Recently, while traveling back from Oregon State University for our daughter’s graduation, I had just enough time in the airport to choose a snack for the flight and then hurry to the gate to board the plane. The pressure was on. It was mid-afternoon when we boarded the plane but it would be well into the evening before we disembarked. What should I choose to provide sustenance for the next four hours? As I saw it, my options were a blueberry scone, a bag of potato chips, or a fresh-made salad. Ultimately, I chose the salad figuring that it was the option that was the healthiest for me and perhaps for the environment. Choosing what to plant in our yards is a bit like deciding what to put into our bodies. What not only brings us joy, but is also good for the environment and those around us?
As discussed in the last column, native plants grow naturally in our area and have tremendous benefits to our ecosystem. They are low maintenance, filled with tremendous beauty and do well in poor soils. This is considered the trifecta for our area. This column features 15 native plants that you may want to consider adding to your garden.
Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) Typically found in stream banks or in damp ground. This perennial flower tolerates temporary flooding. White blossom often tinged with pink in late summer. Good for cut flowers. It grows about 30” tall and wide.
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis) This woodland columbine with red and cream-yellow flowers is very easy to grow. It reseeds freely and will quickly colonize an area. It attracts hummingbirds and does best in full to part shade. The red flowers appear from early spring to early summer on this 24” tall and wide plant.
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberose) The striking bright orange flowers appear in late summer. It does best in full sun with dry and infertile soils. Can be slow to establish and late to come up in spring. It is the primary food source for monarch butterfly larvae. Butterfly Weed lives up to its name but attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. It grows approximately 3’ tall and 2’ wide.
Cream Wild Indigo (Baptisia leucophaea) The cascading branches of cream-colored flowers cover this plant throughout May and June. It is an elegant plant with smooth, waxy leaves and lovely pea-blossom clusters of flowers. It grows about 18” tall and 24” wide.
Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) Bright yellow daisy-shaped flowers combined with delicate deeply cut three-lobed leaves make this a beautiful airy addition to any garden. The yellow flowers are present from May-July. It does best in full sun and attracts songbirds. It grows approximately 24” tall and wide.
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) The graceful nodding pink flowers are followed by feathery seed heads. The seed heads appear as puffs of smoke around the plant. The leaves are lobed and toothed. This is truly a unique garden plant that attracts pollinators. It does best in full sun and grows about 15” tall and wide.
Jeana Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’) This prolific bloomer has sweetly scented lavender-pink blooms beginning in midsummer into early autumn. Jeana is a mildew-resistant phlox when provided with good air circulation. This hummingbird and butterfly magnet does best in full sun through part shade. It grows about 30” tall and wide.
Little Redhead Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica ‘Little Redhead’) The perennial flowers have sturdy stems with brilliant red flowers on the top. The red tubular flowers are complimented with a yellow throat. They bloom in early summer and do best when planted in full sun to part shade. They grow about 36” tall and 24” wide.
Snow Flurry Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides ‘Snow Flurry’) The compact, spreading habit on this groundcover coupled with grey-green leaves make this a wonderful addition to the garden. The frothy white flowers bloom even in dry soil and full sun. It grows about 6” tall and can spread up to 18” wide. White flowers appear in the fall making this groundcover unique.
Red October Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’) Red October is slightly shorter than the straight species and has deep green foliage with red highlights. The foliage deepens to a scarlet red for fall color. This native ornamental grass grows about 5’ tall and 3’ wide.
Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis) The low mound of light green leaves decorat this ornamental grass. Sprays of tiny reddish-mauve flowers appear in the late summer like a haze of smoke. This grass self-seeds. It is drought tolerant and grows best in full sun. It is a more compact grass at a mature height of 18-24” and a width of 15”
Prairie Blues Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Prairie Blues’) The gray-blue foliage has an iridescent quality on this ornamental grass. The straight, upright foliage changes to a rosy orange in the fall. It grows to approximately 42” tall and 24” wide.
Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) This deciduous tree grows 15-20′ tall with distinctive horizontal branching. The small, fragrant, yellowish-white flowers appear in late spring.
Kalm’s St. Johnswort (Hypericum kalmianum) This low shrub has bright yellow flowers in small clusters at the ends of the 4-sided branches. It blooms in midsummer. The bark becomes papery and peeling when older which adds a decorative element to the shrub. It grows about 30” tall and wide.
Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) Pure white flowers cover this shrub during the spring followed by impressive black fruit. The fall color ranges from golden yellow to orange to burgundy. It is often used in place of Burning Bush. It grows to about 12” tall and 8’ wide.
Now onto my next decision of the day, choosing what to have for a dessert after dinner. Mint chocolate chip ice cream or a piece of carrot cake?
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc.,a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
