Wildflower Wednesday: Blephilia ciliata

Downy Wood Mint and I have been gardening friends for over 30 years. I met it the first summer after we moved into this house. It looked like Monarda growing in the shady freedom lawn behind the carport shed. Although, it wasn't Monarda, it was definitely a mint with its square stems, opposite leaves and whorled light lavender flowers at the top of the stalk!

Downy Wood Mint is a beautiful flowering plant with upright unbranched stems. The foliage is lance shaped or oblong and opposite along the stems. Leaves and stems are pubescent/hairy and faintly aromatic when crushed.

 I have never seen it growing in the wild, but, once upon a time my neighborhood was a woodland and there are still wildflowers growing in lawns and woodland edges. I wonder how many of my neighbors are even aware that this pretty and others might be growing along the edges of their yards.

As more people move into Nashville and older ranch homes are torn down our freedom lawns with Salvia lyrata, Western Daisies, Fog Fruit, Ruellia humilis, clover and other "lawn weeds" are herbicided away. It makes me very sad and motivates me to continue to advocate for planting for wildlife in our gardens through my garden writing. 

watch out little bees there are crab spiders waiting to capture you

The literature from native plant nurseries suggests that it grows best in full sun or part sun with average or dry soils. I love that it's tolerant of dry shade, but doesn't seem to be bothered by our winter rain. While it does slowly spread from a central taproot, it's not aggressive like its Monarda cousins and it easily transplants. It might be time to test it in the sunny Susan's bed to see if it will flower and how much it might spread.

scads of native pollinators visit the flowers.

In late spring and summer, dense whorls of clustered flowers encircle the stems for about a month.  The tiny individual flowers are two lipped and pink, lavender or white with purple spots.
Scads of native pollinators visit the flowers. According to Illinois Wildflower the flowers attract long-tongued and short-tongued bees, bee flies, Syrphid flies, butterflies, and skippers. The numerous bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, Anthophorine bees, little carpenter bees, leaf-cutting bees, Halictine bees, masked bees, and others.

Source

After bloom and pollination, attractive seed heads form. The seed clusters remain on the plant all winter along with the green basal leaves.

Blephilia ciliata ranges through most of Eastern North American and through parts of the Central United States. It's been found growing in fields, steep slopes, disturbed sites and roadsides. Plants often occur in thin soils over limestone. You can see why it's a perfect plant for Clay and Limestone!

While it's shade tolerant, too much shade and competition from neighboring plants can cause plants to weaken and decline. So give it some room to spread and a few hours of sunshine.

the flowers are white, light pink, or lavender, and individually slightly less than ½" long.

LANDSCAPE USES:  This is a good choice for a pollinator garden, wildlife garden, prairie garden, rock gardens, Butterfly garden, water wise gardens, or, in a meadow. If you're patient it will eventually make a lovely ground cover. 

 There are two prominent lips, with small purple spots on the lower one, and fine hairs in the back.

 COMPANION  PLANTS:  You can pair it with other plants that enjoy similar cultural requirements, like Aster laevis, Phlox pilosa, Coreopsis tripteris, Solidago nemoralis, Bouteloua curtipendula, Sorghastrum nutans or Schizachyrium scoparium. In my garden it's planted with Western Daisies and Porteranthus. It's still growing in the way back freedom lawn.

The particulars:
Family: Lamiaceae
Blephilia ciliata
Common names:  downy wood mint, downy pagoda plant, sunny woodmint and Ohio horsemint.
Type: herbacious perennial
Range: Native to eastern North America.
Occurs in rich open woods, glades, valleys and ravines, borders of woods, old fields, and along roadsides. It naturally occurs in thin soils over limestone
Hardiness zones 4-8
Height: 1.00 to 2.50 feet

Spread: 0.75 to 1.50 feet

Flower: Showy

Bloom Time: May to August

Bloom Description: Blue, purple, pale, almost whit with dark dots

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Dry to medium

Maintenance: Medium

Tolerate: Drought, Dry Soil, Deer resistant

Comments: Needs a few hours of bright sun to flower best. Flowers in early summer in my garden.
The seed heads are attractive all winter. Basil leaves remain green all winter. The leaves can be used to make a mild mint tea. NOT browsed by dear or other mammals.

Welcome to Clay and Limestone and Wildflower Wednesday.  This day is about sharing wildflowers and other native plants no matter where one gardens~the UK, tropical Florida, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, India or the coldest reaches of Canada. It doesn't matter if we sometimes share the same plants. How they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most.

xoxogail



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Downy Wood Mint

I hope you know Blephilia ciliata...It's a delightful little charmer that will brighten a shady spot in your dry woodland garden.

 I met Downy Wood Mint the first summer after we moved into this house. I was wandering around in my new yard when I spotted what looked like monarda growing in the lawn. Was I ever excited. It was definitely a mint; it had square stems, opposite leaves and whorled light lavender flowers at the top of the stalk! The only thing missing was the tell tale monarda fragrance, instead, there was just the tiniest hint of a minty smell when the leaves were crushed.

I wasn't disappointed for long. Downy Wood Mint is a beautiful flowering plant and it's happier in my garden then Monarda has ever been. It is tolerant of my dry shade, isn't an aggressive grower and was naturally growing here.

Talk about right plant-right place! It really is.

Blephilia ciliata is a gentle colonizer! It's not a rough and tumble wildflower blazing a trail through my garden, instead it, gently and slowly spreads. It's a carefree flower that blooms for a month and does a good job attracting pollinators.

Speaking of pollinators, according to Illinois Wildflowers: "The flowers attract long-tongued and short-tongued bees, bee flies, Syrphid flies, butterflies, and skippers. The numerous bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, Anthophorine bees, little carpenter bees, leaf-cutting bees, Halictine bees, masked bees, and others. The small seeds are unlikely to be of much interest to birds, nor is the foliage an attractive source of food to mammalian herbivores." (source)

opposite leaves and square stems

Unfortunately, like many beautiful and unique wildflowers, you might have trouble finding this plant in the trade. Check with your local native plant nursery for plants and online for seeds (Prairie Moon Nursery sells the seeds)

Flowers are typical of the mint family, with an upper lip and a 3-lobed lower lip; pale lavender with purple spots.

 The particulars:

Blephilia ciliata is an herbaceous perennial of the mint family.
Native to eastern North America.
Occurs in rich open woods, glades, valleys and ravines, borders of woods, old fields, and along roadsides.
Hardiness zones 4-8
Common names:  downy wood mint, downy pagoda plant, sunny woodmint and Ohio horsemint.
Will tolerate shade and dry soil, but, is equally happy in rich garden soil.
Needs a few hours of bright sun to flower best.
Flowers in early summer in my garden.
The seed heads are attractive all winter.
Basil leaves remain green all winter.
The leaves can be used to make a mild mint tea.
NOT browsed by dear or other mammals.

I do hope you can find room for Downy Wood Mint in your garden.
xoxoxgail

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not, and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.




Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Plant More Natives In 2012

The critters will thank you!

Hover Fly on Spiderwort

I plant natives because it makes sense for the difficult conditions in my garden~ (You know that shallow clay soil that's sticky wet all winter and dry as concrete all summer.) After the drought last summer and fall and an already saturated 2012,  planting Central Basin natives makes even more sense to me.

late spring border of mostly natives with native friendly exotics

They never let me down and more importantly, they never drown. (Not The Climate For Xeric)

Downy Woodmint/Blephilia ciliata

I plant natives because they provide habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. (Gardening For Wildlife)  But, not just any old native plant makes the  Clay and Limestone cut.  They also  have to be tough, attractive and make me smile. 

I've already started on my list~This past week I planted Dodecatheon meadia/Shooting Star, found Hydrangea quercifolia/Oakleaf Hydrangeas on sale,  bought a marvelous native 
Rhamnus caroliniana/buckthorn,  decided to try an Neviusia alabamensis/Alabama snow-wreath and I haven't even gotten to the summer and fall blooming perennials! (earlier post)

Join me and let's make 2012 the year we plant more natives.  The critters will thank you, but, I pinky swear, that you'll be even happier than the bees. 

xxoogail


Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone."