Is anyone else interested in a cottage garden that uses mainly native plants and grasses with an added use of non-native annuals, herbs, and exotics that are non threating to native eco systems? What about the importance of attracting birds, butterflys,etc.? I love the full rich look of the cottage garden but find myself continually rethinking my choices as I become more informed about the consequences of some of the more invasive plants.
I do think it behooves us to be responsible, but then again, if I were to go entirely native I don't think I'd like the result. Containment can be nearly impossible, and planting something that can have devastating effects (e.g. kudzu, water hyacinth down here) needs to be avoided. But it's the education part that's hard. I honestly don't know whether roses are native to this area! It sure would be a sacrifice to get rid of those babies. I think one can strike a balance.
yes, especially here in the desert. Although I WANT the most lush and overgrown FG, I have to be realistic as well and plant what will grow here. That basically means natives for the msot part.
And of course an obvious perk to natives is that you know they'll grow! Try planting french tarragon here in the swamps!
But I can grow coneflowers that beat everything.
brigidlily, that's a lesson I'm trying to learn here, I know there are some folks who grow everything, but I've also learned that they have created little ecoclimates before putting in what is an exotic for their zone.
I always try to include a few natives in all of my gardens, cottage or otherwise. I love attracting birds and butterflies. I think that it is possible to have a lush "cottagey" garden that has numerous natives. Here is California we have California poppies, Rock Roses, Princess flower, native iris, salvias, milkweed, achillea, mimulus, erysimum, some lupins.... the list goes on. All beautiful flowering plants but perhaps quite a few of them are less herbaceous than normally found in a typical cottage garden. I think quite a few of these would do well in AZ or TX, and while not necessarily native to those states they are native to the US.
It's definitely a good idea to keep the invasive plants list in mind when planting... invasiveness of a species can vary with zone, so I don't panic right away when a plant in my zone 6 garden is deemed invasive in Florida, but I do check it out. I like plants that will spread a bit or reseed themselves, but I try to avoid ones that may take over the yard (or the neighborhood).
I was just thinking that we needed a thread on wildlife-friendly and butterfly-friendly plants... So many of the "buterfly garden plants" are definitely at home in a cottage garden! My attempt to add a "butterfly bed" in back definitely contributed to the cottagey feel of my garden.
Buddlea, Agastache, Asclepias, Verbena bonariensis, Echinacea.... the list goes on... I can't think of any butterfly host plants or nectar plants that wouldn't look look great in an informal cottage garden setting.
Also, I think plants that provide fruit or seeds for birds and other wildlife are also a good "fit" for a cottage garden. I just put in a purple beautyberry, although I don't know yet if anybody will like to eat it. I've got mulberries at the back edge, and the birds get their share of strawberries, cherries, blackberries, etc from the fruit trees. I want to add PawPaws and American Persimmons down the line also, and I know those will be popular with nonhumans too.
What plants do the critters most appreciate in your garden?
I'm very interested in this topic. I planted 2 buddleia when I first put in my butterfly garden. they didn't make it thru the winter. I've since read that they are considered invasive exotics. I understand how popular they are (both with the gardeners and the butterflies LOL), but I choose not to replant them. I am going to try to start some vitex, with seed that a fellow DGer sent me, as a substitute. My next door neighbor has a gorgeous buddleia and I have to admit I'm a little jealous, but I can enjoy hers (is that cheating?). I have been doing more research and look more at web sites that sell native plants.
I agree with critter on the fruit/seeds. I'm thinking about some low-bush blueberries in my cottage garden, more for the wildlife than for us, and just this morning I asked about some viburnum over at Trees & Shrubs forum. I'm finding that there are a lot of wonderful native shrubs.
it's all about educating yourself and then making choices. everyone doesn't feel the same. some folks are diligent about deadheading when they plant an exotic. I know I won't be (I'm a lazy gardener). and some aren't aware. some don't see it as a problem. there's room for all opinions.
Do you know in what zones Buddleia is invasive? My 'Black Knight' has yet to pop up with a single volunteer seedling. I think part of the "invasiveness" equation has to do with how far seeds are able to travel, too, although granted any seed can travel on the bottom of a muddy shoe. I'm not good about deadheading either, so I try to educate myself about potential invasives.
I definitely have low bush blueberries in mind, as well as bush cherries... it may take a couple more years to clear the poison ivy and virginia creeper out of the tree line, and then I'll plant away! I think pawpaws will be another good thing to plant in our little fence row line of trees. I know the birds love both the mulberries and wild cherries that are there now!
critter, does this link help for your state? http://www.dnr.state.md.us/sw_index_flash.asp
I followed the usda http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/invasives.html for it.
The plant that scored the highest points with the critters this year was good old pink Cosmos. It was crawling with bees all summer long, the hummers were frequent visitors to it and a whole family of finches seemed to be dining on the seed heads almost daily. What a treat to see!
Thanks. The dnr page just has a list of "worst offenders," not very comprehensive, but I found a web site with many links, http://www.invasive.org/ that led me to a list of Mid-Altantic "plant invaders," http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic/.
Buddleia doesn't even make the list of "occasionally invasive" species on this VA list, http://www.dcr.state.va.us/dnh/invlist.pdf, so I'm probably OK with that one in MD. As I said, "invasive" definitely varies by region.
how right you are, it takes a real survivor to be come invasive here in the desert!
Hmmm... cosmos proved to be too tall in the orchard (grew to 5 ft, taller than some of the new trees that year), but it might be another reseeding annual to consider for the iris bed along the back edge... its airy foliage shouldn't trap too much moisture near the iris rhizomes. Thanks!
critterologist,
I know buddleia is considered invasive in my zone, I have one plant left that is a seedling of my original "Petite Indigo", that I plan to remove today. It is also growing in my local woods. I was thinking of replacing mine with a Joepye weed in the spring. One of the smaller cultivars like "Gateway". I tried to find low bush blueberries locally this year with out any luck. I have 3 different cultivars of highbush that have nice fall coloring, besides the lovely form and of course the berries.
Brigidlily,
I have a very nice "native" Rosa virginiana, that has new red colored twigs and rose hips for winter color , but probably not the correct choice or necessity for your area. It will be interesting to see what a native mix cottage garden will look like in different parts of the country and world. I don't see why we can't have exotics, if they prove not to be invasive (I don't think anyone would plant a multiflora rose here, but then again people do plant barberry and burning bush in the Northeast with unfortunate results) or require pesticides. My personal preference is organic, but I will have to resort to pesticide application to rid my garden of a Miscanthus sinensis that has invaded the interior of a clump of native Switch grass.
semp, I planted a 'Gateway' Joepye weed late summer this year. I was going to get 'Little Joe', but I got a 'Gateway' on sale, so that made up my mind. so that will help fill the space I had for the buddleias.
Unfortunately, I do have some barberry from my initial landscaping that was put in before I started reading and learning. Eventually, it will go. I had planned on a burning bush, but caught on before I got that far. there are so many native shrubs with excellent fall color. I'm putting in several viburnum in the fall.
I feel the same way way...prefer organic, but will resort to chemicals if can't fight it any other way.
I thought I'd bump this thread up and ask everyone for good native replacements for all the cottage plants we love but find too invasive to use anymore. I do have the new book "Native Alternates to Invasive Plants" on my wish list.
In the past I've used shasta daisies for a loose meadow look and to hide daffodil leaves. My replacement, because it's white and blooms at the same time, is Penstemon digitalis (tall white beardtongue) cultivar Husker Red.This is a 4 season plant for me. Maroon early spring foliage followed by white (can be pink tinged on some plants) flowers. After that red seedheads form that glisten in the sun (pretty next to black eyed susans). In the late summer/ fall the seedheads turn brown and add texture next to grasses in the fall/winter. The basal foliage turns a purply red in the winter.
The photo is the the spring, Penstemon next to a white Baptisa.
Gram,
I still can't decide which joepye weed to buy. Has anyone grown "Little Joe"?
oops, wrong photo.
Sorry about that. Hopefully this is the Penstemon with the white Baptisia.
Semper, I just planted "little joe" in August. Too soon to tell much but I like it so far. More attractive leaves than the regular.
Just a note towards the original post: thanks for putting this up there, sempevirens - it's a topic very near and dear to my heart. Now that I have found a new home in Tennessee, I have a lot to learn about what grows here. Can't think of something I'll enjoy much more!
You're very welcome Pagancat. Do you have a lot of property to plant? I just have a small suburban lot so I have to adapt to a small space. My most treasured gardens are small woodland areas under 2 tall Norway Spruce (none native but 90' tall) . The spring is especiallly lovely with the early ephemerals like rue anenome, hepatica, Jack-in-the-Pulpit and bloodroot among the evergreen ferns, partridgeberry, foam flower and heuchera. I stretch my plant choices a bit since native in my area would be forest. There is so much to learn, and many mistakes to make. I've just learned that both the hardy cyclamen and Arum Italicum I use for winter interest along with snow drops may all be considered invasive. I'll have to do more research but in the meantime I'll tuck them in close to the house when spring comes.
Dave, I'm glad you mentioned the more attractive leaves on "little joe". Does it also have the nice red stems that "gateway" seems to have in photos?
Well.... yes and no. We moved into a home on 18 acres, most of which has been cleared for farming. Much of that will stay that way or become pasture. But we're adding a trailer for my sister and a barn, so there is much to be landscaped, IMO - and more trees, trees, trees.... my other big concern is that which is poisonous to horses. My dogs and cats have never seemed to go near anything that is inedible (or worse) but horses apparently think the world is their feed trough and will take a bite out of the most deadly landscape plant, should they come across it. So much for putting in larkspur and red maples....
I look forward to hearing your results on both the Arum and the cyclamens - I was hoping to plant them on the shady side of my house!
Semper,It has nice red steems, pretty whorled leaves. It seems to be nicely formed (don't forget, I've only had it a few months).
Dave
This looks like an older thread, but I just found this forum. I have a cottage garden type garden so don't know how I missed this.
Critterologist: I think that type of Butterfly bush may be sterile. Just a guess, but my neighbor has one and I was hoping for some volunteers. So far nearly eight years nothing is popping up on my side of the fence or even around his plant. It is beautiful and smells good and is always covered with butterflies. Aside from it being right on the property fence line and trying to grow into a tree size, that is all that I can see happening with it. LOL
Windy brings up a good point - so many of the new plants are triploids and are sterile. One is the Shasta Daisy that Sempervirens mentions, the new ones of which are sterile from some sort of embryo rescue, I imagine, are a cross of 2 different genuses Chrysanthemum x Leucojomum (sorry about the spelling). I haven't seen any catalogs mention it, but I imagine the butterfly bushes are the same -- the new fancy ones are sterile and the older ones are invasive.
I don't see how a regular gardener (not us, we are superlative gardeners!) could possibly keep up with what is invasive and what isn't! Unless it's printed in the catalogs (for we superlative gardeners), and garden centers refuses to sell it (for Joe public), I'm not sure it's possible to totally stay away from invasives unless there is someone very well informed who can dissiminate information from your local area. Hmm, sounds like a job for the Extension Service!
Suzy
P.S. Welcome to the CG forum Windy!
Illoquin and Windy,
It is very tricky to figure out what is invasive where. I no longer trust the claims of sterile plants when so many, like the barberries, have been proven wrong. There is always the possibility it is self sterile but will reproduce if the non sterile plant is available in the area. It will be interesting to watch the results of the new cross of the Shasta daisy. I hope the Extension Service does step in to help us out.
On a more positive hopeful note, Tellima grandiflora (fringe cups), a shade plant similar to heuchera, was recommended by someone on the DG Heuchera and Friends site. I tried it this spring and I loved it's delicate small flowers and lovely leaves. The quilted leaves have become more colorful (it started out with plain green maple type leaves) and the patterning more distinct in the cooler weather. I believe this is a west coast native so I hope it lasts for me on the east coast.
I picked a few leaves for package decoration and was surprised to find the leaves as soft and plush as velvet.
This photo is from the spring in the green leaf state.
Here is a picture of the Tellima now, with it's winter color.
Hah! I have the Tellima. I thought it was volunteer native heuchera but your pic is it exactly. Thanks! It is pretty in shade and partial sun. It isn't invasive but I do get volunteers that I've transplanted successfully.
Wow, that's wild! It's looks just like a heuchera when it's not in bloom!
Suzy
Bizarre....
Okay Semp - this always happens - I want to know what that is below the Tellima - is that a painted lady fern?
Semper, try contacting Zenpotter. She is very big into native plants and knows of some good vendors where native plants can be obtained.
I noticed someone earlier saying they were considering low-bush Blueberries for their garden. I just decied a few weeks ago that I was going to include a few of those in the new part of my garden this year. Also some alpine strawberries as edging. I have seeds for Strawberry Ruegen and Strawberry Golden Alexandria both of which are said not to put out runners. WIll have to see what happens.
beaker, I don't know if it was me you are remembering, but I am going to put in low-bush blueberries. I had a link to a place (I think it was in New Jersey) where you could get plants very reasonably. but my provider messed up my links and I lost it. I'll have to do some digging again.
and someone recommended alpine strawberries and I may use those as an edging for my alpine/rock garden. if the birds get all the fruit, oh well. if we get to taste some of it, that would be nice, too. I'm not ready to plant them yet, so you'll have to let me know how they work out for you.
gram
This has to be a case of great minds thinking alike! I got the idea from one of the seed catalogs recently received. I already have the strawberry seeds. I'm going to try to winter sow them. I'm going to try to find the blueberry bushes locally, but it may be difficult. I'm hoping to harvest some of the blueberries, but I don't think I'll have much luck with those tiny strawberries. Too many critters and birds around.
Sorry to take so long getting back to everyone.
KatyMac,
I'm so glad I posted the Tellima photos so you could identify what plant you had. It is in the same family, Saxifragaceae, as Heuchera and Tiarella. It would make sense it reproduces for you since it is a west coast native. Lucky you. I love the subtle simplicity of this plant. I also like white flowers.
Pagancat,
There are threads on DG Invasive Plant site on both the Arum Italicum and Hardy Cyclamens as invasive plants (as always this depends on where you are located). I know that the arum is poisonous and it was reported to be hard to remove. Maybe not the best choice with the horses. Good luck with your new land. It sounds like you"ll be a careful, thoughtful stewart of the land. That is a Japanese painted fern to the left of the Tellima. They spread quite easily and always look well with the maroon and silver leaved heuchera.
beaker,
Thanks for telling me to contact zen, we frequently cross paths on quite a few forums. I have some alpine strawberries as edging, I've noticed they need to be moved around every few years to maintain their vigor. Anyone else notice this, or have you been successful in keeping them in one spot? The only critters that eat my alpine strawberries are my dogs!
gram,
I think you might be thinking of Rarefind Nursery in N.J. I ordered quite a few things from them this spring but they were out of the low bush blueberries.
Hum...I'm thinking about the alpine strawberries. They must be using something up in the soil that they need...perhaps acid? I think I remember something similar with Japanese Iris. I'll have to look into it and find out what it is. Thanks for the heads-up.
I found this on alpine strawberries:
The plants like humus-rich, acid soil in a sheltered site in sun or partial shade. They are hardy to zone 4, but deteriorate after a few years and need replacing. Plant in the garden as a border or in outdoor containers where it's very happy because it doesn't put out runners like most strawberries.
I think if you fed MirAcid (I think that's what it is called), may prolong it's life.
I've successfully wintersowed alpine strawberries. I like to plant out slightly larger plants, so I transplanted tiny clumps (of 3-5 seedlings) into a 36 cell flat and then planted them into the garden when their roots had filled the little pots. I've had mine for a couple of years, and no sign of deterioration yet.... I'm thinking they might also be self-sowing as they fill in, which would help prolong their life as a border planting.
You'll never pick enough of those tiny berries for jam or pies, but the intense, strawberry-candy flavor is incredible!
Here is a photo of one of the native gingers, just by chance the winter coloration of the leaves seem to echo the buddhas last traces of paint. Critter, there was an article in the NYTIMES Home Section (pgF4) on Jan 4, 2007 by Anne Raver on the return of bluebirds to her central Maryland farm after decades of absence due to a reduced use of pesticides and government subsidies to farmers to turn some cropland into native grass and trees. She mentions the alpine strawberries as part of her bird habitat.
This message was edited Jan 9, 2007 3:31 PM
Sorry to dredge this back up, but I'm new here as of today and wanted to share some of what I do.
I'm high, cold, and dry at 7500 ft elevation in the shortgrass prairie of Colorado...by necessity, I've had to find water-friendly replacements for a lot of traditional cottage garden flowers. I DO still grow some roses, but have switched to a lot of natives and xeric (non-invasive) exotics for color. My garden still has that cottagey look though.
I use many, many penstemons as much as possible for a variety of color. Some of them grow into shrubby forms that make some beautiful, billowy masses. Agastaches also provide billows of color, later in the summer and taller than the penstemons.
I've replaced my Siberian Iris with Iris missouriensis (our native) - similar growth and bloom, earlier bloom time. I've kept my heirloom bearded iris since they require no supplemental water.
The tall, purple coneflower FRIES here in the summer sun, so I grow E. angustifolia in its place. It's shorter, but it's native here to the shortgrass prairie. I also have a lot of "native" and non-invasive ornamental grasses like big bluestem, little bluestem, blue grama, blue oatgrass.
The daisy-like flower that is a backbone in my garden is Gaillardia aristata - another one that needs no supplemental water. I have more native flowers like lupines and mule's ears, but listed above is the mainstay of my flowers.
Shrubs are almost all native: artemisias of several varieties, mountain mahogany, chamisa (butterflies LOVE this), creosote bush, the native rose, winterfat, apache plume, saltbrush, rocky mtn juniper, yuccas. The only thing I'm really missing is a non-invasive drought-tolerant vine of some kind. I'm still on the lookout for one - honeysuckle and morning glory are just too invasive here.
Exotics that I still grow: lavender, hollyhock, shasta daisy (will probably SP as it barely grows here), sterile catmint, blue mist spirea, lilacs, lupines, columbine, daylilies, and some yarrows.
My "cottage" garden isn't as lush as most of yours, but it still has that wonderful, carefree feel that I love.
Nancy
Do you have any pictures? It sounds interesting.
