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Edge Of The Woods Native Plant Nursery, LLC

Specializing in plants native to mid-Atlantic ecosystem

April 5, 2023

This Week in the Nursery

A big THANK YOU to all the new and familiar peeps who visited the nursery on opening day! We had a big turn out for our first day open for the season! We hope you all enjoy your new plants and we hope to see everyone again soon 🙂 It’s SO amazing watching all those native plants go out the door to their new homes, where they’ll provide infinite benefits to our local pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. You are ALL contributing to such a great cause by choosing native ❤️

Here’s a few of the plants that are catching our eye this week!  We don’t always have them.  Stop in soon if you are interested.  We do not have milkweeds yet — its too cold!  They need a few weeks of warm to hot weather before they break dormancy.

Actaea pachypoda

Doll’s eye, or white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) is a unique member of the genus, with its striking white fruits sporting a black dot giving the impression of eyeballs watching you in the woods 👀 White, fragrant flowers in spring are replaced by greenish berries that ripen to white in late summer or early fall. Flowers are attractive to some native bees but lack nectar, so only provide pollen. Some birds such as grouse and robins will eat the berries, as well as white-footed mice. Most mammalian herbivores do not eat doll’s eyes, but deer and chipmunks will occasionally browse young shoots in spring. Quite a dramatic addition to a shade or woodland garden. Grows 1 to 3 feet tall. Doll’s eyes prefers average to moist, well-drained, organically-rich soils and natural woodland conditions. Soil pH can range from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. It does best in filtered or dappled shade but will grow in heavier shade; it does not tolerate full sun or consistently dry soils. This is always a popular plant among our customers, and we’re so happy to have a nice crop at the nursery available now 🙂

Carex plantaginea

Seersucker sedge, Carex plantaginea, sporting its unusual flowers. Though the flowers of grasses and sedges lack petals, they’re nothing short of extraordinary! 🙂Good for shade or partial sun in average to moist soils, generally performs best with good drainage but tolerates clay in several of our clients gardens! And yes, we DO have this species now!

Franklinia alatamaha

A special tree if there ever was one, the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha) is extinct in the wild, and likely has been for over 250 years. It’s only known native range was a small area along the Alatamaha River in Georgia. Seed was collected and brought back to Philadelphia by botanist and botanical explorer, William Bartram. He was successful in propagating and growing the Franklinia in his Philadelphia garden, which can still be visited today and Franklin trees can be observed. He named the tree after his father’s good friend, Benjamin Franklin. Since Bartram’s observation during his trip to Georgia from 1773 to 1776, the tree has apparently never been seen in the wild again. He successfully germinated his seeds in 1777, and in turn, may have saved the species from total extinction and complete evasion from modern science.

Today, the tree is still an uncommon, but sought after ornamental species. It’s small size, fall color, fragrant blossoms, and such history make it very desirable. While not native to Pennsylvania, we cannot help but carry this species. It’s rich ties to our home state, along with its “romantic and dramatic” history and horticultural significance just makes this one a special exception. We just love it too much. Sorry purists! 😉 Plus, it performs well in much of Pennsylvania, though can be a little touchy north of zone 6A. Many people do grow it successfully in zone 5B, but special placement should probably be considered.

Franklinia has a reputation for being finicky. It needs well drained soil (so the banks of the Alatamaha were not exactly ideal). Full sun or light shade are best, along with acidic soil and rich organic matter. It will not grow in clay or compacted soil and leaves will yellow if soil is alkaline. It is not pollution or urban tolerant. When planting, try to disturb its roots as little as possible.

It is not drought tolerant, so be sure to water during dry spells. Because it lacks fibrous roots, any disturbance to its root system can cause stress. Keep root zone covered with an inch or two of mulch (don’t let the mulch touch the trunk).

It doesn’t live a particularly long time – perhaps to about 50 years. There are reports of long-lived specimens, and you may have just the right spot for it.  If you are up for a challenge, give it a try.

We have a limited number of Franklin trees now! If you think you might have the right conditions, consider adding one to your landscape! 

 

Mertensia virginica

Come get your bluebells…Virginia bluebells, that is (Mertensia virginica)! A staple of the native spring bloomers! This charming flower blooms in mid-spring, and the whole plant fades away by early summer, only to reappear next spring to do it all over again. Typical behavior of our “spring ephemerals”…if you’re unfamiliar, think daffodils, which also wither by early summer (daffodils aren’t native, but they’re a very familiar example!!)

Article by Louise Schaefer and Brandon Everett / Nursery Information, Plants

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Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery, LLC
A WBE Certified Woman Owned Business
Promoting Native Plants Since 2003

2415 Route 100, Orefield, PA 18069
(610) 395-2570
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