Wildflower Wednesday: The Siren Call of a Wildflower

My favorite garden catalogs arrived this month and just like that I am head over heels in want of a plant that could be wrong for this garden!

with pedulous umbels that are similar to allium (source 

Meet Asclepias exaltata! A Monarch butterfly host plant that grows in shade. I'm not kidding, Asclepias exaltata is one of the most shade tolerant of its genus. That's exciting news for those of us that have more shade than sun in our gardens and want to grow host plants for the Monarch butterfly.

But, there's a but, Asclepias exaltata is a moisture loving plant! Where I garden the soils are generally dryer (summer), heavier and more neutral than where poke milkweed is naturally found. Is this enough of an issue to make me turn a deaf ear to the siren call of this beautiful wildflower?

I don't know, so I'm going to research Poke milkweed before I sail away!

R W Smith photographer

 A. exaltata is a tall and elegant looking flowering plant that can be found in woodland areas across the eastern portion of the United States and Canada. It has a sweet fragrance in bloom and the weeping downward pinkish flowers have been described as reminiscent of an exploded firework.  I like the exploded firework image, but, for the more botanically inclined:  "Umbels weep down with each flower on a long pedicel with 10+/- flowers per umbel. Color is white with lavender to green tinges. Stems of the umbels are a purplish color. Horns protrude through the hoods. Corolla reflexes backward. Corolla, hoods, and horns are a light pink color. " (Monarch Watch source)

The unique flowers give way to beautiful elongated seed pods in late summer. Poke milkweed is taller than its relatives and is less likely to take over your entire garden like Asclepias syriaca/common milkweed.  Once established its deep taproot will make it nearly impossible to transplant successfully, so it’s best planted where it will be happy, and left undisturbed.

The photos below are from the Minnesota Wildflower website.

Look at that plant in the shade

The plant gets its common name from it's large leaves which superficially resemble Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana).

Provides a Monarch larval food source in the shade!

All sources mentioned that it grows best in moist soil and several suggest that it's happiest in moist soils along with cooler temperatures. All of the sources say it flowers nicely in dappled sun and some, say it will flower in full shade. One grower suggests keeping it out of the direct sun or the leaves will yellow. Illinois Wildflowers says the plants must be protected from prevailing winds and grown in rich loamy moist soil with good drainage.

All agree that it has a strikingly sweet fragrance when in bloom and the seed pods are cool. Several gardeners said that bunnies ate their plants to the ground.

The particulars

Asclepias exaltata
Common Names: Tall Milkweed, Poke milkweed
Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed Family)
Perennial Native Wildflower
Bloom: Jun, Jul, Aug
Color:  White, Pink
USDA Zones: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
US Regions: Midwest, Northern, Northeast, Southeast
Distribution: AL, CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV  Canada: ON, QC
Light: Partial, Shade
Soil: Sand, rich loam
Moisture: Seems to require moderate moisture.
Size: 3'-5'
Benefits: Pollinators, Butterflies,
Habitat: Woodland plant, grows best in dappled sunlight in the understory in loamy soils with moderate moisture. Taprooted.
Deer Resistant, but not bunny resistant
Germination: Requires stratification cold/wet for 4 weeks. Seeds are not expensive and are available on the internet.
Uses: Attracts Pollinators, Honeybees,  Butterflies and bunnies
Good wildlife value

In conclusion: Butterfly lovers with shady gardens are in luck! Especially, if you have a moist, shady garden in the eastern United States and Canada. If you have a dry shade garden and want to water this plant during dry periods you, too, can grow A exaltata. Forget growing it in the deep south, it's too hot. If you have a sunny, dry garden then stick with A tuberosa, you won't be disappointed or exhausted from dragging a hose around all summer.

 I still hear the siren song, but, right now, I'm leaning toward growing it from seed, in a container, close to the door, where I can smell the sweet fragrance, watch pollinators visiting and water it daily.

xoxogail

PS Before I go, I want to share with you garden guidelines that help me make better plant choices.  You can modify it to fit your garden and goals.

Before I place any in the online cart I like to make sure:

• It has a good chance to survive the difficult conditions at Clay and Limestone.
• It's a middle Tennessee or Central Basin native.
• It's a nectar or pollen source for pollinators.
• It's a host plant for pollinators.
• It has berries, seeds and/or nuts for my critter visitors and residents. 
• It has good wildlife value.
• It will aid the diversity of my critter friendly garden.
• It isn't available locally.
• Exceptions can be applied by a gardener willing to haul water all summer long for moisture loving plants; purchase containers so plants get good drainage; and, what ever else a plant needs whose siren call won the gardener's heart.

Welcome to Wildflower Wednesday and thank you for stopping by to see what plant made a siren call to me this month. Thanks for joining in and if you are new to Wildflower Wednesday, it's 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 your wildflower is in bloom or not and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. 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.

Hey, all you gardeners

It's catalog season and for winter weary gardeners it's an exciting time. I don't know about you, but, I am finding it hard to resist their seductive plant photos! I am tempted to order anything that looks lush and colorful right this very minute!

But, I have learned over the years not to fill the cart up with "I must have that gorgeous beauty" impulse buys. I have a mound of tags to commemorate the many dead and inappropriate plants that I've impulsively brought home over the years.  I keep them to remind me that without careful planning one can end up with a broken heart and a lot of wasted budget.

How can tempted gardeners survive buyers remorse!

 Guidelines!  You can  create your own plant buying guidelines. That's what I did a number of years ago!

Without guidelines, I would be stuffing my cart with plants that are especially seductive at this time of year. Beautiful they would certainly be, but, they might not make sense for my garden. It took me a few years, but, I made peace with Clay and Limestone's shallow, clay soil that is dry in the summer and wet all the winter. Most plants in the garden are rough and tumble native wildflowers that don't need coddling. They provide food and shelter for the critters that visit and live in this garden. Of course, there are some native plants that need special care, I am not that tough a taskmaster! Those plants get extra water in the summers or are planted so they don't drown in the winters. 

My guidelines are quite simple; before any plant goes into the cart, I like to make sure:

• It has a good chance to survive the difficult conditions at Clay and Limestone.
• It's a nectar or pollen source for pollinators
• It's a host plant for pollinators
• It will add to plant diversity in my critter friendly garden
• It's native to Middle Tennessee or is garden friendly (a non invasive plant)
• It isn't available locally

My dear friends, how do you handle the catalogs that are arriving daily in your email or mail box?
xoxogail

Hamamelis vernalis is not native to Middle Tennessee. It's one of those plants that made it into my cart and  needs some extra watering in the summer to insure bud set. When it blooms in January, I am happy that I dragged the hose all over the place.

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.

Some Garden Catalogs Are Better Than Others

Salvia azurea with honeybee

I'm reading one of my favorites on this very rainy and cool day.   Prairie Moon Nursery's catalog is special. It's chock full of good information about native plants and seeds for prairies, wetlands, savannas and woodlands.  They've done a wonderful job of organizing and presenting plant cultural information.  It's obvious the nursery owners want you to find exactly the right plants for your prairie restoration, native habitat or new wildflower garden.  In fact, the catalog is clearly labeled a Cultural Guide. Every forb/wildflower they offer is shown with detailed information including  genus, species, common name, germination guide, sun, soil, bloom, color, height and even a few  comments.   This catalog is a great teaching tool for gardeners wanting to learn about wildflowers...it may not be applicable to  the Southwest, the deep south  and California but, gardeners from the rest of the country and Canada will thoroughly enjoy it.  The plants are listed~ Asclepias to Zizia ~for easy reading and planning. Lest you think I only read this catalog~I recently ordered several bareroot verbesina alternifolias and dozens of seed packets!

Helianthus salicifolius 'First Light'

Sure we can find plant information on line. But, for me, the real experience comes with thumbing through an actual catalog! A written catalog! With corners to fold over and pages to write upon.  I love reading the  descriptions of  the plants, seeing photos of  them in natural settings and then imagining them in my garden. I have many wildflower books, but, I've learned  a lot about wildflowers, daylilies and other plants from catalogs.   Many of the plants I read about would never survive Clay and Limestone's conditions; but, it's a delight to be introduced to them.  Discovering and learning about new wildflowers is one of the reasons I started the Wildflower Wednesday meme. (Are The Natives Friendly) Participants have introduced me to many new wildflowers from their part of the gardening world.  Some of my favorite exotics are other folks native plants!  Excuse me,  I have digressed to a favorite topic!

While I totally enjoy a good catalog read, almost all of my  wildflower plant purchases are from  locally grown stock. It's a rule I like to stick to when possible.  Plants grown near my garden are far more likely to survive the dry summers and wet winters than plants grown a thousand miles away.  Sure, I'll mail order plants, if I can't find them at my go-to local native plant nursery, GroWild. I love supporting local,  independent nurseries and GroWild is a treasure.  It's just a 30 minute drive to a beautiful farm setting and my favorite plants!  The bonus is that I have gotten to know the  owners, Mike Berkley & Terri Barnes. Unfortunately,  for out of towners~They do not have a catalog nor do they do mail order. But, they have a very nice website.

For almost every rule there's often an exception!  Bulbs are the exception to the buy local rule! I almost always buy bulbs online and almost always from the same vendors. Van Engelen, Brent and Becky's and McClure and Zimmerman.  They have wonderful catalogs,  informative websites, incredible bulb choices, and great end of the season sales. It  was an  M and Z's catalog (many, many moons ago)  where I  was first introduced to species tulips and narcissus.  It has never been the same for me since!  I love bulbs and although, I can never match some of my dear gardening friends bulb for bulb. They are, after all, Champions bulbers. I have made good use of bulk bulb buying from Van Eng! You, too, can buy all the Tommies that you want! (Lilac Tommies For My Garden).

So go ahead and sign up for catalog delivery~Trust me, it's not a waste of paper. You never know what you'll find in a catalog and it might be more than plants for sale. It could be an introduction to a passion for wildflowers or bulbs!

xxoogail

**Champions in the  bulb buyers club~Frances/Fairegarden, Dee/Red Dirt Ramblings, EAL/Gardening While Intoxicated

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."