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Summer Slope: Perfect Native Plant Pairings

Deep rooted native plants hold the ground.

geen grasses and flowers planted on a hillside
Native Plants Holding a Slope

Walking down a street I frequent with my dogs, white flowers across the way caught my eye. Crossing the street, I realized those white flowers were mountain mint. The foliage of mountain mint is a soft grey green and the small pale flowers do have a bit of white. In certain light and from a distance, they appeared as a mass of white flowers and brightened the shady slope.


The slope caught my attention because it looked so fresh, even after the strong heat we have had. A combination of black eyed susans, mountain mint, winterberry shrubs, little bluestem grasses and wood's sedge create a beautiful pallet of plants deep in summer. This planting is still establishing. Imagine it once fully grown, with no bare soil exposed. It will be a low maintenance bonanza. This particular planting was designed by Native Roots Conservation Landscaping in Washington D.C. Most of these perennials have deeper root systems which help stabilize this slope.


There is a lot of chatter and science about the length of roots and what those long roots are doing. Without delving into that, suffice it to say on a steep slope, plants with longer roots are generally going to help more than plants with shorter roots. The EPA says the roots of black eyed susans growing in a prairie grow 6 feet deep. Even if here, on the east coast, the roots are a bit shorter, we can assume a plant like that will help hold the ground. Grasses like bluestem have those longer roots too.



Black Eyed Susans

Common? Yes and for good reason. These are a summer staple and add bunches of bright color in the garden. Black eyed susans  (Rudbeckia fulgida) are easy to grow, dependable and long flowering. They grow well in our clay soils and most will spread or can be easily divided.  Rudbeckias brighten any spot and are a really good plant choice for filling spaces to create an abundant garden.



Mountain Mint

Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) is versatile in terms of soil conditions and full sun or part shade.  It's stellar attribute is its ability to attract pollinators. It is abuzz during most of the daylight hours. It's also very easy to grow. It's the perfect filler perennial and adds a lighter green tone to plantings too.



Winterberry

Winterberries (Ilex verticillata) dotted throughout provide a little more structure as as a shrub. Adding woody plants like this anchor the planting.



Little Bluestem

This native grass, little blue stem (Schizachyrium scoparium), is easy to grow. Growing in full sun to part shade, it can be planted in groups or as a stand alone specimen plant. I have found the more sun it gets, the stronger the fall color. The variation in the colors of a single plant are truly beautiful. Little blue stem is commonly available in native plant nurseries and a cultivar called little blue stem 'standing ovation' (Schizachrhyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation') is commonly available at garden centers.

green grasses
Wood's Sedge

Wood's Sedge

The sedge adding the greener grassy texture is wood's sedge (Carex woodii). While I have no experience growing it, Mt. Cuba makes some interesting observations. They note it spreads and is semi-evergreen. If you have tried growing Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pennsylvanica) without luck, this sedge is similar but said to be a bit more robust. Those attributes sound good to me!


Plant these together and whether on a slope or flat ground, you will have yourself a winning combination. Thanks Native Roots Conservation Landscaping for the brilliant example!

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We want you to be as excited about planting Chesapeake natives as we are. “Plant This or That” gives you a native alternative to popular plants. Other posts highlight really fabulous fauna native to the Chesapeake.

Nuts for Natives, avid gardener, Baltimore City admirer, Chesapeake Bay Watershed restoration enthusiast, and public service fan.

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