Mulch with Native Plants, or leaves

Native sedum, Sedum ternatum

Many people of the gardening variety are getting wise about using native plants in their yards. They’ve heard the fuss and want to try them out. They visit a native plants nursery or read about them online, and enthusiastically want one of everything, (especially if they’re a plantaholic like me). My advice is limit the types of plants but plant more of those natives you choose. Plant in drifts of at least three plants, seven or nine is better. Plant closer together than experts say. Mulch with more plants!

Mulch with native plants, you say. Whatever do you mean? Picture a prairie or the woods (minus honeysuckle, of course). Do you see mulch around the plants? No, just more plants or leaves. It’s ok to mulch with leaves too. You don’t even have to shred them, but they’ll be incorporated into the soil faster if you do. The goal is to cover up bare ground, because guess what happens if you don’t? Something will start growing there. Chances are it will be a weed, that is a plant growing somewhere it’s not wanted. Nature abhors a vacuum. This is oh so true.

I’m all in favor of allowing volunteers of the natives you plant to thrive. If you get too many, just give some to your friends. Plus, the plants are telling you where they want to grow. I planted some Asclepias Incarnata, otherwise known as Swamp Milkweed in my mini prairie. It promptly seeded itself by my pond as a volunteer. OK, it took two years which is pretty prompt for plants moving on their own. Duh… it’s known as SWAMP milkweed. That should have given me a hint of what conditions it prefers. Silly me. If you mulch thickly with pine straw or hardwood mulch, your plants will never get a chance to communicate with you.

Yes, it does matter what natives you grow. Choose the plants that will thrive in the growing conditions you have and let them have at it. Mulch with more natives. Here’s a list of plants of smaller stature that can be used around the taller natives in various locations. Remember to check your growing conditions for sun or shade, wet or dry.

• Violets, Viola, are very common in many places. Chances are you won’t have to plant them. They usually grow in clumps and spread by seed. You can find violets in many colors: the common purple, white, yellow, red, and combinations of those colors. They provide food for insects and butterflies. They are edible by humans too.

• Native Sedum, Argentina anserina, is a gorgeous plant. A low grower, it spreads by spreading out and by seed. In spring its flowers are small. It prefers damp woodland or woodland edge conditions.

• Widows cross sedum, Sedum pulchellum, is a stonecrop that grows in sunny rock gardens in the southern parts of Ohio. It has pink flowers with lime green leaves. I don’t grow it yet, but I’m going to look for it.

• Native pachysandra or allegheny spurge,Pachysandra procumbens, is an evergreen subshrub that prefers dry partial shade. I have found it very attractive with its white flowers in spring but not as hardy in our area as other ground covers. It deserves to be planted more, an excellent native alternative to the more easy to find Japanese pachysandra.

• Wild strawberries, Fragaria virginiana, are wonderful ground cover. Be sure to plant the native variety with hairy petioles with three toothed leaves. The flowers are white and the fruit is edible and sweet.

• Creeping blue sedge, Carex laxiculmis, is a carex that deserves to be planted more. It spreads slowly by extensions. Its leaves are a greenish blue. It is wonderful under trees and shrubs.

• Silverweed, Argentina anserina, is an attractive grown cover native that spreads by seed and extending itself over the ground. It grows well in sun or shade and has small golden yellow flowers in spring.

• Clover Dalea purpurea, grows in full sun so it’s perfect for a lawn substitute. It has a pretty purple flower and attracts bees, butterflies, and insects. It grows about a foot tall and is not picky about moisture. The white clover, Trillium repens, often found in lawns is a native of Europe. Dalea can be sown in meadows that aren’t mowed often.

• Wild ginger, Asarum canadense, is a woodland plant that prefers damp shade. Its reddish flowers are pollinated by ants and grown close to the ground. It spreads nicely by extending itself in all directions.

• Bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, is an evergreen mini shrub with lite pink flowers and bright red berries. The branches grow out near to the ground and sometimes drop and root. It was used by Native Americans as an antiseptic. The berries were used as food.

• Canada anenome, Anemonastrum canadense, is a lovely plant that is covered in white flowers in spring. It is a vigorous spreader and good ground cover plant. Beloved by pollinators it is happy with enough moisture and sun.

• Field pussytoes, Asarum canadense, forms a mat of foliage in dry rocky locations. It tolerates woodland edge and spreads by stolens. Its flowers are unusual looking and bloom in early summer.

• Big leaf aster, Aster macrophylla, gets its name from the heart shaped basil leaves. It is common in woodland gardens but is not picky about moisture or soil type. It has daisy like flowers that are white or light pink.

• Pennsylvania sedge, Carex pensylvanii, is one of my favorite sedges. Its thin foliage looks like a small green fountain. It looks lovely in large groups and is a wonderful shady turf grass alternative.

• James sedge, Carex jamesii, is a highly rated sedge that grows almost anywhere. It prefers part sun and dry to moist soil conditions. It is also fountain-like but it takes up a bit more space than Pennsylvania sedge.

• Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, is an evergreen fern that keeps its dark green fronds all winter. It is a wonderful woodland garden native and a good choice for a shaded slope to prevent erosion. There are other ferns that make good choices too.

• Virginia waterleaf, Hydrophyllum virginianum, is a volunteer in my garden. It likes moisture and partial sun. The flowers are white, blue or purple and appear in late spring. The leaves are spotted.

• Wild petunias, Ruellia humilis, is a delicate plant with purple flowers. It prefers drier woodland edge or open conditions with more sun. In my garden it blooms in early summer. It attracts butterflies.

• Wood or celandine poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum. is a wonderful spring blooming native with good sized buttery yellow flowers. It is an early bloomer and provides early food to insects. The seed pods dangle then pop open to distribute the seeds. It spreads well by seed but not too aggressively.

• Partridge pea, Stylophorum diphyllum, is an annual everyone should know. It has fern-like foliage and beautiful yellow flowers all summer. It attracts pollinators and will reseed itself once established. It prefers sunny and dry locations. It can be used when planting new prairies for blooms the first year while other natives are getting established.

• Golden ragwort, Packera aurea, can sometimes be mistaken for the invasive lesser celandine, but it is native and useful to insects. It grows in shady areas and has pretty yellow daisy-like flowers. It spreads by seed and underground rhizomes.

• Narrow leaf mountain mint, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, is a good mint to use as ground cover since it has a shorter profile than other mints. It has a wonderful fragrance when touched. Its white flowers are favored by bees and butterflies. Give it sun and room to roam.