Cape Fear's Going Green • 2017 Native Plant Festival Handout

Why Go Wild?

by Carol Bales

Wild in the garden, that is! We hope you’ll learn more about the benefits at our Festival, where there will be something for everyone!

The North Carolina Native Plant Society recommends using native plants in home gardens. That does not mean that you need to take out all non-native plants to make way for the natives. But, every time you need to replace or move a non-native, it would be great to plant a native plant in its place.

Once established, these plants need less water, less fertilizer, and less tending (less sweat!). They usually withstand weather damage such as high winds, heat, humidity, heavy rain, and salty air and soil. For example, milkweed has deep taproots that protect it from drying out or being dislodged. Long-leaf pines sway in high winds (even hurricanes) or fires instead of dying.

We hope you will enjoy visiting the Arboretum’s new native plant garden to see what area native plants look like, and to pick up lists of plants and their growing requirements.

From the Organizers

Welcome to the Third Annual Native Plant Festival!

Our goal is to assist you in helping the environment by learning how to incorporate Native Plants in your gardens and to make everyone aware of the interconnectedness of our gardens to birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators.

Please enjoy our Arboretum gardens and take time to see our new Native Plants Garden: now a year old, this demonstration garden can help you visualize how specific native plants might look in your own garden. (See article on page 3.) We have lots of information to share through helpful Master Gardener handouts, expert speakers, and Audubon’s “Discover the Wonders of Birds” exhibits. Native Plant vendors are ready to sell plants and answer questions, while numerous children’s activities will engage the little ones.

We appreciate your interest and hope you increase your knowledge and enjoy your visit.

On the Cover

Pollinators love native plants such as this coneflower, or Echinacea purpurea. You can find this perennial in the Arboretum’s native plants garden area, along with information on the growing conditions it prefers. (Photo

Cape Fear’s Going Green is a quarterly publication promoting eco-friendly resources and lifestyles in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin.

Publisher & Editor in Chief: Valerie Robertson

Sister City: Eugene, Oregon (Voted “Greenest City” 2006 by The Green Guide)

Eugene Contributing Editor: Mary Robertson

Advisors & Editorial Contributors: Carol Bales, Debi Bradford, Bonni Cutler, Catherine Nesbit, Sherry O’Daniell, Rachel Taylor & Charley Winterbauer.

Cape Fear’s Going Green

Going Green Publications

P. O. Box 3164 • Wilmington, NC 28406 (910) 547-4390

publisher@goinggreenpublications.com

www.goinggreenpublications.com

Cape Fear’s Going Green is available by subscription or on our Web site. Print copies are available at more than 140 area eco-friendly businesses and locations, including: Arboretum/New Hanover County Extension Service, Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop, Azalea Coin Laundry, Lovey’s Market, New Hanover County Public Library (Northeast Branch), Old Books on Front Street, Pomegranate Books, Re-eco Design, Tidal Creek Co-op, UNCW, WHQR, Shelton Herb Farm, the YMCA, and the YWCA.

Editorial: If you have story ideas or calendar items to suggest, email us at editor@goinggreenpublications.com, or call (910) 547-4390.

Advertising information: Email ads@goinggreenpublications.com.

Hibiscus coccineus, also known as Texas Star Hibiscus, is a striking plant for the back of a border. It grows in full sun or partial shade, blooms well from June to October, and needs limited watering during dry spells. Although it grows 8 to 10 feet tall, it is sturdy and does not require support or deadheading.

Cape Fear’s Going Green is distributed free through Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties. If you have a business and would like to receive multiple copies for the public, please contact us.

The views and opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication.

www.goinggreenpublications.com

— The Native Plant Festival Planning Committee

by Sherry O’Daniell.)

photo by Carol Bales

The Creation of the Native Plant Garden at the Arboretum

by Bonni Cutler

Visitors to the New Hanover County Arboretum Native Garden who peek over the picket fence or stroll the charming stone paths, amid vibrant flowers and interesting shrubs, would find it hard to believe that a year ago (Spring of 2016) this was all a bare piece of earth. With over 200 native plants now established, the goal of creating a public showcase for native plants that would successfully grow in our area (southeast coastal zone 8) is becoming a reality.

Our mission was to create a native garden with season long color and interest that would provide food for birds, bees and butterflies and the insects they also feed on. We wanted to have a native garden that would be suitably neat and orderly to fit into a suburban yard as flower beds or as a shrub border. We wanted to familiarize the public as to what the plants would look like. We also wanted to experiment with what conditions best suited each plant by obtaining at least 3 of each plant and planting them in different conditions of sun or shade. Every single plant was labeled for the education of the public. A directory of everything we planted was established and made available in information boxes in the garden. Irrigation was installed prior to any soil prep or planting. Intensive soil preparation was done during the summer of 2016. Our first perennials were planted in September 2016. Our shrub border was planted last

winter (December 2016 to January 2017). More perennials were added this spring (2017).

Our project was funded by grants from the Master Gardener Association and the Cape Fear Garden Club. It was made possible by hundreds of hours from volunteer Master Gardeners who prepared the soil with peat moss, composted cow manure, and pine bark and pine needle mulches, and dug holes, planted, weeded and watered. We were all amateurs who learned by reading and doing and the plants responded better than all our hopes could have imagined.

Most native plants want moist acidic soil. We had poor soil of high PH with high PH well water for irrigation. Very much like the problems any home gardener in our area might face. We overcame it with the aforementioned soil amendments and acid-based fertilizers and even—believe it or not—coffee grounds.

continued on page 4

September 22, 2015: Clearing and scraping of land for Native Plants Garden.

May 25, 2016: Volunteers digging in peat moss in Native Plants Garden. This mound in the center of the garden will be the first to be planted.

Our design was determined by the grading done by Arboretum staff and by the natural patterns of sun and shade that fell on the site. A master list of plants we would like to try was drawn up by a committee using native gardening books during early spring 2016. The placement of those plants was determined by the cultural requirements of the plants. Sun loving plants in sun, shade loving plants in shade, those needing drainage on high ground, those needing more moisture in low areas, with a stair step plan of tall in the back and short in the front.

Where to buy native plants can be difficult. Many nurseries do not carry pure natives, but do carry nativars which are plants bred from natives to enhance certain characteristics. Nativars will have patented names. We have tried to use pure natives, but in some cases, we have experimented with nativars. Our shrubs were obtained from a wholesaler who specialized in growing natives for wetlands restoration for the Corps of Engineers and developers. Some plants came from local nurseries. We obtained most of our perennials from the Master Gardener Propagation team who were growing natives for our Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale. Our goal was to showcase the same plants in the garden that would be for sale to the public at the spring Garden Sale. So popular was this approach, that they sold over 1,400 native plants.

November 18, 2016: Betty Broadwater and Virginia Teachey planting Bonni Cutler’s ferns in the Native Plants Garden.

September 10, 2016: First plantings in the Arboretum Native Plants Garden.

Native Plant Garden at the Arboretum – continued

Looking back, it was all a lot of work and sweat, but well worth it to see our robust native plants springing out of the ground. What a sense of accomplishment to start with bare soil, uncounted bales of peat moss and compost, with tiny dormant plants in pots, and to see it all growing successfully as a testament to nature’s will to live. We are thrilled to see the bees and butterflies coming and we look forward to another successful year ahead with more plants to come.

Bonni Cutler is a retired electronics industry planner and has been a Master Gardener for 18 years.

Sources include:

Gardening with Native Plants of the South by Sally Wasowski with Andy Wasowski

Best Native Plants for Southern Gardens by Gil Nelson

The Master Gardener Plant Sale, which runs for five days during the spring, is one of the largest plant sales in the Southeast. Proceeds from the sale provide the major funding for programs of the New Hanover County Master Gardeners including education additions to the Arboretum grounds, 4-H program needs, the Speaker’s Bureau, the Remote Plant Clinic, and educational grants for local schools and oranizations.

Friends of the Arboretum members have a half-day preview sale before the public opening, enabling them to get first choice of limited quantity elections.

For more information, see arboretum.nhcgov.com or call (910) 798-7660.

photo by Sherry O’Daniell

August 2017: The center mound in full bloom.

March 30, 2017: Plants coming to life on mound at Native Plants Garden.

May 17, 2017: Center planting bed blooms in Native Plants Garden.

native plant resources

New Hanover County Public Library— Books on Gardening in Coastal North Carolina

Below is a list of useful books on gardening, available through the New Hanover County Public Library. After each title is listed the library branch or branches where the book can be found, along with the call letters to help you find it more readily. Remember, you can always request that a book be sent to your local branch if it’s not available at your own.

Adams, George Martin. Birdscaping your garden: a practical guide to backyard birds and the plants that attract them. Emmaus, Pa. : Rodale Press, 1994. ~ Main Branch 598.2973 A

Armitage, A. M. Armitage’s native plants for North American gardens. Portland, Or. : Timber Press, 2006. ~ Main & Myrtle Grove Branches. 635.9 A

Attracting native pollinators : protecting North America’s bees and butterflies. North Adams, Ma. : StoryPub, 2011. ~ Main 631.52 A

Bir, R. E. Growing and propagating showy native woody plants. Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, c. 1992. ~ NC History Room R635.9 B

Burrell, C. Colston. Native alternatives to invasive plants. Brooklyn, NY : Brooklyn Botanic Garden, c. 2006. ~ Main, Northeast, & Myrtle Grove 635.95 B

Cullina, William. Native ferns, moss, & grasses. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, c. 2007. ~ Main & Northeast 635.9373 C

Cullina, William. Native trees, shrubs, & vines : a guide to using, growing, & propagating North American woody plants. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2002. ~ Northeast 635.977 C

Darke, Rick. The living landscape : designing for beauty and biodiversity in the home garden. Portland, Or. : Timber Press, 2014. ~ Northeast 712.2 D Dunn, Michael L. Plant it and they will come : using native trees & shrubs to attract wildlife in eastern North Carolina. [Raleigh, NC?] : N.C. State Museum of Natural Sciences and N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, c. 1994. ~ NC History Room–R582 D

Fern, Ken. Plants for a future : edible & useful plants for a healthier world. Hampshire, England : Permanent Publications, 2000. ~ Main 581.7 F

Foote, Leonard E. Native shrubs & woody vines of the Southeast : landscaping uses and identification. Portland, Or. : Timber Press, c. 1989. ~ Main & Northeast 715.0975 F

Frey, Kate. The bee-friendly garden : design an abundant, flower-filled yard that nurtures bees and supports biodiversity. ~ Northeast & Pleasure Island 595.799 F

Thanks to all our vendors of native plants.

Ability Garden (at the Arboretum)

Heather Kelejian • hkelejian@nhcgov.com

Breezy’s Butterfly Friends

• (910)798-7682

www.facebook.com/Breezys-Butterfly-Friends-126437077930943/

Grizz’s Nursery

Michael Gore • grizznursery15@gmail.com

Joyce Huguelet

• (910) 547-4934

Joyce Huguelet • huguelet@bellsouth.net • (910) 395-4236

Lumber River Nursery

Jep Whitlock • whitlocknative@att.net • (336) 601-8787

My Garden Plants Company

Duane Truscott • truscottd@bellsouth.net

Olski’s Heirloom Nursery

Meredith Olski • meredith.olski@olskisheirloomnursery.com • (910)233-2574

Shelton Herb Farm

Margaret Shelton • info@sheltonherbfarm.com • (910)253-5964

Going native : biodiversity in our own backyards. Brooklyn, NY : Brooklyn Botanic Garden, c. 1994. Northeast 635.9 G

Johnson, Lorraine. Grow wild! : low maintenance, sure success, distinctive gardening with native plants. Golden, Co. : Fulcrum Pub., 1998. Northeast 635.9 J

Johnson, Lorraine. 100 easy-to-grow native plants for American gardens in temperate zones. Toronto : Firely Books, 1998. ~ Main & Northeast 635.9 J

Loewer, H. Peter. Thoreau’s garden : native plants for the American landscape. Mechanicsburg, Pa. : Stackpole Books, c. 1996. ~ Main 635.9 L

Mellichamp, Larry. Native Plants of the Southeast : a comprehensive guide to the best 460 species for the garden. Portland, Or. : Timber Press, 2014. ~ Main & Northeast 635.0975 M

Nelson, Gil. Atlantic coastal plain wildflowers : a field guide to the wildflowers of the coastal regions of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida. Guilford, Ct. : FalconGuide, c. 2006. ~ Main & Myrtle Grove 635.0975 M

North Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society, Inc. North Carolina native plant propagation handbook. [Chapel Hill, NC] : The Society 1977. ~ NC History Room– NC631.53 N

Taylor, Patricia A. Easy care native plants : a guide to selecting and using beautiful American flowers, shrubs, and trees in gardens and landscapes. New York: H. Holt, 1996. ~ Main & Northeast 635.9 T

Wasowski, Sally. Gardening with native plants of the South. Lanham, Md. : Taylor Trade Pub., 2009. ~ Main, Myrtle Grove & Northeast 635.9 W

Some useful websites about native plants of Coastal North Carolina: http://www.plantnative.org http://www.ncsugarden.com www.fws.gov/raleigh/pdfs/ NativePlantsCoastalNC.pdf www.ncwildflower.org

ncbg.unc.edu › Plants & Gardening

www.goinggreenpublications.com

Popular Nandina Landscaping Plant Toxic to Birds

There are non-native plants that are not aggressive or invasive and cause little harm in our local landscape. However, there are many gardening favorites that, by virtue of being native to another part of the world, are being found not to be good choices for area gardens.

English ivy makes a lovely ground cover but, as with any invasive, it out-competes native plants for sun, water and soil resources. Left unattended it can choke and eventually kill your favorite tree. The state of Oregon banned the nursery sale of English ivy and numerous other ivy cultivars in 2010, and along the eastern seaboard it is considered invasive from New York to Georgia, according to Oregon State University’s Extension

Service. It may just be a matter of time before the sale of ivy is banned here as well.

Nandina is a very popular landscaping choice in our area, prized not only for its growing habit but its beautiful berries that make a lovely contrast with its foliage. Also known as sacred bamboo or heavenly bamboo (although not a true bamboo), many homeowners plant this Asian import in order to provide berries to feed the birds. Unfortunately, we now know that nandina berries are toxic to birds. This was discovered a few years ago when researchers at the University of Georgia were investigating the mysterious death of dozens of cedar waxwings. They determined the berries contain cyanide and other alkaloids that produce highly toxic hydrogen cyanide—highly poisonous to all animals.

If you do have nandina and want to keep it (or if your HOA won’t allow you to remove it), consider removing the berries: it takes just a few minutes to clip them off, and they won’t reappear until the following year. If you were considering buying nandina, consult any of the resources available at the festival to find a noninvasive substitute that you will like, and that will help rather than harm local birds.

Nandina is widely available for sale, along with many plants that are environmentally detrimental to our area. One way you can help is to tell your local nursery that you prefer they not continue to sell these. The NC Native Plant Society has two useful card blanks you can print out at home and take to your nursery. One card asks the nursery to discontinue sale of an invasive plant you’ve seen for sale; the other lets you alert them in writing that you are particularly interested in buying native plants. Your voice makes a difference, and as more people request plants appropriate for their area, nurseries will meet the demand.

You can find the card blanks at http://www.ncwildflower.org/ resources/cards.

Where to See Native Plants in the Cape Fear

As use of native plants grows in popularity, the opportunities to see them used in landscaping is growing. The Arboretum’s new Native Plant demonstration garden is a good place to start, and it is helpful that they are correctly labeled and that handouts are available to explain the optimal growing conditions for each.

As you learn to identify native plants, keep an eye out for them throughout the community. The downtown branch of the New Hanover Public Library at 3rd and Chestnut Streets has established a Story Park, which includes native plants. The Cape Fear Museum opened its community park in 2015; on-site guessing games indicate which plantings are native and which are not.

There is a bank of wildflowers along the sidewalk next to the Cameron Art Museum, including many natives. Native grasses are used as landscaping along the fence at Palate Bottle Shop & Reserve, on North 4th Street. The eastern prickly pear cactus is native to parts of eastern North America; there’s an impressively large one on South College Avenue, in front of the new Hemp Farmacy location. See how many natives you can spot as you travel through your neighborhood and beyond.

Nandina domestica is planted widely by homeowners who are unaware of the danger its berries pose to birds.

Native plants are used effectively in the landscaping at the 1898 Memorial in downtown Wilmington.