Favorite Natives

Notable Natives: Spigelia marilandica is a Red Perennial to Try in Your Garden By Su Fiske | Special to the Coastal Point Aug 3, 2023 Spigelia marilandica is beautiful perennial that should do well in our resort area and it even attracts hummingbirds.Coastal Point • Stock photo Red perennials are hard to come by, so […]

Notable Natives: July is National Blueberry Month By Su Fiske | Special to the Coastal Point July 20, 2023 Since July is blueberry month, I feel obligated to write about them. High bush blueberry (vaccinium corymbosum) is one of my favorite, so of course I need to grow them in my garden. They do very […]

A Glorious Grass: Chasmanthium latifolium – Sea Oats By Su Fiske | Special to the Coastal Point Chasmanthium latifolium is one of my favorite grasses! Sea oats is the perfect grass, you can grow it in the shade, in the sun, in partial sun, in moist soil, and they can even tolerate occasional saltwater flooding. […]

Notable Natives: Golden Ragwort Far Exceeds its Name By Su Fiske | Special to the Coastal Point Apr 6, 2023 Don’t let the name fool you, Golden Ragwort is a stunning spring blooming ground cover, a must have for the shade garden. What a beautiful way to welcome spring! Self-seeders, Packera aurea is important to […]

Notable Natives: Sedges Have Edges By Su Fiske | Special to the Coastal Point March 2, 2023 Sedges (carex) are my new love. I planted carex pensylvanica, carex plantaginea (seersucker sedge) and carex laxiculmis “Hobb” Bunny Blue in my garden last year. I had never heard of them before, so I am enjoying learning all […]

Notable Natives: American Hornbeam – A Value Native Tree or Hedge By Susu Fiske, Inland Bays Garden Center | Special to the Coastal Point | Feb 16, 2023   American hornbeam, a wonderful native plant – carpinus caroliniana, also known as musclewood, ironwood and blue beech – is a small tree/large shrub that grows in […]

Notable Natives: The Hackberry (Wait, What?) Tree By Su Fiske, Inland Bays Garden Center | Special to the Coastal Point Jan 26, 2023 Since I am all about that bark, ’bout that bark, the hackberry does not disappoint. Our native hackberries (common hackberry, or Celtis occidentalis) have the most interesting dark and craggy bark. Then, […]

The Importance of Native Trees to Our Environment By Su Fiske | Inland Bays Garden Center Dec 29, 2022   So, if you have not realized already, I love trees. There is nothing that soothes my soul more than a walk in the woods, camping, or enjoying the trees in my own yard. There are […]

Notable Natives: Sycamores – Fast-Growing, Minimal-Maintenance, Good for the Ecosystem By Su Fiske, Inland Bays Garden Center | Special to the Coastal Point Dec 15, 2022   The sycamore (platanus occidentalis) – also called buttonwood, ghost tree and water beech – is a native to the eastern and central United States. They are a minimal-maintenance […]

Notable Natives: Distylium – A Minimal-Maintenance Alternative in the Garden By Su Fiske | Special to the Coastal Point Nov 10, 2022 Distylium is a member of the witch hazel family and is found in a variety of sizes, 3 feet to 10 feet in height and 4 to 8 feet wide, with tiny red […]

Notable Natives: Black Gum – A Tree for All Seasons, but Especially the Fall By Su Fiske, Inland Bays Garden Center | Special to the Coastal Point | Oct 27, 2022 Fall is a perfect time to plant, especially one of my favorites – the black gum! This season, with its warm soil temperature, allows […]

Is it a coneflower? Is it a daisy? No, it’s a Black Eyed Susan, or a Susie. The Rudbeckias (the Latin, or scientific name) are a large genus (a group of living things with similar characteristics that is further subdivided into species), that is familiar to us all. With several different species, there is at […]

If you drive down route 1 between Bethany and the bridge, you might see a shrub starting to bloom now, with white to light pink flowers. This is one of our prettiest natives, the Beach Plum, Prunus maritima. Its native habitat is the dunes, where it grows to around 8’ in dense thickets. It is […]

Brandywine Viburnum – beautiful, adaptable, and reliable The whole Viburnum family are great shrubs, but today we’ll be talking about one that is looking more and more beautiful everyday – Viburnum nudum ‘Brandywine’. Because the berries are desirable to birds and the flowers to pollinators, this is the ideal shrub for your garden to become […]

Oakleaf hydrangea – a spot of early summer color in the shade The Oakleaf hydrangea , Hydrangea quercifolia, is a dramatic, white-blooming shrub with four seasons of interest. Native to the eastern United States, it is a gorgeous and versatile deciduous shrub which provides a spectacular show all year round. Named after the shape of […]

A beautiful native shrub that is blooming now is the Fothergilla.  This native shrub deserves the spotlight for its fall foliage show, and spring flowers, ease of care, and versatility round out a profile of a beautiful and multipurpose plant. (Did I mention the gorgeous fall color?) These native shrubs are useful as foundation plants, […]