Category Archives: Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

PERENNIAL: Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm, Oswego Tea) 

Posted on June 15, 2018 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic)

This member of the Mint family, native to eastern North America, grows in dense clusters along creeks and banks, as well as in thickets and woods.  Prized by humans as an aromatic herb, its distinctive ragged red flowers are attractive to a variety of garden pollinators, especially when massed. Continue reading →

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FERN: Osmunda spectabilis (Royal Fern)

Posted on June 8, 2018 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic)

This native fern, one of North America’s largest, is frequent to common in moist woods through much of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Previously known as Osmunda regalis, its unique fronds are cut into large rounded leaflets. Another common name “flowering fern” refers to its tassel-like fertile clusters. Continue reading →

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GROUND COVER: Sedum ternatum (Wild Stonecrop)

Posted on June 1, 2018 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic)

This lovely ground cover, the most widespread native member of the Sedum family in eastern North America, favors rocky banks, cliffs, and woods. Its tiny white star-like flowers with five pointed petals rise in showy clusters above succulent foliage in the spring.
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SHRUB: Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)

Posted on May 25, 2018 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

Mountain Laurel is a tall, exceptionally handsome, evergreen shrub with shiny, leathery leaves that make beautiful winter-season roping.  This native of eastern North America is one of the most beautiful native flowering shrubs and is often displayed in parks. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Mountain Laurel as Wildflower of the Year in 1994. Continue reading →

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PERENNIALS: Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)

Posted on May 18, 2018 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

This lovely and adaptable native wildflower grows in deciduous woods and dappled meadows throughout the eastern half of North America.  Its alternative common name, Cranesbill, refers to its distinctive seed capsule, which resembles the bill of a crane. Continue reading →

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TREE: Cornus alternifolia (Pagoda Dogwood)

Posted on May 11, 2018 by

Tried and True Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic

Layers of horizontal branches tapering in size toward the top give this highly prized ornamental tree its common name.  This native of the understory of woods in the eastern United States is a favorite tree of ecologist and entomologist Doug Tallamy because of its value to pollinators and birds. Continue reading →

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