This garden was planted in June 2017 in conjunction with the NC Aboretum, and with the help of the French Broad River Girls Academy, Americorps volunteers and the Madison County Project Challenge kids. We are grateful for their hard work and assistance.
We’re still looking for someone interested in rain gardens that would be willing to oversee the maintenance (champion) of this garden.
AMSONIA/EASTERN BLUE STAR
Ams onia tabernaemontana
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/amsonia-tabernaemontana/
A robust herbaceous native perennial. Multiple single stems emerging from a basal crown often branch near the top to form a dense, shrubby plant that grows to 3½ feet tall and 2′ wide. Lance-shaped, medium green leaves are whorled up long stems that terminate in compact panicles of striking ¾-inch, bright blue star-shaped flowers. Blooms late spring through early summer.
Narrow beanlike pods will form after flowering and offer late-season interest. Yellow foliage in fall from the golden willowlike leaves.
Adaptable and easy to grow. Tolerates moist sandy to heavy clay soils and is drought tolerant once established. Plants will also thrive in certain types of wetlands. Plants flourish in full sun or partial shade but may flop is shade is too dense.
A slightly toxic latex sap causes this plant to be unpalatable to insect pests and foraging herbivores like deer and rabbits. Ruby throated hummingbirds, large carpenter bees, hummingbird moths and butterflies seek the floral nectar.
Tap rooted clumping perennial that forms robust winter rosettes. In spring upright unbranched stems rise from a crown that occurs at ground level.
In late summer, foliage is topped by spires of firey red tubular florets with a two lobed upper lip and a prominent three lobed lower lip which last for 4-6 weeks. Small rounded capsules full of tiny seed form on the stalk following bloom.
Plants are 2-4’ tall with a 1-2’ spread. Hardy zones 3-9.
Prospers in shaded to partly sunny exposures with moist humus rich soil. Plants tolerate sunny sites with sufficient moisture.
The species adapts to sandy loam and gravelly or clay soil but will not tolerate drought. In garden situations the soil should be amended with organic matter to retain moisture.
After seed production, the flowering stem and its roots die. New offsets soon form and generate their own roots. The small offsets are vulnerable in fall and winter and care should be taken not to bury them under thick mulch layers. This species is considered to be a short lived perennial but in an appropriate setting will self-sow and replenish the population.
Flowers are pollinated by ruby throated hummingbirds and are also visited by swallowtail and sulfur butterflies.
A robust shrubby wildflower with multiple upright stems. The leaf surface is grayish green and fairly smooth with lighter colored pubescent undersides.
From summer until early autumn spectacular saucer shaped flowers are borne in the upper leaf axils. Blooms are 4-12” across with 5 overlapping petals. Flowers are commonly white with a crimson eye. Each bloom lasts only a day but they are produced repeatedly for about a month and are followed by 1-2” capsules.
Plants are 4-7’ tall with a spread of 3-4’.
Prefers sunny exposures with rich wet to moist soils. Fairly drought tolerant once established. Tolerates clay, muck and shallow standing water. Stems are sturdy and rarely need staking; and generally cut to the ground in late winter allowing their angular capsules to provide winter interest. Hardy zones 5-8.
MONKEY FLOWER
Mimulus ringens
Wetland perennial plant growing 1-3′ tall, branching occasionally to frequently. The light green stems are bluntly 4-angled, but they are not conspicuously winged. The leaves clasp the stems. Individual flowers develop from the leaf axils of the middle to upper stems. These flowers are about 1″ long, and they have two-lipped corollas that are usually pale blue-violet (less often pink or white). The name comes from the flowers’ resemblance to a monkey’s face. Typical of wetlands, this plant needs consistently moist soils and will slowly spread into a bushy plant.
The purplish-blue small flowers can sometimes verge on pink or white and will bloom for 1 month or more in mid-summer.
Hardy zones 5-8.
A wetland species of iris which typically grows to 2′ tall. It has non-fragrant violet-blue flowers with falls that are crested with yellow and white. Flower color can vary considerably from very light blue to purple. Bright medium green, sword-shaped leaves often lie on the ground or in the water. Blooms in late spring.
Prefers full sun to part shade and will not bloom well if it has more shade than sun. It grows best in moist soils that are not too heavy but will tolerate some brief flooding early in the season and moderate dryness in late summer.
Clumps will slowly spread by creeping rhizomes to form colonies in optimum growing conditions. Divide plants when overcrowding occurs.
Commonly called northern blue flag, is a clump-forming iris that is native to marshes, swamps, wet meadows, ditches and shorelines. It has narrow, arching-to-erect, sword-shaped, blue-green leaves (to 24” long and 1” wide). Flowering stalks rise from the clump to 30” tall in late spring, with each stalk producing 3-5 bluish-purple flowers with bold purple veining. Falls (sepals) have a central yellow blotch surrounded by a white zone.
Clumps spread slowly by tough, creeping rhizomes which are poisonous.
Grow in medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. This iris may be grown in up to 2-4” of shallow standing water (muddy bottom or containers), or in moist shoreline soils or in constantly moist humusy soils of a border.
After fall frost, plant leaves may be trimmed back to about 1” above the crown. Will naturalize to form colonies in the wild.
This large, shrub-like plant has blue-green foliage and an upright vase-shaped habit. Vigorous grower with mature clumps bearing over 100 flowering stalks from late spring into early summer. Pea-like blossoms open lemon yellow, then take on a rusty orange blush on the impressive 12-18 inch long spikes.
Easy to grow and low maintenance. Full sun to part sun. Grows 3’x5′. Performs well in poor soil. Hardy zones 4-9 .
Covered in deep blue flowers in late summer and early fall on 1-3’ tall stems. Lanceolate serrated leaves alternate along the stem, culminating into tiny bracts amidst the bell shaped blooms. Can form colonies of flowered spikes in medium to wet soils, especially with a little shade. Attracts hummingbirds.
Excellent for damp clay soil, but will adapt to drier conditions with more shade. Tolerant of acid to neutral conditions.
Hardy zones 4-8.
SWAMP SUNFLOWER
Helianthus angustifolius
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/helianthus-angustifolius/
An erect perennial with sturdy green or purplish pubescent stems. Golden yellow, daisy-like 3” flower-heads appear in late summer until frost. Growing to 6′ tall, they can spread to 4-5′. Once established, they require little maintenance.
The plant tolerates light shade but prefers full sunlight. Too much shade may result in a weak, leggy plant with few blooms and may need staking.
Tolerates boggy soil, and spreads rapidly when grown in moist, well-drained soil. It can be invasive.
Adaptable and tolerates dry soil for short periods but does best if watered whenever the soil feels dry. A 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch will help keep the soil cool and moist, but don’t let the mulch pile up against the stems. Trim the plant by one-third in early summer to produce a bushy, prolific plant. Remove faded blooms before they go to seed if you don’t want volunteers.
Hardy zones 5-9.
EVENING PRIMROSE or SUNDROPS
Oenothera Biennis
Part of the reason that many people regard this plant as a weed is that growing evening primrose is extremely easy. This plant is happiest in dry open areas similar to the open meadows where they thrive in the wild.
Simply spread the seeds where you would like them to grow and as long as it is not too wet, the yellow evening primrose will happily grow. It is a biennial that will reseed itself wherever you plant it, but it is not very invasive and will remain well behaved in your flower beds. Transplanting an evening primrose plant will probably not succeed, so you are better off planting them from seed.
Not specific about soil type. Prefers full sun. Plants will last two years and are self sowing.
Marshall Native Gardens 