Bayscape Blog 5/12/11

Beautiful Baptisia

by Judy DeFiglio

If you are looking for a spectacular plant for your spring garden consider the Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo). Big, bold, blue and beautiful, this plant has it all. The intense violet-blue pealike flowers on four foot tall stems really command attention. The leaves are an interesting blue-green color with an oblong shape. The flowers are long lasting and followed by two inch long black seed pods that add an additional season of interest to your landscape. The plant emerges in spring with flower stalks that look almost like asparagus, then grows several feet to bloom in mid May.

Baptisia prefer full sun but can grow in part shade. They have a deep taproot and do not like to be divided or moved, so plant them where you want them to grow. I recommend you plant them in the back of the border or center of an island bed. Though this is a perennial, it is shrub-like in appearance and gets three to four feet wide, so give it room to grow. Even after the flowers fade this is a plant that will look good in your garden. It may be large but it is not sprawling and retains a nice vase-like shape.

This native plant grows well in our sandy soil, but enjoys a bit of compost mixed in, especially if you are growing it at the beach. It even has a good degree of salt tolerance. Since it is in the legume family it has nitrogen-fixing ability so no fertizer is needed, great news for our environment.

While the blue is my favorite, there are also white and yellow flowered varieties of Baptisia. All of them put on an impressive display.

I am very excited about all the enthusiastic gardeners I am meeting as I continue to spread the word on using native plants to beautify their landscape and help the environment. I will be posting updates on workshops and lectures and hope to meet lots more of you in the future. Become a member of the Littoral Society and receive emails of upcoming events at http://www.littoralsociety.org/

Bayscape Blog 5/6/11

Spring Beauties

By Judy DeFiglio

What a gorgeous spring we are having this year! I can’t remember when we have had such a beautiful display of spring flowering trees and shrubs. I have so many blooms on my dogwoods, redbuds and fothergilla it is amazing. The chokeberries are opening and the viburnums are ready to burst. I am so happy I switched to all these native plants a few years ago, the rewards are endless, and the only work I had to do this spring was rake some leaves, which I used in my compost pile, and renew some mulch in my garden beds.

You can send me all the glossy catalogs you want advertising the top 10 new plants for 2011, I admit they are pretty to look at, but, what really makes my heart skip a beat is stepping outside and seeing the beautiful, uniquely shaped blossoms on my old fashioned bleeding hearts ( Dicentra eximia). This native perennial has arching stalks of pink, heart- shaped flowers, grows 18 inches tall and is a spring bloomer that puts on quite a show. It can take some morning sun but prefers some shade in the afternoon. The foliage is fern like and greenish-blue. Another native Dicentra, dutchmen’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) is an all white variety with interesting pants-shaped flowers in early spring. It is smaller, only growing to 6 inches tall and prefers a moist, shady spot.

My mountain pinks (Phlox subulata) are another native perennial that looks especially spectacular this year. The carpet of pink flowers is so thick you can hardly see the green leaves. This plant likes well drained, sandy soil and full sun. It looks so pretty spreading through my rock garden. It’s been blooming for several weeks already and even after to flowers fade, the fine, narrow leaved foliage will continue to look great throughout the summer.

If you weren’t able to attend the Littoral Society’s Native Plant Workshop at Hammett’s Garden Center last weekend you really missed a great day. Beautiful weather, wonderful native plants, interesting info on how to go native and an enthusiastic group of people interested in environmentally friendly gardening. Who could ask for more! Helen Henderson, Policy Advocate for the Littoral Society explained, “Hammett’s Garden Center is our first retail nursery to commit to providing a specific area dedicated to native plants for our Bayscape for Barnegat Bay program. This is the American Littoral Society’s grass roots Shore Stewardship program that encourages residents of the Barnegat Bay watershed to adopt more bay-friendly landscaping and grounds maintenance practices including using low-maintenance native species instead of non-natives that require excessive water, fertilizer, and pesticides that ultimately run off the land into the bay. The program’s mantra is, Don’t landscape- Bayscape.” To learn more about the Bayscape for Barnegat Bay program, visit www.littoralsociety.org/bayscape_for_barnegat_ bay.aspx. Hammett’s will be stocking the native plants suggested in this blog with new shipments arriving each week.

Time to go outside and enjoy the show!

Bayscape Blog 4/27/11

What’s in a Name?

By Judy DeFiglio

When I am giving a talk on native plants or writing this blog I often get asked why I use the Latin name for plants. Am I being a plant “snob”? Am I being a “show off”? or, just trying to impress? The answer is none of the above. I include the Latin name of the plant so you get the right plant for your garden. Common names can be colorful, fun and interesting but they are just that, names given and used by locals for a plant growing in their area. This can cause a problem because often the same plant is called a different name in different parts of the country. For example, what is called beebalm in some areas, oswego tea in other places, and wild bergamot elsewhere, has the same Latin name, Monarda. All over the world, no matter where you go, the Latin name is the same for a specific plant. So if you want to be sure you get the plant you want, use the Latin name. It really isn’t as difficult as you may think. I bet you already know some. How about chrysanthemum, coreopsis, sedum or phlox?

Another question I often get asked is, “can I use a cultivar or do I have to get the species?” For this discussion a species is a plant growing naturally in the wild. Cultivar, the combination of the words cultivated variety, means a plant selected for its desirable characteristic, propagated and maintained by cultivation. This question is hotly debated among native plant enthusiasts. Some feel that if it isn’t a species growing in the immediate area it is not “native”. Others feel that if a cultivar is created from native plants it still deserves the name “native”. I recently attended the NJ Native Plant society conference and a debate was held on this very issue. Both sides presented strong arguments and valid points. The results: for now we agree to disagree. BUT both sides did agree that using cultivars from native plants was far superior for the environment then using non natives.

This is the point we are trying to make with our Bayscape for Barnegat Bay Shore Stewards Program. Using native plants is best but if they don’t work in your landscape using “improved” native cultivars is preferable to using non native or exotic plant material.

Remember Saturday April 30, at 10 a.m. there is a free workshop on becoming a Shore Steward and using native plants in your landscape.

Hammets Garden Center Rt. 9 Forked River, NJ

Join Policy Advocate Helen Henderson and Bayscape Horticulturist Judy DeFiglio to learn about Barnegat Bay and the use of native plants in your yard. A presentation will be made to help you plan your Bayscape for Barnegat Bay garden and plants will be available for immediate purchase. Light refreshments will be provided.

Hope to meet you there.

Bayscape Blog 4/18/11

Where to Find Native Plants for your Garden

By Judy DeFiglio

The word is spreading, the awareness is growing, and the converts are in their gardens digging. Everywhere I go people are talking and asking questions about using native plants in their gardens. As we approach Earth Day this week, that’s great news for the environment. If everyone would just take one small step toward reducing the use of fertilizer and other chemicals in their gardens, it would make a big difference to our planet.

Now the problem becomes, where do you find these fabulous native plants that I keep writing about. First, and most importantly, never dig up plants in the wild. They may look spectacular and be just what you want, but they need to stay where they are. They are playing an important role in creating biodiversity, providing habitat and food for wildlife. Too many natives are already being destroyed by overdevelopment and other environmental issues, like invasive species taking over habitat. Always buy your plants from a reliable nursery or garden center. Mail order is an option but be sure they certify that their plants are grown not dug from the wild.

A word of caution, there is no legal definition of “native” plant. While most experts agree that a native is a plant that was growing in an area before European colonization, some use the term very freely to describe any plant that grows in the wild. Also, some writers use the term to mean native to the United States while others mean native to a particular region. It can get confusing. Add to the mix that some large retailers will list a plant as native, but since they have stores all over the US, the plants they sell in NJ as natives are really native to California so they may not perform well in our area. Just do a little research (like reading this blog!) and you’ll know which plants to choose.

The good news is that because there has been such a surge in interest in native plants, growers and garden centers are really making an effort to expand their stock of these great trees, shrubs and perennials. You will find it increasingly easier to find what you are looking for.

Keep an eye out for local environmental groups that may be having plant sales and swaps. It is a great way to get plants that you know are for your area. These groups usually have good information to share as well. Some local events coming up are listed below.

Barnegat Bay Festival -June 5 2011 http://bbp.ocean.edu

D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Native Plant Nursery Spring Sale- April 29 & 30, 2011 www.drgreenway.org/nativeplants.html

Pineland Preservation Alliance Plant Sale- April 30, 2011 www.pinelandsalliance.org

Also the Littoral Society presenting a workshop on becoming a Shore Steward and using native plants in your landscape.

Bayscape Workshop

Saturday, April 30th 10:00 a.m.

Hammett’s Garden Center

Route 9, Forked River

Join Policy Advocate Helen Henderson and Bayscape Horticulturist Judy DeFiglio to learn about Barnegat Bay and the use of native plants in your yard. A presentation will be made to help you plan your Bayscape for Barnegat Bay garden and plants will be available for immediate purchase. Light refreshments will be provided.

Please RSVP no later than April 27th. Wendy Kozak 609 709-8196 or e-mail: helen@littoralsociety.org

The American Littoral Society is pleased to welcome Hammett’s Garden Center as our first offical Bayscape nursery!

So there you have it- lots of opportunity to start your native plant garden this season.

Bayscape Blog 4/8/11

Let the Show Begin- Spring Flowering Natives

By Judy DeFiglio

After such a very long winter, I am sure we are all ready for the beautiful blooms of spring. While I will admit the flowers of the cherry and pear trees are a pretty sight, a late spring frost or April heat wave, which are common in our area, can quickly end the show on these non natives. In addition, the Bradford pear, once a highly recommended spring bloomer, is now considered an invasive species in several states. Besides, it can get pretty boring when every house on the block has a weeping cherry drooping in the front yard. Why not add some springtime flowering native shrubs to your landscape and really wow your neighbors?

Native trees and shrubs have adapted to our climate, so they are happier and healthier then the exotics brought into our area. This means less pests and diseases for the plant and less work for you. Most native plants do not require fertilizer or any additional water, once established, so they are a much better choice for the environment. All this and gorgeous blooms too. Need more? Most of these plants have a fantastic berry display later in the year. Still more? How about great fall color? That’s three seasons of interest in your garden.

Try some of these native spring blooming trees and shrubs:

Amelanchier Canadensis commonly called Serviceberry is a small tree that has white flowers in April followed by edible red fruit that turns blue in late summer. Good red fall color.

Aronia arbutifolia, the red chokeberry is large multi-stemmed shrub, six to ten feet tall. It grows in full sun to light shade and has lots of tiny white flowers in spring. The very prolific red berry display that arrives in fall, lasts well into the winter. Leaves turn a bright orange-red in autumn.

Cercis Canadensis, our eastern redbud(pictured), is a small tree that has deep rosy pink flowers in early spring before the leaves emerge . They really stand out against the bark that is almost black. Interesting heart shaped leaves turn yellow in autumn. This one is my favorite.

Kalmia latifolia or mountain laurel is a broadleaf evergreen with pink or white flowers in late spring. This is a good choice to replace the overused, non-native, azaleas and rhododendrons. Though there are several native rhododendrons that I do recommend you include in your landscape.

Vaccinium corymbosum, highbush blueberry, is often overlooked as a landscape plant. But it has white to pink bell-shaped flowers in spring, shiny dark green leaves that turn deep red in autumn and, of course, delicious blue berries in summer. They look great in a mass planting and your kids will have a ball picking the berries.

Viburnum dentatum commonly called arrowood is large shrub, up to ten feet tall and wide. Clusters of white flowers in late spring are followed by bluish black fruit. It has shiny dark green leaves that turn red in fall.

Bayscape Blog 4/1/11

It’s Spring

By Judy DeFiglio

It is spring, no really it is! The weather may not feel like it but the calendar says garden time is here. I know that all of you have kept your New Year’s Garden Resolutions (see blog 12/29/10) and are ready to get your hands dirty. Just remember never work in the garden when the soil is wet. It will compact the soil and can spread fungus and disease, so let the sun shine for a few days before you dig. Don’t worry, all that snow we had this winter did not hurt our tough native plants, soon they will be up and blooming.

If you didn’t have an opportunity to divide your plants last fall you can do it now, except for the early spring bloomers. Dividing them now would not hurt the plant but it may disrupt the bloom cycle. A good rule for most plants is: if it blooms in spring, divide in fall and if it blooms in fall, divide in spring. Now is also a good time to plant any newly purchased trees, shrubs orperennials. This will allow them to develop a healthy root system before the heat and drought of summer. If you are planting seeds, check the package for specific instructions. Some hardy annuals enjoy the cool spring soil while others need warmer temperatures to germinate.

Barnegat Bay has been in the news all winter as environmentalists and government agencies have been working on a variety of measures designed to improve the health of the bay. Fertilizer regulation is a big part of this program since fertilizer runoff is a big part of the problem. Isn’t it great that we can all be part of the solution by using native plants in our garden. Natives don’t require fertilization. So not only are they beautiful and low maintenance, but they help save our wonderful natural resource, Barnegat Bay.

Keep reading this blog in the weeks to come for news about an exciting project starting soon at Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood. Littoral Society will be joining with many other environmental groups to incorporate several native plant gardens along the trails throughout the park and to provide educational opportunities for residents to learn how to implement these gardens in their own landscape.

Bayscape Blog 1/24/11
Think Spring
By Judy DeFiglio

The snow just keeps on coming and cabin fever is really setting in. But each day is getting a little longer and soon it will be spring. Okay, I hear you, “NOT SOON ENOUGH”! A sure cure for the winter blues is to think spring. Now is the perfect time to pick up a book or magazine and check out the latest garden info or head to the web and read a good garden blog. Just looking at the gorgeous flowers will lift your spirits.

Native plant enthusiasts really enjoy the spring. Many of our natives will be putting on a great show while the rest of the plant world is just waking up.

Here are a few favorite native perennials to brighten your springtime garden:

Bleeding heart (dicentra)- Pretty pink and white heart shaped flowers. This plant likes a little shade and moisture. It grows 4 to 6 feet tall then disappears in the heat of summer.

Blue Star ( Amsonia tabernaemontana) One of the earliest plants to flower, this 2 ½ to 3 feet tall plant has light blue flowers for three to four weeks in early spring. They like full sun and their leaves turn a pretty yellow in autumn

Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis) 2 to 4 feet tall. These are unique shaped, two toned, red and yellow flowers with spurs. The leaves are rounded and the flower self sows but not invasively. It likes sun to part shade.

Several Phlox:

Moss pink (Phlox subulata) Only 3-6 inches tall this mat forming plant has masses of deep pink flowers in early spring. It takes full sun and likes our sandy soil. The occasional spring snows won’t bother it at all and your perennials will grow right up through this ground cover.

Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) This 1 to 1 ½ foot plant has lots of light blue, fragrant flowers throughout the spring and is perfect in a woodland setting.
Solomon Seal (Polygonatum) Another woodland plant that has beautiful arching stems with tiny drooping white flowers in spring.

Trees and Shrubs

Sweetspire (Itea virginica) This shrub is 4-6 feet tall with arching branches that have fragrant white drooping spires of flowers in spring. Though deciduous its stems are a coppery red color that add winter interest

Redbud (Cerciscanadensis) A small tree that has dark bark and gorgeous deep pink flowers. Leaves turn yellow in fall.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier Canadensis) This small tree has white flowers in spring followed by reddish purple fruit and red fall color

You may not be able to see your garden right now under all this snow, but you just imagine how beautiful it will look in a few weeks when spring arrives and the show begins.