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Northern Spicebush
Scientific name: Lindera benzoin Crush a leaf. Smell it. Love it. Features: tolerant of dense shade grows well under black walnut, or beech trees (juglone tolerant) food and host plant for spicebush butterfly leaves can be used to repel mosquitoes (*yet to verify, but it still smells great*) early spring bloomers with yellow flowers that […]
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Silky Willow
Scientific name: Salix sericea This plant has a very high wildlife value (similar in value to oak trees). I’ve only had it in the ground for about 3 years and it always provides me with something exciting to watch (even when it’s not being visited by wildlife). In the wind, the willow-shaped leaves shimmer as […]
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Pokeberry
Scientific name: Phytolacca americana L. Growing up, I always thought of pokeberry as a weed because everyone told me it was just an ugly weed, and it is more commonly referred to as “Pokeweed”. When I saw it rising from the garden, I had to retrain my mind to appreciate its beauty. From its rose-colored stems […]
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Shortleaf Spikesedge
Scientific name: Kyllinga brevifolia Found some in the back yard. Seems to like part shade. It’s a native (according to the Seek app.) Also, according to the Seek app, the scientific name is Cyperus brevifolius, but according to Google, it also goes by Kyllinga brevifolia.
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Small-Flowered Crowfoot
Scientific name: Ranunculus micranthus It’s native and a prolific spreader. The deer occasionally eat it. I’ve been using it as stringy tall-ish ground cover. It only grows to about 16″ tall. Lately, I’ve been looking up the benefits of different plants, and I’ll need to get back to you on my observations for this one. […]
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Nimblewill
Scientific name: Muhlenbergia schreberi A delicate and wispy native grass that is most hated by all lawn lovers. However, if you are interested in naturalizing your property, this grass can be your best friend. It’s a very prolific spreader, and not easy to kill by accident… Actually, you’ll have a hard time killing it on […]
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Common Blue Violet
Scientific name: Viola sororia In searching for more information about this beautiful native plant, I found a lot of false information. Multiple websites call it “invasive”. People tend to falsely label plants as “invasive” because they don’t understand how it is used with respect to plant/animal life. By definition, an invasive plant or animal is […]
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Wild Senna
Scientific name: Senna marilandica We got this from a neighbor when it was just a few inches tall just a few months back. Now it’s about 3′ and with seed pods. The yellow flowers were nice, but I really like the almost fern-like leaves the best. While I’ve read it does well on wet-ish sites, […]
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Mayapple
Scientific name: Podophyllum peltatum Yes, people will think they grow into apple trees when you talk about them, but no, they do not grow into trees at all. Actually, they rarely grow beyond 11 inches tall. They hide a very handsome flower underneath their equally interesting umbrella-like leaves. They do really well in heavily shaded […]
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Virginia Knotweed
Scientific name: Persicaria virginiana Also known as “Jumpseed”, Virginia Knotweed benefits ducks, other birds and small animals (according to internet sources). We don’t typically have ducks passing through our back yard, and I’ve never seen any small animals eat it. In the fall when the seeds formed it attracted cardinal birds. For a few weeks […]