Container Gardening with Native Plants Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

What exactly is a Native Plant? Native Plants are the species that occur naturally in a given area. Native Plants include ferns, grasses, water and marsh plants, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, trees and vines. There are so many choices! They come in many colors, shapes and sizes. Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

Why Containers? Physical limitations Landscape limitations Propagation Low maintenance Easy access Landscape limitations Propagation -You can separate some of your perennials annually and gift or plant in your landscape. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Coreopsis (lanceolata) Recycle -Great way to reuse many household items

Containers 101 Plan your container Determine light and moisture requirements Select type of container Mix soil and any soil amendments needed according to VTE recommendations Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) About Small, non-spreading grass with blue-green leaves that turn reddish orange in the fall Fluffy silver seed heads are ornamental through winter Grows to 2’-3’ X 1’ Full Sun Well drained, dry soil Benefits Deer resistant Drought tolerant Attracts butterflies and birds Uses Dried flowers Cut flowers Rock gardens Bonsai Companions Butterfly Milkweed Pale purple coneflower Stiff Goldenrod

Woodland Phlox (Phlox paniculata) About Partial to Full Shade Average Size 6”-1.5’ Average to moist soil Prefers Organically rich soil Benefits Attracts Hummingbirds and Butterflies Beautiful Spring Flowers Companion Plants Virginia Bluebells Christmas Fern Goat’s Beard

Madienhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) About Full Shade/Deep Shade Moderate Moisture Organically rich soil Deciduous Height 18”-2’ Can be divided in Autumn or Winter Facts Maidenhair fern is the source of a pleasantly aromatic volatile oil long used as a rinse or shampoo that rendered black hair very shiny, hence the name Maidenhair. The tough, water-repellant, shiny black stems were used by Native American peoples in basket weaving.

Where Can I Purchase Native Plants Locally? Colonial Nursery – Williamsburg Sassafras Farm – Gloucester Cooke’s Garden – Williamsburg Let it Grow – Williamsburg Homestead Garden Center – Toano 2011 Native Plant Sales John Clayton Chapter/Native Plant Society 4-30-11 Virginia Living Museum 4-16 & 4-17 & 4-23-11

Where Can I See Native Plants? VIMS Teaching Marsh Williamsburg Botanical Garden Melissa’s Meadow at William & Mary Stonehouse Elementary School W&M Wildflower Refuge Virginia Living Museum New Quarter Park Norfolk Botanical Garden Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden JCC Human Services (Master Gardener Project)

Websites of Note www.wildflower.org Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center site has excellent articles on gardening with natives, including guidelines for container gardening www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/ Web and PDF versions of handbook, Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, now out of print. www.claytonvnps.org John Clayton Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society, extensive plant lists by county, excellent photo gallery. www.dgif.virginia.gov/habitat Extensive how-to information for environmental stewardship for homeowners, schools and businesses. www.floraofvirginia.org Comprehensive research project publishing 2012 will describe more than 3,500 native plants with photos and illustrations. www.pubs.ext.vt.edu Virginia Cooperative Extension (VA Tech & VSU) Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia heliopsidis)

Great Resources for Native Plant Information Virginia Habitat Partnership State Certification The Essential Guide Just updated with FAQ’s and a regional plant list. John Clayton Chapter VNPS- Local Experts National Wildlife Federation 140,000+ registered habitats

Why use Native Plants? Want to do less watering? Native plants are survivors and adapt to whatever is happening in their environment. Feel concerned about excess nitrogen causing algae blooms in the Chesapeake Bay? Natives don’t require fertilizer. Native Plants provide familiar sources of food and shelter for wildlife. On a broader ecological scale, planting native species contributes to the overall health of natural communities.