Gardening with Native Flowers
3rd in a Series By the ANF
The deep blue flowers stood out along U.S. 6. I stopped to admire the beauty of the blue vervain; graceful and not garish. As I continued into Clarendon I recognized the bright pink flowers of purple loosestrife. Just outside of Sheffield I couldn’t help but notice the wetland on the south side of the highway had become overrun with purple loosestrife… The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Many people develop flower gardens in their yards, but few ‘plan’ their gardens to use native plants. Some of the most devastating plants were introduced to an area because of their beauty, or a specific use. It was only after the introduced plant had spread so aggressively to outcompete native plants that society realized our loss. Here’s some tips so you, too, can enjoy gardening with native plants and protect your backyard environment. This week we will concentrate on flowers and next week’s article will concentrate on shrubs.
Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) was first planted as an ornamental plant (because of its white spike flowers), and used for erosion control and landscape screening. Unfortunately, knotweed thrives in wet areas or water sources. It then spreads quickly to form a dense thicket over native plants, blocks out sunlight, robs nutrients from the soil, and changes the wetland/solid land boundaries (called riparian areas). Riparian areas are vital habitats for wildlife. Japanese knotweed has a ‘one-two punch’ by replacing native plants and riparian areas for wildlife.
What to use instead? Gardeners can plant silky dogwood, sweet pepperbush, or Virginia sweetspire. The pepperbush and sweetspire even have white spike flowers. The silky dogwood produces a berry in the fall much loved by birds. All three of these plants can be purchased through nursery catalogs. Make certain you do not purchase a non-native variety of these plants.
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was first planted in the United States for ornamental and medicinal uses. Purple loosestrife thrives in wetlands, and can easily choke native cattails, reeds, and rushes from their habitat. By doing so, animals that use wetlands no longer have a place to live. The native plants have spaces between plants where animals can move and find food to eat. The purple loosestrife offers only a dense mat that animals cannot use. Purple loosestrife is on the Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List making it illegal to sell, transport, plant, or reproduce.
What to use instead? Use blue vervain, Joe Pye weed, or obedient plant. The obedient plant, also called false dragonhead, has pink flowers on a spike similar to purple loosestrife. Nursery catalogs or herbal catalogs are places to look to purchase these native flowers.
Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sp.) is a showy grass planted by gardeners for its brilliant seed heads. The 4-6 foot green stems topped by silvery seed heads stand out in front yards. Chinese silver grass easily spreads into any freshly disturbed areas by wind dispersal of seeds or root mats, called rhizomes. Unknown by many landowners, Chinese silver grass is highly flammable and can be a fire hazard. Homeowners should take care NOT to plant invasive ornamental grasses.
What to use instead? Fortunately, many native grasses are available from companies supplying pheasant and quail habitat seed mixes. Look for grass seeds such as big bluestem (turkey foot), switchgrass, Indian grass, eastern gamma grass, and little bluestem. Not only do these native grasses have unique flowers, but the ‘bunchiness’ of these grasses provide winter cover for small animals, and the seeds provide food.
Daylily (Hemeracalus sp.) produces a bright orange flower Europeans planted across the United States in the 1800s. Daylilies have a tendency to escape from landscaped yards and takeover meadows, woods openings and the edges of forests. I’ve often admired the beauty of daylilies, but never realized the consequences to our native plants.
What to use instead? The dramatic ox-eye sunflower, Turk’s cap lily, wood lily, and Canada lily can all be purchased from nursery catalogs and used to landscape your yard. The wood lily and Canada lily are especially striking with their orange flowers.
English ivy, periwinkle and winter creeper (creeping euonymus) are often planted as ground covers in landscaped yards. These plants readily disperse to disturbed areas and spread. The ivy and winter creeper can climb trees and become dense enough to kill the tree.
What to use instead? Nurseries, or seed and garden catalogs offer native substitutes such as creeping phlox, the uniquely-flowered partridgeberry, the beautiful foam flower, wild ginger, and Virginia creeper. Plant native!
Many people develop flower gardens in their yards, but few ‘plan’ their gardens to use native plants. Some of the most devastating plants were introduced to an area because of their beauty, or a specific use. It was only after the introduced plant had spread so aggressively to outcompete native plants that society realized our loss. Here’s some tips so you, too, can enjoy gardening with native plants and protect your backyard environment. This week we will concentrate on flowers and next week’s article will concentrate on shrubs.
Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) was first planted as an ornamental plant (because of its white spike flowers), and used for erosion control and landscape screening. Unfortunately, knotweed thrives in wet areas or water sources. It then spreads quickly to form a dense thicket over native plants, blocks out sunlight, robs nutrients from the soil, and changes the wetland/solid land boundaries (called riparian areas). Riparian areas are vital habitats for wildlife. Japanese knotweed has a ‘one-two punch’ by replacing native plants and riparian areas for wildlife.
What to use instead? Gardeners can plant silky dogwood, sweet pepperbush, or Virginia sweetspire. The pepperbush and sweetspire even have white spike flowers. The silky dogwood produces a berry in the fall much loved by birds. All three of these plants can be purchased through nursery catalogs. Make certain you do not purchase a non-native variety of these plants.Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was first planted in the United States for ornamental and medicinal uses. Purple loosestrife thrives in wetlands, and can easily choke native cattails, reeds, and rushes from their habitat. By doing so, animals that use wetlands no longer have a place to live. The native plants have spaces between plants where animals can move and find food to eat. The purple loosestrife offers only a dense mat that animals cannot use. Purple loosestrife is on the Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List making it illegal to sell, transport, plant, or reproduce.
What to use instead? Use blue vervain, Joe Pye weed, or obedient plant. The obedient plant, also called false dragonhead, has pink flowers on a spike similar to purple loosestrife. Nursery catalogs or herbal catalogs are places to look to purchase these native flowers.Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sp.) is a showy grass planted by gardeners for its brilliant seed heads. The 4-6 foot green stems topped by silvery seed heads stand out in front yards. Chinese silver grass easily spreads into any freshly disturbed areas by wind dispersal of seeds or root mats, called rhizomes. Unknown by many landowners, Chinese silver grass is highly flammable and can be a fire hazard. Homeowners should take care NOT to plant invasive ornamental grasses.
What to use instead? Fortunately, many native grasses are available from companies supplying pheasant and quail habitat seed mixes. Look for grass seeds such as big bluestem (turkey foot), switchgrass, Indian grass, eastern gamma grass, and little bluestem. Not only do these native grasses have unique flowers, but the ‘bunchiness’ of these grasses provide winter cover for small animals, and the seeds provide food. Daylily (Hemeracalus sp.) produces a bright orange flower Europeans planted across the United States in the 1800s. Daylilies have a tendency to escape from landscaped yards and takeover meadows, woods openings and the edges of forests. I’ve often admired the beauty of daylilies, but never realized the consequences to our native plants.
What to use instead? The dramatic ox-eye sunflower, Turk’s cap lily, wood lily, and Canada lily can all be purchased from nursery catalogs and used to landscape your yard. The wood lily and Canada lily are especially striking with their orange flowers.English ivy, periwinkle and winter creeper (creeping euonymus) are often planted as ground covers in landscaped yards. These plants readily disperse to disturbed areas and spread. The ivy and winter creeper can climb trees and become dense enough to kill the tree.
What to use instead? Nurseries, or seed and garden catalogs offer native substitutes such as creeping phlox, the uniquely-flowered partridgeberry, the beautiful foam flower, wild ginger, and Virginia creeper. Plant native!
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