Prettiest perennial flowers native to Midatlantic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Came here to say swamp rose, but looked it up first and saw it is AKA rose mallow

Also like black-eyed susan and red columbine for hummingbirds. You also can’t go wrong planting some milkweed or buttonbush, but buttonbush likes wet feet.

Thanks! Do hummingbirds also like blue columbine? I already do have a small one of those in the yard.

Does milkweed get very high? (it's for my front yard)

PS are there actually hummingbirds in DC? I've never seen one here!

Yes, lots of them!

Really? What parts of DC?

I get them at my house in Glover Park. Have also seen them at Dumbarton Oaks and by the botanical gardens on the Hill.

[Anonymous]

Swamp milkweed would be a lot better than common milkweed, which gets absolutely enormous and will take over your garden. Swamp milkweed is a lot better behaved. Butterflyweed is certainly worth a try.

I don't think columbine will do well in full sun -- it's a part shade plant. And blue columbine is a cultivar, not the straight native (which is red), which would be better for attracting hummingbirds.

Swamp rose mallow is really more of a shrub than a perennial flower. It also gets quite big and sprawling.

I've never grown them personally, but Izel Plants says both sundial lupines (Lupinus perennis) and Camassia scilloides (Atlantic camas) are full sun and not too tall. Longsepal or hairy beardtongue (Penstemon) are options

With coneflowers or black-eyed Susans, or any tall perennial, you can always do the Chelsea Chop -- cut them back by at least a third Memorial Day and July 4 (approx.).

Many asters get super tall but you could try smooth blue aster, Symphyotrichum laeve, or aromatic aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium -- both should top out around 1-3' and both can also benefit from the Chelsea Chop.

Also, don't fertilize anything -- that often makes plants tall and leggy and natives usually do just fine without.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Came here to say swamp rose, but looked it up first and saw it is AKA rose mallow

Also like black-eyed susan and red columbine for hummingbirds. You also can’t go wrong planting some milkweed or buttonbush, but buttonbush likes wet feet.

Thanks! Do hummingbirds also like blue columbine? I already do have a small one of those in the yard.

Does milkweed get very high? (it's for my front yard)

PS are there actually hummingbirds in DC? I've never seen one here!

Yes, lots of them!

Really? What parts of DC?

I get them at my house in Glover Park. Have also seen them at Dumbarton Oaks and by the botanical gardens on the Hill.

I get them coming to my lavender on the balcony in a high rise in downtown DC.

[Anonymous]

Black eyed Susan’s
Cardinal flower, the basic red one: hummingbirds go bananas for these.
Columbines are pretty but have a short bloom season.

[Anonymous]

Bee balm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bee balm.

I've got native bee balm and it's hard to control in my beds. It's part of the mint family and grows like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swamp milkweed would be a lot better than common milkweed, which gets absolutely enormous and will take over your garden. Swamp milkweed is a lot better behaved. Butterflyweed is certainly worth a try.

I don't think columbine will do well in full sun -- it's a part shade plant. And blue columbine is a cultivar, not the straight native (which is red), which would be better for attracting hummingbirds.

Swamp rose mallow is really more of a shrub than a perennial flower. It also gets quite big and sprawling.

I've never grown them personally, but Izel Plants says both sundial lupines (Lupinus perennis) and Camassia scilloides (Atlantic camas) are full sun and not too tall. Longsepal or hairy beardtongue (Penstemon) are options

With coneflowers or black-eyed Susans, or any tall perennial, you can always do the Chelsea Chop -- cut them back by at least a third Memorial Day and July 4 (approx.).

Many asters get super tall but you could try smooth blue aster, Symphyotrichum laeve, or aromatic aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium -- both should top out around 1-3' and both can also benefit from the Chelsea Chop.

Also, don't fertilize anything -- that often makes plants tall and leggy and natives usually do just fine without.

Not OP but re: swamp milkweed, I’ve been wanting to try this but then I get discouraged by the requirements- likes moist clay soils AND full sun. How much moisture do they really need? Pretty much all I f my full-sun spots get pretty dry.

[Anonymous]

Black-eyed susan gets pretty tall but I have to say, the local wildlife goes bonkers for it. in 2020 when we were all home it was crazy to see like, entire flocks of goldfinches at our pathc of BES every single afternoon. I had seen one goldfinch in my life to that point. Other flowers get some attention from bees, but the birds really need/like natives.

[Anonymous]

Jacob Cline bee balm is what consistently attracts hummingbirds for me. It is pretty tall and floppy, but if you cut it back by about half in late may/early June, it will bloom later and smaller but will stay shorter.

Regular milkweed is pretty tall and not terribly attractive. There is a much shorter, bright orange variety that also attracts butterflies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like aromatic aster for late summer/fall bloom. Trim it in the middle of the summer for shorter, bushier plant, and it will be covered in flowers. Great alternative to mums

thanks - I had a few aster bushes but I guess I didn't trim them properly or didn't like their spots. They grew huge and tall and stuck out like sore thumbs and looked like weeds in my garden, then seemed that they couldn't take the heat/sun as they died.

One thing about growing natives and trying to attract pollinators is you have to start to embrace the seasons. All herbaceous perennials are going to decline when they’re done blooming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like aromatic aster for late summer/fall bloom. Trim it in the middle of the summer for shorter, bushier plant, and it will be covered in flowers. Great alternative to mums

thanks - I had a few aster bushes but I guess I didn't trim them properly or didn't like their spots. They grew huge and tall and stuck out like sore thumbs and looked like weeds in my garden, then seemed that they couldn't take the heat/sun as they died.

One thing about growing natives and trying to attract pollinators is you have to start to embrace the seasons. All herbaceous perennials are going to decline when they’re done blooming.

Oh sure, these just got too tall, looked awful, and solidly died; they didn't look good either in the yard as they were so high compared to everything around them. It might have been the particular variety. I have some other perennials that were already in the yard that are well established and have done great (yarrow, coreopsis, dianthus, blue columbine, creeping phlox) but wanting to fill in some spots and stick to natives for what I add. Because it's a front yard, I'm trying to keep new plants somewhat low in height except where I plant along a fence or close to the house, but there are limited spots there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jacob Cline bee balm is what consistently attracts hummingbirds for me. It is pretty tall and floppy, but if you cut it back by about half in late may/early June, it will bloom later and smaller but will stay shorter.

Regular milkweed is pretty tall and not terribly attractive. There is a much shorter, bright orange variety that also attracts butterflies.

I just started some common milkweed from seed and now you guys have me second guessing this! I don’t have a huge yard and it seems like this species is more suited to open spaces where it can really grow wild?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jacob Cline bee balm is what consistently attracts hummingbirds for me. It is pretty tall and floppy, but if you cut it back by about half in late may/early June, it will bloom later and smaller but will stay shorter.

Regular milkweed is pretty tall and not terribly attractive. There is a much shorter, bright orange variety that also attracts butterflies.

I just started some common milkweed from seed and now you guys have me second guessing this! I don’t have a huge yard and it seems like this species is more suited to open spaces where it can really grow wild?

yes, common milkweed is better suited for open spaces - in my yard it keeps escaping and popping up all over my lawn and flower beds. And I wouldn't call that plant all that attractive - flowers are pretty for very short period of time.
swamp milkweed is better in my opinion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swamp milkweed would be a lot better than common milkweed, which gets absolutely enormous and will take over your garden. Swamp milkweed is a lot better behaved. Butterflyweed is certainly worth a try.

I don't think columbine will do well in full sun -- it's a part shade plant. And blue columbine is a cultivar, not the straight native (which is red), which would be better for attracting hummingbirds.

Swamp rose mallow is really more of a shrub than a perennial flower. It also gets quite big and sprawling.

I've never grown them personally, but Izel Plants says both sundial lupines (Lupinus perennis) and Camassia scilloides (Atlantic camas) are full sun and not too tall. Longsepal or hairy beardtongue (Penstemon) are options

With coneflowers or black-eyed Susans, or any tall perennial, you can always do the Chelsea Chop -- cut them back by at least a third Memorial Day and July 4 (approx.).

Many asters get super tall but you could try smooth blue aster, Symphyotrichum laeve, or aromatic aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium -- both should top out around 1-3' and both can also benefit from the Chelsea Chop.

Also, don't fertilize anything -- that often makes plants tall and leggy and natives usually do just fine without.

All very helpful, thank you!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like aromatic aster for late summer/fall bloom. Trim it in the middle of the summer for shorter, bushier plant, and it will be covered in flowers. Great alternative to mums

thanks - I had a few aster bushes but I guess I didn't trim them properly or didn't like their spots. They grew huge and tall and stuck out like sore thumbs and looked like weeds in my garden, then seemed that they couldn't take the heat/sun as they died.

One thing about growing natives and trying to attract pollinators is you have to start to embrace the seasons. All herbaceous perennials are going to decline when they’re done blooming.

Oh sure, these just got too tall, looked awful, and solidly died; they didn't look good either in the yard as they were so high compared to everything around them. It might have been the particular variety. I have some other perennials that were already in the yard that are well established and have done great (yarrow, coreopsis, dianthus, blue columbine, creeping phlox) but wanting to fill in some spots and stick to natives for what I add. Because it's a front yard, I'm trying to keep new plants somewhat low in height except where I plant along a fence or close to the house, but there are limited spots there.

Raydon’s Favorite is only about 3 feet tall. Some asters just look leggy and sad, and of course sometimes plants just aren’t happy in a space (your soil might have been too rich, for example; lots of natives are happy in some pretty impoverished soil).