Eastern Red Cedar
Eastern Red Cedar is a confusing name for this species, since it’s a juniper, not a cedar. Juniperus virginiana is native to the eastern half of the United States and southeastern Canada. Many of us have seen this tree around our neighborhoods or along roadsides but may not have paid much attention to it. However, it’s a valuable member of our flora.
Carolina Rose
Carolina Rose – Rosa Carolina – is a member of the Rose (Rosaceae) family and is a perennial, deciduous, shade-loving flowering shrub that has many 2-3-inch flowers from June through August. Of course, if given full sun, it will produce a myriad of large, pink blossoms. It is native to the eastern and central United States and grows to a height of 3 to 6 feet tall and a diameter of 5 to 10 feet.
Coral Bells, American Alumroot
Coral Bells – Heuchera americana – A gardener’s workhorse and a centuries-old classic, the Alumroot/Coral Bells are a native genus of wonderfully attractive, clump-forming, herbaceous perennials in the highly diverse Saxifrage family - Saxifragaceae. Generally hardy from USDA zones 4 through 9, some species are adaptable in zones 3 through 11; alumroot/ coral bells are as reliable as they come in the plant world.
Muhly Grass
Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a perennial native grass that has become a very popular addition to many gardens and landscapes. Its most common name is Muhly Grass. The genus Muhlenbergia is in the grass family, the Poaceae. It is often used as an accent plant in gardens, as filler for disturbed areas, or in large groups for a visually stunning effect. As autumn approaches, Muhly Grass takes center stage when it bursts forth with its wispy purple/pink spikes of flowers.
Dawn Redwood, a Living Fossil
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is closely related to Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) – both being in the Cypress family, the Cupressaceae. What’s perhaps most fascinating about Dawn Redwood is its discovery, after a botanist discovered a fossil and thought this tree extinct. Come see our “living fossils!” They’re beautiful at all times of the year, and their buttressed and furrowed trunks are a sight to behold.
Fothergilla - Witch Alder
Fothergilla or Witch Alder – (Fothergilla major and other species) – both the dwarf and the standard species add beautiful autumnal color to any garden. These species (F. gardenia and F. major) are native to the southeastern portion of the United States. They are in the witch-hazel (Hamamelidaceae) family and produce white, showy, fragrant, bottle-brush flowers from April through May. The fruits ripen in mid to late autumn. Fothergilla produces two seeds contained in a capsule that, after drying on the stem, will explosively rupture to send the seeds to the nearby environment.
Native or Endemic...and a Plant That is Both
The term “native” is frequently used in regard to plants, but what exactly does it mean - and how does it differ from the term “endemic” plant?
Strawberry Bush
Strawberry Bush – Euonymus americanus – is a deciduous, perennial shrub native to the southern and mid-Atlantic US. It grows to a height of 4 to 12 feet with a similar diameter and makes an excellent background or specimen in the landscape.
Sparkleberry
Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) is a semi-evergreen large shrub or a small tree that is the tallest of the blueberry Genus and grows in the southern United States. Its bright, glossy leaves will turn red to burgundy in the fall, and many will hold on most of the winter. One of its best characteristics is its exfoliating bark, with rich grey, brown, orange, and red often all present on older plants. In late spring or early summer, plants with decent sun become covered in showy, white, bell-shaped flowers. Its heat and drought tolerance are legendary once it is established, and it is one of the most handsome understory native species we have.
White Wood Aster
White Wood Aster – Eurybia (Aster) divaricata – is an herbaceous perennial found in the eastern U.S. This plant, with lush green foliage and dark stems, is hard to beat in summer. Then, in the late summer, one tiny white bloom will appear, then two more, until it is covered with white blooms that last for more than a month. Like many asters, it blooms when few other plants do and is invaluable as pollinator forage and for people who enjoy the blooms. Remember this, and never plant a garden without some asters!
The American Chestnut Tree
The American chestnut tree, Castanea dentata (C. dentata) was once one of the most dominant tree species of deciduous forests in the eastern United States. The effort to restore the American chestnut species involves developing American chestnut populations that are resistant to blight.
American Smoketree
Once abundant in the Southeast, the native American Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus), was detrimentally harvested in large quantities to extract dye during the Civil War Era. The heartwood of the smoketree is a vibrant yellow-orange color that was used in soldiers' uniforms and sashes. Today, it is rare to see a native smoketree in the wild, even on our 300-acre property. One of our only specimens resides on the eastern side of our Upper Pond.
Yellow Anise
Yellow Anise – Illicium parviflorum – is a member of the Schisandraceae and is a large, dense, evergreen shrub native to Florida and the lower southeastern United States, but it does well in Hardiness Zones 6b through 9. it is extremely deer and rabbit resistant, is insect-pollinated, and provides shelter for birds and other wildlife. Yellow anise is in a class of its own: native, evergreen, fast grower, easy to grow, does well in shade.
Wax Myrtle
Wax Myrtle – Morella cerifera – is a member of the Bayberry (Myricaceae) family. It is an evergreen large shrub/small tree, growing to 20 feet high and 15 feet wide. Wax myrtle is one of a handful of our native evergreen shrubs that is easy to grow. For those of us who primarily use natives, the demand for evergreens is a challenge, and wax myrtle is one of our best options. It has very inconspicuous flowers, and its leaves and stems have a spicy, aromatic fragrance when they are crushed. In a pinch, its fragrant leaves can be used as a natural bug repellant.
Aromatic Aster
Aromatic aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, is one of our last blooming native flowers providing pollinator forage late into October, when there is little else available. Like many other asters, its blooms are a joy for people who are missing the vast flowers of summer. The leaves, when brushed lightly, release a pleasant fragrance, as the name suggests.
Giant Ironweed
Giant ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) is common statewide, usually in mesic pastures, fields, and thickets. It is considered a facultative wetland indicator plant, meaning it is equally likely to show up in wetlands as in non-wetlands. The nectar of giant ironweed attracts a wide variety of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, and the blooms make for great butterfly watching. It is best used as a background plant in a larger naturalized planting.
Black Gum/Tupelo Gum/Pepperidge
Black Gum/Tupelo Gum/Pepperidge - Nyssa sylvatica – is a member of the Gum (Nyssaceae) family. It has perhaps the most striking fall color of any native or non-native tree we can plant in the southeast, and the flowers of Nyssa ogeche are the source of the famously delicious Tupelo honey.
Swamp Rose Mallow
Swamp rose mallow is a member of the Mallow (Malvaceae) family, which includes herbs, shrubs, and small trees. There are over 85 genera and 1500 species in this family, some of which are okra (edible), cotton (for apparel), and Rose of Sharron (ornamentals). The flowers of this plant only last one day, but being so conspicuous, they are a wonderful addition to the garden, and they attract many species of bees.
Enjoy Our Lower Meadows in Peak Bloom
The native wildflowers in our lower meadows are in peak bloom, and members and visitors are invited to enjoy the flowers and see ecosystem management in action by touring the meadows during daylight hours.
Narrowleaf Silkgrass
Narrowleaf Silkgrass – Pityopsis graminifolia – is a perennial member of the Aster (Asteraceae) family. It does very well in our region, unless you pamper it, fertilize it, give it rich soil, and otherwise coddle it! This plant attracts pollinators and is often used in xeriscape gardens to reduce erosion.