LivablePlants for the Home Landscape

Diverse plant communities inplanned landscapes that support healthyecosystems not only provide food forinsects, birds and the rest of the foodweb, but they result in easier to managelandscapes with fewer pest outbreaks,requiring fewer inputs (such as pesticidesand fertilizers). The sustainability of man-aged landscapes is improved by • Use of pest resistant plants;• Ecosystem-wise planting design;• Proper plant installation and mainte-

nance;• Preservation of natural enemy commu-

nities.Researchers at the University of

Maryland suggest the following steps willprovide landscapes that support greaternumbers of beneficial insects that helpcontrol common insect pests:• Increase structural complexity – more

plants at different layers, especially treeand groundcover layers.

• Increase plant biodiversity – more plantspecies and families.

• Add flowers and fruit – vary architec-tural complexity and provide seasonlong bloom.

More about invasive plants:

Invasive plants can be divided intotwo categories—(1) plants that are nolonger sold or were never sold (for exam-ple, multiflora rose, autumn olive, garlicmustard and oriental bittersweet) and (2)plants still grown and sold (such as burn-ing bush, Japanese barberry and Norwaymaple).

The first brochure in the LivablePlants series—Plants for a LivableDelaware was designed to educate the gar-dening public about invasive plants andsuggest desirable alternatives for homeand commercial landscape use, therebyreducing the number of invasive plantsgrown and sold. The second brochure—Controlling Backyard Invaders wasdesigned to help homeowners and landmanagers control invasive plants that areno longer sold but have become signifi-cant problems in fields, forests, and othernatural spaces.

This third brochure— Livable Plantsfor the Home Landscape provides garden-ers with the tools needed to use plants inattractive, sustainable combinations thatare well adapted to specific niches in thelandscape.

A Livable Delaware plant must• Pose no potential threat as an invasive

plant• Have no serious disease or insect

problems• Be hardy to Delaware• Possess adaptable characteristics to land-

scape situations (i.e. drought resistant,tolerant of poor soils, etc.)

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In today’s rapidly urbanizing environment, we have a unique opportunity, if not aduty, to create livable landscapes that are attractive, easily managed, and provide a richcompliment of plants to support diverse ecosystems.

Unfortunately, many of our landscapes (natural and planned) are being overrunwith invasive plants. This brochure provides plant suggestions that can help gardeners create diverse landscape plantings with native and non-invasive exotic plants.

With the help of human hands, exotic plants – species whose evolutionary historyoccurred elsewhere – are rapidly replacing native vegetation in natural ecosystems andplanned landscapes. Some species are aggressively invasive and disperse rapidly by wind,water and animal transport. Portions of parklands and other natural ecosystems havebecome near monocultures of individual invasive species such as Norway maple,autumn olive and Japanese honeysuckle. An invasive plant can quickly overwhelm anddisplace existing native plants by reducing the availability of light, water, nutrients andspace. They have few, if any, natural controls to keep them in check. Suburban land-scapes are created each year on millions of acres from which native plants have beenremoved and replaced with a severely limited palette of mostly exotic species.

Why does this matter?

The large-scale loss of native vegetation has serious consequences, perhaps the mostinsidious being its effect on life-sustaining food webs. Studies indicate that insect herbi-vores, the animals responsible for passing the majority of energy from plants to otheranimals, are unable to grow and reproduce on plants with which they share no evolu-tionary history. Birds are particularly hard hit by exotic plant invasions because of theresulting loss of their primary food source, insects. Ninety-six percent of all terrestrialbird species rear their young on insect protein. Ecologists now rank invasion by alienplants second only to habitat loss as the major threat to biodiversity.

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LivablePlants for the Home Landscape

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What can we do?

Because people have developed somuch land in the U.S. for their own use,we are in danger of losing precious biodi-versity required to sustain ecosystems andthe critical environmental services theyprovide for human populations. Whilecreating preserves is desirable, there is lit-tle undisturbed land left to serve as a safe-guard to our biodiversity. This brochuresuggests an attractive supplement to eco-logical preserves: redesigning our homegardens to accommodate biodiversity. Wecan view our immediate surroundings as aplace to encourage native plants and nat-uralistic combinations. With thisbrochure we hope to encourage biodiver-sity-friendly landscape design while fight-ing the spread of invasive ornamentalspecies. Let’s not create suburban land-scapes that function as “biologicaldeserts.” Let’s adapt a naturalistic designaesthetic that allows us to use nativeplants in home gardens, reflecting ourregional spirit of place.

Landscape Niches

Your home landscape might be com-prised of a variety of ecological niches,each with unique cultural requirementsthat shape the design and selection ofappropriate plant combinations. The fol-lowing sections are intended to offer sug-gested planting combinations based onten culturally distinct landscape niches:meadow, wet area, dry shade, rain garden, forest edge, pond/stream edge,sunny slope, salt and sand, small garden and container.

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Meadow - Sunny expanses in yourbackyard, sideyard or even frontyardare ideal for meadows. (p. 8)

Wet area - There are many wonderful native plants that thrivein moisture; and wet soils discour-

age most invasive plants. (p. 10)

Dry shade - Shallow-rooted treescreate intense competition for sun

and moisture. (p. 12)

Rain garden - Rain gardens promote infiltration of water intothe ground. (p. 14)

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Forest edge - Maintaining ahealthy forest edge helps protectthe rest of the forest from incur-

sion by invasive plants. (p. 16)

Pond/stream edge - Plantings alongpond or stream edges filter nutrientsand pollutants that flow from lawnsand paved surfaces. (p. 18)

Sunny slope - Property edges often have sunnyslopes where mowing may be unnecessary and canbe downright dangerous. (p. 20)

Container - Containers allow youto garden where you don’t have

good quality soil or space. (p. 26)

Small garden – Small gardens aremore easily managed and well-suitedto modern life and schedules. (p. 24)

Salt and sand - Seashore soilshave naturally high salt levels and

droughty conditions that require aspecific plant palette. (p. 22)

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Meadow

When homes are built on formerfarmland (a situation occurring through-out the country), there are often largeacreages planted in cool season turf.Lawns play an important role in thehome landscape, providing play areas,pathways and a uniform ground layer forlandscape beds. However, large lawns donot provide biodiversity and can result inhours of weekly maintenance. Maintainlawn areas where they serve a purpose butremember that sunny expanses in yourbackyard, sideyard or even frontyard areideal for meadows.

A healthy meadow in a sunny loca-tion is usually dominated by grasses.Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), switch-grass (Panicum virgatum), little bluestem(Schizachyrium scoparium) or a number ofdifferent broomsedges (Andropogon sp.)can be seeded to create a meadow.Purpletop grass (Tridens flavus) bloomsprofusely in mid summer. Little bluestemis at the height of its beauty in the falland winter when it turns a rich apricotcolor.

With warm season grasses as a start-ing point, you can add flowering perenni-als such as butterfly weed (Asclepiastuberosa), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckiahirta), New England asters(Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), NewYork ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis),purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea),blazing star (Liatris spicata) and Joe-pyeweed (Eupatorium dubium or

E. fistulosum), to name just a few.Perennials can be added from seed (if theseed can reach the soil to make good con-tact) or by planting plugs, which allowsyou to add perennials in patterns. Onestrategy is to add perennials to the outeredge of the meadow where they will bemost visible. Also, look at bloom timesand select perennials that will bloomthroughout the growing season to keepthe meadow interesting.

Meadows do require some yearlymaintenance. Keep woody plants fromtaking over the meadow by mowing atleast once a year to a height of 4-6 inchesin the early to mid-spring. You maychoose to leave some woody plants, likeEastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) toprovide an interesting accent. To keep ameadow from becoming too tall andrangy, mow again in early summer(Father’s day is an easy time to rememberfor the second mowing). Spot spray forundesirable weeds in your meadow, suchas invasive thistles or crown vetch.

To make a meadow more pleasingand visibly managed, mow a neat edge ona regular basis. Mowed paths give anappearance of order and allow you tostroll through the meadow to appreciateits subtle beauty.

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A path invites an intimate experience withthis meadow.

Emerging warm season grasses provide afoil for black-eyed Susan and other perennials.

Purple tones of emerging switchgrass blendsbeautifully with purple coneflower and blazing star.

New England aster defines the boundarybetween switchgrass and fireworks goldenrod.

Tan indiangrass is displayed against abackdrop of burgundy fall foliage.

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Wet area

Wet areas in the landscape provide agreat gardening opportunity. Swalesbetween property lines or other low areasoften stay wet for a while after a rain.There are many wonderful native plantsthat thrive in moisture; and wet soils dis-courage most invasive plants. Startingwith the canopy layer, red maple (Acerrubrum), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), iron-wood (Carpinus caroliniana), sweetgum(Liquidambar styraciflua), sweetbay mag-nolia (Magnolia virginiana), sourgum(Nyssa sylvatica), loblolly pine (Pinustaeda), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis),swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), wil-low oak (Quercus phellos), and baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) are a fewgood choices.

Next add a shrub layer, which mightinclude winterberry holly (Ilex verticilla-ta), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia),sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), but-ton bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) andsmooth witherod viburnum (Viburnumnudum). There are very few woody plantsthat tolerate standing water. All theseplants tolerate wet or moist soils, but ifwater pools on a routine basis, you mayneed to resort to herbaceous perennialsonly.

Some good perennials for moist sitesinclude marsh mallow (Hibiscusmoscheutos), blue vervain (Verbena hasta-ta), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis),great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica),New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-bel-

gii), swamp milkweed (Asclepiasincarnata) and Joe-pye weed (Eupatoriumdubium or E. fistulosum).

This is only a small sample of peren-nials suitable for moist soils. With properplanning you can have a thriving gardenthat provides many seasons of interest.Sweetbay magnolia has early summerblooms combined with a lovely lemonyfragrance; sweet pepperbush blooms inthe summer (and has yellow fall color as abonus); Joe-pye weed blooms in mid-summer and marsh mallow, blue vervainand lobelia all bloom in late summer. Infall, you can count on purple foliage colorfrom smooth witherod viburnum and redor orange leaves from red maple, sweetgum and sourgum trees. Finally, the redberries of winterberry holly provide colorthroughout the winter. Winterberry looksbest when it is displayed against an ever-green background or in combination witha warm season grass, such as switchgrass(Panicum virgatum), to provide a tan win-ter backdrop.

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Flowering smooth witherodviburnum tolerates moremoisture than most wet-

tolerant shrubs.

Winterberry holly is laden withred berries displayed against abackdrop of evergreen Easternred cedars.

Grasses, asters, goldenrod and eupatoriumflower profusely in this wet swale with little competition from invasive plants.

Great blue lobelia provides a bright blueaccent in this wet meadow.

Bright red cardinal flowers pick up redcenters in marsh mallow blooms in thiswet garden area.

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The flowers of the ‘Snow Queen’ cultivar ofnative oakleaf hydrangea take on a pinkish huewith age, seen here with a groundcover ofallegheny pachysandra.

Native woodland phlox dominates aspring scene of wild ginger and Lentenrose at the base of a river birch.

The bright emerging foliage ofHakone grass nicely contrasts the natives

– wild ginger and Christmas fern.

Pinxterbloom azalea is surrounded by goldengroundsel and our native Jacob’s ladder.

Christmas fern, merrybells, yellow trilliumand barren strawberry ring this tulip poplar.

Dry shade

Dry shade is the classic garden prob-lem situation. Many yards, especially inestablished neighborhoods, have dryshady areas. When a shady environmentis created by shallow-rooted trees there isintense competition for sun and moisture.Do not even try to grow lawn grasses indry shade; they require both light andadequate moisture. In some cases, thebest solution for very dry shade is only alayer of mulch or leaf litter. Even with aplanted understory, don’t remove all theleaves—they add valuable organic matterand feed the natural soil system.

While most ornamental grassesrequire full sun, there are a few grassesand grass-like plants that tolerate shade.Crinkled hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa)and bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix) aretwo grasses that tolerate varying degreesof shade and dry soil. Pennsylvania sedge(Carex pensylvanica) is an excellentground cover that tolerates very shady,dry sites and will even tolerate periodicmowing.

While most ferns require moist soil,there are a few ferns that will do well indry shade. Eastern hay-scented fern(Dennstaedtia punctilobula) is so toughthat it might become a garden thug underbetter garden conditions. Interrupted fern(Osmunda claytoniana) and Christmasfern (Polystichum acrostichoides) both tol-erate dry conditions. Large masses ofChristmas fern are often found growingon well-drained forest slopes. Two shade-loving asters, heart-leaf aster

(Symphyotrichum cordifolium) and whitewood aster (Eurybia divaricatus) thrive indry shade. Just like the hay-scented fern,beware of wood aster and its ability totake over your garden under good condi-tions. Hyssop-leaved thoroughwort(Eupatorium hyssopifolium), tall whitebeard-tongue (Penstemon digitalis)Bowman’s root (Gillenia trifoliata), wildginger (Asarum canadense), woodlandphlox (Phlox divaricata), large floweredmerrybells (Uvularia grandiflora), hairyalumroot (Heuchera villosa), golden ragwort (Senecio aureus), yellow trillium(Trillium luteum), Jacob’s ladder(Polemonium reptans), and bluestem gold-enrod (Solidago caesia) will all tolerate dryconditions and partial shade. Some non-natives are great performers in dry shade,such as barrenwort (Epimedium sp.),Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra‘Aureola’), and Lenten rose (Helleborusorientalis). Virginia creeper (Parthenocissusquinquefolia) is a vine that tolerates dryshade and will sprawl across the groundmaking a perfectly acceptable groundcov-er. Our native pachysandra—Alleghenypachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens) isanother great dry shade ground cover.

It is harder to find shrubs that toler-ate dry shade. Pinxterbloom azalea(Rhododendron periclymenoides) is a won-derful deciduous azalea with fragrant,white to pale pink flowers that is a mustfor the dry shade garden. Oakleafhydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) thrivein dry shade. If you want evergreenfoliage in your dry shade garden, tryPiedmont rhododendron (Rhododendronminus).

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The newly planted trees and shrubsin this University of Delaware rain

garden cannot survive standing waterthat lasts for more than several days.

Cores drilled through a hard panand filled with gravel allowed thearea to drain more rapidly. Massesof perennials thrive in the lowestareas.

Warm season grasses and toughshrubs like groundsel bush and winter-

berry holly absorb and translocate waterin this parking lot rain garden.

Virginia sweetspire, winterberryholly, sweet bay magnolia andviburnum thrive in a rain gardenthat receives runoff from the roofand surrounding park lawn.

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Rain Garden

Rain gardens can change how wemanage storm water in built environ-ments. Instead of providing more pavedsurfaces, curbs and storm drains to takewater (a precious resource) away from ourhome lawns and landscapes, rain gardenspromote the infiltration of water into thepervious surfaces we have remaining inthe landscape. They are gardens builtwith the intention of reducing erosion,flooding, and non-point source pollutionby lowering the volume of storm waterrunoff. Instead of becoming runoff, therainwater is absorbed back into theground through the garden.

Construction of rain gardens canvary greatly in complexity and cost. Theyare commonly built in an area where rainwater naturally flows but not in low lyingareas that are poorly drained. The gardenarea required depends on the source; typi-cally sized at 10-20% of the source area.To collect the runoff, grading is some-times necessary to redirect the water. Thegarden area is excavated, usually to adepth of four feet but variable with soiltype. It is filled with a sandy soil followedby topsoil so the garden lays about sixinches below grade. The plants must tol-erate standing water (for several days) aswell as drought conditions. Hardy, herba-ceous, native plants generally performbest in rain gardens.

Perennials:Aquilegia canadensis, Canadian columbineArisaema triphyllum, Jack-in-the-pulpitAsclepias incarnata, swamp milkweedAthyrium filix-femina, lady fernBaptisia australis, false indigoBoltonia asteroides, boltoniaCarex stipata, tussock sedgeChelone lyonii, pink turtleheadCimicifuga racemosa, black snakerootEupatorium maculatum, Joe-pye weedGillenia trifoliata, Bowman’s rootHelianthus angustifolius, swamp sunflowerHibiscus moscheutos, marsh mallowIris cristata, dwarf crested irisLobelia cardinalis, cardinal flowerLobelia siphilitica, great blue lobeliaMeehania cordata, Meehan’s mintPhlox paniculata, garden phloxPhysostegia virginiana, obedient plantSpiranthes cernua, nodding lady’s tressesStylophorum diphyllum, celandine poppySymphyotrichum novae-angliae, N.E. AsterSymphyotrichum novi-belgii, N.Y. AsterTradescantia x andersoniana, Virginia spiderwortVernonia noveboracensis, N.Y. ironweedVeronicastrum virginicum, Culver’s root

Shrubs:Cephalanthus occidentalis, buttonbushCornus amomum, silky dogwoodCornus sanguinea, bloodtwig dogwoodIlex glabra, inkberry hollyIlex verticillata, winterberry hollySambucus canadensis, American elderberryViburnum dentatum, arrowwood viburnum

For additional plant suggestions visithttp://ag.udel.edu/extension/horticul-ture/raingarden/raingardenDE.htm

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Virginia bluebells provide a nicebackdrop to the chartreuse spring flower

of donkeytail spurge.

Dwarf fothergilla in fall color is setoff by the galvanizing berry color ofpurple beautyberry.

Coast azalea and sweet pepperbushtogether provide a long period ofspring and summer flowering.

The white-flowering form of dwarf crest-ed iris coexists nicely with Christmas fern

and mosses on the forest edge.

Thin-leaved sunflower occurs natu-rally in open woods and thickets

throughout the eastern US.

Forest edge

The edge of an eastern deciduousforest often has filtered light and highlyorganic soil providing the ideal environ-ment for a diverse compliment of plants.Maintaining a healthy forest edge helpsprotect the rest of the forest from incur-sion by invasive plants. If you are luckyenough to border an existing forest orhave a partially shaded edge on yourproperty, you can create a rich garden inthis niche.

On the wood’s edge, shrubs and treessuch as serviceberry (Amelanchiercanadensis), flowering dogwood (Cornusflorida), spicebush (Lindera benzoin),blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifoli-um), and arrowwood viburnum (V. denta-tum) provide richly diverse habitats forbirds, insects and other desirable wildlife.This edge will deliver a pleasing seasonaldisplay when supplemented with showynative shrubs such as oakleaf hydrangea(Hydrangea quercifolia), sweet pepperbush(Clethra alnifolia), pinxterbloom azalea(Rhododendron periclymenoides), coastazalea (Rhododendron atlanticum),American beautyberry (Callicarpa ameri-cana), American elderberry (Sambucuscanadensis) dwarf fothergilla (Fothergillagardenii) or native perennials such asfoamflower, (Tiarella cordifolia), Indianpinks (Spigelia marilandica), Virginiabluebells (Mertensia virginica), whitewood aster (Eurybia divaricatus), heart-leaf aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata), thin-

leaved sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)or woodland sunflower (Helianthus divar-icatus). Using a few non-invasive exoticplants such as stinking hellebore(Helleborus foetidus), barrenwort(Epimedium sp.), donkeytail spurge(Euphorbia myrsinities), Japanese roof iris(Iris tectorum), Korean mum,(Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield’) or purplebeautyberry (Callicarpa dichotima) cancompliment and expand artistic characterof a naturalistic landscape style. Withcarefully chosen combinations it’s easy tocreate habitat and experience naturalbeauty in your own backyard.

Spring-blooming flowering trees like our native flowering dogwood bright-en the forest edge.

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Wild blue woodland phlox makes a carpet for avariety of emerging ferns.

Winterberry hollies turn yellow infall before the leaves drop to reveal

bright red berries.

Sweet pepperbush in bright yellowfall color is flanked by Joe-pyeweed and aster.

Well-planted pond or stream edgescan improve ecological conditions and thenatural beauty of your property. By over-coming our propensity for neatness alongthese edges, we can improve water andhabitat quality. Plantings can filter nutri-ents and pollutants that flow from lawnand impervious surfaces of your land-scape. Nurture deep-rooting, shade- andhabitat-producing plants to create a moreattractive space for desirable fauna, andobservers of fauna, and help make themost of your property’s natural potential.

Many of the same shrubs that excelin wet conditions, such as winterberry,chokeberry and sweet pepperbush alsothrive at the water’s edge. Some stunningperennial flowers prefer conditions of ariparian edge, such as cardinal flower(Lobelia cardinalis), great blue lobelia

(Lobelia siphilitica), scarlet rosemallow(Hibiscus coccineus), Joe pye weed(Eupatorium dubium and E. fistulosum),hardy ageratum (Eupatorium coelestinum),woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), beebalm (Monarda cvs. such as 'RaspberryWine' and 'Coral Reef') and sneezeweed(Helenium cv.). Much of the water’s edgevegetation has a narrow vertical formsuch as cattails (Typha angustifolia) andcommon rush (Juncus effusus). Severalferns provide a perfect contrast to thatvertical form like interrupted fern(Osmunda claytoniana), ostrich fern(Matteuccia struthiopteris), and lady fern(Athyrium filix-femina).

Joe-pye weed naturally mingles withcommon cattails at a stream edge.

Common rush is an evergreen edge plantwith an attractive yellow to tawny col-ored flower cluster.

Pond/stream edge

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Staghorn sumac and winged sumac formcolorful thickets that complement naturally

occurring warm season grasses and white-flowering thoroughworts.

Yellow goldenrod is sprinkled among thewarm season grasses and mixed white flowersof thoroughworts, and sweet pepperbush.

Fragrant sumac makes a densegroundcover on this slope in front

of a mixed woody border.

‘Blue Ice’ is a longer blooming culti-var of blue star that still providesbright yellow fall color.

Sunny slope

Property edges often have sunnyslopes—next to the driveway, along theback border or adjacent to the street.Mowing steep slopes is unnecessary andcan be downright dangerous. Dependingon the slope size, conditions, and desiredaesthetic, choose from a combination ofmaintenance strategies that will eliminatethe need to mow. You can spot spray tocontrol undesirable plants or cut backwith a string trimmer once or twice ayear, creating more of a meadow or anold field aesthetic.

Many flowering plants such as gold-enrods (Solidago sp.), thoroughworts(Eupatorium hyssopifolium and E. rotundi-folium), and common milkweed (Asclepiassyriaca) will volunteer among the littlebluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium),broomsedges (Andropogon sp.), prairiedropseed (Sporobolis heterolepis) and othergrasses. ‘Plugging’ in a few suitable peren-nials such as threadleaf bluestar (Amsoniahubrichtii), blue star (Amsonia tabernae-montana), butterfly milkweed (Asclepiastuberosa), showy aromatic asters(Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), wildindigos (Baptisia sp.), or pink doll’s daisy(Boltonia asteroides 'Pink Beauty') canexpand the flowering season and interest.

When you stop mowing entirely,early successional woody plants such aseastern red cedar, black cherries or ser-viceberries will begin to colonize.Discourage undesirable woody and inva-

sive plants by selective removal. Shrubsand trees might also be added, such as redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea), sweet pep-perbush (Clethra alnifolia), ninebark(Physocarpus opulifolius), sumacs (Rhussp.) or bush honeysuckle (Diervilla sessili-folia). You can choose to slightly supple-ment the ecological succession by addinga few attractive species or replant theentire slope as a naturalistic garden beddepending on your aesthetic sensitivities.If you prefer a more orderly composition,limit the palette to two or three plants ofcomplementary texture, height, and form.

Butterfly milkweed and common milk-weed self-sow among the prairiedropseed and blend nicely with thethreadleaf bluestar in the background.

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Dewey Blue panicgrass, selected inDewey, DE surrounds cut-leaf coneflower

at the 5-points intersection.

Dewey Blue panicgrass is flanked byNorthwind switchgrass and fronted

by aromatic aster.

Panic beachgrass is dotted by spots of yellowfrom seaside goldenrod.

This grouping is even showier whenthe aromatic aster is in bloom.

Northern bayberry, beach panicgrassand hyssop-leaved thoroughwort all

grow in this sandy dune.

Salt and sand

Seashore soils can be a challenge toplant, but your garden can thrive withcareful plant selection and soil prepara-tion. Prepare sandy garden soils withplenty of organic material like compostedleaves and grass clippings. The organicmatter will help retain soil moisture andprovide nutrients. Salt deposited fromone time events, such as flooding withocean water, will gradually leach out withrainwater. The process can be quickenedby flooding the area with fresh (not salt)water. Seashore soils tend to have natural-ly high salt levels and the following plantsare especially well suited to tolerate thisand the droughty conditions common onquick draining sandy soils.

Tough natives from the dunes of ourAtlantic coast include American beach-grass (Ammophila breviligulata ‘Cape’),prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa),Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa), north-ern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica),groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia) andEastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana).

With a little organic material in thesoil, you can also grow rugosa rose (Rosarugosa), beach plum (Prunus maritima),and American holly (Ilex opaca). Goodchoices for perennials include threadleafcoreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata), aromaticaster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolius‘Raydon’s Favorite’ or ‘October Skies’),hyssop-leaved thoroughwort (Eupatoriumhyssopifolium), spike gayfeather (Liatrisspicata), cut-leaf coneflower (Rudbeckia

laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’), beach panicgrass(Panicum amarum), switchgrass (Panicumvirgatum) and seaside goldenrod (Solidagosempervirens). In wet areas, butterfly weed(Asclepias tuberosa) and marsh mallow(Hibiscus moscheutos) are excellent choicesthat support wildlife as well as provideattractive, mid-summer blooms. Forvines, try trumpet vine (Campsis radi-cans); its orange trumpet-shaped flowersare a feast for hummingbirds, but beware,in ideal conditions you may need toprune it heavily each winter to keep it incheck. Although not native, perennialslike hydrangeas, sedums, and cosmos (are-seeding annual) thrive in salty, sandysoils and can brighten seashore land-scapes.

The fleecy white flowers of groundsel bushprovide a good fall display.

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Orange meadow brite coneflower, with speed-well in front and orange blossom yarrowbehind, spill out at the base of this doorstep.

Creeping phlox, foamflower, white wakerobintrillium, twinleaf and mayapple snuggletogether in this intimate setting.

This combination of threadleaf bluestar, showystonecrop and aromatic aster packs a colorful

punch in a small space for the fall garden.

Sweet bay magnolia stems are backed byyellow-leaved fothergilla and orange-berried

winterberry holly in this small space betweenthe walk and brick wall. Korean mums

(‘Sheffield’) bloom in front.

Eastern redbud, a great floweringtree for the small garden, reaches a

height of 20-35 feet at maturity.

Small garden

Modern life and schedules are wellsuited to small gardens like those accom-panying an urban row house or anintensely gardened area on a suburbanlot. A smaller garden rewards you with amore easily managed and maintainedspace, plus more time to enjoy that space.With less square footage, it’s easier andless costly to amend your soil, mulch, andwater your plants during dry spells.

You’ll want to choose plants in scalewith smaller plantings. For trees, thismeans smaller species or dwarf cultivars.Try sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virgini-ana) for an airy, open shape and showywhite blooms in June, or serviceberry(Amelanchier canadensis) for a multi-stemmed tree with springtime flowers,summer berries, and red-gold fall color.Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is oftengrown as a multi-stemmed tree and fea-tures eye catching purple flowers in Apriland May before its foliage emerges.

Valuable vertical space in a small gar-den can be used for ornamental vines likeVirginia rose (Rosa virginiana) (be sure tochoose disease resistant cultivars), or thelong-blooming native coral honeysuckle(Lonicera sempervirens ‘AlabamaCrimson’).

Since a smaller garden limits the vari-ety of plants you can use, it’s importantto choose species with long bloom, berryor leaf color displays. Plan your garden soyou have something interesting happen-ing in each season. Mid-winter highlights

include common winterberry (Ilex verti-cillata), remarkable for its bright berries,and winter flame dogwood (Cornus san-guinea ‘Winter Flame) with its vibrantorange to red stems. Be sure to includesome of the many smaller cultivars of ournative evergreens –eastern arborvitae(Thuja occidentalis, dwarf forms) andcommon and creeping junipers (Juniperuscommunis var. depressa and J. horizontalis).Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)is a multi stemmed shrub with a winter-time display of dried flower heads andpeeling cinnamon-red bark.

Good perennials for small spacesinclude white wakerobin trillium(Trillium grandiflorum), mayapple(Podophyllum peltatum), foamflower(Tiarella cordifolia), creeping phlox (Phloxstolonifera), orange meadow brite cone-flower (Echinacea ‘Orange MeadowBrite’), spiked speedwell (Veronica spica-ta), threadleaf bluestar (Amsoniahubrichtii), showy stonecrop (Sedumspectabile), aromatic aster(Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) and appleblossom yarrow (Achillea millefolium‘Apple Blossom’).

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Blue eyed grass provides the vertical contrastto creeping thyme and cheddar pinks.

This container combination displays ournative smooth hydrangea with alumroot,

whirling butterflies, creeping phlox, and ferns.

Chard, cabbage and parsley combine foran attractive and useful container garden.

Cutleaf sumac is the centerpiece for thiscontainer, which also includes coreposis,tall white beard tongue, and the annu-als–verbena and wishbone flower.

Alumroot, green and gold, goldengroundsel and Jacob’s ladder fill thisnative’s-only container.

Container

Containers allow you to gardenwhere you don’t have good quality soil orspace. Use containers specifically designedfor gardening or adapted from some otheruse. If not too large, containers aremobile, letting one rearrange gardenspaces to highlight different plants at dif-ferent times. Most annuals, and manyperennials and woody plants can begrown in containers. Your choices need toendure a confined root space, periods ofdryness between waterings, and, forperennials, wider ranging winter soil tem-peratures. Many gardeners find containersideal for annuals, because of easy repot-ting, or use containers for tropical plants,because of easy relocation for winter pro-tection.

When you select containers, you’llwant to make sure they have drainageholes or your plants will flood with eachrainstorm. Using a soil-less potting mixwill give you lighter-weight containers,but also ones that dry out quickly. Manygardeners mix in bagged topsoil to helpretain moisture and reduce watering.Container gardening requires a closewatch on moisture levels as containerswill dry out much faster than an in-ground bed. Self-watering containers areavailable that include reservoirs at theirbase, cutting down on the need for fre-quent watering.

Many native plants can be grown incontainers, although mixing them withsome reliable non-natives will diversify

the color display over the summer. Somenatives to try are–American alumroot(Heuchera americana – many cultivars tochoose from), tall white beardtongue(Penstemon digitalis), Jacob’s ladder(Polemonium sp.), blue-eyed grass(Sisyrinchium angustifolium.), green andgold (Chrysogonum virginianum), goldenragwort (Senecio aureus), creeping phlox(Phlox stolonifera), Christmas fern(Polystichum acrosticoides) and nativeperennial stalwarts such as rudbeckia, sol-idago, coreopsis and echinacea. Othergood perennials for containers includecreeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), ched-dar pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus‘Firewitch’), whirling butterflies (Gauralinheimeri), and variegated Jacob’s ladder(Polemonium caeruleum). Annuals, likeverbena (Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’),wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri) andpansy (Viola x wittrockiana) complimentperennials and tropicals. Small nativeshrubs like Virginia sweetspire (Itea vir-ginica), smooth hydrangea (Hydrangeaarborescens), cutleaf staghorn sumac (Rhustyphina ‘Laciniata’) and sweet pepperbush(Clethra alnifolia) or grape holly(Mahonia bealei) can serve as a center-piece in a large planter.

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Christmas ferncoast azaleacommon juniper common milkweed common rush coral honeysucklecreeping juniperscreeping phlox creeping thymecrinkled hairgrass Culver’s rootcut-leaf coneflowercutleaf sumac donkeytail spurgedwarf fothergilladwarf crested irisEastern arborvitaeEastern hay-scented fernEastern red cedarfalse indigoflowering dogwoodfoamflowerfragrant sumacgarden phloxgreen and goldgolden ragwortgoldenrodgrape holly great blue lobeliagroundsel bushhairy alumroothakone grasshardy ageratum heart-leaf aster hyssop-leaved thoroughwortindian pinksindiangrassinkberry hollyinterrupted fernironwood Jack-in-the-pulpitJacob’s ladderJapanese roof iris

Polystichum acrostichoidesRhododendron atlanticumJuniperus communis var. depressaAsclepias syriaca Juncus effususLonicera sempervirens ‘Alabama Crimson’ Juniperus horizontalis cv.Phlox stoloniferaThymus serpyllumDeschampsia flexuosaVeronicastrum virginicumRudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstonne’Rhus typhina ‘Laciniata’Euphorbia myrsinitiesFothergilla gardenia Iris cristataThuja occidentalisDennstaedtia punctilobulaJuniperus virginianaBaptisia australisCornus floridaTiarella cordifoliaRhus aromaticaPhlox paniculataChrysogonum virginianum Senecio aureus Solidago sp.Mahonia bealeiLobelia siphilitica Baccharis halimifoliaHeuchera villosaHakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’Eupatorium coelestinumSymphyotrichum cordifoliumEupatorium hyssopifolium Spigelia marilandica Sorghastrum nutansIlex glabraOsmunda claytonianaCarpinus carolinianaArisaema triphyllumPolemonium reptansIris tectorum

Yucca filamentosaPachysandra procumbensHeuchera americanaAmmophila breviligulata ‘Cape’Callicarpa americanaSambucus canadensisIlex opacaAchillea filipendula ‘Apple Blossom’Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’sFavorite’ or ‘October Skies’Viburnum dentatumTaxodium distichum Epimedium sp.Panicum amarum Prunus maritimaRosa rugosa Monarda cvs.Rudbeckia hirta Prunus serotinaViburnum prunifoliumCimicifuga racemosaLiatris spicata Sisyrinchium angustifoliumAmsonia ‘Blue Ice’Amsonia tabernaemontanaVerbena hastataSolidago caesiaElymus hystrixGillenia trifoliata Andropogon sp.Diervilla sessilifoliaAsclepias tuberosaCephalanthus occidentalisAquilegia canadensisLobelia cardinalis Typha angustifoliaStylophorum diphyllumDianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Firewitch’ Aronia arbutifolia

Plant NamesAdam’s needle Allegheny pachysandraAmerican alumrootAmerican beachgrass American beautyberryAmerican elderberryAmerican hollyapple blossom yarrowaromatic aster

arrowwood viburnum bald cypress barrenwortbeach panicgrassbeach plumbeach rosebee balmblack-eyed Susanblack cherryblackhaw viburnumblack snakerootblazing starblue eyed grassblue ice blue starblue star blue vervain bluestem goldenrod bottle-brush grassBowman’s root broomsedgesbush honeysuckle butterfly weedbutton bushCanadian columbine cardinal flower cattailscelandine poppycheddar pinkschokeberry

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sneezeweed sourgumspicebush spike gayfeatherspiked speedwellstaghorn sumac stinking helleboreswamp milkweedswamp sunflowerswamp white oaksweet pepperbushsweetbay magnoliasweetgum switchgrasssycamore tall white beard-tonguethin-leaved sunflowerthreadleaf bluestarthreadleaf coreopsistrumpet vinetussock sedgevariegated Jacob’s ladder verbenaVirginia bluebellsVirginia creeper Virginia roseVirginia spiderwortwhirling butterflieswhite wakerobin trilliumwhite wood asterwild ginger wild indigowillow oak winged sumacwinter flame dogwoodwinterberry hollywishbone flowerwoodland phlox woodland sunflowersyellow trillium

Helenium cvNyssa sylvaticaLindera benzoinLiatris spicataVeronica spicataRhus typhinaHelleborus foetidusAsclepias incarnata Helianthus angulstifoliusQuercus bicolor Clethra alnifolia Magnolia virginianaLiquidambar styracifluaPanicum virgatumPlatanus occidentalis Penstemon digitalisHelianthus decapetalus Amsonia hubrichtiiCoreopsis verticillataCampsis radicansCarex stipataPolemonium caeruleum Verbena ‘Homestead Puple’Mertensia virginicaParthenocissus quinquefoliaRosa virginianaTradescantia x andersonianaGaura linheimeriTrillium grandiflorum Eurybia divaricatusAsarum canadense Baptisia sp.Quercus phellosRhus copallinaCornus sanguinea ‘Winter Flame’Ilex verticillataTorenia fournieriPhlox divaricata Helianthus divaricatus Trillium luteum

Joe-pye weed Joe-pye weedKorean mumlady fern large-flowered merrybellsLenten roselittle bluestemloblolly pinemarsh mallowmayapple Meehan’s mint New England aster New York asterNew York ironweedninebarknodding lady’s tresses northern bayberryoakleaf hydrangeaobedient plantorange meadow brite coneflowerostrich fernpansy pawpawPennsylvania sedgePiedmont rhododendron pink doll’s daisypink turtleheadpinxterbloom azalea prairie dropseedprickly pear cactuspurple beautyberrypurple coneflowerpurpletop grassred maple red twig dogwood scarlet rosemallowseaside goldenrodserviceberryshowy stonecropsilky dogwoodslender mountainmintsmooth hydrangeasmooth witherod viburnum

Eupatorium dubium Eupatorium fistulosum Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield’Athyrium filix-feminaUvularia grandiflora Helleborus orientalis. Schizacharium scopariumPinus taedaHibiscus moscheutosPodophyllum peltatumMeehania cordataSymphyotrichum novae-angliaeSymphytrichum novi-belgiiVernonia noveboracensis Physocarpus opulifoliusSpiranthes cernuaMyrica pensylvanica Hydrangea quercifolia Physostegia virginianaEchinacea ‘Orange Meadow Brite’ Matteuccia struthiopterisViola x wittrockiana Asimina trilobaCarex pensylvanicaRhododendron minusBoltonia asteroides 'Pink Beauty'Chelone lyoniiRhododendron periclymenoidesSporobolus heterolepisOpuntia humifusa Callicarpa dichotimaEchinacea purpureaTridens flavusAcer rubrumCornus sericeaHibiscus coccineusSolidago sempervirensAmelanchier canadensisSedum spectabileCornus amomumPycnanthemum tenuifoliumHydrangea arborescensViburnum nudum

Authors:

Susan Barton, University of Delaware

Sarah Deacle, Delaware Center for

Horticulture

Gary Schwetz, Delaware Center for

Horticulture

Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware

Project participants:

Valann Budischak, University of Delaware

Faith Kuehn, Delaware Department

of Agriculture

Rick Lewandowski, Mt. Cuba Center, Inc.

Photographs provided by:

Susan Barton

Gary Schwetz

Rick Lewandowski

Graphic design by:

Carrie Finnie

Funding provided by:

Mt. Cuba Center, Inc.

The work upon which this publication is

based was funded in part through a grant

awarded by the Northeastern Area State

and Private Forestry, U.S. Forest Services.

Supported by:

Delaware Center for Horticulture

Delaware Department of Agriculture

Delaware Invasive Species Council

Delaware Nursery and Landscape Assoc.

University of Delaware

Acknowledgements