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Perennials Native Plants

My recent plant haul

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

In an ongoing quest to incorporate taller plants in my beds, recently went a-haulin. Here's what I came home with:

* Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

* Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) -- I can't get enough of this, I just love the vase-shaped habit, and my established clumps having been throwing heads of flowers since at least early July. The ones I just bought are "Ice Ballet", the white one - they'll show better in the part shade location they're going

* Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) -- won't get as tall as I'd like, but saw in display garden and liked the silvery-topped foliage effect and is supposed to attract hoardes of pollinators

* Tall larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum) -- all that were left were small plants (4" pots), hopefully they'll grow up and out nicely next year

* Agastache "Black Adder" -- was hemming and hawing on this one but decided to go for it, is supposed to get around 4-ish feet (hopefully at least that tall...), and I like the somewhat richer flower color of these compared to other cultivars, which are quite washed-out from what I've seen

* Vernonia "Southern Cross" -- have resisted the willowy-leafed type of ironweed in the past, this type of foliage just never was my thing, but I have to say I like the willow-leafed sunflower and the whorled milkweed I bought earlier this year so figured why not, it was a gorgeous full specimen and I think I have a good spot for it that will highlight foliage to full effect.

Also in my haul was a cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) -- not going in the bed because way too large, will plant out on the property somewhere. I bought it for no other reason than I just wanted it :0p

Going to be good planting weather this weekend, and will have plenty of time to play around out there while I'm on vacation next week.

Featured Answer

Jay 6a Chicago

3 years ago

My Cup Plant is in a regular bed, and it's fine there.I'm thankful it's close by to view. It's no more than 6 feet tall. I love watching the insects drink from the little pools of water within the leaves.

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Comments (11)

chouchou_gw
3 years ago
I have really enjoyed 'Ice Ballet' this year. Flowers forever and now I have monarch caterpillars to watch!
Nevermore44 - 6a
3 years ago
Nice selection.

Veronia Southern Cross... I almost bought that last year... but read that it came from a seedling of Veronia Lettermanii x some other ironweed.

I have a few V. Lettermanii in my garden (you should try them... great plant). The seedlings at their feet don't look like the parent... so I collected them up and planted them in a new spot... and sure enough... they look like Southern Cross.

If you are trying out the willow leafed plants... just get a large clump of Amsonia Hubrichtii. Once it gets going, it's a great bush of those fine leaves. Great plant!

I'll have to snap some photos of them all and post.
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
3 years ago
I agree with Nevermore’s comments. You have some great plants there!

I have a fair amount of wild boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), in the floodplain of the stream, in the damp part of the field, and even occasionally along the edge of the woods. It likes a fair amount of moisture, and is loved by pollinators. IME it is a prolific seeder, so be aware of that when siting it, or plan to deadhead it if needed.
maackia
3 years ago
What a great feeling to have an inventory of nice plants and time to linger with them. Do you have a site in mind for each (other than Silphium perfoliatum) or is it fluid?
mxk3 z5b_MI
Original Author
3 years ago
"My Cup Plant is in a regular bed, and it's fine there.I'm thankful it's close by to view. It's no more than 6 feet tall."

Hmmm, maybe i can work the cup plant into one of the beds if it only gets around 6'. Like I said in the other post, when I saw it in display garden it was a monster 8-9' plant. Yowza. But actually 5-6' is perfect for this bed -- I haven't started moving things yet, glad you posted - now I can consider it, quite nice in your pics.

"Do you have a site in mind for each (other than Silphium perfoliatum) or is it fluid?"

For the most part - yes. I have a whole bed re-do (well, maybe not the whole thing, but pretty darn close to it), most of these will be going in that bed and an adjacent one. I might switch a Joe Pye with one of the bonesets -- when I set the pot there yesterday I didn't like the white flowers there as much as I thought I would, probably because there's a lot of white there already. But I'm flip-flopping on it -- I have monkshood in that area, and that rich deep blue is fantastic against white, but OTOH the foliage and stems of the Joe Pye has a bit more pizzazz. This is prime real estate right out the window. Decisions, decisions... The other boneset is going in an area next to some native hibiscus, it should do beautifully over there (near the sump drain, full sun = happy).
GardenHo_MI_Z5
3 years ago
This cup plant... Is this the same one you see all along the roadsides?

I’ve always been tempted to stop and collect a few, but have feared I would regret it and just continue to admire from a distance....
Jay 6a Chicago
3 years ago
There are a few different species of Silphium. It could be Cup Plant or another that you see along the roads GardenHo. The 4 most common for us would be S. perfoliatum, Cup Plant, S. terebrinthinaceum, Prairie Dock, S. laciniata, Compass Plant, and S. integrifolium, Rosin Weed . Many of these species aren't taller than 5 or 6 feet when I see them in the wild. I have seen enormously tall Silphiums a few times in garden settings. Maybe supplemental watering and fertilizing can cause that? They have very deep roots and don't need water or fertilizer, unless they are new plantings trying to . The Prairie Dock leaves can get very large. The native equivalent of elephant ears
Nevermore44 - 6a
3 years ago
Prairie dock is an amazing plant when mature. Love those sandpaper leaves.

Here's one of my Amsonia Hubrichtii plants that i've had for a long time. MXK... you gotta love that texture... plus it's a touch as nails plant. Needs about as much care as a baptisia. It's about 3.5' tall.
GardenHo_MI_Z5
3 years ago
Jay thank you. Now I’m tempted to see which one it is. There are tons on my commute to work. Maybe on my way home tonight...
Jay 6a Chicago
3 years ago
GardenHo, you're welcome.😃

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