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HOW MANY NATIVE PLANTS DO I NEED IN MY YARD?
Since urban/suburban areas are the fastest growing habitat in Georgia many homeowners are adding native plants to their yards in hopes that local food webs will be reestablished. While some people have replaced all of their introduced ornamentals with native plants, most folks choose to slowly replace their noninvasive introduced ornamentals with native plants. While most gardeners realize that adding a smattering of native plants will not recreate a self-supporting natural habitat, they want to know how many natives they need to incorporate in their landscape to begin making a difference.
According to noted ecologist Doug Tallamy, our gardens need to be composed of a minimum of 70% native, noninvasive plants. This threshold is needed to support native insect populations. One of the reasons this is important is these small critters are eaten by 96% of the nation’s terrestrial birds.
It is often best to have a goal in mind when you embark on such a project. Since most of us will not try to accomplish this goal in a single season. Each time you replace ornamentals replace them with an equal or greater number of natives. Over time, you will eventually reach the 70% goal.
BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PLANT TRUMPET CREEPER
One of my favorite native vines is the trumpet creeper. The problem is experience has taught me you have got to be careful where you plant it.
Trumpet creeper is a great wildlife plant. Its thick foliage provides nesting and escape cover for birds and other wildlife. In addition, the vine’s large showy blossoms are a great source of food for a variety of pollinators ranging from bumble bees, moths, and butterflies to orchard orioles and ruby-throated hummingbirds. It sounds like this is a plant that all wildlife gardeners would like to see growing in their yards; unfortunately, this is not the case.
The problem is that the trumpet creeper aggressively spreads for the spot where it is planted. In fact, it is not uncommon for trumpet creeper to spread 35 feet or more. Consequently, I would recommend that you never plant trumpet creeper close to your home, barn or other structures. If trumpet creeper reaches a building, it will quickly attach itself and potentially cause damage to the structure. It matters not whether the exterior is covered with brick, wood or siding, trumpet creeper will attach itself to the material.
That being said, it does well growing along fences, arbors, and the like. I have even seen it grown beside poles to create a trumpet creeper tree.
BACKYARD SECRET-WEBSITE THAT PROVIDES INFORMATION ON NATIVE PLANTS IN YOUR AREA
The number and variety of native plants that grow in your yard plays a key role on determining what species of wildlife will inhabit your yard. The problem is trying to determine which plants will grow in your neck of the woods.
The National Audubon Society has simplified the task of trying to identify which native wildlife-friendly plants grow in the county where you live.
If you want to access this information, go to the National Audubon Society’s website. Once there scroll to the window labeled Plants that Grow in your Area. You will see a place where you enter your zip code. Type in your zip code; press the Enter button and the plant list for your area will appear.
BEST PLANTS FOR WILDLIFE
For weeks, we have been scurrying about our yards planting plants that are both attractive to us and beneficial to wildlife. Favorite plants include zinnias, coneflowers, snapdragons, salvias, sunflowers and butterfly bushes. While you cannot argue with any of these choices, a family of plants that are arguably the most beneficial to wildlife rarely makes it to the top of the list are the oaks. About now, you are probably scratching your head and wondering if I have lost my mind.
More than 20 species of oaks are native to Georgia. Many of them, such as willow, water, white and red, commonly grow in yards across the state. The truth of the matter is, however, few homeowners realize how important oaks are to literally hundreds of species of wildlife including moths, butterflies, mammals and birds.
Would believe that here in the Peach State 447 species of moths and butterflies utilize oaks as host plants. A few of these lepidopterans include the likes of butterflies such at the great purple hairstreak, Horace’s duskywing, and banded hairstreak. The moths that lay their eggs on oaks includes the underwings, clymene, cecropia, rosy maple, polyphemus, and imperial.
The pollen generated by oaks is also an important source of food for a large variety of native bees and other insect pollinators.
The caterpillars found on oaks are principal sources of food for both migrating songbirds such as warblers. The caterpillars are also the main source of food for songbirds that nest here. The importance of these insects cannot be underestimated when you consider most land-based birds eat insects (primarily caterpillars) sometime during their lives.
Wild turkeys, waterfowl, white – tailed deer, chipmunks, squirrels, woodpeckers, blue jays eastern towhees, and others gobble up acorns.
I cannot think of any other groups of plants that benefits such a wide variety of animals. With that in mind, if native oak is not currently growing in yard, set one out this year. It will be an attractive addition to your home landscape and be a reliable source for wildlife for years to come.
Before you plant an oak, do a little homework; find which species of oaks do well in your section of Georgia. Other information that you should consider is the tree’s size, how soon it will produce a crop of acorns, and whether acorns are form annually,
If you have room enough for a native oak, I recommend that you incorporate it in your landscape design. An oak, along with a variety of other native and noninvasive ornamental plants, can help you create a true wildlife haven.
BLACK-EYED SUSAN – A NATIVE PLANT OF VALUE TO WILDLIFE THAT CAN BE GROWN IN CONTAINERS
If you are looking for a native plant that can be grown in containers, is both beautiful, hardy, and benefits wildlife too, the Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.) just might fit the bill.
My wife and I have grown Black-eyed Susans in containers on our deck for several years. The tall plants produce a profusion of gorgeous long-lasting blooms. While the blossoms are visited by pollinators, I would not call it a butterfly magnet. This is because, at best, butterflies only sparingly nectar at the large blossoms. The pollinators I see most often on our plants in search of nectar and pollen are small, solitary bees.
In addition, the Black-eyed Susan is a host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly. Well after the plant’s blossoms have withered and died, a number of songbirds eat plant’s seeds.
The fact the plant is deer resistant make a favorite among gardeners plagued by hungry deer.
BACYARD SECRET – BUYING CULTIVARS IS SOMETIMES RISKY
When you are shopping for native plants, sometimes you must decide whether to buy a plant that is not a hybrid or a cultivar. Which should you choose?
Although many cultivars often produce larger and more blossoms than those that are not hybrids, sometimes their ability to produce pollen and/or nectar is either lost or lessened during the breeding process. Consequently, if you were planting a native plant for its beauty and ability to supply food for pollinators, you would be better off not buying a cultivar.
However, many cultivars do not lose their ability to produce nectar and pollen. Consequently, if possible, ask a friend or county agent if they know anything about a cultivar you are thinking about buying. You can also check the Internet. Often it can provide you with a wealth of information about the attributes of cultivars.
Transplanting the right plant in your garden can make a big difference to the pollinators that you hope it will benefit and your own satisfaction.
If you know excellent cultivars, please share their names with the rest of us.
BLOGGER COMMENTS ON HUMMINGBIRD EXIT DATES AND A SOURCE OF NATIVE PLANTS
Since I posted the results of the survey concerning the departure dates for ruby-throated hummingbirds, a blogger from Lawrenceville wrote to say that they spotted a rubythroat flitting about their Mexican sunflowers October 31. This sighting pushes back the latest departure date for a ruby-throated hummingbird this year from October 25 to the 31st.
Another blogger took the time say that the Georgia Native Plant Society web page is helpful in locating local nurseries that deal in native plants. The blogger went on the say that the GNPS holds native plant sales during the year.
BLACK-EYED SUSAN
This is great information since anyone that tries to find sources of native plants knows nurseries deal with native plants is often hard to find.
GROWING OLD NURSERY SELLS HEIRLOOM AND NATIVE PLANTS
Recently my wife and I attended THE FLOWER FANTASY AT PINEOLA FARMS located near Fort Valley. The flower show was sponsored by the Magnolia Garden Club. The event was great and the most unusual and fascinating flower show I have ever attended. If the Magnolia Garden Club stages the event next year, prior to the event, I will describe what makes the flower show so different than any others that I have attended. This is a flower show you don’t want to miss.
One of the vendors selling plants at the event was Growing Old Nursery. The relatively new nursery is located between LaGrange and Columbus. While the owners grow and sell a wide variety of plants they specialize in heirloom flowers and vegetables, and native plants.
My wife and I bought a number of plants from them including native azaleas, butterfly weed, touch-me-nots and hollyhocks. I have found it hard to find hollyhocks that produce single flowers. Invariably when I locate hollyhock seeds or plants they are double-flowered varieties. The ruby-throated hummingbird and other pollinators prefer feeding on hollyhocks that display single flowers.
For more information regarding the availability of plants, contact Mary Ann Johnson at (706) 366-6863 or growingoldplants@gmail.com.
THIS PASS-ALONG PLANT IS A SHOWSTOPPER
The plant that is currently putting on the most spectacular show in the Johnson’s backyard is a pass-along plant known as swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolia). As is the case with many of the pass-along plants growing in our yard, it is not a plant my wife and I had on our list of plants that we wanted to incorporate into our backyard landscape. However, now that it has established itself, we are glad that it is a member of our plant community.
This Georgia native is extremely hardy. The woman that gave me the plant simply pulled a handful plants up by their rhizomes and handed them to me. When I told her I did not have any way to keep them from drying out until I got home, she told me not to worry about it.
When I arrived home several hours later, I soaked the rhizomes in a bucket of water and placed them in the ground. Honestly, I did not think they had any chance of surviving. Much to our surprise, they did not die and now, several years later have expanded into a patch some 10-feet long.
Swamp sunflower is a perennial that reaches a height of 8-10′. This fall-bloomer produces a wealth of 2-3″ golden daisy like blooms.
One thing that has endeared it to us is the fact that, in addition of adding beauty to our yard, it feeds a wide range of wildlife. For example, swamp sunflower is a host plant for the gorgeous silvery checkerspot butterfly. In addition, it is an important source of a food for a wide range of pollinators, including honeybees and bumblebees. Although it is touted as a butterfly plant, we see far more bees and other pollinators visiting swamp sunflower’s showy yellow blossoms than butterflies. Despite the fact it has the reputation of providing monarchs with food on their fall migration, we have never seen a monarch on our plants.
Once frost ends swamp sunflower’s blooming season, its seeds are relished by waxwings and other birds that feed on seeds.
The plant requires little water and is relatively pest-free. The only thing that I do to the plants is remove their dead stalks in winter after birds have consumed all of its seeds.
Since it will spread via underground rhizomes, I suspect that sometime down the road, to keep the swamp sunflower patch from extending beyond the place we have designated for it, I am going to have to remove some of the underground rhizomes growing extending beyond the fringes of the stand.
This is one pass-along plant that might be a perfect fit for your yard. If it is, I hope a friend or neighbor will share it with you.