Tag Archives: Natives

Off to Gowanus in Red Hook

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I’m off to visit Gowanus Nursery on their Grand Re-Opening Day on Summit Street in Red Hook. I’ve got my eye on some native plants, especially Opuntia and Aristolochia, neither of which I’ve grown before, nor are they common garden plants. I’m also on the lookout for some unusual drought-tolerant flowering plants for the front garden window-boxes.

Without a driver’s license, and with my partner not being a morning person, I have to solve the problem of finding the shortest path over the direct acyclic graph of Brooklyn transit on the weekends. We’ll see how long it takes me to get there and back!

Native Plant Offerings at Gowanus Nursery

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[Updated 2007.03.28 13:00: More notes, and started adding references.]
[Updated 2007.03.27 13:00: Added more notes, comments and links.]

I’m looking forward to the re-opening of Gowanus Nursery this Saturday. I really liked their old location on 3rd Street (I think it was) in Gowanus. Now they will be on Summit Street in Red Hook.

Their Web site indicates they will have the same great selection they had at their old location. Here are all the plants listed under Perennials, Native Species, on the Offerings page, along with some of my notes and comments.

  • Adiantum pedatum, Maidenhair Fern [My favorite fern, unlike anything else. I established a large colony of it in Garden #1 in the East Village.]
  • Amsonia hubrechtii ‘Blue Star’, Blue Milkweed
  • Arisaema draconitum Green Dragon
  • Arisaema triphyllum, Jack in the Pulpit [I grew this in Garden #1. It’s one of my favorite wildflowers.]
  • Aristolochia durior, Dutchman’s Pipe [Seems miscategorized, as this is a woody vine, not a perennial; dies this really grow back 30′ in one year? Correct botanical name is A. macrophylla, “big leaf”, which is certainly is. NYFA lists this as “Not Native” to New York state, with distributions in eastern Long Island and scattered upstate counties. I want to grow this up the side of our Victorian house. References: NYFA:150, PLANTS:ARMA7]
  • Asarum canadense, Wild Ginger [I grew this in Garden #1. Another favorite. Its foliage is its main garden contribution. I find the flowers interesting, but they’re hidden beneath the leaves.]
  • Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed [It’s sooo orange, this plant just makes me smile.]
  • Asplenium platyneuron, Harts Tongue Fern [A non-ferny fern, beautiful glossy green smooth leaves, it’s a great foliage contrast for other shade plants.]
  • Caltha palustris ‘Multiplex’, Marsh Marigold [double-flowered]
  • Camassia cusickii, Wild Hyacinth [Often available from bulb vendors.]
  • Chasmanthium latifolium, Northern Sea Oats [A native grass.]
  • Dryopteris erythrosora, Autumn Fern [There are several native Dryopteris, but this one’s a Japanese species, not native. Nevertheless, an excellent shade plant, it doesn’t go brown at the first touch of drought. I grew this in Garden #1.]
  • Erythronium americanum, Trout Lily/Dog Tooth Violet [A sweet ephemeral – it goes dormant in the summer – this is in the Lily family.]
  • Eupatorium ‘Little Joe’, Joe Pye weed [Butterfly and bee magnets. Presumably this is a dwarf variety. I prefer the tall varieties.]
  • Hepatica nobilis, Liverwort [I grew this under the name H. acutiloba in Garden #1.]
  • Iris cristata, Dwarf flag Iris [It’s picky about siting. I grew this in Garden and it moved with us. it thrived in both locations. I transplanted it last year and it vanished. Needs light mulch. Its rhizomes scramble over the soil surface, sending roots out and down. It languishes in a level area. It thrives when grown on a slight slope. Wants consistently moist, but not wet, soil.]
  • Liatris spicata, Gay feather [I love the common name, of course. It’s also a butterfly magnet. Long-blooming.]
  • Lonicera sempervirens ‘John Clayton’, [Trumpet] Honeysuckle [Long-blooming. I grew this yellow-flowering variety of the native trumpet honeysuckle at Garden #2 in Park Slope. It’s not as attractive to hummingbirds as the species and red-flowering varieties are, but it’s a beautiful plant in flower. I started growing a red-orange variety in Garden whose name I forget. It moved with us to my current gardens and bloomed into December last year.]
  • Matteuccia struthiopteris, Ostrich fern [Soft and feathery, this browns and crisps quickly without steady moisture.]
  • Mazus reptans
  • Meehania cordata [New to me. In the Mint family. Not native to New York.]
  • Mitchella repens, Partridge Berry [A delicate-looking groundcover. I’ve seen this growing in the wild, scrambling around the roots of hemlocks.]
  • Mitella japonica variegata, Miterwort [I don’t know this one, but japonica tells me it’s native to Japana, not North America. There are other species of Mitella native to New York state, but none native to NYC or Long Island that I can find.]
  • Opuntia humifusa, Prickly Pear Cactus [I want some of this!]
  • Osmunda cinnamomea, Cinnamon fern [Fiddleheads!]
  • Osmunda regalis, Regal Fern [Needs constant moisture, as it browns easily.]
  • Pachysandra procumbens, Allegheny pachysandra [So much more beautiful than the wretched common Pachysandra.]
  • Polygonatum biflorum, Solomon’s Seal [Another delicate-looking but tough woodland wildflower. Grow this in an elevated position so you can see the flowers, which dangle below the stems.]
  • Rhexia virginica, Meadow Beauty [Also new to me.]
  • Rudbeckia maxima, Giant coneflower [Of course I want to know: HOW giant? HOW maxima?!]
  • Sanguinaria canadensis, Bloodroot [I grew a lovely double-flowering variety of this which looked like white waterlilies in Garden #1.]
  • Scleranthus biflorus [I don’t know this one either.]
  • Spigelia marilandica, Indian Pink
  • Tellima grandiflora [Native only to Western and Northwestern states, not to the Northeast.]
  • Trillium grandiflorum [A classic wildflower, slow to establish.]
  • Uvularia perfoliata, Bellwort
  • Verbena ‘Snow Flurry’ [This seems to be mis-categorized as a “native species”. North Creek Nurseries identifies this as a hybrid yet also describes this as “Native to US”.]
  • Vernonia fasciculata, Ironweed [Good for bees and butterflies.]
  • Vernonia novaeborascensis, Ironweed [More for the bees and butterflies.]
  • Viola pedata, Birds Foot Violet
  • Waldsteinia ternata, Barren Strawberry

Related posts:

Links:

  • Drosera, the business Web site of Marielle Anzelone, has lots of plants lists, design tips, and other information for using native plants in New York City gardens.
  • The New York Flora Association Atlas and the USDA PLANTS Database are excellent tools for researching native plants and their distributions and characteristics. They also contain information about invasive plants.

North Carolina Arboretum: 2 of 2, Bonsai Exhibition House

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Bonsai, “Yoshimura Island,” American Hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana

I’ve been to the Asheville area a couple of times over the past several years. I try to visit the North Carolina Arboretum each time I’m in the area, but I don’t always get the chance. On this visit, I was struck by the new Bonsai Exhibition House, which is across the courtyard from the Visitor Education Center, the main building on the site. If you find yourself anywhere in the Asheville area, and have any interest in plants or gardens, this should be a stop during your visit.

The design and layout of the “House” is impressive. All of the specimens are displayed outdoors, at least at this time of year. In past years, they’ve been available for viewing in one of the greenhouses, which is located about a mile down the road from the Visitor Center.

It’s really an outdoor garden demonstrating different classical Japanese and Chinese garden design principles, with explanatory signage along the way. There’s a winding wheelchair-accessible path which can be accessed from either the upper entrance, near the Visitor Center, or the lower entrance.

Lower Entrance, Bonsai Exhibition House, NC ArboretumDSC_2500

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There are also walls with lots and lots of shelves and nooks for displaying the bonsai. The poured, formed concrete is a minimalist neutral grey, which serves as a non-distracting backdrop for the bonsai, highlighting their textures, colors, and forms.

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Finally, the individual specimens are exemplary and exquisite, covering every form, from snags, to broad, fully-leaved single specimens, to groves, and even complete forests in miniature. One even benefited from a visiting “dragon” while we were there.

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Links

The Flickr photo set

Garden Notes: The Bulbs of Spring

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I was going to rake and mow the front lawn, but it just started raining. So instead I’m sitting in my tree fort (second floor back porch) and blogging again. Ordinarily a risky prospect, blogging in the rain, but it’s a gentle summer shower instead of our usual thunderous downpours, and there’s the slightest of breezes instead of the gales. And no hail this time. There’s a male cardinal high in the neighbor’s dogwood – brilliant red against the dark green summer foliage – cheeping and ruffling his feathers in the rain.

Of course, I’m thinking about February.

The spring bulbs! The spring bulb catalogs! How can I garden in the here and now when I already need to start worrying about how it will all look next year?

A couple of categories of bulbs I’m looking for to plant this fall for next year’s gardens:

  • Heirloom/Antique, available before 1905.
  • Variegated foliage (I have a thing for freaks).
  • Native plants.
  • Shady path and border.
  • Cut flowers.

There are a handful of bulb vendors I’ve come to know and trust:

  • McClure & Zimmerman. My all-time favorite. Great selection. Mainly just a listing of varieties. The catalog has no color photographs, just a scattering of botanical illustrations. I’ve been ordering from them since pre-Web days; their Web site now provides color photographs. Unfortunately, I’ve already missed their 10% discount cutoff date of June 30.
  • Van Engelen. The “wholesale” catalog of John Scheepers, they offer the same varieties to retail customers, but with minimum quantities of 25, 50 and more. The best source when you want to consume mass quantities for large drifts, bedding schemes and other instant garden effects. Or team up with neighbors and friends and buy in bulk and divide the spoils amongst yourselves. I like to order from them for large amounts of the smaller bulbs, such as Crocus.
  • Old House Gardens. One of my new favorites. A small, “boutique” outfit specializing in heirloom and antique bulbs. Personalized service. Emphasizes U.S. sources where available. Offers many varieties available from no other source.

So, by researching their catalogs, I’ve come up with the following wish lists. Mind you, I have not the money, the time, nor the space to plant all of these. We’ll see what I end up ordering, and planting.

Heirloom:

  • Allium atropurpureum, introduced 1800.
  • Allium sphaerocephalon, introduced 1594.
  • Anemone nemorosa var. Robinsiniana, circa 1870, also suitable for the shady path and border.
  • Canna “Cleopatra”, introduced 1895. Some leaves are striped with bronze, so it’s one of those freaks I covet. I ordered some from Select Seeds this year, but I don’t think it’s what I got: I won’t know for sure until they bloom, but the foliage shows no hint of bronze. Spring-planted. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Canna “Mme. Caseneuve”, introduced 1902. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Crocus angustifolius, Cloth of Gold Crocus, introduced 1587. (Ordered from OHG
  • Dahlia “Kaiser Wilhelm” (Ordered from OHG)
  • Gladiolus byzantinus, aka G. communis var. byzantinus “Cruentus”, Byzantine gladiolus, introduced 1629. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Gladiolus dalenii, aka G. psittacinus, G. natalensis, Parrot Glad, introduced 1830. Spring-planted, but hardy to zone 7, so it may winter over here. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Hyacinth “City of Haarlem”, primrose-yellow, introduced 1893.
  • Hyacinth “King of the Blues”, indigo-blue, introduced 1863.
  • Hyacinth “Lady Derby”, rose-pink, introduced 1883.
  • Hyacinth “Marie”, dark navy-purple, introduced 1860.
  • Hyacinth “Queen of the Blues”, introduced 1870. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Lilium auratum platyphyllum, Gold-band Lily, introduced 1862.
  • Lilium martagon “Album”, White Martagon Lily, introduced 1601.
  • Lilium pumilum, Coral Lily, introduced 1844, self-sows, so also suitable for the “wild” garden.
  • Lilium speciosum, introduced 1832.
  • Double Daffodil “Albus Poeticus Plenus, aka “Double Pheasant Eye”, introduced pre-1861.
  • Double Daffodil “Double Campernelle”, introduced prior to 1900.
  • Daffodil “Golden Spur”, introduced 1885.
  • Trumpet Daffodil “King Alfred”, introduced 1899.
  • Trumpet Daffodil “W. P. Milner”, introduced 1869.
  • Double Late Tulip “Blue Flag”, introduced 1750.
  • Tulip “Clara Butt”, introduced 1889. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Tulipa clusiana, introduced 1607. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Double Early Tulip “Kreoskop” (“frizzy-head”), introduced 1830.
  • Double Early Tulip “Peach Blossom”: Soft rose, honey scented, introduced 1890.
  • Single Late Tulip “Phillipe de Comines”: maroon-black, claret, introduced 1891.
  • Single Early Tulip “Prince of Austria”, scarlet maturing to almost-orange, fragrant, introduced 1860.
  • Single Early Tulip “Van der Neer”, violet-purple, introduced 1860.

Variegated:

  • Multi-flowered Tulip “Antoinette”: Pale lemon-yellow with pink edges, finishing salmon-pink, creamy-white margined foliage.
  • Double Late Tulip “Carnaval de Nice”: White blooms with swirling deep red stripes, white-edged foliage.
  • Viridflora Tulip “China Town”: Phlox pink with carmine-rose accents, moss-green flames, and a canary-yellow base, white-edged foliage.
  • Darwin Hybrid Tulip “Silverstream”: Variable, creamy-yellow diffused with rose and red, pink-and-white-margined foliage. I’ve grown this variety before, and it’s lovely.
  • Tulipa praestans “Unicum”, flowers orange-red, white-edged foliage. I grew this in the East Village garden. It’s very sweet, looking like a Hosta when the foliage first emerges.

Native:

  • Lilium superbum, American Turk’s cap lily, introduced 1665, so also suitable for heirloom garden. (Ordered from OHG)
  • Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells, pink buds open to blue flowers, ephemeral, dying back for the summer. I don’t that this is really a “bulb,” but M&Z offers it in their catalog. I grew this in the wildflower section of the East Village garden, and it was always beautiful in the spring.
  • Sanguinaria canadensis, Bloodroot. A native relative of the invasive Celandine. Yet another wildflower I grew in the East Village garden, but, if I recall, in its double-flowered form. It looked like a small white water-lily emerging from the earth just before the leaves. I’d really like to find the double again. Another non-bulb M&Z offering.

Shade:

  • Cardiocrinum giganteum. Some day, I will have a place to grow this. I need to build my soil up for a few years, I think, before I try and tackle this monster.
  • Frtillaria meleagris var. alba, White-flowering Snake’s Head Fritillary. I’ve grown both the regular species, and this variety. The species is lovely, the white, sublime.

While I’ve been typing out here on the porch, I’ve also been visited by Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, and Monk Parakeets. Oh, and so-called “Rock Doves,” ie: Pigeons, the rats with wings.

The sun is out now, and it’s cooled off deliciously. Time to take the cat out for a walk and rake and mow the front lawn …

Article, Fall 2005: The Changing Flora of the New York Metropolitan Region

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The authors compare past distribution data from historical records, and current data from Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s New York Metropolitan Flora Project to determine changes in distribution over the past century. They further compare these changes between native and introduced species within the same genus, such as Celastrus scandens, American bittersweet (native) and Celastrus orbiculata (or C. orbiculata), Oriental bittersweet (introduced, and invasive), or Lonicera sempervirens, Trumpet honeysuckle (native) and Lonicera japonica, Japanese honeysuckle (introduced, and invasive).

We statistically analyzed 100 years of herbarium specimen data for woody plants in the New York metropolitan region in order to measure the floristic changes of this area. Change Index values were computed for 224 of the region’s 556 woody species to provide a specific measure of whether these species are expanding, contracting, or stable. The results show that, in general, nonnative invasive species are spreading rapidly in the region, while native species are in slight decline.
– The Changing Flora of the New York Metropolitan Region

Links

The Changing Flora of the New York Metropolitan Region, Urban Habitats, Volume 3, Number 1, Fall 2005, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225

Dicentra eximia, Eastern Bleeding-heart

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Dicentra eximia, Wild Bleeding-heart, Eastern Bleeding-heart, in the Native Flora Garden of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Dicentra eximia, Bleeding-Heart, Native Flora Garden, BBG

I first grew this plant in Garden #1 in the East Village. It was extremely long-blooming, blooming for months in the partial shade of the widlflower garden there. It forms a large clump over time. The ferny foliage is very effective and interesting when the plant is not in bloom.

This plant is probably NOT native to New York City. The NYFA Atlas notes:

The native status of this plant is questionable. It is clearly planted and escaping in various areas. Some of the populations on Staten Island, and possibly elsewhere in southeastern New York, appear in “natural” areas. These may represent native populations, or they may be escapes from nearby residential developments.

Slideshow

Related Content

Flickr photo set

Links

NYFA Atlas: Plant ID 1531
USDA PLANTS Database: Symbol DIEX

Liatris spicata, Dense Blazing Star

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Liatris spicata, Dense Blazing Star, Marsh Blazing Star, Dense Gayfeather

You gotta love a plant called “Gay Feather”!

I first grew Liatris in Garden #1 in the East Village. It grew well even in the partial shade of that garden. The tall purple spikes were effective for a couple of weeks, and always drew comments from visitors.

Note that both the NYFA Atlas and USA PLANTS maps for this species show scattered distribution among New York counties, and only in Queens within New York City. NYFA Atlas list this species as NOT native to New York state.

References

NYFA Atlas: Plant ID 258
USDA PLANTS Database: Symbol LISP

Aquilegia canadensis, Eastern Red Columbine

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Macro photo of a single Columbine flower blooming in the backyard at Garden in Park Slope.
Photo taken: May 8, 2004

Aquilegia canadensis, Eastern Red Columbine

One of my favorite native plants and wildflowers. It looks so delicate, yet it blooms early spring, when temperatures are still cool.

Tips for growing, based on my experience growing Columbine in several gardens over many years:

  • Columbine likes to grow among rocks. In the garden, bricks, stepping stones, and paths are good substitutes.
  • Blooms early-mid spring, before trees have fully leafed out. If you keep the seedheads pinched back, you can keep it blooming for two months.
  • Larger plants don’t transplant well. Columbine has a fleshy root which is easily damaged in transplanting. It tends to not form a root ball, which makes it difficult to avoid damage and get the plant re-established in its new location.
  • Columbine is not a long-lived plant. Five years is a long time for a single plant. However, you can easily get more plants than you need through seed propagation.
  • Where you want Columbine to grow, plant one plant and let it go to seed. You can also collect seed from your plant and scatter it where you want more. Seed must winter over to germinate. It may take a year or two for new plants to establish themselves before they bloom.
  • Leaf-miner can be a problem; I find it’s less of a problem with the species than with hybrids. The miners tunnel inside the leaves, beween the upper and lower surfaces, as larvae. They create distinctive widening, wandering trails; hold a leaf up to a light and you can actually watch the larvae chewing away inside the leaf. When they’ve had their fill, they cut a hole through the underside of the leaf, pupate, and drop into the soil. They emerge as flying adults to mate and lay eggs in new leaves. Dispose of affected leaves in the trash; don’t compost leaves or affected plants or soil unless you know your compost gets hot enough for sterilization.

[TinyURL]

Links

NYFA Atlas: Plant ID 2583
USDA PLANTS Profile: Symbol AQCA

Notes from a visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Late July 2005

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[Transcribed from note book and amended. No date recorded. I was taking notes of plants which were effective or just caught my eye at the time of my visit.]

[From the Compositae/Daisy Family Garden]
Silphium perfoliatum: Large: 6’H x 5’W (supported). Large leaves.
Liatris pycnostachya: 2′ tall
L. spicata: 3-4′ tall
Helianthus giganteus

Epilobium augustifolium [Chamerion angustifolium, Fireweed, Onagraceae]

Unidentified “weed”: ~2-3′ tall, leaves opposite, cordate, fuzzy, flowers yellow, 3 petals/sepals

Begonia grandis

[In the Native Flora Garden, I was noting plants which could work in my backyard native plant garden. Several of those listed are plants I grew in the widlflower bed in Garden #1 in the East Village.]

Native Flora Garden
*=blooming
Solidago rugosa
*Allium cernuum
*Dicentra eximia
*Eupatorium fistulosum: 8′ tall
Viola pubescens
Vaccinium corymbosum
*Lilium superbum: 8′ tall
Polemonium reptans
*Lysimachia ciliata
Polygonatum biflorum
Sanguinaria canadensis
Asarum canadense
Viola striata (same as home?)
Hepatica acutiloba
*Cimicifuga racemosa: 5-6′ tall, fragrant
*Allium tricoccum (blooming w/out leaves)
Opuntia humifusa