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Ken's List
While I am not the expert (don't laugh) on native plants that Marilyn is, some of this is beginning to grow (ugh) on me. Since Marilyn is so incredibly busy that I haven't been able to get her to slow down long enough to give me her list, I am making my own. These are plants that I have personal experience with either in the wild or in my own yard. They are in no particular order and far from complete...
Blue Star
Amsonia tabernaemontana
*Native
*Perennial
*2 - 3’
*Moist to Well-drained
*Part Shade
* Disease free foliage * Long lived *One of the very best
*Terrific nectar plant
The Amsonia in the back yard is generally covered with nectaring insects, including butterflies, bees, and hummingbird moths. The photo with the Tiger Swallowtail above was taken just off the deck.
Red Butterflies
Asclepias curassavica
*Annual
*3 – 5’
*Moist to Well-drained
*FULL Sun
*Hummingbird Nectar
*Blooms till frost
*Preferred host plant for the Monarch*
This is not a native and is an annual but the Monarchs will thrive on it during their return trip south. We've had them stripped bare by Monarch caterpillars and then grow back. Even without the Monarchs the color is well worth it.
Wild Blue Indigo
Baptisia australis
*Native
*Perennial
*2 – 4’
*Full Sun
*Well-drained to Dry
*Host plant for: Wild Indigo, Duskywing, Hoary Edge, and Northern Cloudywing
Marilyn says this is "long lived, give the taproot time to become established, more blue than purple." The plant in one of our gardens is impressive, but these are really spectacular in mass in a wild setting.
Yellow Wild Indigo
Baptisia sphaerocarpa
*Native
*Perennial
* 1 ½ - 2 ½’
*Full to Part Sun
*Well-drained to Dry
*More compact than the blue & white
*May be summer dormant
*Tough plant with gorgeous blooms
Marilyn says, " ...beautiful yellow blooms, when I saw this in a bouquet at the Wildflower Workshop in Sulphur it became a must have." Even better are the stands of these astride the Chickasaw Turnpike between Sulphur and Ada.
Partridge Pea
Cassia fasciculata
*Native
*Annual (re-seeds)
*1 – 3’
*Full Sun
*Moist to Dry
*Pretty foliage
*Host plant for: Cloudled Giant Sulphur, Little Yellow & Sleepy Orange
Marilyn says "bright yellow blooms with red throats, a soil mender on the prairie, will reseed."
And it does reseed in our garden every year. You may find it being eaten by butterfly caterpillars though, but that is OK because it will come back. Aside from the color from the blooms the main benefit is the airborne color coming from Cloudless Giant Sulphur, Little Yellow, and Sleepy Orange butterflies that thrive on the plant.
Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
*Native
*Perennial
*2 – 4’
*Full Sun
*Moist to Dry
*Nectar
*Interesting seed heads and cool leaves *Old remedy for snake bites
Marilyn says "interesting seed heads, old remedy for rattlesnake bites, the strap-like leaves have barbs that look sharp but aren't." So maybe I'm attracted to the name. But these plants are distinctive. Their bloom stalks rise up into a not colorful but very interesting bloom.
Tulip Poplar
Liriodendron tulipifera
*Native
*70 – 80’
*Full to Part Shade
*Prefers Deep Soil
*Prefers acidic soil
*Host plant for the Tiger Swallowtail
Marilyn says " prefers an acidic soil, doesn't like to dry out, interesting leaves." This is a moderately fast growing tree that will provide some shade. I think the very large leaves are just plain cool. The real benefit is that this is the host plant for the Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. Note the photo at the top of the page.
Ohio Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohioensis
*Native
*Perennial
*1 – 3’
*Full Sun to Shade
*Moist to Dry
*Adaptable
*Nice interplanted with coneflowers and daisies
Marilyn says "...nice to interplant with coneflowers and daisies, can tolerate many different exposures." This plant is versatile. We have these deep down in our very thick woods and out in the full sun prairie area of our yard. Blooms from April to June.