Photo by María Helena Carey, who is a fan of both echinacea and bees.
Matthew Roberts is the plant guru at Ginkgo Gardens, and an all-around great guy who can answer most of your gardening conundrums.
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People tend to get confused as to the difference between annuals and perennials since they can both be about the same size and they both, hopefully, have noticeable flowers; hence why we have them in our gardens. My mnemonic device is “That kid is a perennial problem. He keeps coming back.” So, a perennial is a plant that grows back from its original root system each spring after having gone dormant over the winter. An annual in contrast will completely die over the barren season and is re-grown each year from seed. This might be why some take us by surprise in that they have self-seeded in out garden and show up a few feet downwind from their original location. Perennials on the other hand just need to have their dried up foliage removed down to basal growth (the little nubbins you’ll find at the base of the plant) in preparation for their re-emergence.
This brings us to the focus of these articles which is how native plants sustain wildlife in our gardens by providing food, shelter, and habitat. I personally am torn between trying to maintain a neat and tidy space using the limited time I’ve got for puttering about in the yard.
If there is a free couple of hours on a sunny morning or afternoon I’m going to grab that time to clip, chop, weed and toss, but of late I’ve been trying to leave some perennials (particularly the native ones) standing tall – or leaning over, or twisting together or rattling accusingly at me. The seed heads of my black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and my purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) provide nourishment for the birds, Asters and sedges (Carex) act as hosts for the American lady and the Appalachian brown butterflies. Large grasses such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and giant plume grass (Saccharum giganteum) create secret hideaways for all sorts of creatures.
All through the cycle of the seasons native perennials act as homes, pantries, and the local dive bar where the creatures like to hang out. In our rigidly gridded city (okay forget about the state avenues for a second) most yards have a sunny dry side and a shady wetter one. Since there are so many wonderful perennials that are native to our region, we’re going to focus on the former and save the latter for another day. Besides the aforementioned asters and black-eyed susans (the Maryland state flower as most of you must know) a local favorite
is the brilliant orange-blossomed butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) which is home to the beloved monarch butterfly. (It is also home to a bright yellow aphid that is the dickens to get rid of. With the wheat comes the chaff and with the sheep shall we encounter a few goats!) The spring is instantly brightened by the dancing fairy caps that are the flowers of wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). This is a wonderfully promiscuous little plant in that it grows from its root system as well as self-seeds prolifically and hybridizes easily with neighboring columbines –a great choice for the thrifty gardener. Another spring bloomer is wild indigo (Baptisia australis) whose sky blue flowers morph into silvery black pods that will rattle in the autumn breezes. A fall delight (and another cost efficient, quick spreading perennial) is the anemone (Anemone canadensis) whose pink or white flowers rise high above their lush green foliage to sway and dance with just the slightest of encouragements. And to enliven the farthest end of the seasonal spectrum try planting some Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) which pop up right after (and sometimes before) your spring bulbs are fading out.
A perennial that has become a popular choice of late and is native to our region is willowleaf bluestar (Amsonia tabernamontana – say that three times fast). Working with the concept of multiple season interest, amsonia is a winner in that the fall foliage is an astounding golden yellow that when the setting sun shines through it glows like fire. If it was native to the Eastern Mediterranean it could be cast opposite Moses on the slopes of Mt. Sinai, but….) The ubiquitous coral bells (Heuchera) and tickseed (Coreopsis) are so commonly planted because they are easy to grow, come in an almost endless stream of colors, and are beautiful in both leaf and flower. I could go on and on and on (and to some of you I’m sure it seems like I have), but I’ll wrap it up with two favorites for tricky spots in the garden. Dry shade is a terrible combination to deal with and often found here where tree roots suck up all the moisture and masonry walls and overhangs block rainfall. In such a location try black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) for height and wood aster (Aster divaricatus) for reliability. Both bloom in white that shows up in the darkness and hopefully will survive drought and a difficult location. For brutal dry sun where all else has failed, try good old mountain stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) which is as tough as the rocky hillsides from whence it came. So remember to stick a few native perennials in among the rest of your garden plants to help sustain wildlife and beautify your yard in such a simple way.