Red Clay Gardeners: I need your help

16 years ago

Can you Southern gardeners help me?

My in-laws have tasked me with recommending some natives to plant along their waterfront in Tennessee. (I'm from Michigan). It is a 15x100 foot strip with rip rap below, and terracing above. Since I'm a fairly new to gardening with more interest than experience, I need some help avoiding problems.

First, the garden's requirements:

Full sun plants, mostly moderate to dry red clay. I'm going to tell them to bring in compost and garden soil. The area must be low maintenance as my MIL's health is failing. I would like lots of groundcover to keep it easy to manage, and my MIL would like yellow and other bright flowers. I'm going to recommend planting densely to minimize weeds. There are a few tall sparse oak trees that provide a moment or two of shade and a place to put a vine.

I went to Prariemoon and other native websites and gathered some ideas. I need to narrow down this list, so let me know if any of these are a mistake. Also, I welcome suggestions of other natives you think might be attractive and low maintenance. I'm especially in need of ground covers, bushes and interesting foliage suggestions.

Ground Covers:

Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, three-toothed cinquefoil

Chrysogonum virginianum-goldenstar or green-and-gold

Geum triflorum- Prairie Smoke

Phlox divaricata -Wild Blue Phlox

Flowers:

Rudbeckia hirta-Black-eyed Susan

Wild Bergamot

Phlox pilosa-Prarie Phlox

Asclepias purpurpascens-purple milkweed

Columbine

Vernonia missurica-Missouri Ironweed

Aster dumosus-Rice button aster

Veronicastrum virginicum-CulverÂs Root

Baptisia leucantha-wild white indigo

Liatris aspera-button blazing star

Grasses:

Andropogon gerardii-Big Bluestem

Panicum virgatum- Switch Grass

Vines:

Clematis verticillaris-purple clematis

Clematis-Verginiana-VirginÂs Bower

Wet areas:

Aster novi-belgii-New York Aster

Ascelpias Incarnata-Swamp Milkweed

Liatris spicata-Marsh Blazing Star

Iris prismatica-Slender blue flag

Iris virginica shrevei-Southern Blue Flag

Uniola latifolia- River Oats

Typha latifolia-Cat Tails

Joe Pye Weed

Thank you for helping me with the in-laws waterfront.

Squirrel Girl

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Comments (4)

Eduarda
16 years ago
I'm not familiar with Tenessee's climate, but I'm familiar with hot weather and clay soil :-) From your list above, I suspect columbine will require some shade, so you may wish to put it in a somewhat shadier location. I've never grown many of the things you list above, so I won't comment, but I do grow Joe Pye Weed and liatris spicata and I like both. Very easy and trouble free. Rudbeckia hirta doesn't like me much, but I've grown it a couple of times and it's also a problem free plant.

Not on your list, but you may wish to have a look at these as well: ceanothus thyrsiflorus Repens (good for a tall groundcover - see my photo of it on the gallery side under the March in the garden thread), purple coneflower paired with the black eyed Susan, salvia leucantha, sedum Autumn Joy and a blond sort of grass. All these plants are nice and trouble free and would grace any garden for a person with a failing health.

I will let others comment on the other plants on your list.
Hope this helps
Eduarda
fammsimm
16 years ago
If your in-laws have a garden club nearby, you might suggest to them that they keep an eye out for their plant sale. I have had great luck with local garden club plant sales.

Whatever they are offering for sale you know grows well under the soil and climate conditions for your area. In fact, if they are bringing rooted cuttings from their own gardens, it's probably because those plants are really outstanding performers and they've rooted what they've had to trim back.

I can honestly say that anything I've bought at sales has been a winner for me!

Hope this helps.

Marilyn
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squirrel_girl
Original Author
16 years ago
Eduarda,
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Repens is a georgeous plant. I will definately recommend it. Wow! I need to research if it will survive in Michigan. I want it now. The columbine is off that list. Thanks for the pairing suggestions as well. I stopped by your photobucket album, and you have a lovely eye for color. That yellow rose is glorious. Your pup is adorable as well.

Marilyn,
Thank you for the idea about the plant sales. I checked out the Tennessee gardening forum and found several If I'm down there one of those weekends, I might take them. I get nervous about having to make quick decisions though. Native/exotic. Successful/Thug.

I'm still open for more suggestions if anyone has them.
mrsgalihad
16 years ago
You might want to reconsider the Cat Tails. They can be a thug. There is a miniature version that is supposed to be more polite but I'm not sure if it is a native or not. Wild Bergamont is in the mint family and grows accordingly. I had Virgin's Bower when I lived in PA. It is a fabulous plant but you should know it will root wherever it touches the ground. Every spring I would dig up and sell the rooted babies. I would encourage you to go for it though. I love it. It is like a smaller version of Sweet Autumn Clematis.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:648232}}

Red Clay Gardeners: I need your help

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