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

SHRUB: Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush, Summersweet)

Posted on July 28, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Summer sweet and spicy is the pleasant fragrance of this pollinator magnate. This tall shrub, common in the Coastal Plain of the Mid-Atlantic Region, naturalizes readily in shady, damp places as well as coastal landscapes. Though … Continue reading →

Posted in Demonstration Gardens, MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,

PERENNIAL: Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

Posted on July 21, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Butterfly Weed is one of the showiest native* wildflowers. Summer waves of orange blossoms brighten open fields, woods, and waysides. Later, spindle-shaped seed pods pierce the air in shades of green, yellow, brown. When pods split … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,

SHRUB: Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire)

Posted on July 14, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Fragrant, showy four-inch spires of white blossoms fall from arching stems in late spring. In autumn, the leaves of Virginia Sweetspire turn a vibrant red to orange. This native* favorite has graceful open growth habit and … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,

GROUND COVER: Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly Pear)

Posted on July 7, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (formerly O. compressa) is unique. Its natural habitat is in scattered pockets from Ontario, Canada, to Florida and Louisiana, rather than the Southwest. Though infrequent throughout Virginia,* it is native to Fairfax … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,

TREE: Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)

Posted on June 30, 2017 by

An appealing addition to the landscape, this native is rare in Pennsylvania and historical in Delaware’s Piedmont, but frequent to common elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Virginia Native Plant Society named White Fringetree as Wildflower of the Year in 1997. Be aware though, it also appeals to deer! Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , ,

PERENNIAL: Baptisia australis, Blue Wild Indigo

Posted on June 23, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Baptisia is a bold plant that in early spring produces multiple stems of beautiful gray-green foliage.  By mid-spring the foliage is topped by 1- to 2-foot flowering spikes that are a magnificent blue … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,

VINE: Bignonia capreolata, Crossvine

Posted on June 16, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic This semi-evergreen vine can cling to stone, brick, and wood without support. Found in forests and along roadsides mainly in the South,* its showy, two-tone flowers are an early nectar source … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,

SHRUB: Hydrangea arborescens, Wild or Smooth Hydrangea

Posted on June 9, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic The Wild or Smooth Hydrangea is a fast-growing, deciduous shrub with cane-like branches, large handsome leaves, and a mid-to-late summer show of large flower heads composed of dozens of florets. Learn more . … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , ,

VINE: Wisteria frutescens, American Wisteria

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic The wild native wisteria is a climbing vine with chains of richly colored, sweetly fragrant flowers, although not as dramatic or as rampant as its Asian cousins. This member of the Pea family is native to … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,

SHRUB: Kalmia latifolia, Mountain Laurel

Posted on May 26, 2017 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic | Tagged , , ,