Native Plant Garden

Plantainleaf pussytoes is a perennial wildflower that acts as a ground cover. Its foliage is covered in small white hairs, giving it a silvery appearance. The plant gets its name from its small, tufted white flower heads, which resemble the toes or paws of kittens. It typically thrives in thin soils over rock and works well as ground cover in gravel or rock gardens. Additionally, plantainleaf pussytoes is resistant to deer and serves as a host plant for the American lady butterfly.

Culver’s root is a native perennial wildflower characterized by its dark green, lance-shaped leaves that grow in whorls around the stems. These stems bear slender spikes filled with small, tubular flowers. The plant is highly attractive to pollinators, including butterflies and various types of bees, such as sweat bees, small carpenter bees, bumblebees, and honeybees. Additionally, culver’s root is deer resistant.

Canada anemone is a native perennial groundcover with slightly cupped white flowers and golden centers. Small bees, such as miner and sweat bees, as well as hoverflies, love this plant. The Canada anemone serves as a host plant for certain moth species, including the veiled ear and one-lined sparganothis moths. It is important to note that the plant contains compounds that are toxic to animals such as deer and rabbits.

Wild Columbine is a native wildflower that produces 1- to 2-inch drooping, bell-shaped flowers. These flowers can appear singly or in groups of two to three and feature distinct backward-pointing tubes. This structure is similar to that of garden columbines and holds nectar that attracts long-tongued insects and hummingbirds, particularly those adapted to access it. Additionally, wild columbine serves as a host plant for the columbine duskywing butterfly.

A native perennial woodland sunflower with flower heads that are 2–3½ inches across, consisting of 8-12 ray-florets. It has smooth, slender stems that may be green, reddish, or purple, branching near the top. The thinleaf sunflower attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and is a host plant to silvery checkerspot and painted lady butterflies. The seeds provide food for a variety of birds.

Black Cohosh features tall, slender spikes of small white to creamy-white flowers. Although the flowers have an unpleasant, somewhat medicinal odor, the seedheads are often utilized in flower arrangements. It is attractive to wildlife. The plant attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators and is a host plant for spring azure, holly blue, and Appalachian azure butterflies.

Bottlebrush Grass is a perennial ornamental grass. The leaves are linear, grayish-green to dark green, with a rough texture. Its has spiky, greenish flowers that form in mid-June and form mid-June. The flowers resemble a bottlebrush and as they mature, they become brown and last into October. Bottlebrush grass is a host plant of the northern pearly eye butterfly and the white-footed mouse and birds eat the seeds.

Spicebush is a deciduous shrub named for its spice, fragrant leaves and stems. Clusters of fragrant yellow flowers bloom along the branches in March before the green leaves appear in the summer. The leaves will turn yellow in the fall. The bright red fruits ripen from July through October and are eaten by various species of birds, especially thrushes. Spicebush is the host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, the eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly as well as the promethea moth.

American holly is one of the most important native evergreens for wildlife in the eastern United States. It provides food for 25 bird species and pollinators. The small greenish-white flowers bloom in spring for pollinators and the bright red berries ripen in fall and persist through winter, providing a critical food source for birds when needed most. It’s also a host plant for the holly azure butterfly.
American holly can grow as a shrub or tree and it has spiny leaves that remain green year-round. The newer leaves are glossy and older leaves more matte.

Virginia creeper can be used either as a climbing vine or ground cover. Its leaves consist of 5 leaflets which start out green and turn red-orange to burgundy in the fall. The flowers bloom in small clusters, and the dark blue berries produced by the plant are toxic to humans. Virginia creeper has tendrils that end in adhesive-like tips, allowing it to grip onto rocks, tree bark, and walls. The sap of the Virginia creeper can cause skin irritation to some people; this, combined with the the 5 leaflets, can cause it to sometimes be mistaken for poison ivy.

Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is a popular perennial, ornamental plant, which can be found in disturbed areas, meadows, roadsides, and other open areas. Chinese silver grass can quickly spread and become unmanageable with thick, clumping rhizomes, as well as wind-dispersed seeds. One plant can produce thousands of seeds.

Silver grass is still sold in garden nurseries, and the aggressive spread outcompetes native plants in the ecosystem. It poses a fire risk, as all parts of the plant are extremely flammable.

Silver grass should not be planted. Flower stalks should be cut before setting seed; stalks and rhizomes should not be composted but bagged and thrown in the trash. Non-selective herbicides, such as glyphosate and imazapyr can be used, according to label instructions. Repeated applications to cut rhizome masses will be necessary over several seasons.