Favorite Natives
Groundsel can be found in Holts Landing State Park. Photos by Susu Fiske Groundsel: A highly-tolerant fall-blooming native Also called sea-myrtle, consumption weed, eastern baccharis, salt marsh-elder and salt bush, native groundsel is found all over this area, and I love that it is fall-blooming, with densely clustered white flowers. Groundsel (Baccharis halimifolia L.) […]
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Prairie dropseed – A grass with a fragrance? Sporobolus heterolepis or as we commonly know it, Prairie dropseed, does have a fragrance of a hint of coriander, cilantro or some say soap or buttered popcorn(hmm), licorice or even sunflower seeds (I guess we will have to find out for ourselves). Dropseed is a long-lived perennial […]
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Quercus phellos, Beech family (Fagaceae) One of my favorite trees, the Willow oak, is stunning in the fall! Willow oak trees are also called swamp willow and peach oak. They have spear-shaped leaves around 2–5″ long, like the weeping willow, each with a tiny bristle at the tip. They are beautiful oaks with willow-like […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Who doesn’t love the glowing reds, yellows, oranges and all the other colors that make autumn so beautiful? Did you ever wonder what the mechanism is, or how to get more of that beauty in your yard? Growing conditions throughout the season affect fall color, as does current weather. Fall leaf colors are due to […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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One of the stand out plants in the fall garden is Pink Muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris. With its clouds of pinkish purple plumes dancing in the wind making a stunning display, it will stop traffic in your neighborhood. Muhly grass is native to the southern and eastern United States. They often grow in dry or […]
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