The following pages show photos and a short description of the wildflowers we grow or have grown in the past. They’re arranged alphabetically by Genus — often by the traditional Genus rather than the updated ones that don’t match my reference materials.
DEFINITION OF TERMS:
- KEYSTONE means they are listed by National Wildlife Federation as core plants for a wildlife garden in my ecoregion (Ecoregion 8).
- NOT QUITE NATIVE means they are slightly out of range but adjacent to NYS as determined by GoBotany and NY Flora Atlas.
- Otherwise the plant is a NY-native or native to the area noted.
Our shrubs are described on the following pages:
- Aesculus parviflora – Bottlebrush buckeye – [SOUTHEAST NATIVE]
- Amorpha canescens – Leadplant [MIDWEST NATIVE]
- Aronia arbutifolia – Red chokeberry ‘Brilliantissima’
- Aronia melanocarpa – Black chokeberry ‘Autumn Magic’
- Ceanothus americanus – New Jersey tea
- Cephalanthus occidentalis – Buttonbush
- Clethra alnifolia – Summersweet ‘Paniculata’
- Cornus amomum – Silky dogwood KEYSTONE
- Cornus racemosa – Gray dogwood KEYSTONE
- Cornus sericea – Red-twig dogwood ‘Baileyii’ KEYSTONE
- Diervilla lonicera – Bush honeysuckle
- Hypericum kalmii – Kalm’s St. John’s wort
- Hypericum prolificum – Shrubby St. John’s wort
- Ilex glabra – Inkberry
- Ilex verticillata – Winterberry ‘Winter Red’
- Itea virginica – Sweetspire – [SOUTHEAST NATIVE]
- Kalmia latifolia – Mountain laurel
- Lindera benzoin – Spicebush
- Myrica pensylvanica – Northern bayberry KEYSTONE
- Potentilla fruticosa – Potentilla
- Prunus maritimus – Beach plum
- Rhus aromatica – Fragrant sumac
- Rosa carolina – Carolina rose KEYSTONE
- Rosa virginiana – Virginia rose KEYSTONE
- Rubus odoratus – Thimbleberry KEYSTONE
- Salix discolor – Pussy willow KEYSTONE
- Sambucus canandensis – Elderberry
- Viburnum dentatum – Arrowwood viburnum
- Viburnum prunifolium – Blackhaw
Reflections
One of the things you quickly learn about woody plants is the staggering number of birds, small mammals, insects, and fungi, not to mention people, that depend on them directly for their existence.
~ William Cullina, Native Trees, Shrubs & Vines, p. 1
I cannot overemphasize how important insect herbivores are to the health of all terrestrial ecosystems. Worldwide, 37% of animal species are herbivorous insects. These species are collectively very good at converting plant tissue of all types to insect tissue, and as a consequence they also excel at providing food—in the form of themselves—for other species. In fact, a large percentage of the world’s fauna depends entirely on insects to access the energy stored in plants.
~ Douglas Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home, p. 21