New Natives

Posted in Gardening Tips on February 8 2011, by Plant Talk

One of the new stars in the world of native plants these days is Uvularia perfoliata ‘Jingle Bells’. This woodland spring wildflower is indigenous to the East Coast west to the Mississippi. It generally has soft green leaves, yellow bell flowers and an arching demeanor. This new introduction has light green leaves with large white streaks around its border and into its interior. You can find this at Plant Delight Nurseries.

Another native that will attract the attention of homeowners is Amsonia ciliata ‘Spring Sky’. This sturdy native can be found from North Carolina down to Florida and west to Missouri. Blue star (its common name) has won the hearts of many by being a low-maintenance perennial that can grow in sun or part-shade and has the added benefit of being deer and rabbit resistant.

This new cultivar is a compact version of the native – reaching only 2 feet tall by 2 feet wide. It has pale blue flowers in the spring that are slightly larger than the native and fine, feathery foliage that turns a beautiful yellow hue in the fall. This new introduction comes from North Creek Nurseries.

For those of you looking for a splash of color later in the season, there is a new goldenrod on the market named Solidago ‘Solar Cascade’. ‘Solar Cascade’ size falls somewhere in between the compact ‘Golden Fleece’ and the majestic ‘Fireworks’. ‘Solar Cascade’ is a clump forming perennial that is drought tolerant once established.

‘Solar Cascade’ has glossy green foliage and arching sprays of golden flowers late in the summer. It will pair beautifully with many of your late season staples – ornamental grasses, New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), medium sized dahlias and annual late season salvias.
A new cultivar of an ornamental grass that is indigenous to the dry plains of central North America is hitting the market by storm this year. Sometimes referred to as mosquito or blue grama grass, the new cultivar is named Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’.

‘Blonde Ambition’ is larger than the species forming a 2 to 3 foot mound. Like the species it has very narrow, wispy blades that have a blue-green cast to it. The show begins in mid-summer and last through the winter when the grass flowers. This cultivar has bright chartreuse inflorescences that wave in a horizontal fashion. They have been likened to eyelashes.

Last season I delighted in using my feather fingergrass grass (Chloris virgata) with their spectacular inflorescence in my late season cut floral displays mixed with hydrangeas, summer snapdragon (Angelonia), and roses. Now I have another North American native that I can tuck into my arrangements.

There are many wonderful new plants out on the market this year and I am glad to see that the line-up of North American natives is impressive.