Behnkes Gardening Blog

by Behnkes Woodies Buyer Miri Talabac

Have enough Azaleas? Roses? Bored with yews? I always yearn for the different when it comes to my garden, and these shrubs are some of my favorites.

Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

I love this shrub! It’s native (they pop up from between the rocks at Great Falls), attractive to pollinators (wow! lots of Red Admiral butterflies on them this year both at home and at the nursery) and has multi-season interest. Leaves are either mahogany or gold and flowers are white. Older wood has peeling bark (probably why its named nine-bark) and the seed pods are bright red before they mature to dry brown. I have had one in my yard for ten years now with no problems – and plenty of “benign neglect” the whole time. My deer leave it alone, though I have heard of some snacking on it.

Sweetspire (Itea virginica)

Sweetspire (Itea virginica)

Another native, this is one of my top ten shrubs for fall color. White spring flowers, dark red winter stems, and fall colors ranging through burgundy, red, orange and yellow. They tolerate wet areas, shade and deer, and stay relatively short. And while not evergreen, I do often see plants arrive on the nursery in early spring with several burgundy leaves from last fall still hanging on. Neat!

Summersweet (Clethra anifolia)

Summersweet (Clethra anifolia))

For in-your-face summer fragrance, you can’t beat this. Deer-resistant, wet-soil-tolerant, butterfly-drawing goodness. They’re native too, and in the wild I see them in sunny wood’s-edge ditches and under the canopy itself. Flowers are white (sometimes pink) and can start in late June and end in early September.

Leucothoe

Leucothoe

Part of the large Azalea/Andromeda/Blueberry/Heath family, these low-growers are great evergreens for those pesky deer-infused yards and shady spots. Two cream-splashed plants (the variety ‘Girard’s Rainbow’) that I have in my back yard are content under tall shade trees, not bothered deer or neglect for going on ten years now.

'Blue Chip' Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

'Adonis Blue' Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Okay, we ecology-minded gardeners know to keep an eye on this one; they can escape via seed into wild areas. However, there are several new series that are both compact growers (the better to reach the seed heads for trimming) and/or don’t even set seed. I happen to LOVE the fragrance, and I’m one of those people who can’t stand the overly-sweet scents of Wisteria and Gardenia. Butterfly bush fragrance reminds me of something like a floral vanilla, if that makes any sense. In either case, it’s one of the few shrubs that blooms from June to October; it also takes hot sun well and rebuffs the deer. Plus, it certainly lives up to its name as a butterfly magnet. Blue-violet, purple, pink, magenta, white or yellow flowers let you match it up to just about anything.

Uncommon Natives

This is a catch-all group, but I just can’t skip over these neat natives that can be hard to find. We have all of these now, but once they’re gone, they’re gone until next spring.

Sweetfern (Comptonia peregina)

Sweetfern (Comptonia peregina) is a toughie that looks like a coarse fern and has nice fall color.

Dusty (Xenobia pulverulenta)

Dusty Zenobia (Zenobia pulverulenta) as bluish leaves and nice fall colors.

Yellowroot (L) and Pipevine (R)

Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissimi) has chains of tiny maroon stars when they flower.

Pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa) has velvety heart-shaped leaves that feed pipevine swallowtail butterflies and clothe a fence, trellis or arbor.

New Jersey Tea (Ceanthus americanus)

New Jersey Tea (Ceanthus americanus) and its new hyrbid with the western native California Lilac (Look ma, blue!) that also attracts butterflies.

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) has white starburst flowers in summer that are very popular with butterflies.

Deciduous Azaleas

More Deciduous Azaleas

Finally, there are several deciduous azaleas that I love.  They have fragrant flowers in white, pink or yellow and fantastic fall color.

Sweetfern photo credit.  All other photos by Miri Talabac.

Behnkes buyer and well known native-lover Miri Talabac has lots of tips for people who want butterflies and hummingbirds in their gardens.  In her recent talk about these popular critters she started with making a pitch for WHY to include them:  To contribute to ecological diversity, to teach kids about wildlife, and for our own enjoyment.  Sounds good!

Monarch (L) and Zebra Swallowtail (R)

Butterflies

What they Need    Food, water, (preferably in the form of puddles, or a bird bath that holds or mud), sun, and shelter (especially in evergreens).  For sunning, they’re attracted to rocks they can bask on.  And a particularly popular food some butterfly-lovers put out for them is overripe fruit – it really works.

Host Plants are used by butterflies as places to lay their eggs, and then as food by the emerging caterpillars, so including some in your garden will attract even more species. Butterflies are often very picky about which plants they use as hosts, a departure from their more generic tastes in nectar plants. For example, the Monarch caterpillars will only eat the milkweed plant.  So tuck Milkweed into your border or (if you don’t like the look) in an out-of-the-way spot.

More host plants are Asters, Turtlehead, Passionflower, Violet, Queen Anne’s lace, Pipevine, Penstemon, False Indigo (Baptisia), Golden Alexanders, Sedums, Violets, and trailing Licorice plant (Helichrysum), Snapdragon and Pipevine.  The shrub Spicebush is a great host plant, as are these trees: Hackberry, Elm, Tulip Poplar, Wild Cherry, Black Willow, and Pawpaw.  Among edibles, both fennel and dill are great host plants.  Parsley, dill and carrots are, too, while reseeding less than the aggressively spreading fennel and dill.

Nectar Plants are the plants we see adult butterflies feeding on, sucking nectar through their long nose-like proboscis, and an assortment of nectar plants will attract dozens of butterflies to your garden.  Great ones for our area are:  Liatris, Monarda, Echinacea, Echinops, Milkweed, Agastache, Nepeta, Salvia,  Mountain Mint, Sedum, Allium, Eupatorium, Solidago, Ironweed, Aster, Coreopsis, Joe Pye,  Mints, and Oregano.  Shrubs: Caryopteria, Abelia, Buddleia, Summersweet, Buttonbush, and Ceonothus.  Among annuals: Verbena, Lantana, Globe Amarantha, Pentas, and Zinnias.

Butterfly Facts
Did you know that butterflies live just two weeks, on average?  Or that some hobbyists go beyond planting for them and actually raise them?  Miri raises them herself, and doesn’t mind a bit having to feed them three times a day.

To learn more, Miri recommends The Butterfly Site, which you can search by state – here’s the butterflies in Maryland.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds

Hummingbirds

The Ruby-Throated hummingbird is the only native breeder in our region – the others we see here occasionally are strays.  Only the males  have the iridescent red throat that the species is named for, and he weighs in at just 3 ounces.  These birds overwinter in Mexico and Panama, then across the Gulf of Mexico in 24 hours of straight flying, and show up in our region in mid-April.  They’re primarily bug-eaters but the nectar they drink from plants or our feeders provides the fuel they need to pursue the bugs.

Nectar-Producing Plants for Hummingbirds  Their favorites include:  Crossvine, Trumpet Vine, Honeysuckle, Bottlebrush Buckeye, native and nonnative Azaleas (especially the orange, red, and yellow flowers), Weigela, Buddleia (both for the nectar and for attracting bugs that hummers love),  Hibuscus, Columbine, Agastache (which has a long bloom) Monarda, Penstemon, Cardinal Flower, Joe Pye Weed, Aster, Yarrow, Liatris, Goldenrod, Mountain Mint, Coral bells, Milkweed, Meadow Rue, and Bugbane.  Annuals they love are Indian Pink Sages (actually, all salvias), Lantana, Morning Glory, Cardinal Vine, Petunia, and Million Bells, plus the edibles Fennel and Chives.  Among shrubs, great choices include Viburnum, Contoneaster, Oakleaf and Smooth Hydrangea, Chokeberry, Elderberry, and Pagoda Dogwood

Hummingbird Feeders  These DO work, especially the plastic type with yellow bee guard, shown in the photo above.  If ants are a problem, you can attach an “ant moat” between the pole and the liquid. Asked if red dye is harmful, Miri says that’s unknown, but there’s no need to use it, so she advises against it.  If the birds aren’t finding your feeder, just attach some red ribbons to draw more attention to it.   Hummingbirds are famously aggressive toward each other, so having more than one feeder and keeping all feeders out of sight of each other will reduce the fighting.  Remember that the feeders are for US – the hummingbirds don’t actually depend on them.

What to fill feeders with?  Sucrose, glucose, fructose, or white cane sugar, using 1/4 sugar to water.  What not to fill feeders with?  Brown sugar, fruit syrup, or artificial sweeteners.

You need to change the nectar every 2-3 days, so there’s no point in filling the feeder to the top, then having to throw out what wasn’t used.  Miri fills hers with just 1/4 cup, then increases the amount if the hummers are drinking it all up.    To clean the feeder (every time you refill) you white vinegar or a  bleach solution to kill mold and bacteria.

Feeder photo credit.  Hummingbird close-up photo credit.  Monarch photo credit.  Zebra swallowtail butterfly photo credit.

I moved from Takoma Park to Old Greenbelt almost five months ago and though my house and back yard are still messy, dirty construction sites, I finally have something  to show off – the front* garden.  I could show you a “before” photo of it but trust me – it was all lawn, nothing but lawn.

So, here’s a good view of the new flagstone patio, in two connected rectangles – that’s the construction project that had to be done before I could start planting.  So finally!  I love sitting in the garden and a landscape architect friend suggested this flagstone patio because the color complements the gray building.  And what the heck – flagstone is beautiful.  We made it large enough to be connected to the front door and still extend out into the yard where the sun is in the morning.   Surrounded by humongous oaks here in Old Greenbelt, I feel lucky to have almost full sun on this side of my house, which I’ll enjoy even more with the help of an easy-crank market umbrella, for when the sun is too much.

In the foreground of the photo are the three Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangeas (H. aborescens or smooth, Annabelle-type hydrangea) that I’m excited about.  It’s a bit shorter than Annabelle, reportedly on stronger stems that are less likely to droop, and it’s PINK.   I’ve never grown this type of hydrangea before but it’s native to our region, blooms a long time, and likes the partial sun/shade I could give it here in this spot.  On the right is another view of the Invincibelles, shown behind the Japanese Carexes that do a great job creating filler in a new garden.  These rather dull but very useful plants are from my old garden, where they won’t be missed, as they’re just three of dozens of divisions from the original plant I bought 25 years ago.

Back to the hydrangeas – notice I bought three of them?  Despite the smallness of this garden, I’m trying my best to avoid the dreaded “onesies” – the tendency of plant-lovers like myself to buy one of everything.  You know the look – interesting, but kinda chaotic?    Even in tiny spaces, massing of plants is essential for the type of garden I seem to like best, so that’s the goal here.

Above is another example of massing – this time of the chartreuse-leaved Spirea ‘Ogon’ that you see in the foreground.  It’s one of several light-colored Spireas that breeders have brought to the market lately and they add enormously to the garden all season, long after their blooms have faded.  (This one has white blooms in very early spring.)  They’ll grow quickly to about 4-5 by 4-5 feet.  I bought five and am considering buying two more to complete the short hedge they’ll eventually create.

The simple black bird bath was chosen it because it matches the black patio furniture and it’s so new, I notice it still has the price sticker on it (from Behnkes).  Around it are other bird and butterfly-attracting features – some Agastache (the best plant I’ve ever grown for attracting hummingbirds), some ‘Red Husker’ Penstemon and a dwarf, sterile butterfly bush called ‘Blue Chip’.    I’ll be adding more plants to fill out the space and attract still more critters for me to watch from my patio and kitchen window.

From another angle you see, in the foreground right, the Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’ that’s so new I haven’t even planted it yet.   I think it’ll be happy in that shadier side of the garden, where it’ll grow to 5 x 5 feet.  Also native to this region, Fothergillas are becoming very popular, and this recent introduction by Michael Dirr is proving to be a big hit.  Here’s Rick Darke’s excellent article about Fothergillas, one of his favorite plants.

Also in the foreground are some Solomon’s Seal that were given to me by a former neighbor (because once you’ve grown this plant a few years, you always have extras to give away).   It may be serving only as temporary filler – if I can find something that fills in that space year-round.  Solomon’s Seals disappears altogether in the winter, so I’ll be looking at bare ground there by November.

On the right is a closer look at the stunning Japanese Snowbell that’s technically my neighbor’s but the view and the fragrance are mine to enjoy.

Above you see the five Apricot Drift roses that I’m very excited about.  Like the extremely popular Knockout family of roses, Drifts bloom repeatedly throughout the season and are virtually (or literally) disease-free.  These guys will spread a bit to fill in, but won’t get any taller than a foot and a half or so.  True groundcover roses.

In front of the roses are a few Lamb’s Ears that a neighbor gave me, along with the weedy-but-beautiful Rose Campion (a weed to some, a beauty to my eyes), and a bunch of annuals that I’m hoping will make a big splash here this year, making up for the newness of all the shrubs and perennials, which won’t make a big splash until their second and later years.

In the pots are more annuals – especially Salvia, Petunias and sweet potato vine.   They’re SUCH great performers, I’ll be growing them even after the rest of the garden mature.

Above is the view as I step out the front door.

Here’s a view of the foundation plantings, with some empty spots still to be filled in; e.g., in front of the old (existing) azaleas on the left.  This is the northwest side of the house, so foundation plantings get just an hour or so of late afternoon sun.   To the right of the door are three ‘Burgundy Wine’ Nandinas I just bought, chosen because the red foliage matches the red of the large Japanese maple nearby in my neighbor’s yard.  In front of them I’ve planted some of my favorite Euphorbias – E. amygdaloides.  It prefers almost complete shade and best of all, is evergreen.  I had lots of it in my last garden and the current owner was kind enough to give me a few.

'Goshiki' Osmanthus and 'Burgundy Wine' Nandina

On either side of the front door are two brand-new ‘Goshiki’ Osmanthus – and here’s a close-up.  I’ve admired one growing along the north side of the Brookside Gardens Visitor’s Center, where it brightens up an otherwise dark spot, and finally have the perfect spot for two of them.  They’ll grow slowly to 4-10′ by 4-10′, but can easily be kept within bounds with a little pruning.

Finally, the view from a second-floor window.

How to Make a New Garden without Breaking the Bank

I’ve used the garden-starting techniques that I recommend to my garden-coaching clients all the time, so I’ll summarize them here.

• First thing – buy the shrubs (and trees), all the ones you think you’ll ever want.  To save money, buy them small, but get them started asap!
• Then buy as many of the taller, substantial perennials as you can afford, filling in the rest of the garden with as many passalong plants as you can beg off your friends and neighbors.  Pass up nothing – even the dullest, plainest of hostas are better than bare ground.   After all the new perennials grow up and start spreading, you can get rid of the filler plants you don’t really like – or maybe you can afford to buy more of the plants you love in subsequent years.
• Again because most new perennials take a season or three to really strut their stuff, use high-impact annuals to create wow for the first season or two.

Plant List, so Far:

Shrubs: Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea (H. aborescens), Apricot Drift Roses,  Nandina ‘Burgundy Wine’, Spirea thumbergii ‘Ogon’, Osmanthus ‘Goshiki ,  Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’, ‘Blue Chip’ Buddleia.

Perennials: ‘Pink Pop’ Agastache, ‘Husker Red’ Penstemon.  From my  old garden or neighbors: ‘Morning Light’ Miscanthus, Euphorbia Amygdaloides,  Solomon’s seal, ‘Goldstrum’ Rudbeckia,  Evening primrose, Plumonaria,  Celandine poppy, Japanese Carex.

Groundcovers:  Sedum sarmentosum (also known as Sedum acre) and Sedum takesimense.

Annuals: Petunias, Sweet Potato Vine ‘Sidekick Lime’, Alyssum ‘Deep Rose’, Salvia ‘Black and Blue’,  Angelonia Serenita ‘Lavender Pink’, Begonia babywing ‘Bronze Leaf White’, Osteospermum ‘Aldia White’.

*Here’s a historical anomaly about the “New Deal Utopia” that is Old Greenbelt.  It was designed to be accessed by interior sidewalks, not by car.  So what we think of now as the back side of the homes, facing those interior sidewalks, is architecturally the front and officially called the “garden side”.   And what we now think of as the front, because it’s how visitors arrive from the parking lot, is where the garbage-can closet is located and so to this day is called not the “front” but the “service side”.  Quirky, huh?

Posted by Susan Harris.

Jim with a sprig of his beloved Lady Banks climber.

Jim Dronenburg is a long-time employee of Behnkes who also runs the Four Seasons Garden Club and is a certifiable plant nut and amateur rosarian, but claims no formal training in roses.  To my mind, he’s grown enough different roses – at least 40 varieties – over enough years that I want to hear what he recommends, which he did the other day at a seminar at our Beltsville location.

Species Roses

Dog rose

First, I want that Lady Banks climber Jim’s showing off in the photo above!  If only I had a large country garden like Jim’s to give it enough space.  Lady Banks is a species rose that produces flowers like crazy but no thorns, so handling it doesn’t endanger the gardener (like the “horribly thorny” ramblers do).  What it’s missing is scent.  Its scientific name is Rosa banksiae, which you can see from these images is a lovely muted yellow.  Lady Banks roses are remarkably disease-free.

Another species rose, Chestnut Rose, produces pink double flowers, and is slightly fragrant. (It’s shown here.)  Another is the Dog rose, or Rosa canina, which Jim wants, despite its flowers being “nothing to write home about.”  Well, I beg to differ – just look!  Not something for the vase, sure, but hundreds of these simple, single flowers on one old shrub is something I’d love to see.

 Modern Roses

'Blue Girl' hybrid tea

Modern Hybrid Tea roses are the type of rose we’ve come to expect in vases, those big double flowers that come one on each upright, stiff stem.  Not only are they perfect for cutting, but they’re what Jim calls a “massive improvement over once-bloomers” because yes indeedy, they rebloom.  And while once-bloomers have their fans – lots of them – most homeowners now look for roses that bloom throughout the season.   The popular ‘Blue Girl’ shown on the left is, you’ll notice, more pinkish lavender than actually blue.  But then blue roses are the Holy Grail that breeders have been seeking for many decades.

Floribunda roses are also popular, with similar reblooming characteristics to hybrid teas, but the blooms come in clusters on each stem.

Speaking of reblooming, Jim warns us not to expect constant blooming – that’s something different, and maybe only annuals can boost that accomplishment.  It takes the plant three to four weeks to gear up for each subsequent rush of blooms, of which there are perhaps six throughout the season.

Knockout Roses

Knockout Roses at Bethany Beach, with Daylilies

This very modern landscape rose was released to the market in 2000 and is now the best-selling rose in the U.S.  That’s because it blooms abundantly until December in our region, with almost a total lack of disease.  I’ve grown them myself and never seen a single speck of blackspot fungal disease, even late in the season.  The Knockout has won awards and many regard it as having single-handedly brought rose genetics from the 20th Century into the 21st Century.  Knockouts are now available in these colors:  red and double red, pink and double pink, rainbow, blush (very light pink) and the lovely yellow called Sunny.

Knockouts grow to about 4 by 4 feet, a perfect garden size, and I recommend them to almost all my garden-coaching clients.  For shorter shrub roses I love the ‘Flower Carpet’ and dwarf ‘Drift’ roses (photos coming soon of my new ‘Apricot’ purchases).

But back to Jim.  He likes Knockouts, too, remarking that they can take “enormous abuse” and are “indestructible”.

David Austin's 'Teasing Georgia'

David Austin’s “English Roses

Also in a category by themselves are the modern roses developed by the English breeder David Austin.  He developed them in response to hybrid tea roses that had lost their scent, with upright forms that are harder to incorporate into mixed gardens (as opposed to stand-alone rose gardens).  And Austin’s roses are indeed are fuller, more shrub-like than hybrid teas, and they have amazing blooms, like the ‘Teasing Georgia‘ variety you see here. The bloom is beyond double – it’s quartered, according to Jim, with “zillions” of layers. And don’t you love that subtle apricot color! David Austin roses are also pretty good at resisting disease.

An important point about David Austin roses grown in our region is that they can be substantially larger than claimed – because our climate is so much warmer and sunnier than most sites in England.

Got Fungal Disease?

Jim doesn’t mind a bit of blackspot himself and claims that his roses look like Bill the Cat by the end of the season but if you prefer a more robust look, he recommends using two different fungicides and spraying them alternately so the plants don’t develop a resistance to any one product.

Like Cut Roses?

Jim does, and that’s why he grows his own for cutting.  To disabuse you of the very notion of buying just any old cut rose, he recommends reading Amy Stewart’s Flower Confidential.  I’ve read it, too, and agree that finding out what’s sprayed on the typical cut flower makes for some scary reading.  (Full disclosure:  Amy and I blog together at GardenRant.)

When it comes to flower arranging, Jim is of the “cram school” himself, choosing the informal look over the more studied, formal one.  So the less formal shrub roses are great for Jim’s arrangements – no stiff hybrid teas are needed.

Cooking with Roses

Finally, true rosarian that he is, Jim also cooks with roses – think jams and jellies.  He also makes rose wine and says it’s easy, but according to his own mother, it’s “undrinkable.”  She compares it to drinking cologne.  (Okay, I’ll pass.)

Text by Susan Harris.  Dog rose credit.  Blue Girl photo credit.

This is part 2 of my summary of landscape architect Thomas Rainer’s talk about native plants at the Lahr Native Plant Symposium.  Part 1, covering design, is here.  

Thomas’s myths about native plants:

1. That native plants are drought-tolerant, requiring less supplemental watering, a notion Thomas calls total ‘hogwash”.  Au contraire.  In this region the most popular native plants are actually from the wetter habitats, so they’re decidedly NOT drought-tolerant, for good reason.  (An example of this would be planting Itea along highways.  Native-plant advocate Rick Darke calls this type of placement “native plant abuse”).

2. That natives are weedy or messy.  Well, they don’t have to be.  Read that design link above, or just notice how gorgeous Prairie Dropseed and Baptisia look at Chanticleer Garden near Philadelphia (below).

3. They natives MUST be naturalistically arranged.  The ultra-modern and anything-but-naturalistic array of horsetail in Andrea Cochran’s design pictured here is an example to ponder.

4. That they shouldn’t be planted in large masses.  But why not?  There’s great drama in monocultures, and masses DO happen in nature.  (Thomas showed us some photos taken in the wild as proof.)

5. That native plants are not as vigorous as exotics, that they’re wimpy – a myth that exists concurrently with its opposite, number 1. And this one is sadly true IF the natives are planted in the wrong spots, when the soil has been changed by development, for example.  On the East Coast poor performance frequently results when woodland ephemerals are chosen for sunny, developed sites, where plants like Hibiscus and switchgrass should be used.

Proof that native plants perform well when they’re sited correctly are found in the wild, where native plants are seen thriving in even such brutal sites as granite rock out-croppings.  And at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center they’re finding that native grasses are outperforming succulents on green roofs.

Photo and text by Susan Harris.