McCargo - Full sun to partial shade dry gravelly or sandy soil Flashcards
Violets
Viola adunca, viola pedata
dry to mesic
host plant for fritillary butterfly
easy to grow from seed
McCargo
Plantain-leaved Pussytoes
Antennaria plantaginifolia
dry
May bloom
foliage 1-11/2” like groundcover (basal rosette)
thrive with flax leaved stiff aster
dioecious
stoloniferous
plantaginifolia = the leaves of the plant resemble those of a plantain
McCargo
NPT
-Soil Preferences: Thrives in dry, thin, rocky and acidic soil.
- Root Description: Roots are fine, widely spreading, and shallow; prone to rot in conditions that are too wet.
Three-toothed cinquefoil
Sibbaldiopis tridentata
dry to mesic
doesn’t compete well with grass
rocky ledges/gravelly soil
McCargo
* could be nice along railroad tie
NPT
4-6”
even tolerates salt
Spring bloom - white flowers
Fall foliage
Northeastern beardtongue
Penstemon hirsutus
mesic-dry
Pollinated by bumblebees and humingbirds
good at edge of paths
super tough
tolerant of shade (not dense)
McCargo
basal rosette
hirsutus = hairy, bristly, prickly
“penstemon” may come from the Greek words penta (“five”) and stemon (“stamen”)
NPT
-This species blooms (white) in late spring and is followed by distinct seed pods that provide visual interest into the winter.
-Pollinator Powerhouse Plant
- 12-24”
Ozark beebalm
Monarda bradburiana
mesic-dry
doesn’t spread as aggressively as other monarda
stays as a clump
about 2’ tall
coppery foliage in the fall
Native to west or south of New England
McCargo
Missouri Botanical Garden
- Genus name honors Nicholas Monardes (1493-1588), physician and botanist of Seville.
- A clump-forming, mint family member that grows typically to 1-2’ tall. Tubular, two-lipped, pinkish to whitish, purple-spotted flowers appear in dense, globular, solitary, terminal heads atop square stems. Each flower head is subtended by (rests upon) a whorl of showy, purplish-tinged, leafy bracts. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. The toothed, aromatic, oblong, grayish-green leaves (to 4”) may be used in teas. Long summer bloom period.
-
Tall anemone
Anemone virginiana
mesic-dry
clump forming unlike canadian anemone
thrives in full sun or dry shade
super tough
seeds ripen in October
Bloom - late June
McCargo
NPT
- This is an easy-going, dry-loving species common to meadows or open woodlands. The flowers are smaller than many of the other species of Anemone, but the thimble-shaped seed heads add a unique touch in the late season.
Sundial lupine
Lupinus perennis
dry, sandy
Native to pine barrens
about 1’-1.5’ tall
requires dry, gravelly, well drained soil
host to …
easy to grow from seed
McCargo
Bellflower/Scotch bellflower
Campanula rotundifolia
dry sandy or rocky
circum boreal (found throughout the boreal regions of North America and Eurasia) plant
will seed in if happy
McCargo
rotundifolia means “round leaved”
NPT
- Purple flowers bloom heavily in early summer and will bloom again sporadically through the fall, with small rosettes of leaves at the base yielding tall flowering stems. This pretty clumping plant will spread slowly via rhizomes. Great for native bees and moths.
- 6-12”
- salt tolerant
Foxglove beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
mesic-dry
low clump of foliage ((basal rosette)
tall flowering stalk
pollinated by hummingbirds and bumblebees
easy to grow
McCargo
NPT
- Penstemon is well known for a tough-as-nails, grow-anywhere attitude. The flowers are sizeable compared to others in the genus, and the floral stems range in color from green to red. Great for native bees, and also a host plant for the Chalcedony Midget moth.
- 12-36”
- rain garden
Partridge pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
mesic-dry
annual
leguminus family
1’-1.5’ tall
plant in patches early on in new garden - will disappear as other plants graw/mature
hot& dry
needs 2 weeks of cold before it germinates
McCargo
NPT
- Garden Uses: Open sow on roadsides, highway margins, hellstrips, swales, meadows, stream banks, and compact urban gardens, where it will tolerate clay.
- rain garden
Butterfly milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
dry sandy
McCargo
Tuberosa is a term that can refer to the tuberose plant (it does in this case)
Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine
NPT
- Beloved by hummingbirds, monarch butterflies and gardeners alike, butterfly milkweed is best grown in poor, dry soils in full sun for that irresistible burst of life year after year. It is surprisingly tolerant of partial shade, but will emerge later there!
- Salt tolerant
Spotted bee-balm
Monarda punctata
dry sandy
don’t like mulch
clumping
1’-2’
attracts unusual insects
dry to use like oregano
great for edge of parking lot/driveway, then let seed in, else will be short lived
McCargo
NPT
- Spotted bee-balm stands out with its unique flowers, with tiers of tan, dark-spotted petals surrounded by green and pink bracts. This species supports a variety of native bees and butterflies, and thrives in dry, rocky soils where it will self-sew readily.
- Rain Garden
Hoary vervain
Verbena stricta
dry sandy
super tough
McCargo
stricta is from the Latin strictus meaning “drawn together”, “upright” or “straight”
Wild petunia
Ruella humilis
mesic to dry
thrives in sandy edge of pathway
extremely heat tolerant
McCargo
When a plant is much smaller than other plants in the same species, it can be described as humilis.
medium salt tolerance
Coneflowers
Echinacea pallida, purpurea, tennessiensis
mesic to dry
not from NE, but attracts many of the same insects
make excellent garden plant
McCargo
Black Eyed Coneflower
Rhudbeckia hirta
mesic to dry
short lived perennial
blooms the first year from seed
along roadsides
seeds in where it wants to be
not invasive
needs disturbance to thrive
2’ tall
pairs well with hoary vervain (purple with yellow)
McCargo
The Latin word hirta means “rough hairy”
NPT
- A biennial forb, this coneflower is often used in seed mixes for meadow and prairie restorations and successional plantings, as it establishes quickly but fades out as other, longer-lived perennials take hold.
- salt tolerant
- rain garden
- * would this work well with partridge pea?
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
dry
white
grows on edge of road in crappy, salty soil
super tough
McCargo
Millefolium is a Latin word that means “a thousand leaves”
- refers to the plant’s many feathery leaves, which are divided into many small segments
NPT
- Despite some gardeners classifing yarrow as a weed, it can be a fantastic addition to native plant gardens when sited properly. Plant yarrow in areas where little else will grow; sunny, dry sites that are nutrient poor are best. The attractive flower and foliage are prized by many insect species
- salt tolerant
Flax-leaved stiff aster
Ionactis linarifolia
dry, sandy
tiny plant
McCargo
The genus, Ionactis, comes from the Greek word, “ion,” meaning “violet,” and “atkis,” meaning “ray.”
The species, linariifolia, refers to the flax-like leaves.
Purple wood/Showy aster
Eurybia spectabilis
dry, sandy
McCargo
spectabils = showy
Smooth blue aster
Symphotrichum laeve
mesic-dry
most widely available
thrives in super dry
McCargo
laeve, comes from the Latin word levis which means “smooth”
Gray/downy goldenrod
Solidago puberula
dry, sandy
stays as a clump
McCargo
Seaside goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens
dry, sandy
McCargo
Sunflowers
Helianthus divaricatus
edge of road or forest
all sunflowers seed a lot
grow as a clump
Little bluestem
Schizachryium scaparium
almost all roadside grasses are from Asia as agricultural grasses
a lot of cultivars in nurseries
Eastern prickly pear
Opuntia humifusa
NPT
dry, rocky, sunny spots
* Fall/Winter Fruit
* Summer Bloom
Salt tolerant
