Native Plants
Where do you begin when it comes to Native Plants for your garden?
In this section, EHS resident native plant expert, Joanne Fallowfield, shares her insights, advice and suggestions through a series of articles highlighting native plants.
Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus
I used to regard this hard working shrub with a snobby stink eye.
I am not sure where I got the impression that a snowberry wasn’t ‘worthy’ but happily, I am now familiar with its attributes and
have planted a few in my garden.
What’s not to like? It grows almost anywhere, tolerates salt
and can even be used as a hedge and a slope stabilizer. Its habit will be leggier in shadier parts of the garden, but it grows well in full sun to part shade.
Hummingbirds and bees will visit the bell-shaped, pink flowers in the spring and the white berries persist into the winter. This plant is suitable for those looking to discourage deer from foraging in their garden. It will grow 3-6 feet with an equal spread.
Mine grow mostly in dry conditions but the books say it would appreciate less-than-dry soil.
My snowberries seem happy, bloom and berry up each year and give me absolutely no concerns whatsoever.
No more stink-eye from me!
Note: I would keep the berries away from small children - if eaten, vomiting will occur. Birds though, will eat the berries but apparently only if desperate!
Nannyberry
One quickly learns when gardening with natives, there are quite a few stalwarts in the native plant line-up. These plants can be described as staunch, loyal, dependable, reliable, steady,
constant and hard-working.
One of my favourite stalwarts is the Nannyberry Viburnum lentago.
I think this is terrific but I also like the white flowers in the spring and the gorgeous fall colour. The Nannyberry doesn’t stop traffic and is not meant to be a specimen but I rely on it to be a pleasant,
constant, worry-free presence in my part-sun border.
It is described as a tall shrub but my soil is clay and on the dry side so I am not too worried about the Nannyberry out-growing its welcome.
Note: Douglas Tallamy has six different ecological functions for plants including cover for wildlife, nest sites for birds, pollen/nectar producer, food for birds, mammals and caterpillars). The Nannyberry hits ALL SIX!
Pasque Flower, Pulsatilla Patens
The Pasque flower (Pasque is French for Easter)
the first perennial to show its precious face in my early spring garden. It is also known as Anemone patens or Prairie Crocus.
It is crocus-like in size but this plant has hairy stems and leaves and the seed head looks like tufts of feathery hair that is guaranteed to amuse long into the season. Its mauve to white petals surrounds a bright yellow mound of stamens. These shiny petals actually act like solar panels and the temperature inside a pasque flower can be 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding air.
Hungry pollinators drop in for some food and stay around for the warmth!
Note: The books all warn that this plant needs good drainage so best not to plant in a boggy spot. Full sun with a bit of shade will be fine. The plant doesn’t really go dormant but might do exactly that when coping with drought conditions.
Fothergilla, fothergilla Gardenii
A few years ago my children asked what I wanted for Mother’s Day
and I replied that I wanted a Fothergilla gardenii. There may have
been some eye-rolling and I think they were hoping I would say a box of chocolates but off they went to Plant World and came home with this lovely little shrub.
In case you are also unfamiliar with a Fothergilla, here is what it has going for it: A sturdy, mid-border front or back yard specimen, vase shaped; fuzzy, greenish-white, fragrant spring flowers; unassuming during summer but holds it own around more aggressive plants; and gorgeous, long-lasting fall colour.
This slow-growing shrub will grow about 3 feet tall and wide. I think I
might ask for another this year!
The Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
Ok, with a name like that – one might think tall, delphinium-like
perennials, stopping you in your tracks from the opposite corner of
the yard! I ordered one and planted it in a mostly sunny spot and
waited and waited. Some attractive foliage appeared but no sign of
anything great or blue. I berated myself for not doing my research
and popped a purple coneflower right beside it and called it a day.
Well, surprise, surprise. During a late summer walk through the
garden, I discovered the very pretty, long lasting but diminutive
blooms of the Great Blue Lobelia. I think the ‘Great’ is the exquisite
blue colour of the delicate two-lipped blooms. In my garden, the plantis about 15 inches tall and held its own with the coneflower I
ingloriously plunked down beside it. I have come to adore my Great
Blue Lobelia and will give it more room next year. The books say this
plant needs a moist site but my garden is quite dry. It also says that it might re-seed readily – that would be all right in my books!
Note: Lastly, this perennial is an excellent source of nectar for hummingbirds and the nocturnal sphinx moth.
Native Plant Book Recommendations
Gardening with native plants can make a gardener’s world go a little topsy-turvy.
You really don’t need to do that much maintenance anymore - I run out of things to do in my garden! There are fewer ‘new’ plants to buy each year as you no longer lust over the latest cultivar.
You might find yourself frustrated with the native choices in the traditional garden centres. All those books you bought about Best Perennials for This and That contain too much information about ‘pest-free’ plants from far-away lands.
To steady yourself and to prepare for another look at what plants to choose, why not spend some time learning more about native plants? Anything written by Doug Tallamy is worthy and Toronto’s own Lorraine Johnson has written wonderful books on native plants and why they should be planted in your garden!
