Let's Go Native

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This booklet represents the inspirational work of many people. We are especially indebted to Sue Webb, Naturalist and Native Landscape Consultant at Petals from the Past Nursery for her botanical expertise and knowledge. Also special appreciation to Mark Partain for his technical and creative insight and his graphic contributions. Also appreciation is expressed to the Mt Laurel Garden Group who sponsored this effort and especially to members, Rick Tice, Renee Prescott, Ginny Randolph and Ward Tishler whose diligent effort helped put this booklet in the hands of Mt Laurel residents. It has been truly a labor of love.

Remembrance and appreciation is expressed to the late Rob Gardner, late curator at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, his work “Going Native” was originally published in the April 2000 issue of the magazine Wildlife in North Carolina and was the inspiration for this booklet. His professional works provided a wonderful source for defining native plants.

Thanks to the North Carolina Botanical Garden at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for giving permission to use Rob Gardner’s article as a professional and inspirational resource for this booklet.

And finally appreciation is expressed for the printing of this
booklet by EBSCO.

Click here to download the Booklet as a PDF

More And More Nurseries Are Encouraging Gardeners To Use Native Plants, And Why Not?

Purple Dome

Natives not only add sizzling colors to gardens from spring to fall, but also restore lost connections between plants and wildlife.

Alabama is one of the most diverse states in the country and the most diverse of those east of the Mississippi. From the coastal plains in the south, to the hills and mountains of the north, and the well over 200,000 miles of rivers and streams in between, our "natural gardens" nurture hundreds of plants-delicate ferns, exotic orchids, beautiful lilies, weird insect-eating plants and some of the most stately and graceful trees and shrubs in the world. Because Alabama’s treasure trove of native plants is so diverse, we have a wonderful array of beautiful and interesting plants to choose from for our gardens. Gardening with native plants is no longer the domain of a select few wildflower  enthusiasts but has become a mainstream activity for all gardeners. We have become increasingly aware of the importance of native plants in the survival of birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife.

These plants which are well adapted to live with our soils, climate, rainfall, and so on, are the very foundation of our ecosystems providing the food for butterfly larva, nectar and pollen for bees, and a variety of essential insects that birds feed to their babies. Where native plants have declined, there are fewer birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. As cities, suburbs, and agriculture has grown, we have reduced the available native plants that support our wildlife and ultimately ourselves.

Planting more natives in our gardens is a way to compensate for that increasing destruction of natural areas. In the following pages are just a few ideas on what plants you can grow, depending on the proportion of sun and shade in your garden. There are many colorful plants to choose from and combinations that will keep your garden flowering from spring to fall.

Gardening With Shade-Loving Native Plants

trillium

It is important to understand that Alabama natives have largely evolved in a woodland setting, making many if not most of them able to thrive in part shade/part sun situations. With less sun, blooms may decline. With full sun, many will require more water and some will burn. In light of this, it is a good idea to begin by determining how much sun you have in your garden at different times of day. If you have a lot of shade throughout the day, you’ll want to choose plants that will not just tolerate but look great in that amount of shade. Alternatively, there may be low hanging branches that can be trimmed back to let in more light, twiggy and/or weedy growth of small volunteer saplings and suckers that can be thinned out, and invasives such as privet or non-native honeysuckle that should be removed. Foliage is at the heart of all shadier gardens. Spring brings a flurry of wildflowers before the tree leaves come out: phlox, bluebells, bloodroot, crested iris, columbine, mayapple, trillium and many others seem to bloom all at once. It is a beautiful early spring show not to be missed but one that will soon pass as the new leaves begin to shade the area.

southern fern

As the growing season wears on, it is the contribution of foliage that then carries the shade garden through the summer and into autumn. Plants like ferns, sedges, wild ginger, tiarella, columbine, coral bells, and bleeding heart are a few of the Alabama natives that add texture, background and definition to shade gardens. Interest is also provided by the contrasting color of the different foliage from deep emerald green, chartreuse, bluish green, gray green, purple, to forest green. All blend to create a beautiful tapestry that is a variation on a single color theme.

Easy-to-acquire and easy-to-grow native plants that are beautiful choices for any shady garden.

Coral Bells (Heuchera Americana)

coral bells

Coral Bells are stars in a shade garden because of their striking foliage with color variations that have been selected in various cultivars. Coral Bells are valuable in the front or middle of the shady border individually, in mass, or in combination with other plants. This native usually produces five lobed, coarsely toothed leaves. New spring foliage may be washed in silver, pewter, or purple markings, which often persist. Mature plants usually grow 6 to 8 inches tall. Small white to purple or greenish purple flowers usually appear in late spring on long, wiry stems rising 12 to 15 inches above the foliage.

The flowers are interesting but not especially showy; the evergreen leaves are the real attraction. Tiarella are the coral bells first cousins and add more choices of color and leaf shape. Coral Bells and tiarella are easy to cultivate and can be grown in average to moderately dry soils if well established. They are doubly useful because they retain their foliage through the winter months, adding interest to the garden every day of the year. It is a great companion to many other shade- loving wildflowers, including creeping phlox, native sedges and ferns.

Eastern columbine

eastern columbine

Eastern columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis)

One of the most widely recognized of our native wildflowers, eastern columbine is also one of the most beautiful with its nodding red and yellow flowers. The delicate, fern-like foliage provides beauty and interest throughout the summer as long as the plants are consistently moist. Its ease of growth and ability to reseed also makes columbine one of the best of our native wildflowers for shady to partly sunny gardens. It is tolerant of a wide range of cultural conditions and combines well with many other shade-loving plants, especially ferns.

Plantain leaf sedge

plantain leaf sedge

Plantain leaf sedge (Carex plantaginea) has bold evergreen leaves that grow 8 to 10 inches tall and 1 inch wide. The leaves have very pronounced, raised parallel veins that give them a distinctive corrugated look. This sedge like most sedges benefits from consistent moisture. Plantain-leaf sedge is one of our most distinctive and desirable native sedges.

Woodland sedge

woodland sedge

Woodland sedge (Carex flaccosperma) is another very attractive native sedge with relatively wide evergreen leaves. This southeastern native is especially valuable because its leaves have a very beautiful bluish green cast to them, making it unique among the commercially available native sedges. Sedges look great on their own or combined with other natives like American alumroot, green and gold, creeping phlox and small-to-medium-sized ferns like northern or southern
maidenhair fern.