Georgia Gardener Newsletter Design Tip

Georgia Gardener Newsletter Design Tip: April 16, 2009

Earth Day: Plant a Native Plant

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Spiderwort & Coreopsis

In honor of Earth Day this year, I'm hoping that all of our subscribers will plant a native plant in their landscape. Surprisingly, there are quite a few that can be purchased from retail nurseries and the various plant sales occurring this month. To make it easier, I've listed some native plants you may want to consider adding to your landscape. When searching for any plant, cross-check the botanical name (in parentheses) to make sure you're getting the plant you want.

Large Trees (30+ feet):

Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Pin Oak (Quercus palustris )
Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii )
White Oak (Quercus alba)
Big Leaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla)
Hickory (Carya spp.)


White Oak	Bald Cypress

Small Trees

Dogwood (Cornus floridus)
Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp. )
Silverbell (Halesia spp.)
American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus)
Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)
Devil's Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa)


Fringe Tree	Red Buckeye

Shrubs

Native Azalea (Rhododendron spp.)
Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)


Bottlebrush Buckeye	Virginia Sweetspire

Perennials

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)
Tickseed (Coreopsis spp.)
Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)
Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
Phlox (Phlox spp.)
Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis)


Cardinal Flower	Orange Milkweed

Ferns

Christmas (Polystichum acrostichoides)
Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron)
Lady (Athyrium felix-femina)
Sensitive (Onoclea sensibilis)
Netted Chain (Woodwardia areolata)
Royal (Osmunda regalis)
Cinnamon (Osmunda cinnamomea)


Cinnamon Fern	Lady Fern

Grasses

Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Panic (Panicum virgatum)
Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis)


Muhly Grass	Little Bluestem

Vines

Amethyst Falls Wisteria (or any cultivar of Wisteria frutescens)
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
Climbing Hydrangea (Decumaria barbara)
Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana)


Crossvine	Coral Honeysuckle

Sources for Native Plants

Many nurseries now carry an assortment of native plants. Various organizations and plant groups have native plant sales throughout the year. Check Walter's Garden Event Calendar for more information.

Probably the best place to begin is with The Georgia Native Plant Society. The GNPS lists sources of native plants on their web site as well as holding regular plant sales at their meetings. Their large annual plant sale will be held Saturday, April 25 from 10AM until 2PM at Stone Mountain Park.