Wildflower Wednesday: Celebrating the Supporting Players in a Wildflower Garden

When we moved to this property there was a canopy of secondary growth shagbark hickories, white oaks,a winged Elm (above) and a few hackberries all growing in a weedy front lawn.

Other than a diseased Cercis canadensis/redbud and a lovely Ostry virginiana that was being smothered by a wisteria vine, there was absolutely no understory.

I loved the canopy and the beautiful fall colors, but, I didn't want a lawn with big trees towering above. What I really wanted were more flowers like the ones I saw on the edges of my new yard that first day in mid-October after we closed on the house. They were a beautiful blue and were covered with bumble bees.

It was my first sighting of the ex-asters and I was in love.

Amelanchier fall 2015 with offspring of the ex-asters I fell for 30 years ago.

I had always wanted to garden, so the following spring I planted more flowers. Most of them died. Lavenders, hostas and other exotic plants that I found at a local nursery just didn't belong in this garden.

Cercis canadensis and Cotinus 'Grace'

It took a while and a lot of research, but, once I figured out that the conditions in my garden, (soil, sun and moisture) resembled the woodlands that are adjacent to cedar glades, I began to plant native plants, including an appropriate understory of small trees and shrubs to create a healthy and diverse ecosystem. By then, I was head over heals in love with wildflowers and gardening for wildlife had become my passion.

The Dancing Tree, Ostrya virginiana

After dozens of years of tweaking and experimenting, I think that there is a pretty good balance of canopy trees, understory trees and shrubs that thrive in the shallow clay soil that is dry during the summer and wet during the winter.

 Hamamelis vernalis and Itea virginica  (2014)

My garden is a Central Basin woodland with dryer, heavier and more neutral soil. Native plants adapted to this kind of environment were essential, the supporting players are small trees (redbuds, hop hornbeams, witchhazels, smokebush and spicebush) and various sized shrubs (Hydrangeas, Iteas, Hypericums and  native azaleas) that are shade tolerant.  My goal has been to provide habitat for critters in a visually attractive space.

Hydrangea quercifolia

In the drama of a wildflower garden there are no bit players. The canopy, the understory, the herbacious layer and the ground cover are all part of a diverse ensemble. All the players are essential; all provide food, nesting and shelter for mammals and birds; they're host plants for a variety of insects that are a primary food source for birds, bats, small mammals, amphibians and even other insects that you want in your garden.

Hamamelis virginiana

They are essential if you want to garden for wildlife and that's what my garden is all about. It doesn't hurt that they are all darn good looking for most of the year.

Aronia/Photinia arbutifolia

The Supporting Players:
Lindera benzoin
Hypericum frondosum
Hydrangea arborecens sps and cultivars 'Ryan Gainey', 'White 'Dome'
Viburnum rufidulum 
Hydrangea quercifolia
Itea virginica
Aronia/Photinia arbutifolia
Euonymous americana

Intense fall color on Hypericum frondosum 2015

Aesculus parviflora (just one)
Hamamelis vernalis
Hamamelis virginiana
Rhododendron periclymenoides (Pinxterbloom Azalea)
Juniperus virginica 'Grey Owl'

Lindera benzoin  with Hydrangea arborescens and Mr I's maple.

Asimina triloba
Cotinus 'Grace'
Cercis canadensis
Cornus florida
Callicarpa americana
Ilex glabra
Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine'
Cornus drummondii 
Amelancer laevis (just one)
Magnolia 'Little Gem'
Ostrya virginica
Neviusia alabamensis
Dirca palustris (just one)
Rhus aromatica

Rhus aromatica

All across America families and friends are making plans to gather for Thanksgiving dinner. It's our annual celebration of the "First Thanksgiving" when colonists celebrated arriving safely in the New World. In my house, before the feasting begins, we all take turns sharing our feelings of gratitude. This year, I am especially grateful for the health and well being of my family; for our first grandchild, Ever Mae; for loving and supportive friends; for fall weather that finally appeared; and, for wildflowers that bloomed no matter how horrid the weather has been.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all,
xoxogail

Welcome to Wildflower Wednesday and thank you for stopping by to help me celebrate the many supporting players in my garden. This has been a challenging year and there isn't anywhere near the foliage color display that one expects in a Middle Tennessee garden in November, thus, many of the photos shared are from previous years. There's rain in the forecast and all of us in Tennessee are keeping our fingers crossed that it happens. Too often this summer and fall rain has skipped past us. We need a good rain to put out the wildfires that are ravaging the forests in the southeastern states.


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.

Bumbles Love Penstemon

....and so do I!

Penstemon calycosus formerly known as X!

The infamous Penstemon X is in bloom.  Long time Clay and Limestone friends  have already met X and heard the story.  But, if they don't mind I would like to share it with you now. 

Bumbles dart in and out and lucky is the gardener who can snap a photo or two

"Many years before Clay and Limestone, this sloped land was a rocky forest of native trees, shrubs, perennials and ephemerals. Fifty years ago a developer's bulldozers cut streets through the woodland. They built brick houses that had deep backyards and grassy front yards. They left a few trees, but took out the understory and planted grass, so that boys and girls could play baseball, kickball and reach for the sky on their backyard swings. The grass struggled, but, shagbark hickories, elms, oaks, junipers and rough leaved dogwoods kicked butt and thrived."

The best shot is often from the back when they aren't in movement!

So did the wildflowers.

 Blue-eyed grass, Western Daisy,  Downy Mint,  False Garlic and sedges were living in the lawn; trout-lily,  Dutchman's Breeches and trilliums were hiding under the shrubs; and,  penstemon grew with abandon on the mossy wet seep and in the dry shade. (Never Fail Wildflowers)

The penstemon was so charming and delightful that we became fast friends.  Identifying him was not easy. My go to guy for all things Middle Tennessee and Central South listed only two penstemons and neither description fit my sweet lilac flower.  So,  I  still call him X, although, these days he's much more formal and goes by his given name P calycosus.  (Thank you Terri Barnes of GroWild for helping me id  X way back when xo.)

Bumbles see the nectar lines and crawl right in!

This plant is a trooper and deserves to be showcased in more gardens. Penstemon calycosus is a fantastic plant for  garden beds or woodland edges.  It's a plant I would love to see showcased in more gardens. Even gardens that are not necessarily wildflower gardens.   

It's a disease resistant plant that grows in almost any conditions~The literature says it's  partial to full sun and moist, well-drained to dry soils, but, folks,  remember,  that X was  found growing on wet weather seeps that are anything but well draining.  It has survived droughty summers and wetter winters and blooms beautifully every spring. Plant it with  purple leaved heucheras (they often like the same conditions), bluestar or like me, let it romp to its heart's content.

Peek-a-boo, I see you.

I like the lance-shaped, semi-glossy, medium green,  finely saw-toothed edged foliage that is evergreen in my garden.  The snapdragon like  flowers that are produced on terminal panicles that bloom for a long time are beautiful.

But, seeing all the Bumbles is the real treat!


xxoogail


Go here for where Penstemon X occurs naturally 

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.