Glue and Inspiration

I love native plants and their unique communities with a passion and fervently believe more people need to know about them and their value in the world in which we live. Much to the embarrassment of my children, I try to impart this message to people I meet in gardening centers, on trails or wherever the subject comes up. By myself, I can only reach a few people to convey my message. But when I join with other people through organizations, the message goes further.

I like to think of these groups, these organizations, as the glue that binds us together as well as a source of inspiration for the cause. I certainly learn a lot from them, but that is not their main strength. It is the combination of people together and the shared inspiration that they can impart to each other that really furthers the cause. 

 You see, left on my own, my enthusiasm might wane or discouragement might set in. 

Then my periodical from Audubon arrives or I get an email from the Georgia Conservancy or another group and I read inspiring stories about successes that others have had, such as : 

• the May/June Audubon story about working with farmers, ranchers and foresters to benefit a range of imperiled birds.

• the recent communique from the Georgia Conservancy about their accomplishments in conserving private land through their Land Conservation Initiative.

• the work by The American Chestnut Foundation in developing southern hybrids using Georgia pollen that I heard about at a conference in February.

• the work by The Nature Conservancy on facilitating water use discussions on the Colorado river and its tributaries to get more water flowing to downstream communities of native fish and plants and improving the health of the system; work that can be applied to situations throughout the U.S. and the world.

• a blog post about leading garden tours through wildlife-friendly gardens and watching people be inspired on the spot!

I also enjoy participating with local groups like the Georgia Native Plant Society and the Georgia Botanical Society. With them I have a chance to attend meetings and conferences with speakers, participate in informative workshops, or go on field trips to places I might not be able to go to on my own.

Sabatia angularis

Meeting and talking with like-minded people help me realize that people are making a difference. I am inspired anew to share my message and to renew my commitments to groups that band together for greater impact. The local groups I support get more than my money, they get my time as well.

That’s how I know that organizations need your support.  I have been on the administrative side, and I know that every ebb and flow in membership levels is disappointment (ebb) and joy (flow). If you don't belong to organizations like these, please consider joining. Your participation and support joins that of many others to magnify their impact on local, national and global causes.

Rudbeckia Returns

The flowers of the genus Rudbeckia are beginning to flower in my garden and along the roadsides.  Rudbeckia flowers are known generally as “black-eyed Susan” or “coneflower”. The latter name can lead to some confusion because flowers in the Echinacea genus and the Ratibida genus are also commonly known as coneflowers. But Rudbeckia is always a cheery yellow so we at least have that consistency!

Rudbeckia hirta

The one that I have which flowers the earliest is the oft-used (and well-loved) Rudbeckia hirta, or black-eyed Susan. The leaves and stems of this particular species are quite hairy; the species epithet “hirta” is one of many epithets that indicate that the plant has noticeable hairs (hirtum, hirtifolia, hirtissima , hirtifolius , hirsute, hirsuta, hirsutum, hirsutus, hirsutissima – there are more!). 

Listed as an annual, a biennial and a perennial, Rudbeckia hirta has more lives than some cats. I have had individual plants live in one place for years (a perennial) while others seem to live only briefly (annual or biennial). There are always some around and for that I am grateful. This species has the most variable flower shapes. The petals might be few and widely spaced or they might be numerous and so crowded that the flower almost appears to be a double form. I enjoy discovering each new one.

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’

Rudbeckia fulgida is often known as “orange coneflower” and has wide, quilted leaves and a spreading habit. Populations in my garden have slowly expanded sideways over time.  When I dig them up to share with friends, the roots are noticeably rhizomatous.  The species has a well-known cultivated form: R. fulgida ‘Goldsturm’. This has been widely available for years and resides in many a garden. 

Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida

I actually have a different form, R. fulgida var. fulgida, and it has smooth leaves and smaller flowers. It flowers later in the summer thanks to deer browsing but once they get tired of it (and they do) it flowers from then until frost. You can see in the picture on the left how different the leaves are.

Rudbeckia triloba

Rudbeckia triloba apparently has a softer look – she is known as “brown-eyed Susan”. True to her botanical name, though, she does have leaves with 3 lobes.  This Susan and I only hung out for one year together and then she was gone.

I know you're thinking that these all look alike with their brown centers and yellow petals. But taxonomists assure us they are different! I can attest that the leaves on these are all fairly different if you lined them all up to examine.


But one trait that does keep them together (besides the yellow petals) is the arrangement of the involucral bracts (the green parts that used to enclose the flower bud) on the back of the flower head. Rudbeckia flowers can be distinguished from others in a seemingly endless parade of summer yellow flowers (wait until you meet the Sunflower family!) by examination of the back of the flower head. Perhaps this looks like a typical back of the flower to you, but once you learn to recognize how they are shaped and arranged, you can distinguish several of the most common yellow flowers. Give it a try sometime.

Rudbeckia bracts

Rudbeckia laciniata is one Rudbeckia that does not have a brown center.  The common name is cutleaf coneflower because it has deeply lobed leaves. It has a very wide range throughout the U.S. and is found near me in on a sanctioned rescue site.  It gets too much shade in my yard and hasn’t flowered, so I found this picture to show you the green center with bright yellow petals.  It is one of the tallest in the genus, easily reaching over 3 feet; it also has a reputation for spreading underground so gardeners in small areas should be cautious about using it.

Rudbeckia laciniata
Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

If you're looking for a dependable full-sun perennial, consider one of these old-fashioned favorites. You'll be happy when they return each year in your yard.

Common Names - say what?

People love to use common names when discussing plants. I know that scientific names are intimidating: they are hard to remember and hard to pronounce. Even when we get some easy ones (remember Aster?), some taxonomist decides to change things around (North American asters are now in the genus Symphyotrichum – come on, guys!). Sometimes though I have to scratch my head about how they came up with some of these common names!

Helmet flower, Scutellaria integrifolia

Many common names are given based on appearance or characteristic – things like ladyslipper (Cypripedium spp.), copperleaf (a weed you may recognize from your yard: Acalypha virginica) and beardtongue (Penstemon spp.) clearly describe some aspect of appearance while summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) and spicebush (Lindera benzoin) are based on fragrance/smell. Some are a little less obvious – buckeye (Aesculus spp.) must describe how the round shiny nut resembles the eye of a deer, but you don’t know that until the plant is mature enough to produce nuts.

Then there are the plants whose name reflects what people thought they could cure: liverwort, spleenwort, toothwort, bladderwort, birthwort, navelwort ... and all those other "worts": sandwort, nailwort, ragwort, lousewort, hornwort, butterwort, milkwort, pillwort, figwort, starwort, umbrellawort (seriously?),  spiderwort, bellwort, soapwort, coolwort, awlwort, pearlwort,  waterdropwort (ok, now we're just getting silly). Look: here's a list in Wikipedia of plants just with "wort" in their name. It should not come as a surprise that the word "wort" is related to an old English word for "plant".

Beyond all the silly wort names, here are some of the plants I have (and love) with doofy common names.

Helmet flower (Scutellaria spp.) - more commonly known as skullcap but I came across this common name when I was researching one of the new species that I found recently.  Based on those two common names, clearly folks felt this flower was some sort of headgear!  To me it's just a beautiful summer perennial.

Fly poison (Amianthium muscitoxicum)

 

Fly poison (Amianthium muscitoxicum) - according to www.wildflower.org, "Pulp from a crushed bulb, mixed with sugar, is used to poison flies, hence the species name, from the Latin muscae (flies) and toxicum (poison)."  I'd like to know who was the first one to figure THAT out? I'm not going to waste any of my bulbs that way.


Beetleweed (Galax urceolata) - I could find no reason for this name. It's a very desirable evergreen plant that doesn't seem weedy at all, let alone weedy for beetles.

Beetleweed (Galax urceolata)

 Scorpionweed (Phacelia spp.) - must we call everything a weed? This is a beautiful spring flowering plant that likes to seed around in places that have good soil. Seems like a benefit to me, not a bad trait. Apparently the name refers to the shape of the flower cluster, curling like a scorpion's tail.  Phacelia bipinnatifida is the one most common around here, although perhaps one day I'll get to see it's cousin Phacelia purshii which is curiously known as "Miami mist".

Phacelia bipinnatifida

Chamaelirium luteum

Fairywand (Chamaelirium luteum) - well at last a somewhat complimentary name! I think we can all guess that someone fancied these petite flowers to be magic wands belonging to fairies. It is a great little perennial that has both male (small, curved wands) and female plants (tall, upright wands).

Here are some names that I came across while looking at pictures posted on Facebook from the Georgia Botanical Society:

Twining snoutbean (Rhynchosia tomentosa) - since when do beans have snouts?

Climbing dogbane (Trachelospermum difforme) - not the only dogbane around; others (Apocynum spp.) resemble milkweeds based on their appearance.

Prairie blue hearts (Buchnera americana) - a very sweet name, but why?

Western marbleseed (Onosmodium occidentale) - makes me want to see what the seeds look like!

And here's one I found while researching some of these other plants: Turricula parryi, known by the common name poodle-dog bush. I think that's gotta be our winner. Native to southern California so I doubt I'll come across one.

Roadside Plants in June

There is a time and place for everything when it comes to blooms on plants.  The early summer roadside is mostly green but there are a few blooms worthy of discussing either because they are good things or because they are bad things.  These are blooms that I see driving around in North Georgia.  It takes special plants to withstand roadside conditions that are usually exposed, hot, and often dry but sometimes wet depending on the drainage.  And it takes an educated eye to be able to recognize some of these at 45-55 miles per hour!

Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)

One of the most eye catching blooms is a vine that peeks out from inside of shrubs, scrambles up trees and makes use of whatever utility poles it can find. Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) is a bit aggressive in the garden but a delight on the roadside.  Hummingbirds love it of course.

This picture looks orange, but it really can be quite red when you see it in person. There are orange and yellow cultivars that you can buy.

White flowers blooming now include elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis), a big shrub that loves moist roadsides. The flowers are rather flat in appearance and can be as large as a dinner plate. The flowers will turn to clusters of purple berries in time.

Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis

Frequently seen is the naturalized Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota), a non-native perennial with flowers that are whiter than elderberry’s more cream-colored flowers and have a more domed shape.  I get briefly excited when I see it on the roadside, thinking it might be elderberry, only to be disappointed when I realize it is not.

Queen Anne’s lace
Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

Another white flower blooming in abundance is eastern daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus). This annual flower has up to 20 small flowers per plant, creating a delightful display when there are hundreds of them together. It provides valuable nectar for small native bees, flies and small butterflies.

Erigeron annuus

 

There is nothing like a bright orange plant to catch your attention as you pass at a high rate of speed. I remember the first time I saw orange butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) – it was like “Whoa! What is that?”. Now I look for about this time every year.  I’m always excited to spot more of it in the wild because I know it is important for monarch butterflies.  Often the flash of orange that I see is not milkweed. More common now is the naturalized orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) that blooms at the same time. This non-native lily decorates ditches and sunny roadsides in May and June.

Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Pink flowers are well represented this time of year. The pink blooming tree that is – alas – so common in Georgia is actually non-native but has been with us since 1745 when it was brought over from China. It is usually called mimosa tree but is also known as silk tree; the scientific name is Albizia julibrissin. 

Mimosa microphylla

I suppose the common name “mimosa” is due to its resemblance to a group of perennials in the genus Mimosa. I noticed one blooming on the roadside where I walk this week. The tiny blobs of pink fluff were arranged on a prickly vine-like plant whose foliage contracted upon contact; it’s common name is “sensitive” plant.  I think the one I found is Mimosa microphylla.

Phlox paniculata

Other pink perennials you might see are the tall pink phlox (Phlox paniculata), non-native pink cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) in the median strips when DOT plants wildflower seed mixes, and of course thistles.  Thistles are an often overlooked plant, usually scorned for their prickly foliage. There are native ones and non-native ones – I found this non-native Carduus nutans yesterday while photographing something else. In the fall I find the native Cirsium altissimum blooming; it’s prickles are a lot softer!

Carduus nutans

Blackberries can look like pink flowers from a distance

Blackberries have formed bright clusters of pink berries that might appear to be red flowers when you’re whizzing by them in the car. I snapped pictures of what I believe is Rubus argutus on the roadside near me. Give them time and they will turn from pink to red to black.

Two confusing plants are sumac (Rhus spp.)  and tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). While they have similar looking compound leaves, they are really very different. Tree of heaven has long finished blooming while sumac is blooming now. Sumac is considered a shrub while tree of heaven can grow 20-50 feet tall.  The bright orange seed heads forming on female Ailanthus altissima can make it appear that they are blooming. Sumac shrubs will have conical upright flower clusters that transition to clusters of red berries over the summer.

Seeds on female Ailanthus altissima

Flowers on staghorn sumac,  Rhus typhina

Besides dandelions and dandelion-like hawkweeds (Hieracium spp.), the only yellow flowers I have seen are black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and whorled coreopsis (Coreopsis major). We will see many more yellow flowers soon enough.

Rudbeckia hirta

Coreopsis major

Out of the Ordinary Dogwoods

Those of us that grew up in the south are very familiar with the tree known as flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). The large white bloom is one of the iconic flowers of the southeastern United States. Many people don't realize that there are other shrubs and small trees in the same genus which are native to Georgia.  Other family members include alternate leaf dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), silky dogwood (Cornus amomum), toughleaf dogwood (Cornus asperifolia), swamp dogwood (Cornus foemina), and rough dogwood (Cornus drummondii).  In the northeastern areas of the U.S. there are even more native species of dogwood, many of which are commonly used in landscaping there.

Silky dogwood, Cornus amomum

The floral structure of the "other" dogwoods is quite different from that of flowering dogwood. Each inflorescence is composed of several dozen small flowers.

Each pollinated flower will turn into a small berry, often a round, blue-colored berry which is quite unlike the red fruits borne by Cornus florida.

Cornus amomum

Berries, Cornus amomum

By chance this week I passed a large group of silky dogwood on a rural roadside. It was loaded with flowers in various stages of bloom: some had faded and seeds were forming, while others were still in tight buds.  Obviously growing in ideal conditions (adequate moisture and full sun), it was a beautiful sight and pollinators were all over it. It was a very exciting find for me - I had never seen this species in flower before.  I plan to return in the late summer to see the berries.

Cornus amomum

The only other dogwood that I've successfully grown in my yard (so far!) is alternate leaf dogwood (Cornus alternifolia). The name is significant because other dogwoods have oppositely arranged leaves. Branches on this species are often elegantly arranged in tiers, earning it yet another common name: pagoda dogwood. The glossy foliage is very handsome. This species makes a fine small tree.

Cornus alternifolia

Look at this great foliage!

I hope to get more familiar with other species over time. Several of them are very wet tolerant - especially swamp dogwood, I have seen it growing in standing water. The birds love the berries of course and the flowers attract many small insects for birds to feed their chicks.  You should consider adding one of these other dogwoods to your garden.

Flowering dogwood, Cornus florida

By the way, the large flowers of Cornus florida are made up of four showy white bracts with a cluster of small flowers in the center. 

Ferns That Work For You

Ferns are one of the true non-flowering plants.  These ancient plants reproduce by spores - an amazing difference that is worth explaining to your kids/grandkids. Spores are often found on the back of the frond (or leaf if you will); they are clustered into spore cases (sporangia) that are grouped in clusters called sori.  Fronds with sori are fertile fronds, and some ferns produce unique fertile fronds that look nothing like the other fronds.

Sori on Dryopteris marginalis

Fertile frond with sori on
Botrychium biternatum

Despite their lack of flowers they provide beauty and versatility in the garden and support wildlife in less noticeable but unique ways.  Songbirds use fronds from some of the more delicate ferns like New York fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis) for nesting material. Insects feed on some ferns while others provide cover for reptiles, amphibians and small mammals.


Georgia has a bunch of indigenous ferns, many of which are perfectly suitable for average garden use, especially in shade/part-shade conditions. The larger ferns offer bold green foliage to be used as a foil against other plants. Small ferns can serve as accent pieces, particularly in tight spaces or at the base of trees. Wet tolerant ferns provide a solution to a difficult area and running ferns fill up spaces that might otherwise be hard to reach.  I'd like to introduce you to the possibilities of using native ferns in Georgia.

Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum)

Large ferns: size is subjective, of course, but these are the native ferns that in my garden grow fairly large: Christmas (Polystichum acrostichoides), sensitive (Onoclea sensibilis), southern shield/southern wood (Thelypteris kunthii), lady (Athyrium filix-femina), northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum), hay-scented (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), marginal wood (Dryopteris marginalis), cinnamon (Osmunda cinnamomea) and royal (Osmunda regalis).

Red-stemmed lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)

Small ferns: petite little wonders to tuck into special spots: ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), brittle fern (Cystopteris protrusa), grape (Botrychium spp.), and adder's tongue fern (Ophioglossum vulgatum).

Adder's tongue fern (Ophioglossum vulgatum) 
Photo by S. George

Ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron)

Running ferns: ferns that will send out rhizomes and increase in size by traveling: netted chain (Woodwardia areolata), New York (Thelypteris noveboracensis), sensitive (Onoclea sensibilis), broad beech (Phegopteris hexagonoptera), and Virginia chain fern (Woodwardia virginica).

New York fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis)

Broad beech fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera)

Wet tolerant: ferns that don't mind being wet occasionally or always: cinnamon (Osmunda cinnamomea), royal (Osmunda regalis), sensitive (Onoclea sensibilis), and netted chain (Woodwardia areolata).

Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)

Sun tolerant: ferns that can take more sun, especially full-on morning sun, after 1 pm is a little tricky for any of them:  southern shield/southern wood (Thelypteris kunthii), and the very aggressive bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum).  Both of these do run a bit and the more the moisture the more they run!

A robust clump of Thelypteris kunthii

Specimen: ferns that are especially attractive or unusual:  northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) and southern maidenhair (Adiantum capillus-veneris), rockcap fern (Polypodium virginianum), resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides), and American climbing fern (Lygodium palmatum).

Rockcap fern growing on a log (Polypodium virginianum)

Evergreen ferns: ferns that retain some fronds year round in the metro Atlanta area: Christmas (Polystichum acrostichoides), marginal wood (Dryopteris marginalis), ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), rockcap fern (Polypodium virginianum), resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides), and the fall-appearing grapefern (Botrychium biternatum).

A young Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)

If you're not using native ferns in your garden, give them a try.  They are a beautiful and useful addition to almost any condition.

Reference: Field Guide to the Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia by Lloyd Snyder and James Bruce

A Walk in the Woods

Enjoying native plants is not just about using them in the garden for me.  It’s good to go out and see them in the places where they grow naturally, to take note of the communities in which they live, and to enjoy the beautiful arrangements that nature has created with them.  Last weekend the Georgia Botanical Society’s 42^nd annual Wildflower Pilgrimage was in Clayton, GA, and I had a chance to go and enjoy some time in the woods.

Tradescantia subaspera - at home in the woods

Rabun County is one of the counties that borders North Carolina so we were in the mountains there.   Field trips included tours of waterfalls, rich mountain coves, creeks, gaps, ridges and all the neat places associated with mountainous areas.  But while each of them was lush with indigenous plants, it was disappointing to see how invasive plants have crept into even these places.  The worst one in general was multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora).  On roadsides it would cover huge areas, smothering native shrubs and small trees, shading out native perennials like Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) and ferns that grew in abundance where the rose was not.  Inside the woods, small populations of the rose were forming in sunnier areas, poised to take over should a tree fall and the canopy open up enough for it to become the thug it wanted to be.

Enough doom and gloom – let me show you some of the special things we found.

Clintonia umbellulata - Clinton's lily

Geranium maculatum - was blooming heavily

Asclepias quadrifolia - fourleaf milkweed in the woods

Black raspberry was in abundance - Rubus occidentalis

Mountain laurel was in full bloom - Kalmia latifolia

Oxalis grandis - Look at the maroon edges

Polygonatum biflorum

Trillium vaseyi - the last of the trilliums

Pipevine - Aristolochia macrophylla

Umbrella leaf grew in a wet area of a rich cove - Diphylleia cymosa

I don’t always take the time to enjoy a trip just for looking. But whenever I do, I always wonder why I don’t do it more often.

By the way, if you’ve never read “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson, I highly recommend it. It is an amusing tale of one man’s determination to walk the Appalachian Trail and the adventures he has along the way.