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2009 |
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| June | Deerberry |
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| May | Redbud |
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| April | Spring Beauty |
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| March | Coralberry |
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| February | River Birch |
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| January | Inkberry |
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2008 |
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| December | Partridge-Berry |
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| November | Asters |
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| October | Jerusalem Artichoke |
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| May | Foamflower |
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| April | Golden Ragwort |
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| March | Red Maple |
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| February | Winterberry |
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| January | Witchhazel |
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2007 |
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| September | Joe-Pye-Weed |
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| August | Cardinal Flower |
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| July | Black-eyed Susan |
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| June | Sundrops |
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| May | Jamestown (Atamasco) Lily |
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| April | Common Blue Violet |
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| March | Bloodroot |
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| February | Skunk Cabbage |
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| January | Yaupon Holly |
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2006 |
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| December | Wax Myrtle |
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| October | Maryland Golden Asters |
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| September | Ironweed |
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| August | Meadow Beauty |
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| June | Blue False Indigo |
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| May | Wild Columbine |
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| April | Virginia Bluebells |
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| 2010 | |
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MOUNTAIN MINT Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Photo by Helen Hamilton
July 2010 Wildflower of the Month
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July 2010Wildflower of the Month
MOUNTAIN MINT Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
With very narrow leaves, Mountain Mint has a delicate, somewhat airy appearance. This native perennial plant grows 1-3 feet tall, branching frequently to create a bushy effect. The leaves are up to 3 inches long and ¼ inch across. Each leaf is hairless, with a prominent central vein and smooth margins. Small white flowers are grouped at the ends of slender, hairless stems. There is no floral scent, although the foliage has a mild mint scent and somewhat stronger minty taste. Growing in sun or shade, moist or dry soil, this is an easy plant to cultivate in the home garden. Slender Mountain Mint is found on streambanks, floodplains, and moist fields and thickets in all regions of Virginia, and from Maine south to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas, blooming July-September. The species name tenuifolium is derived from the Latin tenuis, meaning “thin”, a reference to the narrow leaves. The flowers are very attractive to many kinds of insects, including bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, beetles, and plant bugs. These insects usually seek nectar. The seeds are too small to be of much interest to birds. Mammalian herbivores usually don't browse on this plant because of the minty taste; the foliage may contain anti-bacterial substances that disrupt the digestive process of herbivores.
Helen Hamilton |
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SWEETBAY MAGNOLIA Magnolia virginiana Photo by Helen Hamilton
June 2010 Wildflower of the Month
SWEETBAY MAGNOLIA Magnolia virginiana Photo by Jan Newton
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June 2010Wildflower of the MonthSWEETBAY MAGNOLIA Magnolia virginiana
A handsome specimen tree with creamy-white, lemon-scented flowers, Sweetbay Magnolia is highly desirable in lawns, gardens, and parks. The blossoms open in the morning and close at night for 2 or 3 days. In late summer the flowers are replaced by a hard, cone-like fruit, the bright red seeds used by a variety of wildlife. The oblong leaves are smaller than those of the Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), and the undersides are whitish and smooth instead of rusty-hairy.
Usually growing in a tall, columnar form, or small multi-branched shrub, the tree can be used in narrow spaces, foundation plantings, or shrub borders. Sweetbay Magnolia grows rapidly, in sun or shade, and can be found in wet soils such as low spots or near ponds and streams. Often used in horticultural plantings, this is a graceful plant that is not often damaged by ice storms. It needs little pruning, and is not affected by pests.
Throughout the coastal plain, Sweetbay Magnolia is found in wet woods and margins of swamps, from Florida to Texas, north to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Long Island, and eastern Massachusetts. In Virginia, the tree grows in the eastern and southern counties.
The English botanist and missionary John Banister collected Sweetbay Magnolia in 1678 and took it to England, where it was the first magnolia to be cultivated. It has been hybridized with a number of other magnolia species, some of which have been given cultivar names and registered by the Magnolia Society.
The colonists named this plant “Beavertree” as they caught beavers in traps baited with the fleshy roots. It is a larval host for the Sweetbay Silkmoth, and the lovely Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly.
Helen Hamilton |
 LANCE-LEAVED TICKSEED Coreopsis lanceolata Photo by Helen Hamilton
May 2010 Wildflower of the Month
LANCE-LEAVED TICKSEED Coreopsis lanceolata Photo by Jan Newton |
May 2010Wildflower of the Month
LANCE-LEAVED TICKSEED Coreopsis lanceolata
Tickseed is a vigorous, long-blooming, clump-forming native perennial, growing 1-2 feet tall. The stems are leafy below, elongate and leafless above. From late spring into summer, masses of bright-yellow flowers 1-2 inches wide cover the plant; frequent deadheading will keep blooms well into summer. The yellow centers stand out distinctly from the 4-lobed ray flowers below them. Leaves are mostly opposite and lance-shaped, 3-6 inches long, usually without teeth. Some leaves are deeply cut, almost forming 3-5 leaflets.
Several species of Tickseed are found in open woodlands, meadows, and thickets in dry and often sandy soil over most of U.S., Canada, and nearly every county in Virginia. Lance-leaved Tickseed, also known as Coreopsis, is the most common of this genus and is easy to grow. The plant is drought-tolerant and self-sows readily. This native species has branching stems at base and often forms sizable colonies along roadsides and in old fields.
The showy golden flowers are nice in a vase and are a popular plant for visiting pollinators.
Helen Hamilton |
 SASSAFRAS Sassafras albidum Photo by Helen Hamilton
April 2010 Wildflower of the Month
SASSAFRAS Sassafras albidum Photo by Jan Newton
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April 2010Wildflower of the Month
SASSAFRAS Sassafras albidum
Sassafras is a moderately fast growing, small to medium-sized tree with three distinctive leaf shapes: entire, mitten-shaped, and three-lobed, all on the same tree. In mid-April little bunches of yellow-green flower clusters are scattered profusely over the tree, drooping as the leaves emerge. The green twigs, bark and leaves carry aromatic oils – spicy-fragrant when crushed or rubbed. Round fruits appear in mid-summer, turning dark blue on scarlet stalks; the leaves have outstanding color in the fall.
Found on virtually all soil types, Sassafras is native to every county in Virginia, its range extending from southern Maine to Michigan and Missouri, and south to Florida and east Texas. It is a pioneer species on abandoned fields, along fence rows, and on dry ridges and upper slopes, especially following fire, often forming thickets from underground runners of parent trees, but grows best in open woods on moist, well-drained, sandy loam soils.
The bark, twigs, and leaves of sassafras are important foods for wildlife in some areas. Deer and rabbits browse the twigs in the winter and the leaves and succulent growth during spring and summer. Fruits are eaten by songbirds.
The durable coarse lumber was once used for barrels, buckets, posts, and fuel. The greenish twigs and leafstalks have a pleasant, spicy, slightly gummy taste. Aromatic oils in the roots and bark of sassafras have been used in many medicinal and cosmetic products. Explorers and colonists thought the aromatic root bark was a panacea, or cure-all, for diseases and shipped quantities to Europe. Sassafras roots provided the original flavoring for root beer, and were used until 1960, when certain compounds in the roots were found to be carcinogenic. Root beer is now flavored artificially.
Sassafras apparently is the American Indian name used by the Spanish and French settlers in Florida in the middle of the 16th century. This is the northernmost New World representative of the laurel family, an important source of tropical timbers.
Helen Hamilton |
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SMOOTH ALDER Alnus serrulata Photo by Helen Hamilton
March 2010 Wildflower of the Month
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March 2010Wildflower of the Month
SMOOTH ALDER Alnus serrulata
This multi-stemmed small tree or large shrub with shiny gray-brown bark reaches 15 feet tall. Both male and female flowering structures persist through the winter. In winter, smooth alder can be recognized instantly by two reproductive structures. The small cone-like female catkins are from the female flower of the previous year while the yet-unopened catkins are of the coming year. The future “cones” that will be pollinated by the catkins are themselves still tiny in winter.
In the spring yellow-brown drooping catkins flower before the leaves emerge.
Dark green leaves have wedge-shaped bases and leaf edges are usually finely toothed. The glossy summer foliage becomes yellow and tinged with red in the fall. The reddish buds grow from the twig on short stalks, another identifying feature in the winter, since the buds are not stalked in most trees and shrubs.
Alders are most important as pioneer species that stabilize and fertilize barren areas such as strip mines, clearcuts, and riverbanks. These small trees fix nitrogen from the air in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in the root system, which nourishes the tree. As alder leaves fall, the nitrogen-rich litter quickly fertilizes barren ground. Many conifers have been shown to grow better in areas where alders have preceded them, so alders are often planted as the first step in reforestation.
The only alder native in southeastern United States, smooth alder grows in disturbed and wet areas, commonly found at the edge of water. This shrub or small tree is common in eastern and central U.S. and in most counties across Virginia.
Inner bark can be ground into a crude flour in an emergency. Deer will eat the twigs, but it is not a favorite food.
Helen Hamilton |
 SWEETGUM Liquidambar styraciflua Photo by Helen Hamilton
February 2010 Wildflower of the Month
SWEETGUM Liquidambar styraciflua Photo by Phillip Merritt
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February 2010Wildflower of the Month
SWEETGUM Liquidambar styraciflua
This tree is easily recognized in winter condition with the corky twigs and drooping, spiny fruit balls. Sweetgum is a large tree with a straight trunk, rounded crown, and deeply ridged gray bark. In early spring inconspicuous greenish flowers appear in ball-like clusters, both sexes on the same tree. Then, shiny green leaves appear arranged alternately on the branch, with distinctive 5-7 starlike lobes. They are aromatic when crushed, and turn reddish in autumn. The leaves of sweetgum are sometimes confused with those of maples which also show palmate lobes, but the leaves of maples are arranged opposite each other on the twig.
Sweetgum grows in moist or wet woodlands and is widely distributed, ranging from the Connecticut coast to the highlands of Guatemala, mostly in the coastal zone. In Virginia, sweetgum is found in the eastern and central counties. Flowers appear in April-May; fruits in September-November.
The common name is derived from liquidus, “fluid”, and the Arabic ambar, alluding to the fragrant gum which exudes from the tree. An important timber tree, sweetgum is a leading furniture wood, used for cabinetwork, veneer and boxes. It takes stains readily and is often finished to resemble expensive woods.
While much used as a fast-growing ornamental tree, the fallen seedheads are a nuisance on lawns. But the fruit-balls, sometimes spray-painted, are popular in dried floral arrangements.
Several species of songbirds and squirrels eat the seeds; beaver often use this species when available. First reported by the Spanish naturalist, Hernandez, in Mexico City in 1615, and introduced to England in 1688.
Helen Hamilton |
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AMERICAN BEECH Fagus grandifolia Photo by Helen Hamilton
January 2010 Wildflower of the Month
AMERICAN BEECH Fagus grandifolia Photo by Phillip Merritt
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January 2010Wildflower of the Month
AMERICAN BEECH Fagus grandifolia
American beech is one of the easiest trees to recognize in the winter, with slender, sharp-pointed cigar-shaped buds at the tips of somewhat zigzag branches. Also distinctive are the dark green leaves which are edged with even, sharp teeth and pointed at the tips. From the midrib, veins extend to the edge of the leaf in straight, parallel rows.
Turning yellow and tan in the fall, many faded leaves persist on the lower branches until spring. In April, yellow-green flowers appear with the leaves in small, drooping clusters on male trees; the female flowers are separate and arise directly from the young stems. The fruit is an angular, spiky husk with an edible “beechnut.”
American beech is a very large tree, growing to 60-75 feet with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet. Specimens in virgin forests were more than 100 feet tall with trunk diameters up to 4 feet. Few other large trees have smooth gray bark, often carved with initials and dates. With the combination of smooth bark, pointed buds, and prickly fruits, American beech can easily be identified in all seasons.
This tree prefers moist rich soils of uplands and well-drained lowlands but will grow in a variety of situations. American beech ranges from southern Ontario, south to Florida, west to Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, and is common in all counties of Virginia.
The colonists recognized this tree, who already knew the famous, closely related European Beech. The words “beech” and “book” come from the same root, because ancient Saxons and Germans wrote on pieces of beech board. The wood has been used for cheap furniture and fuel, and the tree is planted widely for ornament.
Although the kernels of beechnuts are small, they are sweet, edible, and nutritious, and are consumed in quantities by wildlife, especially squirrels, raccoons, ruffed grouse and wild turkey.
Helen Hamilton |
| 2009 | |
 AMERICAN MISTLETOE Phoradendron serotinum (leucarpum) Photo by Phillip Merritt
December 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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December 2009Wildflower of the Month
AMERICAN MISTLETOE Phoradendron serotinum (leucarpum)
American or Christmas Mistletoe is our only shrub which is parasitic on the branches of broad-leaved trees. The thick green leathery leaves are evergreen and wedge- to egg-shaped, 1-2 inches long. Tiny yellow flowers bloom on smooth, jointed stems in late fall, followed by round, white berries -- only the female mistletoe plant will produce berries.
Mistletoe plants are correctly a hemiparasite of trees, taking water and nutrients from the plant they grow on, but also producing some chlorophyll and drawing energy from the sun. Having no true roots, they produce structures called “sinkers” and “haustoria” which penetrate host tissues.
Native to nearly every county in Virginia, American Mistletoe is found on many species of trees from New Jersey to southern Ohio, southern Indiana and southern Missouri and south to Florida and Texas. In any given area, the plant tends to occur on only a few favored species. In some areas it exploits only hickories; in others oaks and hickories; in others either or both of those as well as other species.
For hundreds of years, the sprig of mistletoe hung in the house in late December has been a traditional stopping place for couples to kiss—a zone to linger in or scrupulously avoid, depending on the company.
But there’s more to mistletoe than Christmas kissing—the plant has a long and interesting history in human tradition and lore that continues today: Celtic druids believed that European mistletoe contained the spirit of the tree in which it grew: this was the only part of the tree that stayed green all winter. In herbal lore, mistletoe is associated with communication, self confidence, romance, and an end to violence. Mistletoe has been used in exorcism and thanksgiving.
In medicine, European mistletoe has been used as an antidote to poison, and to treat seizures and headaches. It’s currently being investigated as an anticancer treatment. However, all parts are poisonous to cats and dogs and some humans, causing gastrointestinal upsets, and even death.
Seeds are distributed by birds in any of three ways: they are eaten and passed in droppings, swallowed and then regurgitated, or they get stuck to the birds’ beaks and are rubbed into crevices on trees when the birds clean their beaks on the bark. The seeds are covered with a sticky substance poisonous to man, but relished by birds. The plant provides important food and nesting sites for birds such as cedar waxwings and bluebirds.
While a very heavy mistletoe infestation (dozens of individual plants on separate branches) can be fatal to the host plant, the decline takes many years, and if the host dies, the mistletoe dies also. A few of these parasitic plants on a tree is not harmful.
Helen Hamilton |
 TALL GOLDENROD Solidago altissima Photo by Phillip Merritt
November 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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November 2009Wildflower of the Month
TALL GOLDENROD Solidago altissima
Blooming profusely in late autumn, Tall Goldenrod is unmistakable with tall plumes of golden-yellow. The small yellow flowers are arranged along the upper side of branches, forming a feathery, pyramidal plume. The plant can grow over six feet tall and will self-seed prolifically. The downy grayish stem carries leaves that are usually toothed, rough, and finely downy beneath, with a pair of prominent lateral veins.
Tall Goldenrod can be seen along roadsides, open woods, and other dry open places. This vigorous perennial is found across the U.S. and most of Canada, and in nearly every county in Virginia. Requiring little care, Tall Goldenrod grows in any soil, dry to moist. It will grow very tall in optimum conditions, and requires staking. Several species of bees can be seen pollinating the flowers.
There are a lot of goldenrod species in Virginia, many widespread and some with restricted distributions. They may have flowers in plumes or in branching, club-like, slender and wand-like, or flat-topped arrangements, depending on the species. Although Goldenrods are commonly blamed for hay fever, this discomfort is usually caused by the pollen from Ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) which is wind-borne. The pollen of Goldenrods is carried by insects as it is too heavy to be airborne under ordinary circumstances.
Helen Hamilton |
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CROWNBEARD Verbesina occidentalis Photo by Phillip Merritt
October 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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October 2009Wildflower of the Month
CROWNBEARD Verbesina occidentalis
Related to sunflowers, this member of the aster family has flower heads with only a few yellow ray flowers, usually 2-4, often bent backward from a mop-like center of small yellow disk flowers. The wide, oval leaves, positioned opposite each other on the stem, have irregularly toothed edges and flow into “wings” on the stem. The plant grows to 6 feet tall.
Grows in woodlands, fields and pastures from Maryland south to Florida and Texas, and over most of Virginia. Crownbeard grows best in full sun and moist soil. The plant is a prolific, long-blooming native perennial, adding a mass of golden color to the late fall garden. Blooms August-October.
Comments. Yellow Crownbeard can be confused with Wingstem (Actinomeris alternifolia), since the flowers are similar, but the leaves of Wingstem occur alternately along the stem.
Helen Hamilton |
 SHINING SUMAC Rhus copallina Photo by Helen Hamilton
September 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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September 2009Wildflower of the Month
SHINING SUMAC Rhus copallina
Glossy dark green compound leaves suggest the common name of this desirable landscape plant, often planted for its shiny leaves which turn scarlet in the fall. The leaves are 8-12 inches long with 9-21 leaflets, carrying wings on either side of the midrib.
In summer Shining Sumac is topped with striking white 4 to 6-inch flower pyramids, which produce clouds of dark red fruit. The shrub is large and spreading and not suited to small areas. However, it is very useful for new homes where the developer has denuded the property; the leaves are acid and help rebuild soil that has been stripped of its organic matter. In an established landscape, it could be planted on the edge of a lawn or driveway to attract birds. This plant is fast growing, generally pest and disease-free, and drought tolerant.
Shining Sumac grows in open, dry places from southern Maine to Florida and west to Indiana, southeast Nebraska and Texas. The shrub grows wild in nearly every county in Virginia, and furnishes winter food for many upland gamebirds, songbirds, and large and small mammals. Wildlife eat the fruit, and deer also browse the twigs.
The sour fruit can be nibbled or made into a drink like lemonade.
Helen Hamilton |
 CAROLINA WILD PETUNIA Ruellia caroliniensis Photo by Helen Hamilton
August 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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August 2009Wildflower of the Month
CAROLINA WILD PETUNIA Ruellia caroliniensis
Resembling the annual garden petunias, wild petunia produces a single 5-lobed, trumpet-shaped flower, 1-2 inches long and wide, emerging where each leaf joins the stem. Although it superficially resembles a garden petunia, which is in the potato family, wild petunia is a member of the Acanthus family, to which the cultivated “shrimp plant” and “black-eyed-susan” also belong. The flowers of wild petunia vary in color from pale lavender to medium bluish-purple. On some plants the stems and the paired, egg-shaped leaves are hairy. The plant grows 1-2 feet tall, although a little scraggly.
Wild petunia can be seen along roadsides, moist or dry woods across most of Virginia. Although the species name refers to its occurrence in the Carolinas, the plant is found in the U.S. from New Jersey to Iowa and south to South Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Blooming June through September, the blossoms last only a day or two, but new flowers form in succession.
The plant self-seeds, and new shoots can be seen throughout the garden from a single planting. They are easily transplanted. Germination from seeds is low, but summer stem cuttings will root well. This plant was named for an early French herbalist Jean Ruella (1474-1537).
Helen Hamilton |
 BROWNEYED SUSAN Rudbeckia triloba Photo by Helen Hamilton July 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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July 2009Wildflower of the Month
BROWNEYED SUSAN Rudbeckia triloba
Browneyed Susan is distinguished from its close relative, blackeyed Susan, by smaller, more numerous flowers with shorter and fewer rays. Also, the central disk is purplish-brown, not black, and the lower leaves are 3-lobed. The plant is much branched with hairy stems 2-5 feet tall.
Found in woods and moist soil from Connecticut to Michigan and south to Florida and Texas. In Virginia, browneyed Susan is recorded from all western and central counties, and most coastal areas.
Although full of flowers, browneyed Susan is not dense and overpowering. The plant grows nicely along the sunny edges of a woodland garden, and is not fussy about soil or light conditions, growing in sun or shade, moist or dry soil. It is drought tolerant, and adapts to several hours of shade. This native perennial is short-lived, but self-sows readily, and is easily propagated from seed sown in fall or spring. The gray seeds are mature after blooming, usually 3-4 weeks later.
Flowers are visited by butterflies and bees and seeds are eaten by birds.
Helen Hamilton |
 DEERBERRY Vaccinium stamineum Photo by Phillip Merritt
June 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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June 2009Wildflower of the Month
DEERBERRY Vaccinium stamineum
Deerberry is a member of a large genus which includes blueberries, and cranberries. This species is a tall (to 10 feet) deciduous shrub with variable foliage, mostly egg-shaped. Leaves are thin and not toothed, typically whitish underneath.
Unlike the closed, tubular buds and flowers of blueberry, the flowers of deerberry are open, and dangling along the stem. The petals are flaring with the stamens and styles extending outside. Greenish-white, pink-tinged flowers appear May-June; in late summer and fall greenish-purple fruits, sometimes white-powdered, appear, furnishing food for birds and small mammals.
Found over eastern U.S. and Canada, Deerberry is native to all counties in Virginia, growing in dry woods. “Vaccinium” is the classic name for blueberries; “stamineum” refers to the prominent stamens. While edible, the berries are not as flavorful as those of other species.
Helen Hamilton |
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REDBUD Cercis canadensis Photo by Helen Hamilton
May 2009 Wildflower of the Month
REDBUD Cercis canadensis Photo by Jan Newton |
May 2009Wildflower of the Month
REDBUD Cercis canadensis
Those showy pink-magenta blossoms along the roadsides are one of the sure signs of spring. Instantly recognizable, this small understory tree brightens the gray days of the vanishing winter months. Eastern redbud is a strikingly conspicuous tree in the spring because it flowers before other tree leaves form. Pollination is usually accomplished by long-tongued bees. Two or three weeks later, the flowers drop off and smooth, heart-shaped leaves appear, which are eaten by the caterpillars of some species of moths and butterflies.
Widely planted as an ornamental, redbud wood is heavy, hard, and close-grained, but because of the small size and zigzag branching, it is of no commercial value as a source of lumber. Typically, redbud is a small tree 15-30 ft. tall, growing best on moist, well-drained sites. The tree is prevalent on limestone outcrops and on alkaline soils, is tolerant of nutrient deficiencies, and of a wide pH range, but grows best where the pH is above 7.5. It is normally more abundant on south-facing slopes where sunlight is more intense and there is less plant competition. It is a short-lived tree, young trees bearing more flowers than more mature specimens.
Bark of the stems is reddish-brown; older branches have a scaly dark brown bark that shreds, revealing orangish inner bark. The flower bud, flowers and young pods are edible, added to salads or cooked as a vegetable.
Eastern redbud grows in rich woods from New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania northwest to southern Michigan, southwest into southeastern Nebraska, south to central Texas, and east to central Florida. Redbud is also known as Judas-tree. According to legend, Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a branch of the European species Cercis siliquastrum.
Helen Hamilton |
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SPRING BEAUTY Claytonia virginica Photo by Jan Newton
April 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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April 2009Wildflower of the Month
SPRING BEAUTY Claytonia virginica
Spring beauty, well named, is a delicate spring ephemeral with loose clusters of star-like white to light pink flowers; the petals are striped with pink veins and the anthers are also pink. This small plant is spectacular in large patches. Flowers bloom in April on top of thin stems 4-6 inches tall; dark green grass-like leaves continue to grow after bloom and may eventually reach 9-12 inches tall before the leaves disappear in late spring as the plants go into dormancy. Spring beauty grows from an underground corm, similar to a small potato, which has a sweet, chestnut-like flavor. Native Americans and colonists used them for food and they are still enjoyed by those interested in edible wild plants, but are time-consuming to collect in quantity sufficient for a meal. Spring beauty appears in The Song of Hiawatha as “Miskodeed,” according to author Timothy Coffey.
Growing naturally in all Virginia counties except those in the extreme southwest, spring beauty prefers organically rich, moist, well-drained soils, in full sun to part shade. The plant naturalizes easily by corm-offsets and self-seeding.
The genus name honors John Clayton (1686-1773), Clerk to the County Court of Gloucester County, Virginia, from 1720 until his death, and regarded as the greatest American botanists of his day. He was one of the earliest collectors of plant specimens in Virginia.
Helen Hamilton |
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CORALBERRY Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Photo by Phillip Merritt
March 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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March 2009Wildflower of the Month
CORALBERRY Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
There is a lot to like about River birch, especially in the winter when its cream to The fruit of Coralberry is its most outstanding ornamental attribute. From fall throughout the winter, long, cascading branches carry clusters of brilliant reddish purple berries, eaten primarily by robins and bobwhite quail. Coralberry loses its leaves in the winter; the bare branches with berries can be used for cut arrangements.
The shrub is dense and low-growing and can be used as an informal hedge or for erosion control on slopes. Coralberry forms extensive colonies and spreads by rooting at the nodes where it touches the ground. This plant is drought-tolerant and will adapt to full sun or part shade, moist to dry conditions, and a loamy or rocky soil; it is a good choice for xeriscape and woodland gardens.
Songbirds, ground birds, small mammals, and browsers use this plant for food, cover, and nesting sites, because of its dense branching habit and abundant leaves. A member of the honeysuckle family, another common name of Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is Buckbrush, because the shrub is a favorite food plant of white-tailed deer, and is often heavily browsed. Small pink-white flowers bloom June to July which attract bees, wasps, and flies primarily. These insects suck nectar from the flowers, although some of the bees also collect pollen.
This native shrub is a good alternative to Japanese barberry and cotoneasters.
Found all over Virginia, Coralberry ranges from Connecticut south to Louisiana and west to Michigan and Colorado.
Helen Hamilton |
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RIVER BIRCH Betula nigra Photo by Helen Hamilton
February 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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February 2009Wildflower of the Month
RIVER BIRCH Betula nigra
There is a lot to like about River birch, especially in the winter when its cream to peach-colored inner shredding bark is so visible without the summer leaves. This medium-sized tree tolerates compacted clay (within reason), summer heat and drought, but grows best in average to humus-rich acidic soil in full sun or partial shade. The trunk can be single or multi-stemmed, with finely textured branches and toothed, triangular light green leaves becoming yellow in the fall.
River birch is found naturally along stream and river edges from Massachusetts and southeastern Minnesota, south to northern Florida and east Texas, and is native in nearly every county in Virginia. The tree is fast-growing when young and slows with age, living not more than 70 years.
Each tree houses both male and female flowers, formed as brown catkins in the summer. The male pollen-bearing catkins are elongate and the female, fruit-bearing catkins are cylindrical. The fine seeds are eaten by small birds including chickadee, goldfinch, purple finch, titmouse and nuthatch. River birch is resistant to many pests and diseases that plague other birches.
While yellow birch and sweet birch have the flavor of wintergreen when crushed, river birch is not aromatic. Native Americans used the boiled sap as a sweetener similar to maple syrup, and the inner bark as a survival food.
Helen Hamilton |
 INKBERRY Ilex glabra Photo by Jan Newton
January 2009 Wildflower of the Month
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January 2009Wildflower of the Month
INKBERRY Ilex glabra
When conditions are too wet for most non-native evergreens, our native Inkberry will thrive. This useful shrub is long-lived, slow-growing, and fine-textured – all characteristics that make it desirable for formal hedges in traditional gardens. But it is also invaluable as screening and as winter bird food in more natural landscapes. When it gets lots of sun, it will become dense without shearing or pruning. Inkberry can tolerate part shade, as well.
This evergreen holly produces black fruits in the summer which persist over the winter, furnishing food for many birds, including bluebird, brown thrasher, hermit thrush, bobwhite, and wild turkey. The leaves are without prickles, usually blunt-tipped with a few wavy-edged teeth above the middle.
An attractive landscape plant, Inkberry grows only to ten feet, and can colonize to furnish an effective screen. Inkberry prefers acid, sandy soil, near a wet source, but will do okay in dry conditions. Companion plants are blueberry, winterberry, wax myrtle; nearby pine trees can furnish the necessary acid soil conditions.
Inkberry grows in bogs and wet woods of the coastal plain from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Louisiana. In Virginia it is found primarily in the southeastern counties. This mound-shaped shrub is an attractive alternative to non-native invasive plants such as privets and heavenly bamboo.
Helen Hamilton |
| 2008 | |
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PARTRIDGE-BERRY Mitchella repens Photo by Helen Hamilton
December 2008 Wildflower of the Month
PARTRIDGE-BERRY Mitchella repens Photo by Helen Hamilton
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December 2008Wildflower of the Month
PARTRIDGE-BERRY Mitchella repens
One of the most adaptable and easy-to-grow groundcovers for the home gardener in the Southeast, partridge-berry displays edible, but insipid berries ten months of the year. An 18th century writer reported “The leaves are much celebrated by the common people as a diuretic and sweetener of the blood, but are of very little efficacy. The berries are rather of an agreeable taste.” Native American women took frequent doses during the few weeks before giving birth.
Partridge-berry is a creeping, delicate vine, does not climb and is often covered by fallen leaves. The stems take root at the nodes and form a mat. It transplants easily, grows quickly, but rarely becomes a pest.
In late spring, the two paired white flowers at the tip of each shoot open their four-petaled buds. At flowering time, the two flowers are already partially fused. Both flowers must be pollinated to produce the red “double-berry”, which stays on the vine until after blooms appear in the spring. Look closely and you will be able to see on the top of the “double-berry” the scars marking the attachment of both flowers. Also known as “twinberry”, the plant is evergreen, and grows well in rich, dappled shade. It most often occurs on small knolls in the woodlands.
Linnaeus named this plant Mitchella for his friend John Mitchell, a resident of Urbanna, Virginia, who was a physician, naturalist, plant lover, and cartographer. Dr. Mitchell developed a method of treating yellow fever victims and saved thousands of lives. “Repens” refers to the plant’s trailing or creeping growth pattern.
Helen Hamilton
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 ASTERS Symphyotrichum spp. Photo by Helen Hamilton
November 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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November 2008Wildflower of the Month
ASTERS Symphyotrichum spp.
Easily recognized in summer and fall by their daisy-like flowers, the genus Aster represents over 250 species, most of which botanists have re-categorized into other genera such as Symphyotrichum and Eurybia. Like milkweeds and most goldenrods, Asters need not be pampered other than providing good drainage and full sun. They can also tolerate some shade. Asters are seen most often along woods edges and roadsides in the fall, blooming until deep frost. Some are branching and sprawling, others tall and still, forming big clumps.
Planted in drifts either in the border or in the wild garden, with the smaller types used as edging, asters should be in every gardener’s collection. They even succeed in a rock garden and make especially attractive combinations when mixed with ornamental grasses, also blooming in late fall. Asters make good cut flowers.
Propagation for all is usually by division, either in spring or fall. They easily hybridize, and many bees and insects will be seen on the blossoms until the air is too cold.
Calico aster (Symphyotrichum laterifolium) is a late-blooming species; while the blooming season is best August-October, the plant can be seen well into November, when the fall weather is relatively mild. This species grows wild in nearly every county in Virginia, south to Florida, and west to Minnesota, eastern Kansas and Texas.
Helen Hamilton |
 JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE Helianthus tuberosus Photo by Phillip Merritt
October 2008 Wildflower of the Month
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE Helianthus tuberosus Photo by Phillip Merritt
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October 2008Wildflower of the Month
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE Helianthus tuberosus
This large sunflower is one of the few food plants that grow wild in the great prairies of northern United States and southern Canada, and one of the plants the Native Americans gathered for the nutritious tubers. In 1805 Lewis and Clark reported seeing the squaws collect them from the burrows of gophers or prairie dogs, where they had been hoarded. Imported to England in the early 1600’s, they were usually boiled, peeled, sliced and stewed with butter and a little wine.
Growing to a height of 3 feet, and blooming from August through October, Jerusalem artichoke is a nice addition as drifts in the back of a perennial border or in a wildflower garden. It is a member of the Aster family and grows best in a loose loam, and in full sun, but can tolerate some shade. It can survive in poor soil and tolerates hot to sub-zero temperatures. Jerusalem artichoke grows wild in moist thickets and fields in nearly every county in Virginia, every state in the U.S. except for the southwest and eastern and central Canada.
The golden rays of the 3” wide flowers are long and pointed; leaves are egg-shaped, coarsely toothed, very rough and thick, stems are rough and hairy. The first frost kills the stems and leaves, but tubers withstand freezing for months. The large, crisp tubers, often as large as a medium-sized potato, begin to form in August and terminate slender runners or branches radiating from the base of each plant. Fresh tubers can be substituted for potato in most recipes, or sliced thin and added to salads, or boiled briefly and pickled with wine vinegar. Soaking fresh tubers in cold water for a few hours in the refrigerator, makes them very crisp and good for slicing and serving in salads like water chestnuts. If harvested after the first frost, they are said to be nuttier in taste. To propagate, plant whole tubers or pieces as early as possible in the spring. It forms a large colony quickly and is sometimes considered aggressive.
Jerusalem artichoke is a folk remedy for diabetes and rheumatism. Native Americans drank leaf and stalk tea or ate flowers to treat rheumatism. The edible tubers may aid in treating diabetes. Like those of beans, the roots are known to induce intestinal gas.
“Jerusalem” is from the Italian girasole, the sunflower which “turns to the sun”; it has nothing to do with the city of Jerusalem. Helen Hamilton |
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FALSE SUNFLOWER Heliopsis helianthoides Photo by Helen Hamilton
September 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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September 2008Wildflower of the Month
FALSE SUNFLOWER Heliopsis helianthoides
“A glorious salute to the sun” is one way of describing these relatives of sunflowers which burst into bloom in July and continue well into autumn. On stout stems, 2-4” flowers with 10-16 bright yellow ray flowers surround orange disk flowers. Unlike sunflowers, both the ray flowers and the disk flowers of false sunflowers will set seed. And the centers are domed as in Black-eyed Susans while the centers of sunflowers are flat.
The flowers are excellent for cutting. Not only are they undemanding but they will bloom the first year from seed with a floriferous output. If the spent flowers are removed, false sunflowers will continue to bloom until frost.
These plants are found in woods and woodland margins, largely in the mountain and Piedmont provinces. Overall, the plant is large and coarse with dark green leaves; varieties are smooth or rough-leaved. Very undemanding, false sunflowers do best in full sun with good, well-drained loam, but will tolerate clayey soils. Butterflies love the blossoms, and the plant is deer and vole resistant. Insect pests are negligible; a strong burst from a hose will dislodge visiting aphids.
Propagation is by seed, and division in spring or early fall. False sunflowers will self-sow and while some gardeners consider them invasive, they are easily removed when young. Cultivars are available in local nurseries, with variations in the color of the flowers and leaves. The leaves were often used in folk remedies, especially for lung congestion or fever reduction.
Helen Hamilton |
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ROSE-MALLOW Hibiscus moscheutos Photo by Phillip Merritt
August 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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August 2008Wildflower of the Month
ROSE-MALLOW Hibiscus moscheutos
The wide showy flowers of Rose-Mallow signal the start of summer, as they bloom profusely in moist areas until September. Each flower is open for only a day, but they follow sequentially over time. The bloom is a larger version of okra, cotton or hollyhocks which are also members of the mallow family. The flowers are usually white or pink, but may be a pale yellow. All have a red or maroon center and a projecting column of stamens. Many cultivars are available at nurseries, with color variations.
“Hibiscus” is the Greek name for mallow, and “moscheutos” means “scented like the musk rose”. Many of the hibiscus are called “marshmallow” because of their family relationship to Althaea officinalis, a plant introduced from Europe from which marshmallows were made (now produced from corn syrup and gelatin).
In folk medicine, a poultice of the leaves and roots was used on breast tumors and for gastrointestinal, lung, and bladder problems, as it produces a locally soothing effect.
Rose-mallow grows in all regions of Virginia, and is found in the coastal plain. The plant prefers full sun, and moist to average soil, but will tolerate clay soil. Propagation by seed is easiest, as division requires a cleaver or machete and a person with a strong back.
Many species of butterflies and hummingbirds seek nectar from hibiscus. Rose-mallow is deer resistant.
Helen Hamilton |
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ELDERBERRY Sambucus canadensis Photo by Helen Hamilton
July 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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July 2008Wildflower of the Month
ELDERBERRY Sambucus canadensis
A large, sprawling shrub growing 5-12 feet tall, elderberry or American elder is a showy ornamental ideal for the garden, producing attractive flowers and berries all season long. It will tolerate a wide range of soils, but prefers moist, humusy soils in full sun to part shade. The yellow compound leaves turn golden in the fall, if planted in full sun. The plant will spread by root suckers to form colonies, so is best massed in naturalized areas or in shrub borders, roadside plantings, or as a screen, particularly in wet or low areas. Elderberry is found in all counties of Virginia, and is native throughout eastern U.S. and south to Mexico.
Large, flat-topped clusters of fragrant, star-shaped white flowers appear in June through July and are followed by clusters of reddish-purple to black, berry-like fruits (drupes) in late summer to fall. Ripe fruits are eaten by 43 species of birds, including pheasant, mourning dove, and wild turkey.
In West Virginia, concentrated fruit syrup is made as a wintertime remedy for colds and flu. Studies in Israel and Germany reinforce the fruit extracts for treatment of colds and flu. The bark, root, leaves and unripe berries are toxic, producing hydrocyanic acid, which causes cyanide poisoning and severe diarrhea. The fruits are edible when cooked, and may be used to make preserves, jellies, pies and wine. The flowers, not toxic, can be eaten in pancakes and fritters.
Helen Hamilton |
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BUTTERFLY WEED Asclepias tuberosa Photo by Helen Hamilton
June 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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June 2008Wildflower of the Month
BUTTERFLY WEED Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly weed is a favorite food source for both adult and larva forms of the Monarch butterfly, which is reason enough for adding this species to your garden! Definitely not a weed, this 2-foot tall, sturdy plant bears wide, flat-topped clusters of vibrant orange all summer. Other butterflies such as tiger, spicebush, eastern black and pipevine swallowtails and the giant sulphur also love the nectar. Bees use the plant for a food source and are important pollinators.
Beware of planting the popular “butterfly bush” – Buddleja [Buddleia] sp. While this shrub attracts many butterflies, it is non-native and on the noxious weed list in several states. Buddleja has a tendency to spread and can become invasive, out competing native plants. Further, as with many nectar-producing plants, the adult butterflies must find other sources of food for their eggs and growing larva.
Cut off the flower heads before setting seed and a second bloom will result. In autumn, the seedpods break open to release ranks of seeds, each with a powder-puff of silky threads which the wind carries to new locations.
Because of their long taproots, butterfly weed should only be moved when a young plant. Once established, you can forget most care because this plant is extremely drought-resistant. It will do well in ordinary well-drained garden soil, poor or rich, in sun or shade, forming vigorous clumps.
Helen Hamilton |
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FOAMFLOWER Tiarella cordifolia Photo by Helen Hamilton
May 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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May 2008Wildflower of the Month
FOAMFLOWER Tiarella cordifolia
A very pretty flower, with a light, airy character, foamflower blooms across Virginia from April through July, in habitat simulating its native moist woods. It can tolerate sun to shade, but needs moisture and rich, loamy soil. Using a few rocks at the site helps to maintain cool roots. If the plant appreciates its site, there will soon be a colony of foamflowers thanks to wandering rhizomes. A perennial with maple-like leaves, in the spring the flowers bloom in a spike up to six inches long on a leafless stalk up to 14 inches high.
Foamflower makes a great groundcover for the shade garden. The white flower spikes are pyramidal and float above the leaves, which are mostly clustered at the base of the plant. When planted in mass it resembles a sea of foam. This semi-evergreen perennial has great fall interest when its leaves have turned to burgundy hues. Plant it in moist shade with ferns and colorful counterparts such as cardinal flower, geranium, phlox, fire pink, celandine poppy and crested iris.
In the 1850s, country people used its leaves for healing purposes, placing them on scalds and burns. The Shakers prepared the herb for sale as a diuretic and tonic. Native Americans prepared a tea for use as a mouthwash and treatment of eye discomforts.
The genus name is Latin for “little tiara”, referring to the shape of the fruit and the species name refers to the heart-shaped leaf base.
In Virginia, foamflower is well-represented in the mountain provinces and adjacent Piedmont. It has been documented only from James City Co. in the coastal plain, where it grows along creek banks in deep ravines.
Helen Hamilton |
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GOLDEN RAGWORT Senecio aureus Photo by Phillip Merritt
April 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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April 2008Wildflower of the Month
GOLDEN RAGWORT Senecio aureus
Golden ragwort is a welcome sign of spring, covering swampy areas with bright yellow from mid-March through early summer. The buds are purple, and open to display yellow disc and ray flowers, unusual for the genus Asteraceae, where the rays are white. Growing naturally in bogs, wet woods, floodplains and meadows in eastern North America, golden ragwort thrives in acid, rich soil, zones 3 to 9. It will also grow in drier soils. The plant can be aggressive, and will grow under trees where nothing else thrives.
A smooth perennial growing from one to three feet tall, the long-stalked leaves are deeply cut. When the blossoms are gone, the heart-shaped basal leaves spread to form a nice groundcover, persisting over most of the winter in the south. Butterflies love the nectar. Propagation is by seed and division.
The genus name “Senecio” for “old man” refers to the hoariness of many species or the white hairs around the flower buds, and the species name for its golden flower. “Ragwort” means a plant with ragged leaves, and “wort” is an Old “English word for “plant”.
Also known as “squaw-weed”, the plant was used in Aboriginal medicine to control bleeding, and for various forms of uterine trouble.
Helen Hamilton |
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RED MAPLE (female) Acer rubrum Photo by Helen Hamilton
March 2008 Wildflower of the Month
RED MAPLE (male) Acer rubrum Photo by Helen Hamilton
February 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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March 2008Wildflower of the Month
RED MAPLE Acer rubrum
Truly a spectacular sight in winter – long whips of red berries against a white background, or any place where a spot of bright red is welcome. This holly loses its leaves in late fall and until eaten by songbirds, the sharp red
One of the first signs of spring is the red haze over the bare limbs of our local maple trees. This would be the male and female flowers of red maple. Typical of many species, the male flowers appear first as a yellowish pink, closely followed by the darker pink blossoms of the female trees. When fertilized, the familiar maple “keys” form and drop from the twigs like miniature helicopters.
Red maple is a medium-sized tree with smooth gray young trunk bark and broken darker older bark. The highly variable leaves have 3 to 5 lobes and are whitened underneath. It is aptly named, as its flowers, petioles, twigs and seeds are all red to varying degrees. However, this tree is most well known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in autumn. Many cultivars are available with varying shades of red and leaf shapes.
One of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern North America, red maple ranges from Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and southwest to Texas. Usually occurring in low, wet sites, this tree is adaptable to a very wide range of site conditions. It can be found growing in swamps, on poor dry soils, and most anywhere in between.
Red maple will tolerate some air pollution and is easy to transplant. With striking fall foliage and pleasing form, it is often used as a shade tree for landscapes. Maple syrup and lumber production occur on a small scale from red maple.
This is the State Tree of Rhode Island.
Helen Hamilton |
 WINTERBERRY Ilex verticillata Photo by Phillip Merritt
February 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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February 2008Wildflower of the Month
WINTERBERRY Ilex verticillata
Truly a spectacular sight in winter – long whips of red berries against a white background, or any place where a spot of bright red is welcome. This holly loses its leaves in late fall and until eaten by songbirds, the sharp red berries are a standout in the winter landscape. Winterberry likes soil somewhat wet and grows to 15 feet tall. It does well in light shade to full sun. Tiny white flowers appear in June, hidden among rich green leaves with coarse teeth.
Helen Hamilton |
 WITCHHAZEL Hamamelis virginiana Photo by Helen Hamilton
January 2008 Wildflower of the Month
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January 2008Wildflower of the Month
WITCHHAZEL Hamamelis virginiana
A crooked, multi-trunked, low-branching shrub or small tree, 15-20 feet tall, witchhazel is grown mostly for its winter flowers. Common witchhazel blooms after the leaves fall, usually in deep winter. Depending upon the location, blooming occurs November through February. The strap-like yellow blossoms are often the only color in a snowy landscape. Vernal witchhazel, Hamamelis vernalis, produces coral flowers in February.
Witchhazel leaves are aromatic, and in the fall show yellow, orange or purple colors. This plant likes rich, acid soil and moist to dry drainage. Seeds are eaten by ruffed grouse and squirrels. Witchhazel is pollinated by winter moths that fly when temperatures are above freezing. Leaf litter protects the moths during cold nights.
A widely used medicinal herb, the North American Indians used witchhazel bark to heal wounds, treat tumors and for eye problems. The bark is astringent and hemostatic; a homeopathic remedy is made from fresh bark and used to treat nosebleeds, hemorrhoids and varicose veins. The bottled witchhazel is a steam distillate, used as an external application to bruises, sore muscles, and inflammations.
Helen Hamilton |
| 2007 | |
 VIRGINIA CREEPER Parthenocissus quinquefolia Photo by Helen Hamilton
December 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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December 2007Wildflower of the Month
VIRGINIA CREEPER Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Virginia creeper is often confused with poison ivy which has three leaflets. The species name quinquefolia refers to its five palmately compound leaflets. A vigorous climber, the stems’ aerial rootlets have disks that fasten onto wood or masonry. Trimming is necessary to keep it away from windows and roofs.
A member of the grape (Vitaceae) family, this native perennial woody vine is found in mature forests in nearly every county of Virginia.
The flowers, which appear in late spring, are tiny and inconspicuous. But all spring and summer the vine is covered with bright green leaves. In late summer the leaves turn brilliantly red, and the blue-black “berries” (drupes) are fed upon by a wide variety of songbirds during fall and winter.
Virginia creeper also functions as an important groundcover, especially in post oak woods. It grows well in any soil, including slightly salty, moist to dry, and prefers part shade.
Helen Hamilton |
 GROUNDSEL TREE Baccharis halimifolia Photo by Helen Hamilton
November 2007 Wildflower of the Month
More photos of
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November 2007Wildflower of the Month
GROUNDSEL TREE Baccharis halimifolia
The groundsel tree, also known as sea-myrtle or silverling, has silky white tufts which appear on the female shrub in late summer. Earlier, the male shrub was covered with small golden flowers which disappear as the female tree produces the cottony fruit. The long white tufts help the seeds disperse by wind.
A small upright shrub, growing to 15 feet, groundsel tree has numerous branches forming a rounded crown. Tolerant of drought, heat, and salt spray, this is a plant of coastal areas, along with marsh elder (Iva frutescens) to form the “saltbush zone” on the margin of marshes. The shrub will grow in poor soils and wet sites. In Virginia, groundsel tree is found only in the eastern counties.
Leaves are alternate, wedge-shaped and semi-evergreen, with a few coarse teeth. Twigs are green and angled. While the leaves do not change color in the fall, the striking silvery appearance of the female plant persists into winter, as the colors goldenrods and other fall flowers fade.
Groundsel tree is called oil-willow because in Texas oil has been found by drilling in the areas where these bushes are abundant. Early in South Carolina, the plant was used as a palliative in consumption and cough, and known as “consumption-weed.”
Helen Hamilton |
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SWITCHGRASS/PANIC-GRASS Panicum spp., 'Dallas Blue' Photo by Helen Hamilton
October 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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October 2007Wildflower of the Month
SWITCHGRASS/PANIC-GRASS Panicum spp.
These native clump-forming grasses are in full bloom in October, with showy loose flower clusters. Like all grasses, they are deer resistant. Switchgrass was one of the dominant species of the tallgrass prairie that once blanketed the middle of the continent. As such, this North American native is extremely easy to grow and is well adapted to the vagaries of our climate, tolerating both wet and dry sites. Switchgrass will withstand poor drainage and flooding, so it makes a great erosion control, and can tolerate salt spray.
Growing 3 to 7 feet tall in narrow, erect clumps, these sturdy plants can screen undesirable views. They also add rich, long-lasting fall color and winter interest to perennial borders. This grass is simply magnificent in the fall after a touch of frost, and the seedheads make great additions to dried bouquets.
Many cultivars can be found in local nurseries. The shortest and most colorful is the 3-foot tall ‘Shenandoah’ with reddish leaves and stems; other red cultivars have originated in Germany, with foliage from orange-red to deep burgundy.
‘Heavy Metal” grows in a straight stunning column of metallic blue foliage and yellow fall color, maintaining its form all winter. The seed heads of ‘Dallas Blue’ are a feathery, powder blue that is stunning against pine woodlands or a white fence.
As a perennial, when switchgrasses are planted in the fall, they can make root growth over the winter, and form nice growth the first year. Subsequent years will see an increase in the height and width of the plant. In March when the new growth appears, the tan stems and leaves can be cut off, and left as mulch around the plant.
Helen Hamilton |
 JOE-PYE-WEED Eupatoriadelphus (Eupatorium) spp. Photo by Jan Newton
September 2007 Wildflower of the Month
Eupatoriadelphus (Eupatorium) spp.
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September 2007Wildflower of the Month
JOE-PYE-WEED Eupatoriadelphus (Eupatorium) spp.
These tall, majestic plants are real butterfly magnets. Blooming in late summer until frost, they range from 3 to 10 feet tall with dense heads of fluffy pinkish flowers that are usually covered with butterflies, bees, beetles and wasps, all feeding and pollinating. When in flower, Joe-Pye-weeds can be the star of the garden, but a little rough for a formal garden. These plants can grow very large and are great in a wild garden, or placed to the rear or where a strong accent is needed.
Joe-Pye-weeds are meadow plants; most require full sun, acid, rich soil and moist drainage, although some can tolerate shade, less moisture, coastal conditions and clay soil. Clump-forming, they will not form extensive drifts.
The genus Eupatorium was name for Eupator, king of Parthia, 120-63 B.C. who was supposed to have discovered the medicinal virtues of these plants. “Joe-Pye Weed” comes from a tale about a North American Indian called Joe Pye, who walked the streets of Boston, selling a cure for typhus, using an elixir of this plant to induce profuse sweating, thus breaking the fever (although this story is in some doubt among authors).
Several species are called Joe-Pye-weed. Leaves of the Joe-Pye-weeds are lance-shaped to ovate (E. dubium), toothed, and generally in whorls of 3-6. Generally, the flower cluster of Joe-Pye-weeds is rounded on top.
Helen Hamilton |
 CARDINAL FLOWER Lobelia cardinalis Photo by Helen Hamilton
August 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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August 2007Wildflower of the Month
CARDINAL FLOWER Lobelia cardinalis
One of the most spectacular and beloved of all our wildflower species, cardinal flower was named for its resemblance to the intense red worn by cardinals of the Catholic Church. Each flower is about one and a half inches long, with the lower lip of each flower divided into three spreading lobes while the upper lip is two-lobed. The blossom is unusual among our native wildflowers, producing a true red color. The flowers are sources of nectar to butterflies and attract hummingbirds which are the principal pollinators.
Cardinal flower needs moist rich soil. While it will tolerate average garden soil and moderate moisture, it loves to have its roots bathed in the wet, and will grow taller with optimum conditions. However, only one blooming stalk will develop per plant, so they should be clustered together. In rich soil with lots of water, as many as 50 flowers will bloom on each stalk. Planted with a continual source of water, such as a little stream in the garden, and plenty of mulched organic material, cardinal flower will bloom from midsummer to frost.
Although neat gardeners like to remove the spent stalks, always leave at least one to set seed and self-sow. Then in the fall or early spring, transplant the seedlings to new sites.
A relative, the blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), is an even bigger favorite of the hummingbirds; it grows where conditions are a little drier. Red cardinal flower can be planted at a pond’s edge, while blue lobelia thrives a little distance from the edge of a pond.
The brilliant red flower was one of the first plants sent back to France by the French colonists. It has been reported that “The root has been chiefly employed in decoction by the Cherokee Indians in syphilis and against worms.” But be careful – the plant can be deadly! It contains at least fourteen alkaloids similar to those found in nicotine, and can cause vomiting, sweating, pain, and death.
Helen Hamilton |
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BLACK-EYED SUSAN Rudbeckia hirta L. Photo by Phillip Merritt
July 2007 Wildflower of the Month
More photos of Rudbeckia hirta L.
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July 2007Wildflower of the Month
BLACK-EYED SUSAN Rudbeckia hirta L.
Would you like to see flocks of goldfinches in your garden? Growing Black-eyed Susans is a sure guarantee of their presence. One author says they are as American as hot dogs, root beer, and the dog days of summer. Goldfinches love the brown-black centers and will feed on the seed heads long after the yellow rays have fallen. This biennial or short-lived perennial sometimes blooms the first year and drops so many seeds that you never know where it will come up next year. A close relative, Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), behaves better for those who want a more orderly garden.
Black-eyed Susan usually grows 2-3 feet tall. It is a tough, drought-resistant species that revels in full sun and seems to bloom forever. It works well with ornamental grasses either in the formal border or the wild garden. This workhorse species ranges throughout the eastern U.S.
The genus name honors Olaf Rudbeck (1660-1740), and his son, both professors of botany at Upsala University in Sweden. Species names often describe characteristics of the plant: hirta means “hairy”, referring to the stems and leaves, fulgida indicates the shining and brightly colored flowers. Many cultivars are available; ‘Goldstrum’, 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year, has large golden-yellow flower heads 3-5 inches across, blooming on 2-foot high stems.
Helen Hamilton |
 SUNDROPS Oenothera fruticosa Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae) Photo by Helen Hamilton
June 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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June 2007Wildflower of the Month
SUNDROPS Oenothera fruticosa Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)
This bright little early summer plant blooms in the morning and closes in the evening. It is one of those “pass-alongs”—perennials that are easy for everyone to grow and so get passed from one garden to another. The 2-inch four-petaled flowers are lemon yellow, start to appear in early June and will continue blooming until August; they look marvelous planted with orange butterfly weed and dark-blue spiderwort.
The scientific name of the family is derived from onager, the Greek word for wild ass, beasts who threw stones with their hind legs when agitated. In ancient times, a stone-throwing catapult became known as an onager. The biennial sundrop flings its seeds far and wide. The genus name Oenothera comes from a Greek word meaning wine, since extracts from the roots of some members of this family were combined with wines.
Sundrops prefer moist, well-drained soil in full to part sun. Colonies of the basal rosettes will eventually form colonies.
Helen Hamilton |
 JAMESTOWN (ATAMASCO) LILY Zephyranthes atamasca Photo by Helen Hamilton
May 2007 Wildflower of the Month 2007 VNPS Wildflower of the Year
More photos of Zephyranthes atamasca
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May 2007Wildflower of the Month
JAMESTOWN (ATAMASCO) LILY Zephyranthes atamasca
Found in most of the counties in Virginia, and widely distributed across eastern and central U.S., this bright little plant often grows in lawns that are not mowed too often nor too high. While Virginia Tech lists this violet as “primarily a weed of turfgrass and landscapes”, their deep purple-blue color is a welcome sign of spring. Jamestown lilies were among the first of many beautiful wildflowers to be noticed by the Jamestown colonists. A writer in 1629 reports: “The Indians in Virginia do call it Attamusco, some among us do call it Lilionarcissus Virginianus, because of the likeness of the flower to a Lilly (sic), and the leaves and root to a Daffodil.” The Indian name refers to the location of the bulb under grass-like leaves. The genus name comes from the Greek, zephyros, meaning west wind, a reference to their origin in the Western Hemisphere from which they were first introduced to European gardeners in the 1800's.
Many species of Zephyranthes live in dry regions where they emerge from dormancy and quickly burst into bloom after infrequent heavy rainstorms. Hence, other common names are “rain lily”, “fairy lily”, and “zephyr lily”. With a flower form like a trumpet, an alternative common name is “Easter lily”, although it is not closely related to the Easter lily of florist shops. A member of the amaryllis family, the Jamestown lily is related to the familiar daffodils, amaryllis, and snowdrops.
The bulb may have been used medically by some southern Native American tribes for toothache but all parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten. It is also called “stagger lily” because horses eating the leaves or bulbs succumb to a cerebrospinal disease.
The fragrant flowers are white with a yellowish center, growing and may reach a length of 12-18 inches long. They grow well in shade to part shade to full sun, preferring a low, damp location. Rafts of these lovely white lilies announce the arrival of spring in moist open woodlands, meadows and along country roads throughout the southeastern U.S. from Virginia to Mississippi and the northern half of Florida. Another of its habitats is on low ground adjacent to brackish marshes, such as at Jamestown Island.
Jamestown lily is hardy in zones 7-10. To propagate, divide the small bulblets from the mother bulb. The seeds can be planted as soon as they ripen, and will germinate quickly, but it will be 2-3 years before seedling plants produce their first flowers. Jamestown lilies look best in masses. They can be grown right in the lawn where they will rise and flower in early spring before you have to begin mowing the grass, or in a woodland garden.
Helen Hamilton |
 COMMON BLUE VIOLET Viola sororia Photo by Helen Hamilton
April 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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April 2007Wildflower of the Month
COMMON BLUE VIOLET Viola sororia
Found in most of the counties in Virginia, and widely distributed across eastern and central U.S., this bright little plant often grows in lawns that are not mowed too often nor too high. While Virginia Tech lists this violet as “primarily a weed of turfgrass and landscapes”, their deep purple-blue color is a welcome sign of spring.
The flowers and leaves are on separate stems, all growing no more than 8 inches tall. Only a few insects visit the flowers which are self-pollinating. However, the caterpillars of fritillary butterflies feed on the leaves.
Spreading easily by rhizomes and seeds, many gardeners use this common blue violet as groundcover. The plant distributes seeds by mechanical ejection from the three-parted seed capsules, immediately after flowering. Zillions of tiny, heart-shaped leaves appear only weeks later, radiating out from the mother plant.
Common blue violet prefers partial sun or light shade and moist to average conditions. The soil should be a rich silty loam or clay loam with above average amounts of organic matter. The flowers and young leaves of violets are edible, and can be added to salads in small amounts. The taste is bland.
There are several forms of Viola sororia with differently colored flowers; these often grow in close proximity to each other in a given area. A variety with whitish petals and violet markings is known as Confederate Violet. Common blue violet is the state flower of New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island & Wisconsin.
Helen Hamilton |
 BLOODROOT Sanguinaria canadensis Photo by Helen Hamilton
March 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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March 2007Wildflower of the Month
BLOODROOT Sanguinaria canadensis
Bloodroot is one of the earliest, and most interesting, flowers in the spring. Sometime in March, a brown tip emerges from the soil with a leaf inside wrapped around the stalk. Delicate white flowers appear above the still-folded leaf. Sometimes two flowering stems will sprout from only one underground stem (rhizome). After the flower is done, the petals drop and the leaf with 5-7 wavy lobes slowly opens. Once expanded, the bright green heavily veined leaf shades the developing fruit. The appearance and actions of the leaf are as interesting as the satiny white flower petals.
Bloodroot is named for the red juice that can be extracted from the rhizome. The root juice or powdered root can destroy tissues and has been used to treat skin conditions such as ringworm, warts, fungal growth, etc. Researchers are investigating the root’s value in cancer treatment. An extract has long been used in toothpaste and mouthwash to fight plaque and gingivitis, a use now sanctioned by USFDA. Native Americans used the juice as war paint and to dye fabrics.
Bloodroot is found in moist but well-drained woodland soil in all but a few counties in the state of Virginia. Populations of bloodroot are somewhat limited to soils containing high amounts of calcium from fossil shells. Growing 6-8 inches tall in part shade, this plant is one of the spring ephemerals, appearing for only a short time in early spring. Bloodroot will self-sow to form larger colonies each year. The plant goes dormant in mid-summer, and is a good companion to ferns which emerge later in the spring.
The range of bloodroot extends throughout the mid to eastern states.
Helen Hamilton |
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SKUNK CABBAGE Symplocarpus foetidus Photo by William S. Justice (courtesy of USDA -Plants Database)
February 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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February 2007Wildflower of the Month
SKUNK CABBAGE Symplocarpus foetidus
One of the few plants blooming in February, skunk cabbage is well-named because all parts, when crushed, smell of skunk. Children love to be repulsed by this plant! Growing in swamps and moist low ground, the flowers appear first, in a knob-shaped cluster inside a purple-brown and green mottled hood 2-5 inches long. The flowers generate enough heat to melt the surrounding snow. Biologists have found the flowers produce warmth over a period of 12-14 days, remaining an average of 36 degrees F about the outside air temperature, day or night. Like a warm-blooded animal, they can regulate their warmth. The heat and foul smell attract the first pollinating insects of the year (usually flies).
The large oval leaves resemble cabbage. They unfold after the plant blooms, and can grow 3-4 feet long. By mid-May a wetland can be covered with skunk cabbage leaf rosettes. By June the leaves begin to decay; since the plant forms no woody fibers, a large part of the leaf and stem is water, and the leaves simply dissolve. By mid-June the fruit heads are roundish balls, wine-red, about two inches in diameter. In August the fruit head falls apart, leaving seeds on the ground to be eaten, to decompose, or to germinate.
By the end of summer no trace of the plant is left, but a fully-grown skunk cabbage has a massive root system, with several years’ reproductive parts partially formed within. Skunk cabbage is widely distributed in the state of Virginia, its range extending to Georgia and West Virginia. A truly remarkable, unusual plant!
Helen Hamilton |
 YAUPON HOLLY Ilex vomitoria Photo by Phillip Merritt
January 2007 Wildflower of the Month
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January 2007Wildflower of the Month
YAUPON HOLLY Ilex vomitoria
This native evergreen shrub or small tree may be oval to rounded in shape and single-stemmed or clump-forming. Yaupon can form dense screens of foliage and the female plant produces outstanding berries. The leaves are small, dark green and glossy with wavy edges. The fine-textured foliage makes it a perfect screen or tall hedge to contrast with bold plants.
From late summer through winter the graceful branches are lined with copious scarlet berries. Plant the female in a sunny location for good fruit production; the male trees can go in dark spots where you need foliage to fill in blank spaces. While male and female plants are needed for fruit set, this species is cross-fertile with other hollies.
Cold-tolerant, yaupon is widely tolerant of soil types and moisture levels, as well as salt and pollution. This holly grows in any soil, and likes full sun or partial shade. From coastal Virginia west to Missouri, south to Florida and Texas, yaupon grows in low woodland edges, fields and marshy spots.
A strong medicinal “black drink” once brewed by Native Americans is believed to have been of yaupon leaves. The caffeine-containing dried leaves reportedly make a desirable tea. Seeds are eaten by cedar waxwing, mockingbird and other songbirds after several freeze-thaw cycles.
The species name “vomitoria” refers to the emetic qualities of the fruits.
Helen Hamilton |
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2006 |
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 BAYBERRY, WAX MYRTLE Myrica cerifera Photo by Helen Hamilton
December 2006 Wildflower of the Month
NORTHERN WAX MYRTLE Myrica pensylvanica Photo by Helen Hamilton
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December 2006Wildflower of the Month
BAYBERRY, WAX MYRTLE Myrica cerifera
For fast, easy-care screening in southern gardens, wax myrtle is unbeatable. This shrub or small tree is nonfussy and fast growing, and has attractive light olive-green, fragrant foliage. To get a soft, natural look, plant the shrubs in a random, nonlinear pattern. Or prune to encourage dense foliage and to create wildlife-friendly screens and hedges, providing food and shelter for wildlife. It is winter-hardy and usually evergreen.
Flowers are tiny, before the leaves appear. In the fall, pale blue, waxy berries appear on female trees which are eaten by a wide variety of birds, many of whom require the fat as fuel for migrations. The wax was a source for the colonists’ bayberry candles. Like legumes, wax myrtle fixes atmospheric nitrogen and so is able to thrive in infertile soils. The aromatic compounds present in wax myrtle foliage seem to repel insects, particularly fleas. It was traditionally planted around southern homes to help keep living spaces pest free. A sprig of wax myrtle in a closet or drawer is reputed to keep cockroaches out!
Wax myrtle grows in acid to neutral soil, which is wet to dry – easily adaptable to many different home landscapes. This Virginia native is a dependable shrub found growing wild in southeastern U.S. pinewoods, swamps and bogs. Relatives are northern wax myrtle, Myrica pensylvanica, which is deciduous and prefers soil that is somewhat drier. Black bayberry, Myrica heterophylla, has black-hairy twigs and leathery, evergreen leaves.
Helen Hamilton |
 PURPLE MUHLY GRASS, Muhlenbergia capillaris Photo by Jan Newton
November 2006 Wildflower of the Month
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November 2006Wildflower of the Month
PURPLE MUHLY GRASS Muhlenbergia capillaris
Few plants rival the breathtaking beauty of purple muhly in the fall -- clouds of purple wisps waving in the autumn sun. From March until mid August, the thin spiky blades add interesting contrast to broad-leaved blooming perennials and annuals and evergreen shrubs. In early fall, the seed heads begin to form where the blade bends at a right angle, and by the end of September, the tip of each blossoms into a 10 x 6-inch filmy purple haze.
In winter the purple stems and seed heads dim to tan, providing a lovely contrast to evergreens. Cut back the stems in March, when the new growth emerges, and drop the spent blades as mulch and groundcover. Muhly grass is tough and loves the heat; many nurseries are now offering this plant for sale.
This grass is a native of moist pine barrens near the Atlantic coast and parts of Mississippi and Texas. In Virginia it will grow in full sun or light shade and prefers well-drained soil.
The genus was named in homage to G.H.E. Muhlenberg, a self-taught botanist of the 18th century, called by his contemporaries the American Linnaeus. “Capillaris” means “hair-like or delicate”, referring to the tufted purple flowers.
Helen Hamilton |
 MARYLAND GOLDEN ASTER Chrysopsis mariana Photo by Phillip Merritt
October 2006 Wildflower of the Month
More photos of Maryland Golden Aster This section Under Construction
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October 2006Wildflower of the MonthMaryland Golden Aster Chrysopsis mariana
Maryland golden aster has a rosette appearance until late summer when it sends up 12"-16" stems displaying clusters of 1-inch, golden yellow, daisy-like flowers. The stems and leaves are cobwebby-hairy early, but later become smooth. Maryland gold aster has a whitened midline on the upper surface of its leaves, making it distinguishable before it flowers from other herbaceous species with similarly-shaped leaves. It is drought tolerant and easy to grow. It grows well in full sun with dry, poor soil and can also handle light shade. One of the reasons Maryland golden aster is not classified as a true aster (genus Aster) is because its ray flowers are yellow, rather than white, pink, blue, or purple like true asters. Maryland golden aster can be found from S. New York to Ohio and E. Kentucky, and south to Florida and Texas.
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 IRONWEED Vernonia spp. Photo by Helen Hamilton September 2006 Wildflower of the Month
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September 2006Wildflower of the MonthIRONWEED Vernonia spp.
These are handsome plants of imposing stature and marvelous floral color. Hardy from Maine to north Florida, ironweed is found in all regions of Virginia The tall stems grow three to ten feet tall, and maintain an upright posture throughout the fall. Leaves are lance-shaped and finely toothed. Blooming August-October, the brilliant, deep purple flowers are powerful butterfly magnets, especially attracting the tiger swallowtail.
Ironweeds are usually found in moist or wet areas of fields and stream banks. In the home garden, place them in the wild garden or back of a designed border.
Some explanations of the common name: one refers to the difficulty of pulling the plant up by the roots – battling a plant with a will of iron; another refers to the plant doing well in areas of old fires, especially with rusted metal nearby; or the “iron” could describe the tall and sturdy stems. The genus was named for William Vernon, an English botanist who collected in Maryland in the late 1600s.
Helen Hamilton |
 MEADOW BEAUTY Rhexia mariana; R. virginica Photo by Helen Hamilton
August 2006 Wildflower of the Month
MEADOW BEAUTY (Seed Pods) Rhexia mariana; R. virginica Photo by Denise Greene
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August 2006Wildflower of the Month
MEADOW BEAUTY Rhexia mariana, R. virginica
Meadow beauties bloom profusely from June to September on sunny, moist roadsides, and in ditches, seeps, and boggy spots. Their four-petaled flowers range in color from almost white to deep pink and bear prominent curved yellow anthers. The leaves are distinctive, too, because the main veins are parallel to one another. Although found in wet acidic spots in the wild, this low-growing plant does well in an average soil that is irrigated during extreme drought. Even after its long bloom season ends, the plant remains attractive as the numerous urn-shaped seed pods retain their rosy color.
Rhexia is the only genus of the mostly tropical Melastoma [Melastomataceae] family north of South Florida. Six species are found in eastern Virginia, but R. mariana and R. virginica are the most widespread. Rhexia mariana is blooming in the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and along the ditches of the entrance roadway. Its flower is paler in color than that of Rhexia virginica, which has vivid rose-purple petals and conspicuously winged stems.
Rhexia virginica is available for sale at Sassafras Farm in Gloucester, the Colonial Nursery on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg and at the Virginia Living Museum's Fall Wildflower Sale. It is the hardier of the two species although both are found in our area. It over winters as a tuber-bearing rootstock.
Helen Hamilton |
 BLAZING STAR, GAYFEATHER Liatris spp. Photo by Helen Hamilton
July 2006 Wildflower of the Month
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July 2006Wildflower of the Month
BLAZING STAR, GAYFEATHER Liatris spp.
Blazing Star is a tall and stately plant for bed or border, attractive to the three B’s: birds, butterflies (especially swallowtails), and bees. The flowers, unlike most plants, bloom from the top down. Usually growing 1-2 feet tall, some species and cultivars reach 5 feet. The tubular florets range from pink-purple to white; stems are covered with narrow, thin leaves.
Remember to provide full sun and well-drained garden soil; Blazing Star cannot adapt to wet earth. Blooming in summer to early autumn, these plants look fantastic combined with Butterfly weed or Orange Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and ornamental grasses. Cultivars available in nurseries usually bloom in midsummer.
In sandy soils of dry, open woods, especially among pines, you will find Grass-leaved Blazing Star (Liatris graminifolia). It is the only species of blazing star known to occur natively on the Middle Neck and the Peninsula. Give it rich organic matter and too much water, and its upright posture becomes floppy. Sessile Blazing Star (L. spicata) grows in wet meadows and other moist habitats in counties south of the James River. This species is more robust than grass-leaved Blazing Star and is used more often in cultivation.
Helen Hamilton |
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WILD BLUE INDIGO Baptisia australis Photo by Helen Hamilton
June 2006 Wildflower of the Month
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June 2006Wildflower of the Month
WILD BLUE INDIGO Baptisia australis
A member of the pea family, this 2-3 foot tall spring-blooming legume does well in sun or shade, moderately well in poor soil and are excellent for holding banks in check and general erosion control.
The root system becomes extensive and graceful foliage will cover an area of several feet from each plant. In the fall the foliage turns black and is striking planted with goldenrods and ornamental grasses.
Thoreau noted the wind rattling the seeds in “those pods of the indigo-weed which were still closed—like a small Indian’s calabash,” hence the common name “Indian rattle”.
The white wild indigo looks more like a shrub, growing into a round bushy shape 4’ x 4’. Its most striking against a wall, with the dark blue-gray stems and foliage setting off the white flowers.
The genus name comes from “bapto”, meaning “to dye” – early settlers thought these plants could substitute for the indigo dye from another genus, which was poisonous. Unfortunately, the color provided by baptisias wasn’t fast and quickly washed out.
Helen Hamilton |
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WILD COLUMBINE Aquilegia canadensis Photo by Helen Hamilton May 2006 Wildflower of the Month |
May 2006Wildflower of the Month
WILD COLUMBINE Aquilegia canadensis
Native to eastern U.S., wild columbine is found in most counties of Virginia. It blooms early and long (April-June), growing to about 2 feet tall. The leaves are essentially evergreen, subject to leaf miners which do not harm the plant.
Ironically, the better you treat it, the shorter its lifespan. It will die out shortly in rich, overly moist soil. It is naturally long-lived in most situations, with filtered shade and good drainage.
Wild columbine self-seeds, and young plants transplant easily in the fall. Blooms twice in the spring and once in the fall.
Helen Hamilton |
 VIRGINIA BLUEBELLSMertensia virginicaPhoto by Helen Hamilton April 2006 Wildflower of the Month
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April 2006Wildflower of the Month
VIRGINIA BLUEBELLS, VIRGINIA COWSLIPMertensia virginica
This beautiful spring wildflower produces funnel-form pendant flowers that begin as pink but turn blue as the flowers open. The genus is named in honor of F.K. Mertens, a professor of botany at Bremen, and the species honors Virginia.
Early on this lovely flower made the trip to Europe, where it quickly became a regular in English gardens. William Robinson, writing in “The English Flower”: “…handsomest of all is the Virginia cowslip. It is a charming old garden plant, and one which unfortunately has never become common.”
These plants are spring ephemerals, dying back by the end of June. Plant something like turtleheads (Chelone glabra) or native ferns to take over after the bluebells fade.
The leaves are large, entire, and alternate which disappear in fall and winter. Propagation is by seed or division after the flowers fade, but do so before the leaves disappear entirely, or you won’t find the roots.
Natural range is New York to Michigan, and south to Alabama and Missouri. It is a plant of Virginia’s mountain and piedmont areas, rather than coastal regions, so it must be given a moist, shady environment.
Helen Hamilton |
John Clayton Chapter of the VNPS, P.O. Box 1128, Williamsburg, VA 23187, www.claytonvnps.org
