maryland: native plants for rain gardens - calvert county

8/3/2019 Maryland: Native Plants for Rain Gardens - Calvert County

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LOCALLY NATIVE PLANTS

RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN

RAIN GARDENS IN CALVERT

COUNTY

Herbaceous Perennials

Arisaema triphyllum – Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Grows to 3’ tall in moist to wet soil in full

shade. Berries form after the appearance of “jack” in early spring and turn a beautiful,

true red in late summer. Colonizes by seeds and runners. Plant with ferns to cover theyellowing foliage in fall. HWV

Chelone glabra – White Turtlehead . Grows wild in wet areas in sun to shade butprefers some sun. Can reach 5’ tall. White flowers, which resemble the shape of aturtle’s head, top heavy stalks with green leaves in late summer. Forms large clumps and

is excellent paired with Blue or Cardinal Lobelia. (Shorter non-native Chelone are C.

lyonii and C. obliqua which have pink to rose-colored blooms.) All are host plants forthe Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies. Rain Garden. HWV (Will form a clump at least

2’-3’ wide)

Dicentra eximia – Wild Bleeding Heart. Heart-shaped pinkish red or white blooms

appear in April and occasionally throughout the summer. Likes rich soil, dry to moist

and requires Part Shade to Full Shade. Lovely deeply cut foliage.

Echinacea purpurea – Coneflower. Ht. to 4’ in full sun to light shade and average soil,

the pinkish petals surround a large brown cone filled with seeds which attract

Goldfinches and other small birds. Good for naturalizing but deer love it! Veryattractive to butterflies.

Eupatorium fistulosum- Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium maculatum – Spotted Joe Pye

Weed, Eupatorium purpureum- Sweet Joe Pye Weed. For height in Part Shade to Full

Sun, Joe Pye Weed is a stunning plant that ranges from 6’ to 10’ with adequate moisture.

Huge pinkish blooms on top of thick stalks are magnets for butterflies in July throughAugust. Does best with more sun than shade. Rain Garden. HWV (Will form a clump

at least 3’ wide)

Eupatorium dubium – Three-Nerved Joe Pye Weed. The shortest member of thefamily also sports pinkish to purplish blooms on stalks that grow no taller than 5’ in

similar conditions. Rain Garden. HWV



Geranium maculatum – Wild Geranium. Blooms in late spring with pink-lavender

blooms above attractive mounding foliage. Can serve as a groundcover. Sun to Part

Shade in Average to Moist soil.

Helenium autumnale – Sneezeweed. Yellow blooms appear from late July to the end of September atop 2’-4’ stems. Will tolerate full Sun to Shade and prefers moist soil.

Grows wild in woods, swamps and along riverbanks. Will tolerate wet areas but not

heavy clay soil. Attracts butterflies.

Helianthus angustifolius – Swamp Sunflower. Like annual sunflowers, this plant can

reach over 5’ in height in full sun. It requires moist to wet acidic soil. Rain Garden

Hibiscus moscheutos – Marsh Mallow. Height is 3’-6’. The large white/pinkish

blooms with deep red-violet centers attract attention in marshes and along the edges of both fresh and saltwater creeks in Calvert County. They will also tolerate average tomoist soil in the garden. Rain Garden. (Allow 2’-3’ width)

Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal Flower. A very popular native plant that attractsbutterflies and hummingbirds, Cardinal Flower blooms in mid to late summer atop 2’-4’

sturdy stalks. It grows wild in moist to wet areas in Calvert County but will grow in

average to moist soil in Sun to Shade, although it blooms earlier with a bit of sun. RainGarden. HWV

Lobelia siphilitica – Great Blue Lobelia. Similar requirements as the Cardinal Flower

but will grow even taller and tolerates more Shade. It blooms a bit later and will alsoattract hummingbirds and butterflies. Rain Garden. HWV

Packera aurea (Senecio aureus) – Golden Groundsel. Sun to Shade. A wetland plantthat will also grow in average soil, it spreads by runners and can be aggressive in the

garden. It makes a good groundcover and bears deep yellow flowers in early to mid

summer on 1’-2’ stalks.

Rudbeckia fulgida – Orange Coneflower and Rudbeckia hirta – Black-eyed Susan.

Both grow in Sun to Part Shade to heights up to 3.5’ in dry to moist soil, although neitherlikes to be too dry. Blooms appear in June or July and continue into fall. Pretty paired

with Cardinal lobelia. Rain Garden. HWV

Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan. Height 1.5-4’. Sun/PtShade. Dry to moist soilYellow blooms in late summer attract butterflies, pollinators, and birds eat seeds. Host



plant to dozens of species of Lepidoptera, including Pearl Crescent and Silver

Checkerspot butterflies.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae – New England Aster. Height 1-6’ Sun/PtShade.Moist soil. Violet blooms in late summer provide nectar for butterflies

Thalictrum pubescens (T. polygamun) – Tall Meadow Rue. Likes Moist to Wet soil in

Sun to Shade. This tall (to 8’ under ideal conditions) plant has lovely, columbine-like

leaves and white flowers that appear in early June. Rain Garden.

Vernonia noveboracensis – New York Ironweed. A tall native that grows in Sun to Part

Shade, Ironweed likes moist to wet soil where it can reach 8’ tall, but will grow inaverage soil where it will reach 4’-5’ in height. Red violet flowers appear in late

summer and attract butterflies. Rain Garden. HWV

This usually prefers quite a bit of sun, but there may be enough, particularly if it is near a

building and sun and heat reflect on the bed.

Amsonia spp. Amsonia are commonly called Bluestar and are native to the Midwest or

Southeast. They grow in average soil and prefer abundant moisture; however they are

drought tolerant. In the spring, pale blue flowers are held upright in clusters and lastwell as cut flowers, but be careful cutting them--the stems exude a milky sap that may be

irritating to the skin. Have never been bothered by deer. The yellow blooms of Coreopsis verticillata and C. auriculata provide a pleasing color contrast. Rain Garden

Amsonia ciliata – Fringed Bluestar. Ht. 2-3’, narrow green leaves are ½” wideby 2” long. In fall, they turn tan and leaves crinkle, providing fall and winter interest. A.

hubrictii – Hubricht’s or Arkansas Bluestar. Flowers are not as showy as the other

Bluestars, but this smaller plant is glorious in the fall when its fine foliage turn brightgold. Plant several together for a stunning effect. A. illustris – Ozark Bluestar. This

plant reaches 4’ tall and almost that wide and can form a summertime hedge. Its narrow

green leaves on stiff stalks support large heads of small blue flowers in the spring,followed by thin beanlike seed pods. Because of their weight, the stalks should be

pruned back by one-third to one-half after blooming; however, leave a few with beans to

mature and self sow. A. tabernaemontana – Bluestar. Very similar to Ozark Bluestarwith wider leaves and even heavier stalks.

Iris versicolor – Large Blue Flag. Height 1-3’. Sun/PtShade. Moist towet soil, withstands inundation. Late spring bloom is lavender blue.

Seeds provide food for birds, small mammals.



Button bush Sweet Pepperbush

Winterberry

maryland: native plants for rain gardens - calvert county

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