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New to natives

18 years ago

happy spring everyone. I put in some native plants last fall and happily I see them coming to life in my garden. I have a couple of questions. Do I need to feed these plants as I would any other plant? What about spraying? Last of all when should I see the Joe Pye Weed coming to life? Should i be seeing growth by now - I know that it's a late summer plant.

Also I want to plant several Winterberries in my wooded border. Are they easy or do I need to check ph etc before planting. thanks!

Anita

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Comments (4)

ladyslppr
18 years ago
You do not need to fertilize or spray native woodland plants. Feeding would encourage unwanted weeds, and you shouldn't see any insect problems so no need to spray.

Joe Pye Weed appears late in the spring. The ones here in central PA are not yet sprouted.

Winterberry grows naturally in swamps, but will grow if planted in most soils. I think moist conditions are preferred, but average soil is OK.
bob64
18 years ago
Ditto ladyslpper's comments.
One of the attractions of natives is that they are not supposed to need a lot of chemical pampering and some would be harmed by such methods. What you have to watch out for is weed competition and sometimes rabbits and deer. If your natives are planted in conditions to which they are adapted they should have a reasonable chance of success. Some are harder to transplant than others. Research is always useful. The first year or two are the most crucial for chances of long-term survival. That is when you do want to consider mulching and supplemental watering if needed and lots of weeding out of invasives. Few plantings have 100% success so don't be discouraged if a few plants don't survive. My Joe Pye Weeds aren't yet doing anything much here in the suburbs of NYC. I planted winterberry in a soggy, wooded area with fairly good sun a year or two ago and they are still o.k. Checking PH is a good idea but I confess I have never done it and have gotten away with it for the most part. Two good books by the late Sara Stein (who did her native gardening in Westchester County, NY) are "Noah's Garden" (some theory, some inspiration and some "how to") and "Planting Noah's Garden" (much more "how to" info).
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anita55
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you both for your replies. I think i'm going to enjoy this native gardening. I bought these plants at a native gardening center in Patterson so I think the conditions will be good for them. I will give the winterberry a try. thanks for the tips about the books. I
attended a lecture and slideshow at the Katonah library last year on wildflowers and i'm looking forward to seeing what they offer this year.
greenhaven
18 years ago
Welcome to an exciting subset, anita! Natives are wonderful, but the education they can provide is invaluable.

I am watching several of mine coming to bloom right now: priaire smoke, phlox bifida, virginia bluebells.

The monarda and echinacea are screaming up, as is...gosh. on and on! Sorry! *blushes* I am just really, really happy about the plants all coming up!

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