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Category Archives: Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
PERENNIAL: Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Lobelias can be impressive, especially when dozens are growing together. Great Blue Lobelia typically grows in moist to wet locations along streams, sloughs, swamps, and meadows. Showy blue flowers are held on long … Continue reading
SHRUB: Vaccinium corymbosum (Northern) Highbush Blueberry
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic White to pink-blushed bell-shaped flowers nod in clusters on bare stems in spring before the deep green foliage unfurls. In full sun this shrub will yield the best blueberries and autumn color. Learn … Continue reading
PERENNIAL: Rudbeckia fulgida (Eastern or Orange Coneflower)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic This species of coneflower, distinct from Rudbeckia hirta, the annual “Black-Eyed Susan,” features long-lasting and abundant “daisy-like” flowers that attract butterflies mid-summer to fall. Its native habitat is found in scattered pockets in the Mid-Atlantic Region,* … Continue reading
GROUND COVER: Heuchera villosa (Hairy Alumroot)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Although Hairy Alumroot’s native habitat* in Virginia is mostly in the southwestern mountains, its five-inch wide, semi-evergreen leaves and lateseason flower plumes make it a species worthy of consideration for a woodland garden. … Continue reading
PERENNIAL: Liatris spicata (Gayfeather, (Dense) Blazing Star)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Tall and upright, Gayfeather provides nice vertical form in a garden. Its purplish, feathery flower spikes contrast well with yellow-flowered, mound-forming plants. Its widely scattered natural populations in the Mid-Atlantic Region* include those in Arlington, … Continue reading
SHRUB: Cephalanthus occidentalis (Buttonbush)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic The sweet-scented, fuzzy white globes of Buttonbush are familiar to those who spend time fishing or lounging along a river or pond. This widespread native, a favorite of wildlife, is so common it is often … Continue reading
PERENNIAL: Phlox paniculata, (Fall Phlox, Garden Phlox)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Phlox paniculata has large trusses of fragrant, showy flowers that come in a range of purples, pinks, reds, and white atop two-to-five-foot stems in summer. Learn more . . .
SHRUB: Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush, Summersweet)
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
PERENNIAL: Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
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
SHRUB: Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire)
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
