Unusual Natives Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Phone: 718-623-7200
By Joan McDonald on April 1, 2000
I first became aware of native wildflowers in my youth, while playing down by the creek that runs through the woods near my hometown of Falls Church, Virginia. Sightings of plants such as jack-in-the-pulpit, lady's slipper orchid, and Indian pipe were pretty commonplace there. But, like the other kids, I was too busy chasing after salamanders and crayfish to take much notice.
It wasn't until I became an avid gardener and birdwatcher in later life that I began to seriously consider this continent's plant heritage. The more I learned about the extent to which our wild habitats have been degraded by development and by the monopolizing habits of many non-indigenous species, the more I came to appreciate the plants I'd known so casually as a child.
Nowadays, I fill my garden with beautiful wildflowers. Besides increasing biodiversity in and of themselves by augmenting the shrinking populations and gene pools of native species, they provide a valuable source of food for insects and birds.
But what is native for me may not be native for you. The United States is made up of at least six ecologically distinct regions, or floristic provinces, each supporting a complex community of plants, animals, and insects. (The plant list in this article is organized accordingly.) To get optimal performance out of a wildflower, therefore, it's important to know its native range as well as the kind of habitat it prefers.
In the interest of making gardeners throughout North America more aware of our own botanical riches, I interviewed specialists at native plant nurseries from all six floristic provinces and had them recommend some choice, but lesser known, wildflowers. Zones refer to the USDA Hardiness Zone Map.
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
Aster carolinianus (Climbing aster)
"This rare native is often in bloom on Christmas Day!"
—Dennis Niemeyer & Joani Lawarre, WE-DU Nurseries
Provide a trellis or post and this amazing aster will climb over 30 feet to get to the top. It has a fine grayish down, and is shrubby, with arching stems and narrow mid-green leaves. Its many flowerheads are a light, purplish pink and pop open in September and October (or year-round in the swamps from Florida to North Carolina) to reveal spidery, rose-pink flowers that mature to lilac. This tough plant thrives in dry, average, or moist soils. Full sun or light shade.
Zone 7-9.
Cypripedium reginae (Royal lady's slipper)
"The Cypripediums are now coming to market from tissue culture and seedlings. Soon all gardeners will be able to have the lady's slippers they have lusted after in the wild."
—Gene Bush, Munchkin Nursery & Gardens
This "queen" of eastern wildflowers produces incredible crystalline-white flowers with bright pink lips. The leaves are broad and strongly plaited. Basically, this is a bog orchid and requires moist, fertile, leafy, humus-rich, neutral to acidic soil, in a sheltered site. 30 inches tall; 12-inch spread.
Zone 6-9.
Uvularia grandiflora (Large merrybells)
"Beautiful and easy specimen plant for shade."
—Charles Oliver, The Primrose Path
This 18-24 inch clump-forming perennial has erect lily-like leaf stems and slightly hairy leaves. The pendulous, twisted, bell-shaped, lemon-yellow flowers are 1-1/2 inches long and nod gracefully in mid- to late-spring. Use in the border foreground or in masses as a ground cover. Easy to grow in humus-rich, moist, but well-drained soil and deep or partial shade.
Zone 3-7.
And don't forget some of the old favorites of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region: Antennaria diocica (pussytoes), Amsonia tabernaemontana (willow blue-star), Aquilegia canadensis (Canada columbine), Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit), Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed), Baptisia australis (blue false indigo), Caltha palustris (marsh marigold), Disporum maculatum (nodding mandarin), Gentiana andrewsii (closed gentian), Geranium maculatum (spotted geranium), Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow star grass), Iris verna (dwarf iris), Jeffersonia diphylla (twinleaf), Liatris squarrosa (scaly blazing star), Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower), Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny spurge), Penstemon digitalis (foxglove penstemon), Penstemon hirsutus (hairy penstemon), Penstemon smallii (Small's penstemon), Silene virginica (fire pink), Spigelia marilandica (Maryland pinkroot), Thalictrum polyganum (tall meadow rue), and Tiarella cordifolia and wherryi (foamflowers).
Copyright © 2012 BBG
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