Latin for Gardeners: October 2020

October’s Native Maryland Plant
Mimulus ringens L.
(MIM-yoo-luss RIN-jens)
Common Name: Monkey Flower

Temperatures have dropped significantly since Mimulus ringens was in full bloom, yet a few hardy flowers still cling to its branches, inviting any late season pollinators that happen to be passing by.  This plant has been very productive in my yard, filling a persistently wet area while providing nourishment to many pollinators since late May.

In need of wetland plants, I selected monkey flower after reading that it was a host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly – one of my favorites.  I also read that ‘older, post-hibernation larvae’¹ of the Baltimore Checkerspot will feed on it if it is planted near their primary host plant, Turtlehead (Chelone glabra). The Checkerspot has proven elusive in my garden despite the many Turtlehead plants I grow, but I remain hopeful that having Mimulus ringens sited nearby will further entice the state butterfly to consider my yard a worthy nursery.

Mimulus ringens is native to the wetlands of central and eastern North America.  Its stems emerge as early as February and by late May they’re surprisingly stiff, over 3’ tall and full of lavender blooms. This is a rhizomatic plant and its blooms grow opposite each other as a single pair on a long stalk that emerges from the leaf axil; they typically bloom on different days.  Its lance-shaped, serrated leaves are rotated 90 degrees from adjacent pairs.

I may never see a Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly in my garden, but I’ll continue to enjoy the Common Buckeye and take pleasure knowing that I’ve added a new host plant to support this local Lepidoptera.

¹ https://www.butterfliesofmassachusetts.net/baltimore-checkerspot.htm

² The angle between the upper side of the stem and a leaf, branch, or petiole.

~ Alison Milligan – Mstr. Gardener/Mstr. Naturalist/Mstr. Watershed Steward

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)

aligmilligan@gmail.com

Latin for Gardeners: September

How Are You Holding Up?

When people visit my home, I often hear them say, “You have so many tall plants! How do you keep them from falling over?”  As a native plant enthusiast, I don’t limit myself to just short plants – instead, I strive for biodiversity and finding the right plant to fit a site;  frequently that means planting one of the excellent, very tall perennials that Maryland is known for.  Over the years I have had to get creative to find ways to keep my plants standing tall while withstanding increasingly extreme weather. September is the wettest month of the year in Maryland and as we move further into hurricane season, I need to anticipate storms that can wreak havoc on a garden. 

Like many of you, I do most of the cleanup of my garden in early spring – rather than cutting plants back after blooming, I keep the seed heads of most plants available for birds and to provide overwintering areas for insects and the like.  Below are a few of the techniques I use to hold up plants in my garden:

Providing support for tall plants in your yard is important but in this time of coronavirus the more important question is, “How are you holding up?”  I miss spending time with my gardening and Watershed Steward friends. I can only hope you are all staying safe and that we will soon be able to get together again. Hopefully, like my Joe-Pye Weed, you are staying strong and providing your own support to a friend or neighbor. In the meantime, I will imagine you all doing a bit of native plant gardening.

~ Alison Milligan – Mstr. Gardener/Mstr. Naturalist/Mstr. Watershed Steward

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)

aligmilligan@gmail.com

Latin for Gardeners: July and August 2020

July and August Native Maryland Plants

Hypericum densiflorum Pursh.
(hy-PER-ee-kum den-see-FLOR-um)
Common Name: Dense St. John’s Wort

Hypericum prolificum L.
(hy-PER-ee-kum pro-LIF-ih-kum)
Common Name: Shrubby St. John’s Wort

This month I want to share with you two plants that are commonly confused with one another: Hypericum densiflorum and Hypericum prolificum.  By discussing them side-by side I hope to show you how to differentiate them if you ever see them in your work or travels. These Hypericum spp. bloom all summer long, are native to the Mid-Atlantic states and are very low maintenance. Four years ago I planted a single specimen of each so I could learn to differentiate them; I sited them near each other along my driveway where they get full unobstructed sun and no maintenance.  They have been blooming profusely since early June and because of their proximity to one another are easily distinguished. 

At first glance you notice that both the flowers and the leaves of H. densiflorum are noticeably smaller than those of H. prolificum and there are more flowers to each inflorescence.  True to its name, the habit and flowering of H. densiflorum is a much denser shrub with flowers that are tightly clustered. H. prolificum has a more open habit with slightly larger flowers that grow in less crowded clusters on a stem. The stems of each plant are worth a closer look:  H. densiflorum is smooth and copper colored while mature H. prolificum appears woody and exfoliates in winter, exposing a light brown to orange bark.

Each plants’ flower has five petals and countless long yellow stamen that give the flower a frilly look -they can even obscure the petals. These flowers contain pollen but no nectar so bees are common visitors, butterflies are rare.  Interestingly, both shrubs are a host plant for the gray hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus) and several moths.  These Hypericum species leaf out early and are teeming with bees as soon as they get a single bloom.  They are often planted as erosion control plants; they have good drought tolerance and can easily be pruned to contain their height, if desired.

NOTE: Foliage contains a phototoxic chemical which deters deer and other herbivores.  Rutgers rates this plant a B: Seldom Severely Damaged by deer: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/

~ Alison Milligan – Mstr. Gardener/Mstr. Naturalist/Mstr. Watershed Steward

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)

aligmilligan@gmail.com

Latin for Gardeners: June 2020

June’s Native Maryland Plant
Carex plantaginea Lam.
(KARE-eks plan-taj-in-EE-ah)
Common Name: Seersucker Sedge or Plantain-leaf Sedge

The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that I, like many of you, have been spending most of my time at home, keeping safe and reducing my risk of getting the coronavirus. For me, being at home has meant even more time in the garden, intently observing nature and the emergence of spring while also having the opportunity to look at my plants with a more critical eye. I have been using this time to determine which plants are best at suppressing weeds and reducing maintenance to save myself even more time once things get back to normal.

One plant I’ve grown to admire for its ability to compete with invasives (e.g. periwinkle, Japanese stiltgrass) is Carex plantaginea. This rather ornamental sedge that I planted 3 years ago in a large swath of moist shade under high canopy trees has shown itself to be a star. Because it emerges in early spring, it is effective at suppressing weeds while creating an attractive groundcover along the way - its wide, puckered leaves and showy inflorescence add unexpected visual interest. The common name, seersucker sedge, refers to its crinkled leaves which resemble the very breathable summer fabric known as seersucker – traditionally worn in the South between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

If you prefer planting to pulling weeds in your garden – give Carex plantaginea a try. You may find it gives you just a bit more time on your hands – not on your knees!

NOTE: There are over 1500 species in the genus Carex.  Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, but those of the genus Carex are called "true" sedges. The study of Carex is known as caricology.

~ Alison Milligan – Mstr. Gardener/Mstr. Naturalist/Mstr. Watershed Steward

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)

aligmilligan@gmail.com