Plant Nursery

Bethesda, MD (Montgomery County)

This wonderful backyard nursery offers local ecotype plants. You can get an idea of the plants available by looking at last season's inventory and reading more here. Opens for the season in April. Please check website for exact date.

Order & Pick-up Nurseries

Adkins Arboretum

Ridgely, MD (Caroline County)

Adkins hosts one of the longest running spring native plant sales in Maryland and it is open for ordering! You can place orders here through March 28th. Plants will be available for pick-up the last week of April. While there, you can walk the wooded trails and meadow paths to see oodles of native plants in their natural habitat.

Bona Terra Nursery

Washington D.C. and Friendship, MD (Anne Arundel County)

Bona Terra Nursery grows and sells local eco-type plants only. The nursery is also home to the amazing million seedling give away and so much more. You can find the details for ordering here. Order on-line and pick up in Washington D.C., Friendship, MD or schedule delivery. Read more about Bona Terra here and here. Open now and year round!

Butterfly Alley

Hollywood, MD (St. Mary's County)

This small seasonal plant stand is a wonderful source for native plant plugs and they are offering shrubs and trees too. Orders are now being taken for pick-up on opening day, April 19th. Order for shrubs and trees must be placed by Tuesday, March 19th. Read more about Butterfly Alley https://www.nutsfornatives.com/post/native-plant-nurseries-butterfly-alley here. Opens April 19th!

Chesapeake Natives

Upper Marlboro MD (Prince Georges County)

This volunteer run nursery uses the grounds at the historic Mt. Airy Mansion to grow Chesapeake ecotype plants.  They grow over 100 different plants and offer quart size perennials, small shrubs and saplings. Their first open day is Saturday, April 6th.

Earth Sangha

Springfield, VA

This volunteer run nursery stocks only local ecotype plants and grows all of their plants. They sell plugs, quarts and gallon sized plants and a current inventory is available on their website.  You can visit the nursery during weekend hours or order on-line for pick-up. Earth Sangha opens for the season on Sunday, March 17th.

Environmental Concern

St. Michaels, MD (Talbot County)

Environmental Concern collects their own seed and grows their own plants and has been doing so for a very long time - since 1972! If you are looking for wetland plants, you have found your place. Residential gardeners may place orders for wetland plants and more during the growing season by checking their inventory availability (updated monthly) and placing an order through e-mail or by phone. Customers pick up orders at the campus in St. Michaels, MD.

Nature By Design

Alexandria, Virginia

Nature by Design grows their own plants and sell quite a range of straight species perennials including those that are hard to find. They also sell very young shrubs and trees. Like the other nurseries listed here, the people who work there are very helpful and extremely knowledgeable. Their 2023 plant list is here to give you an idea and their 2024 plant list is expected shortly. Nature by Design offers free delivery to all Alexandria mailing addresses and all Northern Virginia addresses inside the beltway.

On-Line Mail Order Nurseries

Direct Native Plants

Middle River MD

This nursery offers an on-line store of high quality native perennials, shrubs and trees.  You can also search for plants by rain garden, high shade or pollinators.  They are taking orders for shipping in April.

Ecoplantia

Chevy Chase, MD

This relatively new nursery offers planting kits with templates, flats of perennials and plants. Perennial flats ship year round and other plants will begin to ship on April 15th.

Izel Plants

Washington D.C.

​Izel Plants sources native plants from several mid-Atlantic nurseries and has an excellent website that will indicate size (ranges from trays of plugs to quarts to loose bulbs and bare root plants) and shipment date to your zip code.

Mid-Atlantic Native Plant Farm

Cobbs Creek, VA

This is a longtime wholesale native plant nursery that will ship to residential customers with an order of $150 or more. They offer plug trays, bare root plants and live stakes.

Plant More Natives

Richmond, VA

This nursery sells over 400 native and native cultivar perennials. Plants are shipped with minimal packaging and plants are high quality and robust in size. Plants are grown by growers in central Virginia. They are accepting orders for shipping now.

It's never too early to plan an outing or place an order with one of these fantastic local native plant nurseries!

I don't know about you but at the end of every growing season I have a mental list of things I want to do for the following year's garden. Inevitably, I leave some, or sometimes, many of those undone! On my list after last year was to make sure I had plenty of plants to provide nectar for hummingbirds in April. I had read about scientific thought that the bloom time of native flowers up the east coast evolved over eons to coordinate with the return of ruby-throated hummingbirds as they make their way north.

Fast forward, a few weeks ago I listened to a post by Bona Terra founder Jeremy Tidd about why planting in winter works really well. Jeremy explained since plants are dormant, moving or planting them now doesn't disturb them and once conditions arrive that prompt the plant to emerge from dormancy, that plant will already be in its spot - ready to go!

Which got me to thinking about the hummingbirds that will arrive in April or so looking for nectar to fuel. Red flowers are always a favorite so cue the Eastern columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). Apparently hummingbirds are also fans of the Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica). These three plants are iconic signs of spring in the native garden and favorites!

I was curious as to whether it's possible to find these now and plant in time for the hummingbirds in spring. Checking nurseries specializing in natives that have on-line inventories, it is possible.

Eastern Columbine

Eastern Columbine is a small perennial with dainty foliage that sends up 2 to 3 foot stalks of incredibly intricate red and yellow flowers in spring. These flowers en masse are stunning. Eastern columbines thrive in moist soils though will grow in drier conditions in part shade or part sun. If the area is moist, the foliage will last through the summer. Eastern columbines are short lived perennials but will self sow. The reason they are in short supply in my garden is likely because I am leaving quite a layer of leaf litter which does make it a bit tougher for plants to self sow as seeds need to reach the soil. If you want plants to self sow, you may want to clear some ground when plants go to seed.

Current Availability:

Bona Terra Nursery

Plant More Natives (mail order)

Unity Churchill Nursery

Trumpet Honeysuckle

An easy to grow native vine, trumpet honeysuckle grows in part shade to full sun. For more information, please check out this post.

Current Availability:

Kollar Nursery

Herring Run Nursery (orders can be placed on March 14th)

Plant More Natives (mail order)

Unity Churchill Nursery

Virginia Bluebells

A spring ephemeral, Virginia bluebells emerge in early spring, flower and then die back in May only to reappear the following year. For more information about growing bluebells, go here.

Current Availability:

Plant More Natives (mail order)

Unity Churchill Nursery

No guarantees your newly planted plants will bloom by April but your fueling stations will be topped off for the next spring! It probably goes without saying, but if you are going to a nursery for a particular plant, please call ahead as inventories constantly change.

Do you have other spring blooming plants visited by hummingbirds or other places where plants are available? Please share in the comments. Thank you.

Happy fueling.

The array of native shrubs native to our Chesapeake watershed is absolutely amazing. Many add spring flowers, summer fruit and fall color creating quite the boon for any gardener! Gardening on 1/8 of an acre, my real challenge is which native shrubs to grow. Here is what I have grown and learned over the past ten years.  Please note this is very limited experience in that I only have room for so many shrubs! As always, it is one perspective to take in combination with what the pros say provided in the links.

Bayberry

Bayberries (Morella pensylvanica) are shrubs that can grow to 15 feet tall but 10 feet is more the norm. They thrive in acidic soils but tolerate neutral soils as well. The farther south they are, the more likely they are to retain their leaves all winter. The shrubs are loosely shaped and their size and mass make a great screen or backdrop. Plus those white berries on female plants are very interesting! To get the berries, you will need a male and female plant.

Lesson Learned: Light wise, bayberries are said to grow in part shade. In our garden, where the soil conditions are not ideal for bayberry, they really seem to need full sun.  This may vary depending on the acidity of your soil. In ideal soil conditions, the shrubs may fare just fine in part shade.

Beautyberry

Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana) is very easy to grow in full sun and part shade. It naturally grows in moist soils but you can grow it in average soils as well. Beautyberry grows in clay soils too. A mature shrub reaches up to 6 feet high and wide.

Lesson Learned: It’s a bit gangly! If you have a naturalistic garden design, you may covet this free flowing vibe. If you have a more formal style, you can help your beautyberry along. Beautyberries bloom on new wood each season so you can prune them in spring to help improve their shape. Pruning back by one to two thirds will help create a tighter shape to your shrub.  From experience, I recommend not pruning until you are sure the shrub is well established. How to tell if it is well established? Is it pushing a lot of new growth? That’s a good sign. Is it producing plenty of purple berries? Another good sign. If conditions turn dry, does it start to wilt? If so, it may not yet be well established.

Fothergilla

Fothergilla shines in spring, summer and fall. Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) grows about 4 feet high and wide. Large fothergilla (Fothergilla major) grows 6 to 10 feet high. Both grow in sun to part shade and in most any soil. The white flowers in spring burst open mid-spring. Fall brings a fantastic palette of fiery oranges and reds.

Lesson Learned: This is very easy to grow and a welcome, welcome sight in spring!

Hearts-a-burstin

Hearts-a-burstin (Euonymus americanus) grows in part shade and does best in moist and rich soils. It is said by experts to tolerate clay soils. Often described as growing 4 to 6 feet wide and high, it is just as likely to be described as sprawling and suckering. It sometimes called strawberry bush or wahoo shrub.

Lesson Learned: Hearts-a-burstin really needs moisture. I originally grew two shrubs in average moisture soils in part shade. For three years, the shrubs languished producing only one or two seed pods over the several years. Once I moved them to the foot of a down spout where there was full sun, they began to grow, thrive and bloom.

I have had some luck creating a somewhat moister areas by disconnecting down spouts from discharging water into perforated pipes that carried water underground to the street and instead diverting that water to the garden. As we all know, water can be a menace to house foundations so great care must be taken! In my case, I added extensions to the downspouts so no water is discharged within ten feet of the house foundation. I also only did this where the grade slopes away from the house.

Lesson Learned: These shrubs are typically only available at native plant nurseries and may look sketchy if the shrubs are young. They are totally worth the wait for the shrub to mature.

Gro-Low sumac

This smaller cultivar of native fragrant sumac, Gro-Low sumac (Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low') will spread in width but does not grow tall. In spring, plants have small yellow catkins or clusters of flowers depending on whether male or female. They develop green foliage for summer and this deep orange foliage in fall.

Lesson Learned: I wanted to grow this shrub for the fall color and catkins. I planted one knowing they will begin to spread by rooting branches.  To maintain a single specimen takes pruning twice a year.  That said, it takes about five minutes each time and is easy. This shrub would be a really great shrub for covering ground or stabilizing slopes.

Lesson Learned: The more sun. it gets, the more intense the fall color will be.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). produce a range of fall color from purple to mahogany to orange, have gently peeling bark in winter and panicle flowers in summer. Oakleaf hydrangeas have a more informal shape and get quite large, up to 7 to 12 feet tall and wide. There are also smaller cultivars.

Lesson learned: This shrub takes well to artful pruning.  If you want to create a screen or let the shrub grow you can leave it be and it will thrive. If you want to create some artful structure for winter though, you can prune it to create a very pleasing vase shape. Oakleaf hydrangeas bloom on old wood so do know that if you are pruning in winter, which is a great time to prune as you can see the structure of the plant, you may be removing next year’s blooms.  I tend to prune out suckers, branches growing straight up and branches growing downward to create the shape I like. Since the plants are mature, that still leaves lots of blooms for summer. 

Possumhaw Viburnum

Possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudum) are large shrubs with white flowers in early summer, plentiful berries in late summer and fall, and a variety of festive fall foliage color. Possumhaw grow 10 to 20 feet tall. The berries morph from minty green to pale pink to dark blue - quite a show over the summer.

Lesson Learned: These shrubs will fare just fine for several years in soils with average moisture but over the long haul, more moisture is better.

Spicebush

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is an early spring bloomer. It has small chartreuse blooms in shade and it's a welcome sight. In the fall, it's yellow foliage glows in the shade. If you happen to get a female plant, it will also bear bright red berries. Spicebush naturally grows as an understory shrub. In the garden it grows best in shade or part shade.

Lesson Learned: The chartreuse buds of this shrub in the forest understory in very early spring get me every time. So even though my garden has a base of fill dirt and is pretty much the opposite of the forest understory, I continue to try to grow spicebush. After several attempts, the only success I have had is planting in full shade, with moisture and leaving significant leaf cover to help prevent surface soils from drying out. Moisture seems to be the key.

Summersweet

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) shrub blooms in summer with abundant scented flowers that are magnets for pollinators. The bloom period is several weeks. In fall, the foliage is a fantastic yellow. Summersweet grows in sun or part shade in moist or average soils. Summersweet grows to about 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide. There are also cultivars which are smaller as well as cultivars with pink flowers.

Lesson Learned: Summersweet prefers moister soils but will grow in average soils.

Lesson Learned: While it will grow and flower in dappled shade I have found the more sun they have, the more flowers you will have.

Lesson Learned: This shrub can be late to leaf out in spring so if yours is newly planted, don’t give up on it too early. An easy way to see if a shrub is still alive is to scrape away the bark with sharp pruners, a knife, or your fingernail. If you see green, the shrub is good. If it is brown, keep working your way down the shrub to see if part of the shrub is still surviving. If so, you can prune out the dead wood.

Wild Hydrangea

Wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) is a three to five foot high shrub that flowers in summer. It grows in shade, part shade and part sun. The flowers dry and often persist through winter adding winter interest.

Lesson Learned: It can be hard to find a straight species wild hydrangea. The reason to find the straight species is to get a shrub with fertile flowers for pollinators! The petals I always thought of as the flower shown by the shorter arrow above are sterile. The fertile part of the hydrangea is shown by the longer arrow.

Over the years, I purchased shrubs labeled as wild hydrangeas and only one turned out to be.  Once the shrubs began to bloom, it appeared from the flower, they were mostly sterile blooms and likely the very popular cultivar hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle.' Beautiful but not providing much to pollinators. This past December I went the native plant nursery route and purchased several shrubs from Bona Terra Nursery. There will be no question when these bloom that pollinators will be happy!

Winterberry

Winterberry shrubs (Ilex verticillata) grow 6 to 8 feet in sun or part shade. The more sun they get, the more berries you and the birds get. Shrubs are either male or female. Females bear the berries and you must have one male shrub within 50 feet of the female shrubs to ensure berries.. These shrubs have small white flowers in early summer.

Lesson Learned: For a shrub that thrives in moist conditions, winterberry adapts to average moisture soils very easily.

Lesson Learned: This shrub takes to artful pruning once mature. You can prune out downward growing, inward growing and crossing branches to create a very architectural vase shape that really adds to the winter garden.

Lesson Learned: If you are not getting berries you may not have a male shrub in close enough proximity to pollinate your female shrub. If you are not getting berries, this spring, take note of the time of year your shrub produces small white flowers and then check this chart or talk to your local nursery about which variety of male shrub you need.

Lesson Learned: Please be patient with newly planted shrubs. They take three or so years to get established and start really turning out those berries!

Do you have different experience with these native shrubs or a favorite native shrub not covered here? Please share it with us in the comments. Thank you!

Over the ten years in this garden, I have intentionally planted as many evergreens as possible to screen out the nearby intersection and add color and structure, particularly for the depths of winter! Early on, I mostly paid attention to the light the various shrubs required. I soon realized it would be necessary to pay close attention to the soil conditions as well - not only moisture, but also alkaline versus acidic soils. Our garden is, as best as I have determined, a lot of fill with clay covered by ten years worth of decomposing leaves and still alkaline. There has been a lot of trial and error and while I am sharing my experience, this is where going to a native plant nursery and talking to the staff about your conditions, will really pay off. Evergreen shrubs can be slow growing and are investments. It makes sense to get it right from the start!

Drooping Laurel

Drooping laurel (Leucothoe fontanesiana), also called dog hobble, is a small evergreen shrub that grows well in shady, moist areas and acidic soils.  Mt. Cuba says this shrub can also take sun. This shrub makes a great native substitute for the ubiquitous non-native cherry laurel (Prunus ‘Otto Luyken’, Prunus laurocerasus and Prunus laurocerasus ‘schipkaensis’).

Lesson learned: Drooping laurel seems to do better in moister areas when soils are not acidic. I planted one in average moisture soils and it stagnated. Once moved to my friend Alice's garden, located in a part sun area with more water, it took off.

Lesson learned: Seems to transplant easily!

Eastern Red Cedar "Grey Owl'

Eastern red cedar ‘Grey Owl’ (Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl‘) is a short, horizontally growing shrub version of the tall native tree, Eastern red cedar. This shrub grows and fruits best in full sun and will handle just about any type of soil. It grows a couple of feet high and 4 to 6 feet wide. This shrub does not get cedar rust like Eastern red cedar trees do. The blue fruits persist through winter - delightful.

Lesson learned: Plant it where you can see and enjoy the berries all winter long, but in full sun!

Inkberry

Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is an all around strong evergreen shrub. The straight species grows to 5 to 6 feet tall and wide. A number of smaller cultivars are also available. Inkberry can be grown as a hedge, foundation plant or a specimen plant. Inkberry is said to grow in full sun or part shade in average moisture.

When it is thriving, this very versatile evergreen is very low maintenance. It also makes a great substitute for boxwood.

Lesson learned: In our clay soils, it grows much stronger in full sun. In shade, the plants grow very slowly and are not as full.

Lesson learned: It is far better to purchase smaller plants, like those typically found at native plant nurseries, than the one gallon and larger sizes found at garden centers. The smaller plants establish much more readily and after a couple of years, are equally robust. Often times, larger inkberries at garden centers have been in their pots for quite sometime and are somewhat root bound. These are more difficult to get established.

Mountain Laurel

Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is another incredible evergreen shrub for shade and moist acidic soils. It grows upwards of 8 to 10 feet and flowers range in color from white to pink to red. It is also a slow growing shrub.

Lesson learned: I have not been able to get it to grow in our alkaline clay soils. If I were going to try again, I would amend the soil heavily with compost and use a soaker hose until the shrub established.

Rhododendron

Rosebay rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum) grow well in shady, moist areas and acidic soils. Our soils here are not acidic. I have had some luck with growing this shrub in a moist, shaded corner of our garden where there is significant leaf cover on the ground.

Lesson learned: to get this shrub established in an area where it would not naturally thrive, it can help to use a soaker hose for the first year to ensure consistent moisture. Leaving a layer of leaves helps too.

Once you find an evergreen shrub that works for you, you are golden. Here in our garden, that means adding inkberries and Eastern red cedar 'grey owl' in sunny spots. Which evergreen shrubs have you had success with? Please share your experiences and gardening conditions to help us all!

Wishing you warm winter vibes.

Until recently, a February stroll in our small corner garden looking for color meant searching for red berries on American hollies and winterberries and blue fruits on female Eastern red cedars. I was not thinking pink.

And there they were. Coralberry shrubs with bright deep pink berries. In a blink, February gardens seen in an entirely new light!

Growing

Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus), a deciduous shrub, thrives in full to part sun. It tolerates a variety of soils and moisture levels and grows 2 to 4 feet high and 3 to 6 feet wide at maturity. This is a wispy shrub with small leaves. It shines when all else is dormant.

There is also a cultivar called 'Proud Berry® Coralberry.' I first saw the cultivar at Herring Run Nursery back in 2019 and was mesmerized. Think light pink berries the size of blueberries. They are spectacular and unusual in fall. The downside is these berries don't persist through the winter as berries of the straight species do.

The foliage of the cultivar is bluish in tone and leaves are a bit larger than straight species shrubs. Both shrubs grow in similar conditions.

Garden Design

To me, these shrubs are really fall and winter plants. I planted two Proud Berry® Coralberry from Herring Run Nursery in part shade and later moved them to full sun locations. Once they were moved to full sun, they produced a lot more berries. Not soon after that, I learned about the straight species and found two shrubs at Kollar Nursery. I planted two quart sized straight species coralberries in the same area. In their fourth year, they are still small but producing lots of berries.

These are not shrubs to feature for summer. The ideal situation would be mixing them in among deciduous perennials or shrubs so they are not too noticeable during the summer. Come fall, when surrounding plants lose their leaves, the berries will bring their bling. If you plant the straight species, come February, you will have color!

Pruning

Coralberries bloom on new wood. Experts recommend pruning Proud Berry® Coralberry by half in late winter to remove spindly growth and encourage growth from the thicker stems. This video demonstrates. I had been doing the same to my straight species native shrubs. Though seeing the graceful arching structure of the coralberry in the alley which is, I am guessing, not being pruned, I am going to prune one this year and leave one as is and see what kind of difference it makes.

Sourcing

Bona Terra Nursery currently shows straight species shrubs in their inventory. Kollar Nursery and Izel Plants inventories show they carry them but are currently out of stock. The cultivar is available at garden centers and on-line.

Why

Winter color in February! Why not!

In ten years with our garden, I have planted many a native ground cover and they are all good! The trick is finding the right ground cover for the right place. The native sedge so often recommended for dry shade turned out not to be so right for the heavily trafficked area between the sidewalk and the street. That sedge in shade with no foot traffic? Perfect. Golden groundsel planted among perennials in a bed with average moisture and other perennials? It took over. Planted in that tree lawn with heavy foot traffic? A great fit. It just might take a bit of trial and error. Sharing my trials and errors in case it helps inform your trials!

Allegheny Spurge

Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) is one of those native plants with all the attributes of the common ornamental. Both create a dense mat, crowding out weeds. Both bloom with small spiky white flowers in spring. Both thrive in part and full shade. One of the big plusses of native pachysandra is the foliage through the year. It morphs from brownish green to silver to green and has amazing variegation in the leaves.

Lesson Learned: It's a classic. A tree overhead lost a large limb and opened up a two hour period of sun in the afternoon. During drier periods, the pachysandra flopped. While the pachysandra recovered each evening, over time it might succumb so shade is key!

Blue Wood Sedge

Blue wood sedge (Carex flaccosperma) is a low growing clumping carex. It grows in shade, part shade and sun in a variety of soils. In our garden, these are evergreen adding color in the coldest months.

Lesson learned: This is a strong choice if you want a versatile carex that will spread. New clumps will form near the original plant after a couple of years. The plants are shallow rooted and easy to dig up and spread around. It can also be divided as you would a perennial.

Christmas Fern

Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is a two to three foot high semi-evergreen fern. It is often touted as both a great ground cover and a good plant for dry shade. Both are true in my experience. It can be challenging though to cover a lot of ground due to the cost and number of plants needed.

Lesson learned: To get the most mileage out of my Christmas ferns, I relocated them to moist shade. These ferns seem more robust the more moisture they have. The more robust they grow -- the less ferns needed.

Dwarf Crested Iris

Short dwarf crested iris grows in shade and part shade in medium to moist soils and blooms well in both. It is short, reaching just 6" in height. It grows by rhizomes and spreads nicely once established. It blooms in mid-spring.

Lesson learned: It's a ground cover! At first, I wasn't sure where to plant such a short iris but if you think of it as a ground cover it's easy to find places. It also works well on a slope.

Golden Groundsel

Golden groundsel, sometimes called golden ragwort, (Packera aurea) is a very easy to grow, early blooming native perennial.  It grows in shade, part shade and partly sunny locations and tolerates dry, medium or wet soils. The basal foliage is about 6 inches high and when it flowers in spring, the stalks are about 2 feet high. Those rosettes make a great ground cover year round.

Lesson learned: In more moist areas, golden groundsel establishes quickly and spreads readily by both seeds and clumping. If a spreading carpet is not your goal, you can plant golden groundsel in drier areas and cut off the flower heads after the petals begin to fade to limit its spread. Excellent for the tree lawn between our sidewalk and street and also for slopes!

Green and Gold

Green and gold  (Chrysogonum virgnianum) is a semi-evergreen short ground cover that grows in shade to part sun in average to moist soils. It quickly forms a carpet, blooms with a flush of yellow flowers in spring and blooms sporadically through the rest of summer.

Lesson learned: A couple of years back, I said green and gold "looks fragile but it is not. Ours gets occasional foot traffic and seems none the worse for wear." Well, during the recent very dry summer it almost completely faded away. It was also getting more sun than in previous years. I don't know whether it was affected by the drought, the additional sun or both. Either way, shade seems best.

Pussytoes

Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia) is a very low growing, silver colored ground cover for sunny, dry conditions. I planted plugs in compacted clay fill in a sunny, very dry location and two years in, it created a carpet.

Lesson learned: This ground cover needs sun, As the shrubs in the vicinity grew and created shade, the pussytoes began to slowly wither away.

Seersucker Sedge

Seersucker sedge (Carex plantaginea) is evergreen in our garden and spreads once established. It grows in full and part shade in average mositure soils. Once it gets established the clumps grow and spread. The wider leaves give it a strong stature for a sedge too!

Lesson learned: If your seersucker sedge is yellowing, check to see whether it is getting too much sun. A bit too much sun without regular supplemental water is the only issue I've experienced.

Lesson learned: this truly is a no maintenance plant!

Woodland Stonecrop

Woodland stone crop, also sometimes called three leaf stonecrop (Sedum ternatum), is short, 3 to 6" tall and evergreen. Woodland stonecrop grows in sun or shade though does best where there is some shade during the day. It grows in average or moist soils. It needs no maintenance and tolerates drought. It is evergreen. You can read more here.

Lesson learned: Nature has its own plans!I have planted it in several paces where I intended to create a sort of moss carpet effect. It will grow there for a season or so and then it makes up its own mind. The stonecrop pops up in some of the most delightful and unexpected places like along the path above. It is such a small plant though, I can't see a downside.

Viola

Native blue violets (Viola sororia) flower in early spring. Scientists say this provides native insects pollen at a very crucial time. Violets are a strong ground cover which easily create a carpet of dense green heart shaped leaves.

Lesson learned: As you probably know, this spreads both by underground rhizomes and seed. I tried to keep it to either side of a grass path edged with 6" deep steel edging and it did not work. I am just fine with it seeding in the lawn because but if you are not, this may not be the ground cover for you.

Lesson learned: In late summer, in dry conditions, the foliage fades. To keep it green all growing season, full shade is the best bet.

Wild Ginger

The heart shaped leaves of wild ginger (Asarum canadense) create a green carpet preserving soil moisture and blocking weeds in shady areas.  The plant dies back in winter and reemerges in spring with a small maroon flower.

Lesson Learned: Patience. This ground cover just takes a while to spread bit once it gets established, it will spread!

Happy Ground Covering.

With a dreamy vision of an arch covered with flowers for most of the growing season, I planted three vines at the base of this metal trellis five years ago: Carolina jessamine for yellow flowers in early spring, crossvine for orange flowers in late spring and maypop for purple and white flowers in summer and early fall. The results of the combination are mixed. The vines each are dream makers!

Vine One: Maypop

These exquisite flowers crazily attract both people and pollinators. They are intricate, colorful and unique. Maypop vine (Passiflora incarnata) grows in full sun and part shade. This perennial vine dies back each winter and regrows the following year to about 12 feet.

It grows aggressively, meaning it will send runners under ground that pop up 10 feet or more from the plant's base. If you are in your garden regularly, pulling the new sprouts is fairly manageable but if your garden is not tended for weeks at a time in summer, planting in containers may be your best bet.

This vine is native to the eastern and southern U.S. Passion flower vine is host to the larva of several butterflies and the fruit is attractive to birds. Our mature vine starts flowering in June. Fruits begin to form then and continue all summer long.

What I have learned in our garden is the vine's foliage is quite dense. The size of the leaves grows each year. This can be a downside in that flowers get lost in the foliage. A few years back, I began pruning the vine through summer limiting it to two main stems on each side of the trellis. That did seem to lead to more flowers but still a tremendous amount of foliage.

Three years back, in Old Town Alexandria, I passed by a home where the gardener had trained maypop to grow along wires across a brick wall. The vine had many flowers and the foliage was limited to the wires which formed a criss cross pattern. That did make me wonder whether severely pruning the foliage causes the vine to produce more flowers. Do you have any experience with this? If so, please share in the comments.

If you are looking to purchase this vine, please be careful in your selection. "Passion flower" vines of all kinds are sold in nurseries. Some of these are tropical vines which are extremely aggressive growers. To get the native, the latin name is the key: Passiflora incarnata.

Vine 2: Carolina Jessamine

Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), native to coastal and southern Virginia and further south, is a twining vine that is easy to grow. It blooms in late spring and the more sun it gets the more flowers there are. This vine is modest in its pace of growth and can reach heights of 20' over the years. In our garden it is semi-evergreen.

I initially planted Carolina jessamine along a fence in part shade and it did not thrive - only a few flowers each year. After moving it to the trellis in full sun, the difference in bloom and growth was noticeable right away. Some experts advise it will bloom in the fall as well but that may be more likely further south.

Vine 3: Crossvine

Crossvine, sometimes called trumpet flower (Bignonia capreolata), is another twining vine native to the south with smallish dark green leaves that is semi-evergreen in our garden. The blooms last for a couple of weeks. This vine blooms in early May with the tropical looking orange to coral to pink to yellow flowers. In our garden, the growth habit of this vine is less vigorous than maypop but stronger than Carolina jessamine. In the wild, this vine climbs up tall trees and other structures.

The Three Vine Combo

This is what the the three vine combo looks like most of the summer. The maypop foliage basically takes over. Maypop foliage dies back and can be removed in late winter. In spring, Carolina jessamine blooms first and the flowers are quite visible since nothing else is growing yet. By late April or early May, crossvine comes into bloom and the maypop foliage is still not growing so all good. Once the maypop starts growing, the other flowers are long gone. From a bloom succession standpoint, this all works out.

I have learned maypop and crossvine are stronger growers than Carolina jessamine. The crossvine holds its own with the maypop. The three seem to grow compatibly though Carolina jessamine will probably never fully cover this trellis because it can't out compete the other two vines.

From an aesthetic point of view, my lesson learned is less is more! Each of these vines alone would probably be much more beautiful. Just check out this trellis in my friend Alice's garden. The crossvine arch is just stunning.

Likewise, crossvine growing along a neighbor's fence is also a stand out.

This is one of the challenges of a small garden. So many plants, limited space! I am going to try to move one of the three vines on my trellis to its own location this year but certainly have no plans to give any of them up!

If you have experience or tips to share on any of these vines, please do. We will all appreciate it. Thank you so much for reading!

Ten years into this garden, I have tried lots of native vines and love them all. To sum it up - right vine, right place! The 1/8 acre garden, shaped like a seven, provides a lot of runway for vines along a fence line. Ten years also provided a lot of time for trial and error. With flowering vines, even the "errors" are delightful!

The original idea was to plant several native vines that flower at different times along the fence. I chose Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quiqufolia) for four seasons of interest and the fall color in particular, honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) for spring blooms and virgin's bower (Clematis virginiana) for the profuse white flowers in late summer followed by those captivating seed heads (technically fruits with a single seed called an achene).

Lesson 1: Virginia Creeper

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a fast growing, easy to grow vine adding year round abundance to your garden - flowers in spring, berries in late summer, an incredible array of fall color and twisted bare wood in winter. This deciduous vine grows in sun and shade and a variety of soil types.

Some experts call this vine "very aggressive" meaning it grows and spreads rapidly. I can confirm. Because Virginia creeper has four seasons of interest, high wildlife value and can take full sun to shade, I was looking for a way to grow it in an urban garden that was more tame or managed in style. A small 1/8 acre garden did not seem the place for a wildly growing vine that can send out a twenty foot runner in a week or two.

During my second year in this garden, I planted 9 quarts of Virginia creeper spaced out evenly along about a 150 feet of fence line. The plants were maybe a foot tall, if that. I knew how quickly this vine spreads so checked every couple of weeks and continually pruned the side shoots of off the plant. In the first year, the vines started growing around the lower part of the fence and by the second year, reached the top of the fence. I continued pruning away any side shoots and allowed the vine to grow horizontally once it reached the top of the fence. As the vines matured in the third and fourth years, the main stems thickened considerably and most of the growth occurred at the top of the plant, horizontally along the fence line. Once the vines matured, they started producing blue berries. Today, the vine is mature, producing large leaves and flower heads leading to a bounty of berries in fall.

In this setting, this is a very high maintenance vine. Once the vine starts to leaf out in spring, I check weekly for side shoots and runners. Once the growing season is in full swing, it takes weekly pruning to keep the vine from running the entire length of the fence or growing out into the sidewalk. In late summer, inevitably, the main stem will throw out some runners at ground level. To keep the vine in check, it has been essential to prune those runners off before they root in and really take over.

The vine is beautiful and I plan to keep it. Would I do this again? I would not plant it along a fence near a high traffic sidewalk. A two week absence means the vine is creeping over into the sidewalk. If it is raining a lot, that can happen in a week. Since I love to prune, its not a problem but it is not for everyone!

Given the many attributes of this vine, I could easily see planting it over an arbor, covering a fence where runners would not be problematic or as a ground cover. Another option to reduce maintenance would be to plant the vine in a container. It is an easy to grow and stunning plant that offers so much in a garden. The trick is to find the location that will work for you.

I have often admired this use of Virginia creeper in a Colorado garden I visited several years ago. Do you have tips on how and where to grow Virginia creeper? If so, please share in the comments below.

Lesson 2: Virgin's Bower, the Native Clematis

Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana) is a light, twining vine that is not terribly noticeable until it blooms. When it is planted in conditions it likes, clouds of small white flowers burst forth in late summer. This is a perennial vine that loves to ramble.  It is said to tolerate sun, part shade or shade. It grows naturally in moist soils. Experts say that it can tolerate dry soils in shade.

There is no shortage of common names for this vine. Depending on where you are, it may go by “virgin’s bower,” “woodbine,” “devil’s darning needles” or “old man’s beard.”  Whatever you call it, it attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

These were also planted as quart sized plants. They were slow to start and bloomed for the first time in the third summer.

In our garden, the vine is planted in areas that receive part sun during the day with full sun later in the day. It is also planted in an area with average to dry soils. In summers when rain is plentiful, the vine does well. You don't really notice it until the flowers appear. During periods of drought, in our garden, it really struggles. This past summer, which was very dry, the vine produced very few blooms. I intend to move the vine to an area with more moisture and shade to see if it can better withstand dry periods.

Initially, I tried to train the vine to grow along the fence much like the other two vines. Virgin's bower does not have a woody stem so, rather than pruning, it was more a matter of trying to encourage the flexible stems to twine among the fence posts. It was challenging to train it in that way. To me the best approach, is to let it do its thing. Many sources say you can cut it back to a few feet in the spring to encourage more blooms. I also read that in moist areas, it can spread rapidly.

Please note there is an invasive vine that very closely resembles virgin's bower, ‘Sweet autumn’ clematis (Clematis terniflora). This vine is from Asia and extremely vigorous. From the slightest distance, the two vines in bloom look alike. They also bloom at the same time. Many garden centers still sell sweet autumn clematis so your best bet for finding the native is a native plant nursery.

The best way to tell the two apart is to look at the leaves. The native has lighter green, more delicate leaves. The ornamental has leathery, darker green leaves.

Lesson 3: Native Honeysuckle

Long story short - the lesson about growing native honeysuckle is to plant it where you can enjoy it and regularly watch the hummingbirds visit! Early on, I planted two types of honeysuckle along the fence line: straight species honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) and a cultivar 'Major Wheeler' (Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'). For more information about the differences between the two, please check out this post.

Native honeysuckle is easy to grow, attracts hummingbirds, blooms in sun or part shade and produces bright red berries in fall. It grows quickly but not aggressively. To train it along the fence, I pruned away all side shoots and let it grow horizontally along the top of the fence.

Really, the only downside was that I planted it along the fence. That proved to be a great place for passersby to see it but not so much for those of us inside the garden! Since then, I have added native honeysuckle in containers and around several birdhouse poles inside the garden.

An easy way to get more honeysuckle is to root cuttings of new shoots that do not have flowers. These typically appear on mature plants around late spring or early summer. In this photo, to the top right, you can see several maroon colored stems of new growth that would be perfect for cuttings. I place four cuttings, cut side down, in the corners of a quart sized pot in potting soil. If you keep the soil moist, within 6 weeks or so, roots begin to form at the base of the cuttings. You can tell whether any roots have formed by very gently tugging the cutting. If there is resistance, roots have formed. If the cutting moves easily, more time is needed. I usually can get one or two new plants per quart.

Lesson 4: The Combination (Virginia Creeper, Virgins Bower and Honeysuckle)

From growing these three native vines, the lesson learned is Virginia creeper is very vigorous and crowds out the others. The honeysuckle is strong enough to withstand the Virginia creeper only because the Virginia creeper is pruned regularly. Virginia creeper is probably best planted on its own. Honeysuckle is one of the easiest plants to grow in full sun or part shade and would do well in many situations. Virgin's bower does best with some moisture. All in all, I would not recommend planting these three vines together. Separately? Definitely!

Happy Winter Garden Pondering.

Local ecotype seeds for thirty perennials are now available for purchase at Bona Terra with more types of seeds to be added this year. This is a unique source for those of us gardening on a budget, looking for plants not typically available in retail nurseries or looking to explore the incredibly gratifying world of growing natives from seed.

Each seed packet has been lovingly filled through a hand crafted process and includes the straight scoop on what we need to know. On a recent early winter day, Jeremy Tidd, the brainiac behind Bona Terra, shared a bit about his seed production efforts.

Seeds are collected by hand. Some seeds are collected from the Nursery meadow, others from properties where owners allow seed collection. The idea is to get enough diversity to make sure the seeds have enough genetic variety. Jeremy says it is a lot like breeding puppies. You wouldn't want to start a breeding operation with just two dogs. Jeremy says this is particularly critical for establishing long lived and resilient colonies of plants. Jeremy's functional knowledge of plant genetics applied to his work with seeds is comprehensive. The simpler explanation worked for me!

The seed operation is impressive. Seeds and seed heads are collected in 5 gallon buckets and then taken to the nearby barn for processing. Always making do with what is on hand (part of the Bona Terra sustainability ethic), the seeds are processed using some fairly common and not so common items. At one stage, a household box fan placed underneath a bucket of seeds blows chaff off the seeds. At the end of the process, a machine used for producing bullets, pours seeds into packets. Jeremy honed his mechanical skills over the years fixing a fleet of vehicles for his landscaping company and working with metals, wood, stone and ceramic. It all comes together in the seed processing.

The current production scale limits sales to seed packets containing 20 to 300 seeds depending on the species. Commercial scale production is in the works but will take more time. For residential gardeners, there are very few locally grown seeds available and seed orders can be placed on line now.

Seeds come with three ways to get the essential information we need to be successful. The seed packet has the basics. A mailing insert has a bit more information and a QR code on the insert connects you to a complete guide with additional details and the pros and cons of different approaches.

A few planning notes. A fair number of perennial seeds need to be “cold stratified” for a specified number of days. This just means the seeds need to be exposed to winter temperatures.  You can plant the seeds in trays or pots and set them out in a sheltered place where they will be exposed to weather, rains and snow. I think it is helpful to find a place where there is some shelter from winds and where you can check on them regularly. I also cover mine with hardware cloth to deter squirrels from digging in the pots. I am a seed starting novice and have had mixed results. I have grown a fair number of coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) and anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) using this method but also have had trays of seeds with no success -- squirrels or my failure to make sure small seedlings don't dry out! Still a lot of fun and easier than you might think. The information provided by Bona Terra includes directions about how to stratify using your refrigerator.

You likely won't see coneflowers or anise hyssop seeds at Bona Terra since those perennials are native to areas west of here. You will find seeds for perennials native locally to Bona Terra Nursery. I ordered blue mistflower, (Conoclinium coelestinum). wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia) and wrinkleleaf goldenrod (Solidago rugosa).

Yet another way to get local native plants!

2023 was the tenth year gardening in this 1/8 acre corner lot. I started with a mostly blank slate. A lot that, according to neighbors, was once a forest so thick it was hard to see the house. That was cleared with the exception of a few precious native trees when the house was renovated. A few slim beds of ornamentals --  azaleas (Rhododendron), brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), English ivy (Hedera helix) hellebores (Helleborus), nandina (Nandina domestica), privet (Ligustrum vulgare), solomon's seal (Polygonatum odoratum) and yews (Taxus baccata)-- were added. These are all hardy, well growing plants that seem to be the mainstays of traditional ornamental landscaping in our area. The first year, I removed the nandina, privet and ivy as those are invasive in the mid-Atlantic. A few of the yews, brunnera and solomon's seal remain. I have added many, many small native trees, shrubs and perennials. Many would say too many for such a small space! Fortunately, the garden is shaped like a seven with a wide space in the front and a long side garden. This 1/8th of an acre is stretched out!

As with any gardening effort there have been successes and failures. Both are such stellar learning opportunities.

Lesson 1: Eastern Red Cedars and Cedar Rust

Eastern red cedars (Juniperus virginiana) are magnificent native trees. The tall evergreens have fascinating peeling bark and female trees are loaded with blue cones which look like berries.They self seed in a very manageable way. They support loads of wildlife. This garden fortunately came with 4 eastern red cedars likely planted as a screen long ago. I was thrilled.

In the early years of this garden, I could not wait to plant lots of flower and berry producing trees. In the serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) and hawthorn (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King') trees went! The young trees started blooming in their first year and white blooms on both were followed by red berries. It was in the second year I began to notice orange threads growing out of those red berries. It is a fungus, cedar-apple rust or cedar-hawthorn rust. I had read about it but really pushed it out of my mind. These rusts infect Eastern red cedar trees and it spreads by wind to trees in the apple family. You guessed it -- such as serviceberry and hawthorn trees. What does this mean? The serviceberries and hawthorns always have beautiful white blooms in late spring. The berries though are often covered in orange threads. They look like small sputniks. The foliage of these trees is also affected. Yellow to dark brown spots appear on leaves as the summer wears on. Some years are worse than others depending on rainfall. It does not, experts say, affect the health of the trees or the usefulness of the berries. It does affect the looks of the trees. I have no plans to remove the trees. it is just something to be aware of.

I researched how far away apple family trees should be planted from Eastern red cedars to avoid this. It sounds like if you can plant the trees in the apple family "several hundred yards" away, chances of cedar rust effects are minimized a great deal. The University of Minnesota also has a list of cultivars of Eastern red cedars that are resistant to cedar-apple and cedar-hawthorn rust. The low growing Juniper 'Grey Owl' is on that list and in our garden, very close to the Eastern red cedars, it has never had a rust.

Still love those cedars, serviceberries and hawthorns!

Lesson 2: Native Pachysandra Gets a Bad Rap

Pachysandra is a phenomenal groundcover or living mulch. If your landscape was planted in the 70s, 80s or 90s you may well have Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis). Native pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens) is much more interesting with variegated leaf color depending on time of year and those same white spring flowers you are used to with Japanese pachysandra. The bad rap? I have read many times about how slowly native pachysandra grows. I have planted it several times now and while I would say it is in the "first year it sleeps, second year it creeps, third year it leaps" category, it is not the slow plodding turtle it is often made out to be. If you have a shady spot, this is an excellent native groundcover!

Lesson 3: Scrawny, Gangly Plants That Are Worth It

Straight species of native plants have not been cultivated to grow stronger stems or more pleasing shapes. Many times this makes no difference. The straight species is a beautiful plant any gardener would covet. There are a few though that may look very suspect at first. American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), hearts-a-burstin (Euonymus americanus) and coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) come to mind.

The thing is the first number of years, and it can be five or six years, the plant is not a stunner. Once they mature though, the berry or seed production really kicks in and that beauty overcomes spindly stems and gangly architecture. This can be hard to remember when you are looking at quart size pot with literally a few sticks at the nursery!

Lesson 4: Heucheras

The number of cultivars of heucheras out there is astounding. Before I understood cultivars that change the color of native plant foliage are less likely to have good ecological value for insects, I planted a number of heuchera cultivars to add color: some with blue and some with caramel colored foliage along with heuchera 'Autumn Bride,' (Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride'), a cultivar that does not alter foliage color and the straight species, American alumroot (Heuchera americana) . What I have realized over the years is cultivars with changed foliage colors are fairly short lived. Some lasted a season or two and some three of four, but the ones that are still going strong are the Heuchera 'Autumn Bride' and American alumroot. A lot has been written about this and Mt. Cuba did a trial of various heucheras if you want to check for their results on your favorite cultivar. A couple of years back, I decided to only plant American alumroot or "Autumn Bride' moving forward. I have also come to greatly appreciate the naturally occurring variation in the leaves of American alumroot.

Lesson 5: Straight Species Native Honeysuckle is the Best

One of the first things I knew I wanted to do in this garden was to cover the extensive border fence with oodles of flowering vines. Native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) was my first choice. In my experience, it was easy to grow, a hummingbird magnet, blooms in sun or part shade and produces bright red berries in fall. Low and behold, I could not find the straight species anywhere that year. I did find a cultivar called 'Major Wheeler' (Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'). Described as a cultivar of native honeysuckle with even more intense color of blooms. I planted a dozen quart sized plants and waited. With honeysuckle you don't have to wait too long and by the second year, the vines were flowering. The flowers came in March and had more intense red color. A couple of years in I came to learn the differences between Major Wheeler and the straight species in our garden.

Major Wheeler has an early, very dense flush of almost red red blooms. A very welcome thing after the winter. The repeat blooms during the summer are quite infrequent in our garden. This cultivar also rarely produces berries in our garden. I quickly planted straight species honeysuckle in the gaps. The straight species has a much paler color which seems to fit better with the native plant color palette in spring. It frequently re-blooms through summer and into late fall and produces the crimson berries I was used to with the straight species. All in all, the straight species seems like a much better fit for our garden.

Do you have lessons learned from plants in your garden? Please do share!

Happy Wintering.

Happy New Year!

As this growing season wound down, I realized it was indeed my tenth growing season in this garden. Hard to believe when I have a wish list for next year that is growing by the day! This realization did lead me to step back and reflect, always a fun thing with your garden. Here are five things I have learned.

Plants Need to Settle In

The frequent adage "the first year they sleep; the second year they creep; and the third year they leap" is certainly true for all newly planted perennials, vines, shrubs and trees. More than that though, you really have to wait for plants to settle in before they strut their stuff and every plant is different. Sometimes it's in three years; but often times it might be a bit longer. Sure, newly planted one and two gallon winterberry shrubs (Ilex verticillata) were bulking up and producing berries in their third year but the annual bumper crop of berries didn't happen regularly until the 6th year. Likewise, a 1" caliper fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is just starting to produce a handful of olive size dark blue fruits. In a couple of years, I'll bet that number will grow exponentially. Now that perennial Indian pinks (Spigela marilandica) are five years in, they can easily be moved and or divided with seemingly no impact to their blooms. Amsonia (Amsonia tabernaemontana) are large and blousy and holding fall yellow color in abundance now that they are in their 6th growing season here. I have moved my fair share of plants to different locations thinking that they should be doing better than this but for many, I probably didn't give them enough of a chance.

The Best Screen is a Hedgerow

This garden sits on a busy corner with a four way stop and lots of pedestrians and cyclists. While neighbors cheerfully chattering through creates just the lively atmosphere I desire, I also wanted to screen out the car traffic. In one area, I planted a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. In another, I moved already existing thick ornamental yews to form a naturally shaped hedge. Years in, the hedgerow mix is a delightful kaleidoscope of foliage, flowers and winter interest. The variety of heights allows perennials to be planted in between and the views of the intersection from our first floor windows are long obscured.

The yew hedge is a good 8' tall and completely screens out the street. The effect though is less than desirable. The hedge, even in a natural shape, creates a stark face both inside the garden and for passersby along the sidewalk.

Though both approaches are very effective screens, the hedge is no where near as interesting. This is before you even get to all of the ecological benefits multiple types of plants can provide over just one type of plant.

The Value of Repeating Plants

Early on, it was quite apparent that Heuchera 'Autumn Bride' did quite well in our soil and light conditions. The low growing perennials grew rapidly and could easily be divided. To begin filling in blank spaces in newly created beds from lawn I divided and planted. Today, those groups of heuchera basically knot the different parts of our small garden together creating a cohesive effect, They also turn out to be evergreen here and bloom in the dryness of late summer when fewer plants do. Not planned but fortuitous. If you have a plant that is doing well, go with it!

The Easiest Bird Feeders are Plants

In the first five years in this garden, I enthusiastically filled three bird feeders with niger, sunflower and safflower seed in summer and suet in winter. The birds definitely came. And then one summer, I noticed gold finches flitting from one patch of coneflower to another and then out to the street for a third patch and back. It was a side yard runway! I stopped filling the finch feeder that summer and the other bird feeders the following year. At first, I missed the easy and frequent bird sightings at the feeders. Slowly though, I realized those birds are still there; they are just not 'on demand.' I also enjoyed using the time washing and filling the feeders for other things. This spring, I'll free cycle the bird feeders once and for all. Now, I have no expertise on bird feeders and I do read from time to time about the need to help birds over the winter. I just plan to do it with plants: winterberry, hollies, viburnum and the like.

The Best Info Comes From Native Plant Nursery Staff

We have so many, and an ever growing number, of phenomenal sources of native plant information from the Mt. Cuba Center to Dr. Doug Tallamy to Extension Services and Master Gardener Groups and so many more. We have more information about native plants at our finger tips than ever before. To me, hands down, the best source of advice is from the staff at our local native nurseries. This is because they are typically growing from seed or growing on plants themselves and most are also gardeners experienced in our same growing conditions, soils and weather. They are also heavily invested in our success because our success is their success. If you have questions, local native plant nurseries are the best places to get answers!

Happy Winter Solstice.

These easy to make table top trees enable you to bring your native plants inside! In under an hour and a half, you can gather greens and braches from the garden, an assortment of empty pots, some moss from a damp spot and some pea gravel from a path and create a table top forest for inside or out.

Supplies:

Pruners

Pots filled with soil or pebbles

Branches for tree trunks

Pieces of evergreen conifer

Paddlewire

Moss (optional)

Gardening gloves

For the tree trunks, I chose oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) and eastern red cedar (Juniperis virginiana) for their interesting bark but you can use any type branch. Initially I thought thicker 3/4 inch branches would work best. In the end, narrower 1/4 inch branches looked better.

For the evergreen conifers, I used pieces from male and female eastern red cedars. The female trees still have lots of small blue berries. The tiny yellow gold cones on the male trees look great too. I also cut hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) branches but they lie very flat and didn't work as well as the cedars. For five trees, an Ikea tote bag of branches yielded more than enough greens for the trees.

Making the trees:

Start by cutting the branches you have collected into straight pieces about three times as tall as the height of your pot. If you use stones or pebbles in your pot, you can make taller trunks as they will be more stable.

You will start each tree by securing the paddle wire around the trunk. Place your trunk next to the pot and note where the pot rim hits your trunk. Wrap the paddlewire around the trunk about 10" above where the pot rim hits your trunk. This will ensure you have part of the trunk showing once you have added the cedar.

Once the paddlewire is secured, you can begin adding pieces of cedar stem side up (branch tips down). Wrap the wire tightly around the stem of the cedar piece and the trunk a couple of times. Then add the next piece of cedar on the opposite side of the trunk. Keep adding pieces at that same level until you feel like it is full enough. I added four pieces at each level.

You will not cut the paddle wire until you are completely done and have reached the top of the trunk. Once you reach the top, don't worry if you have stems of branches haphazardly reaching above the trunk - you can trim them off later. At the top, you may want to add a small piece of evergreen that goes in the opposite direction, toward the top, to finish your tree.

Once you are happy with how it looks, knot the paddlewire and cut a 5" tail. Then find a nob or small branch to wrap the tail around to make sure the wire is secure. You can cut off any excess.

Place the finished tree in its pot and you are done.

Six Tips:

One. The first tree or two may be wonky. See above! By the third tree, you will have the hang of it.

Two. Cut the cedar into smaller pieces. When I started, I was looking for fuller pieces. They are harder to work with and make it harder to get the tree shape going. Instead, cut larger branches into two or three pieces. It should be much easier to work with.

Three. If your tabletop forest will be outdoors, fill the pots with stones or pebbles to make them more stable.

Four. Experiment with "trunk" sizes. For me, the smaller diameter branches resulted in better looking trees and the tops were easier to finish.

Five. Pieces of moss add a bit of the "forest floor."

Six. Make your forest your own. With a hot glue gun, you might top your trees with a small pine cone or coneflower seedheads! The possibilities are endless.

Happy Forest Building!

As December brings the winter solstice, evergreens and striking bark emerge as the dominant feature in our gardens. Well those, along with leaves! So much has been written and advised regarding leaving the leaves. The layer of leaves or "leaf litter" is where oodles of those beneficial insects, including fireflies, spend the winter. My takeaway is leave as many as you can on garden beds for as long as possible. In our 1/8 acre garden, we rake leaves on the grass to the beds or mulch the leaves with a lawn mower as much as possible. With two large oaks planted long ago as street trees in the front of our home, it's not possible to keep all the leaves. We add as many as we can to a sort of compost heap but with limited space, some get raked to the street for City pick-up. One thing I try to do is once the leaves are in the beds, I really make an effort to leave them there and let spring plants make their way through the wet, matted leaves. So far, no problems.

Asters Still!

Same story: different month! Do you still have asters (Symphyotrichum) blooming? These October Skies aromatic asters (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'), planted in the tree lawn in poor soil in full sun still have color. Amazing.

December Berries

Fuschia colored berries on coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiuclatis) really plump up in December. These shrubs are in their third year. The fruit is becoming more plentiful and robust as they mature. The shape of the shrub is still a bit gangly. These shrubs can grow in shade in moist to dry soils. They might look better interspersed among some evergreens. These are planted as stand alones in a bed - not the best looking situation. Note to self.

Berries on mature vines like honeysuckle and Virginia creeper are still holding on, though in fewer numbers. Eastern red cedar berries are still plentiful.

Berries on American beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana), red and black chokeberries (Aronia arbutifolia and Aronia melanocarpa), winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and native viburnums (Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium) Maple-leaf (Viburnum acerifolium) are also holding on.

Bark with Presence

Trees and shrubs with beautiful bark are the perfect companions to evergreens in the winter garden. River birch really stand out. Naturally growing in wetter areas, these trees grow just fine in average soil and are so worth it in terms of space. They are large trees, growing to 40' in height. The peeling bark of this young river birch is already a focal point in our garden.

A favorite shrub for both its structure and bark is oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Our oakleafs still have a palette of dark maroon foliage in early December. Chances are by the end of the month, those leaves will have dropped revealing the bark. Native to the southeast, oakleaf hydrangeas are a four season shrub. Can't beat that!

Evergreens

As fall foliage fades away, evergreens become more prominent to our eye. Stylistically, evergreens can be important for screening and structure. For wildlife, they are safe havens during the cold of winter. For us gardeners, evergreens are critical for giving us that fourth gardening season: winter! You can create a garden that can stand on its own with just evergreens. And a dusting of snow? Sublime. Each year, I try to identify the barest spot calling for an evergreen.

This dwarf eastern pine (Pinus strobus 'Nana') is hidden by perennials most of the summer and fall and only becomes noticeable in winter. It's the perfect evergreen to tuck in between larger plants where a bare spot may lurk.

You Can Still Plant

Even though cooler temperatures have arrived, you can still plant! As long as the ground is not frozen, experts say it is fine to plant in December. They also say plants in pots are far more likely to be happier over the winter in the ground. I planted wild hydrangea shrubs this past weekend. The soil is still warm enough for roots to establish I am told by local experts. Gardening in cool weather is most delightful! Ok, not if it is windy...

Structured Perennials

These three perennials are still providing lots of striking structure. Plants like this near paths and patios can extend the growing season in interesting ways. More notes to self!

With winter holidays arriving, it's a wonderful thing to be able to take a moment to step outside to take in the air, the beauty of nature beginning to take a rest and the feel of the season.

Wishing You a Wonderful Winter.