The Woods In My Back Yard – Part 1

Arisaema 'triphyllum'

Well, most of the spring wildflowers are finished, but you can still find a few here and there. Especially if you wander around off the beaten path (or paved path, as it were) and momentarily wonder just where the heck you are and where that path went…. I came across a colony of Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) that still had some flowers tucked underneath their leaves.

In the same area I found a few lone Green Dragons (Arisaema dracontium), a relative of Jack-in-the-Pulpit. It’s funny what you run across when you’re not looking for it. And that includes Wood Nettle, the native cousin of Stinging Nettle, which I learned the hard way really does sting when you brush your skin against the hairy stems. It took me a little while to figure out just what had gotten me, but at least the mild pain subsided after a few minutes and no other harm was done.

Sisyrinchium 'atlanticum'

Two other surprises found me at the start of that off-path adventure…Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium) and a few Bluets (Houstonia) in a wet grassy meadow. The meadow gifted me with a tick, too, running up my leg, which I immediately dispatched with a flick of the finger. Okay, it was a tick – a few frantic flicks, ‘cause those little suckers are practically two-dimensional in their flatness and have a study grip!

Smilacina 'racemosa'

The False Solomon’s Seals (Smilacina racemosa, a.k.a. Maianthemum racemosum) were both in and out of bloom, though none had quite set seed yet. The Trout Lilies I was hoping to nab some seed off of have already disappeared, dormant for another year. I also must have missed what few Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) plants bloomed this year, as some had brown, crispy petal remnants.

I did see one good-sized clump that seemed to be setting seed, though, so with luck I’ll be back in time to collect a few. My seed collection for the year did start out well with a good crop of Bloodroot, so I’ll get started on prepping them for a winter chill in the ‘fridge. The sap is reddish in the root of the plant, but yellow in the seed pots; if you get enough on you it will stain skin brown for a day or so.

The seeds have an interesting clear, jelly-like protuberance which is attractive to ants – they cart off the seeds to their nest, eat only the bait, and the seed finds itself planted in an ideal environment. Reading up on this online you learn that many forest wildflowers have at least some ant dispersal of their seed.

Polystichum 'acrostichoides'

Fern colonies dot the woods, though I can only guess at some because trying to distinguish between all the different fronds of the native species can quickly leave you cross-eyed. I know Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) since it’s pretty distinctive with simplistic fronds and a dark green, thick substance.

Adiantum 'pedatum'

Others I assume are Lady Fern or their relatives (Athyrium); I even saw the clump of Northern Maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) I found last year.

A few Rattlesnake Ferns (Botrychium virginianum) show up now and then in the more open spaces amongst the understory. They are curious little ferns, with one leafy frond and one fertile one that supposedly resembles a rattlesnake’s rattle because it’s nothing but spore capsules. Reading about their unusual life history in William Cullina’s Native Ferns, Mosses & Grasses gives you extra appreciation for these little troupers – they are fungal parasites, like many orchids, and take years to even send up their first leaf after germinating.

Sadly, I see too many invasive species in the woods around my neighborhood: Elaeagnus, Multiflora Rose, Honeysuckles and the occasional Japanese Barberry and Burning Bush. Japanese Stiltgrass carpets part of the woodland floor; Oriental Bittersweet rambles through shrubs and up into trees; Canada Thistle colonizes a roadside.

Hopefully we can find a way to curtail their spread and restore habitat to our forests. The difference in the diversity of wildlife is so apparent when you visit woodlands where the flora is less disturbed and the plant communities intact. Something may be better than nothing in suburbia, but I still lament the struggling natives and curse the exotic weeds encroaching on the yard.

The one consolation may be the fun of watching one weed smother another and seeing who wins. A mess of shrubbery next to one of our streets is a pile of Honeysuckle growing over Multiflora Rose growing over Bittersweet growing over Elaeagnus. Now that’s comedy.

Pawpaw Tree

How about planting a little history?  The native Pawpaw Tree, Asimina triloba, could be the next conversation piece in your garden. The first records of this plant date back to the early 1500’s when it was written that the Pawpaw was a popular tree in cultivation for the Native Americans and the colonists.

Other records indicate that the Lewis and Clark Expedition subsisted solely on Pawpaw fruit when sources of food were scarce. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson enjoyed the fruit as a favorite dessert, and Jefferson even planted the tree in his garden in Monticello. But there are more reasons why you should consider adding a Pawpaw to your landscape.

The Pawpaw is unusual for a native plant in the mid-Atlantic in that it is a member of a primarily tropical plant family. This small tree, usually growing to less than thirty feet tall, looks as if it belongs in the Caribbean. But Pawpaw grows nearly any where in the Eastern half of North America from Ontario, Canada to Eastern Texas. Its commonality in such a widespread geography attests to its ability to survive with little or no care. Plant it in a partly-shady or sunny area and you can practically stand back and watch it flourish.

One trait that lends Pawpaws to being so carefree is the fact that they have special chemicals in their leaves which make them unpalatable to deer and most insect pests. In fact, very few insects have evolved enough to be able to make use of this plant, but it is critical for one of our butterflies, the Zebra Swallowtail.

The Zebra Swallowtail, with its four-inch wingspan, is a remarkable sight. The butterfly boasts a striped pattern of black and white, with a spot of arresting red towards the base of its wings. The Pawpaw is the only host plant that this beautiful butterfly can use during its stage as a caterpillar. In addition, the Pawpaw is a host plant to the exotic-looking Pawpaw Sphinx Moth, a brown and white beauty with nearly a three-inch wingspan.

Pawpaw Tree - Bloom

In spring, the Pawpaw sends out one inch wide six-petaled maroon flowers, which will produce three-inch long green fruit that eventually turn brown when they are ripe. Tasting the ripe fruits will remind you of banana or papaya custard. When ripe, the fruit is creamy and sweet, but beware, there may not be any left for you.

The fruit is also a favorite of many birds and animals who will hungrily await the still-green fruit to drop and ripen on the ground before snatching it up for a mid-fall feast. The fruits, however, must be either eaten, frozen or made into a jam soon after ripening, since they do not store well.

Pawpaw Tree - Fruit

In my opinion, the flowers alone are worth having this tree. When most trees and shrubs are erupting blooms the color of cotton candy, the Pawpaw stands out with its deep purple/maroon flowers. Be aware, however, that you will need more than one Pawpaw to have fruit, since they need each other to cross-pollinate. Even after blooming, the trees stay attractive throughout summer with their elongate, tropical-like leaves, which turn yellow in autumn before dropping to the ground.

Pawpaws are currently being studied and cultivated by Purdue University. It is believed that the fruits are very nutritious and may have cancer-fighting properties. So if you would like to add to your edible garden, your butterfly garden, your spring-blooming garden or would just like an interesting tree with a rich history and a very easy culture, then Pawpaw is for you. Now (mid May) is a good time to plant this tree, before the summer heat.

Natalie Brewer
Master Gardener

Albert Behnke's Roses

Rose Gardens
By Stephanie Fleming

There is something about roses in the garden that brings a smile. I grew up always knowing that when I went to visit my grandparents, Albert and Rose Behnke, that there were going to be flowers in the house. But once the first rose started to bloom, their house would always be filled with roses.

It has been said that this or that was my grandfather’s favorite flower. Each of us that knew him would have a flower that we were certain was his favorite. But truth be told I believe he loved them all. Roses of course were one of his most favorite!

His rose garden in Burtonsville, Maryland was a sight to behold. Anytime you came to visit them or look around the garden you could be assured that you would be going home with a beautiful bouquet of roses that only he would be allowed to cut. Such care went into his roses. It was truly a labor of love.

From early spring till late fall, the roses were a passion. It took me many years once he passed away to look at roses without feeling sad that my grandfather would not be there to give me an armful. Now my own husband has a rose garden in our back yard and brings them to me each morning.

History of Encore Azaleas
Adapted from the Encore Azaleas Website

Encore 'carnation'

People who adore spring-blooming azaleas can now enjoy an explosion of Encore® Azalea color season after season. Encore® Azaleas are the only patented brand of azaleas to bloom in spring, summer and fall.

Each of the 24 Encore varieties begins its performance with the spring flowering season. Once this “first act” of blooming concludes, new shoots begin to grow and set buds.

The Encore® Azalea’s “second act” opens when these buds begin blooming into full flower mid-summer. This unique bloom season continues through the fall, the curtain dropping with the onset of cold weather. But, the show goes on.

Encore 'embers'

As an “encore,” these exceptional azaleas flower again with traditional spring azaleas and the process starts over.

Invented by plant breeder Robert E. “Buddy” Lee of Independence, La., the evergreen Encore® Azaleas enjoy more sun than traditional azaleas, but offer the same easy care.

Lee first envisioned Encore Azaleas in the early 1980s when he found a tray of azalea cuttings blooming in the summer sun at his small Louisiana azalea nursery.

Inspired, he began crossing traditional spring-blooming azaleas with the rare Taiwanese summer-blooming azalea, Rhododendron oldhamii.

Encore Azaleas feature these unique attributes:

• No other brand of azalea blooms spring, summer & fall
• 24 varieties
• Little maintenance
• Vibrant color
• More sun-tolerant than traditional azaleas
• Great as base plants in container gardens
• Attractive to butterflies

Encore Azaleas are recommended for zones 7 to 10 and are especially cold and heat hardy with a higher resistance to disease and pests than traditional azaleas. University cold-hardiness trials also suggest that some varieties of Encore Azalea are suitable for zones 6b and 6a.

[Editor's note: Behnke Nurseries garden centers are in hardiness zone 7, so Encore Azaleas are ideal for our area.]

Franz Fontaine European Hornbeam

Franz Fontaine European Hornbeams

Great slender trees with relatively fast growth and narrow canopies, useful for summer screening or shading the house in close quarters.

This tree grows to 35′ and gets about 20′ wide. During the summer season the leaves are green but turn gold in the fall. It has smooth, grey bark that has a muscular look.

This a highly adaptable cultivar that can take urban conditions and drought. It would make an ideal selection narrow planting strips.