Winter Native Plant Bling!

Native cultivars and plants from further south.

Winter Garden at the USBG

As natives grow in popularity, gardeners have more and more choices, though sometimes a limited supply, of native plants. If our goal is to better support insects, birds and wildlife in our gardens, we know the very best plants are free of neonicotinoids and local eco-type -- typically grown from seed to preserve genetic diversity and naturally growing within 50 miles or so of our gardens. These plants are typically found at our fabulous local native plant nurseries.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of plants available in garden centers and used by landscapers are ornamental plants, plants native to other parts of the US or across the globe. There are garden center buyers and landscapers out there who want to offer more native plants. One of their challenges is customer aesthetics. As customers, most of us are trained to know and like ornamental plants. It's totally understandable. Plants like Asian azaleas, European boxwoods, Asian camelias, European hellebores, and so many more have been held up and promoted to us as the landscaping ideal for centuries.

This is where cultivars of native plants and plants native to other regions can play a role in the big picture effort to promote native plants. This planting on a busy street corner at the US Botanic Garden in downtown Washington D.C. is a perfect example. Lemon yellow, dusky red and blue foliage in the middle of winter? This plant combo catches your eye!

Each is a cultivar of a straight species native plant. For one plant, the cultivar created a different foliage color. Scientists tell us cultivars that change the color of foliage are much less likely to support insect life because the insects are not able to recognize that changed color. Other plants are native to the southeast region of the U.S. ,not the mid-atlantic. So, these aren't the best choice of plants for strictly ecological value. In the big picture though, these kinds of plantings can captivate passersby and draw them into thinking about native plants in the first place. Not to mention how beautifully striking this planting is!

Yellow Anise Tree

Yellow Anise Tree

Yellow anise tree (Illicium parvilflorum 'Florida Sunshine') is a cultivar of the straight species Florida anise tree (Illicum Floridanum). The cultivar enhances the yellow color of straight specie's chartreuse colored foliage. Mt. Cuba describes the straight species as an evergreen broad leaf shrub for shady and drier gardens. The shrub is native to the southeast, from Florida to Louisiana in zones 7 through 9. According to experts at the North Carolina Extension Service, the more sun it gets, the more moisture it needs. At the USBG, an underground irrigation system would enable these shrubs to do well though they are in full sun. I have not grown this plant. If you have, please share your experience in the comments.

adam's needle variegated cultivar

adam's needlestraight species

Adam's Needle

Adam's needle (Yucca filamentosa), technically a shrub, looks perennial with sword like foliage. It is said to be easy to grow and drought tolerant. Growing in full sun or part shade, it needs very little to no maintenance. In the central Chesapeake area, it blooms in June, sending up tall stalks of white flowers that attract hummingbirds. The foliage is mostly evergreen. Native to the southeastern United States, it has spread northward. The planting at the USBG uses one of several cultivars of yucca with variegated foliage commonly available at large garden centers.

Drooping Laurel 'Zeblid'

Drooping Laurel

Drooping laurel (Leucothoe fontanesiana), also called dog hobble, is a small evergreen shrub that grows well in shady, moist areas and acidic soils yet can also grow in sun. The 'Zeblid' cultivar in the USBG planting was a decades old effort to create a cultivar of dog hobble that had a more compact growing shape. The cultivar process did not attempt to influence foliage color. The shrub foliage turns from green to a dusky red in winter and really stands out in contrast to the yellows and blues of the nearby plants.

Eastern Red Cedar 'Grey Owl'

Eastern Red Cedar 'Grey Owl'

Eastern red cedar ‘Grey Owl’ (Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl') is a shrub cultivar of the much larger straight species eastern red cedar tree (Juniperus virginiana). This low growing evergreen shrub maxes out at about 3 feet high and about 6 feet wide. Plants are male or female with the female having the blue berries. It is reported to be slow growing and would be perfect for a smaller sunny garden.

yucca and 'grey owl'

dog hobble

yucca and 'grey owl'

Would you add this combination of native plants to your winter garden? I would though I would not count plants with variegated or altered foliage color toward my ultimate goal of a 70% native plant garden, the percentage of native plants ideal for supporting an ecosystem according to native plant expert and rock star, Doug Tallamy. This brilliant design is too cheerful in winter to pass up.

Happy Gardening!