Garden Musings: Blue Supermoon
Did you see the blue supermoon over the past few days?
PERENNIAL: Eupatorium hyssopifolium (Hyssop-leaf Thoroughwort)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
Clouds of native Hyssop-leaf Thoroughwort flowers are more likely to float over NoVA roadsides and meadows than residential landscapes. However, these pollinator magnets can tolerate many challenging home environments: dry, (partially) shaded areas, sunny slopes, “hell strips,” and gardens near the seashore.
Stormwater Management at the Jerome ‘Buddie’ Ford Native Garden
The Buddie Ford Demonstration Garden in Alexandria provides an excellent example of how to manage stormwater run-off on a sloped property. The techniques adopted at Buddie Ford have enhanced runoff absorption and reduced erosion to allow this native plant garden to flourish. By sharing – and permitting visitors to see – the strategies employed at Buddie Ford, we hope you, too, can successfully manage challenging stormwater scenarios on sloped sites.
TREE: Ostrya virginiana ([Eastern] Hop-hornbeam, Ironwood)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
Despite being one of the hardest of native woods, Hop-hornbeam is undesirable in commercial forests. It provides interest as an ornamental though, with fluted trunk, exfoliating bark, and drooping clusters of sac-like pods that resemble the fruit of hops, hence its common name.
New to the Glossary: Schizocarp, Mericarp
Do you know what the pictured fruits have in common? They are schizocarps, (pronounced SKIZ–uh-kahrps or SKIT-suh–kahrps), These typically indehiscent fruits may vary greatly in appearance, but they share some traits. Do you know what they are? If not, learn more about schizocarps and in what plants you might find them.
PERENNIAL: Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
This showy mint family member boasts a fragrance like bergamot oranges. Its aromatic leaves are used in herbal tea. Flowers attract myriad pollinators, especially bees. Seedheads attract small birds. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Wild Bergamot Wildflower of the Year in 1993.