From the Organizers
Welcome to the Tenth Annual Native Plant Festival!
We are pleased to announce our 2025 festival has expanded to a five-day event! Lectures will be offered at the New Hanover County Arboretum the evenings of September 17–19, the three days leading up to Saturday’s Festival Shopping Day on September 20. New this year: a self-guided tour of native gardens on Sunday, September 21.
Evening Speaker Series (at the Arboretum)
The speaker schedule appears on our back cover. Follow the links to the Festival web page to register in advance for speakers you’d like to hear. Seating is limited, so register early!
Plant Shopping Day (throughout the Community)
Saturday’s Shopping Day is again a self-guided tour of nurseries that specialize in native plants: you can buy directly from the growers and ask questions about how to care for plants once you get them home. Thirteen different plant sellers are participating this year, at five locations in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender Counties. See our map on pages 4–5 for locations. Plants will not be for sale at the Arboretum.
By visiting various local sellers, you can get familiar with growers available to you not just the day of the Festival, but all throughout the year. We encourage you to continue to patronize local, independent growers of native plants. Note: Some of our vendors accept cash only.
Saturday of Festival weekend there will be no Festival activities at the Arboretum. Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers will be on hand at Pender Pines, Blooms + Branches, and Shelton Herb Farm to answer your gardening questions.
Native Plant Garden Tour (throughout the Community)
New this year: our inaugural self-guided native plant garden tour! Tickets for this tour are limited, so visit the website listed on the back page to sign up.
We appreciate your interest and hope you enjoy the Festival.
— The Native Plant Alliance Festival Planning Committee
Thanks to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, for hosting the Festival and providing staff.
Thanks to
Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer Association of New Hanover County for making this print publication possible.
About the Native Plant Alliance
The Native Plant Alliance was formed in 2015 with the purpose of hosting an annual Native Plant Festival.
The mission of the Native Plant Festival is to educate the public on the benefits and importance of native plants for our local ecosystems, and to promote and support native plant growers to increase demand and supply of native plants in our region.
The Alliance is composed of multiple area individuals and organizations. This year, the Alliance includes representatives from Friends of the Arboretum, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, the Extension Master GardenerSM Association of New Hanover County, City of Wilmington’s Heal Our Waterways Program, NC Native Plant Society–SE Coastal Chapter, and Cape Fear’s Going Green magazine. In previous years, it has also included members from the New Hanover County Public Library and Cape Fear Audubon.
If you or your organization would like to be on the planning committee for our 2026 Native Plant Festival, please email Festival Chair Amy Mead at afmead@ncsu.edu.
Photo On the Cover
Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium). © Nancy J. Ondra. Asters typically have a profusion of small flower heads. The photos in this guide have been enlarged to allow you to see details that characterize each. See article on page 3 to learn more about this and other asters. Proud to be a Primary Sponsor of the
Friends of the Arboretum support the programs and mission of the N.C. Cooperative Extension.
Join the Friends today and help make a difference!
myarb.org Sign Up Now!
The Native Plant Festival program guide is produced annually by Going Green Publications, publisher of Cape Fear’s Going Green—a quarterly publication promoting eco-friendly resources and lifestyles in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin.
Advisors & Editorial Contributors: Caitlyn Andrews, Shelby Diehl, Douglas Goldman, Amy Mead, Karen Mulcahy, Nancy J. Ondra, Kara Protz, Susan Richardson, and iNaturalist observer er-birds.
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 in print and on our Web site.
Cape Fear’s Going Green is distributed free through Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties.
Join the Friends
Asters: The Late-Season Perennial Pollinators Are Yearning For
by Shelby Diehl
As summer transitions into fall, you won’t find as many flowering plants producing nectar for pollinators. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any options out there. In fact, there’s a magnificent perennial that checks that exact box called Asteraceae, or Asters.
Asters serve not only as a sweet, late-season treat for your birds, bees, and other pollinators, but as a colorful addition to your garden. These showy plants are deer-resistant as well, so if you’re worried about local wildlife eating up your flowers, worry not. Now, there are about 90 aster species in North America, but we’re going to focus on some native to the Cape Fear region.
Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
If you’re looking for a hit with insects, aromatic aster is the flower for you. This showy plant deters deer and rabbits, while serving as a nesting ground for bees. It may sound odd, but native bees love the dead, hollow stems of aromatic aster. So when you find yourself with dead stems, cut them back to 12 to 24 inches and let them stand until they naturally disintegrate.
Of course, we don’t want just dead asters — the bees will get their stems in time. To make your perennials happy, keep the plant in full sun. They aren’t picky when it comes to the soil composition, but moist soil with good drainage is recommended. With the right treatment, these beautiful plants will mature up to 3 feet, providing you with a dense, low mound of purple flowers.
Why does our Climbing Aster have two Latin names?
Climbing Aster is now classified as Ampelaster carolinianus. Before the Asteracae family was split, this species was known as Symphyotrichum carolinianum or even Aster carolinianus.
Climbing
Aster (Ampelaster carolinianus or Symphyotrichum carolinianum)
Climbing Aster (close-up). Observation © Susan Richardson (CC-BY-NC). inaturalist.org/observations66154584. No changes made.
Climbing aster isn’t afraid to reach for your stars, with long stems that can climb to heights greater than 10 feet! However, if you want this flower’s pink to purple blossoms to stand out in your garden, you have to have clay or loam soil with good drainage. After all, standing water can compromise this aster’s health. But don’t worry about seasonal flooding — it’ll withstand the swampy conditions.
Gardeners recommend deadheading this plant in the fall and stopping there, as it’s best to conduct additional trimming in the spring when the aster shows signs that it is about to bloom.Take care of this flower and you may find yourself with bees, butterflies, and Pearl Crescent caterpillars! Climbing aster hosts the larvae from April through November in the Cape Fear before they transform into magnificent butterflies.
(continued on page 6)
What’s in a name?
Scientific classifications evolve over time, and that can result in a name change. Asteraceae is the largest family of flower plants and includes an enormous range of plants, including Purple Coneflower and Black-Eyed Susan. You may see it referred to daisy family, composite family or compositae.
In the mid-1990s, based on new molecular (DNA) and morphological evidence, New World species of plants in the Asteraceae family were reclassified into ten different genera. Guy L. Nesom reintroduced the use of five “new” genera—Doellingeria, Eurybia, Ionactis, Oclemena, and Symphyotrichum—to separate our native asters from Eurasian asters. The genus named “Aster” is now restricted to asters native to Europe and Asia.
Because our festival is in the fall, we are featuring asters that bloom in the fall—the ones with Symphyotrichum as their first name.
Aromatic Aster (close-up). Observation © Kara Protz (CC-BY-NC). inaturalist. org/observations/186165138. No changes made.
Asters: The Late-Season Perennial Pollinators Are Yearning For – continued from page 3
Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)
Blue Wood Aster (close-up). Observation © Douglas Goldman (CC BY-SA). inaturalist.org/observations140148821. No changes made.
If there’s one thing about the blue wood aster, it’s that the flower doesn’t make much of a fuss. This alluring plant won’t complain about full or partial sun, dry or moist soils, or the soil you opt to grow it in, with the exception of needing good drainage. Next thing you know, you’ll find yourself with white to pale blue to pale violet flowers that grow to approximately three feet.
But while the blue wood aster isn’t a high-maintenance flower, the plant has a tendency to be weedy because it self-seeds very easily. In the wild, that’s no problem. But for a garden? You’ll need to be prepared to do some cutting. It’s recommended to cut the
Join the Native Plant Society!
• Want to learn more about native plants?
• Go on plant walks with knowledgable experts?
• Meet folks who share your interest?
“Our mission is to promote the enjoyment and conservation of North Carolina’s native plants and their habitats through education, protection, cultivation, and advocacy.”
The North Carolina Native Plant Society offers plant walks, workshops and other plant-related activities. To receive the schedule of events, go to www.ncwildflower.org to join the state-wide NC Native Plant Society. Based on your address, you will automatically be assigned to a local chapter. Those in the SE portion of the state automatically become members of the SE Coastal Area Chapter.
Visit ncwildflower.org/se-coast for photos of recent activities. Questions? Email cewinterbauer39@gmail.com.
plant to the ground when it thins around late summer to avoid self-seeding, which also helps with the flower’s appearance.
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
This aster isn’t afraid to show off—and for good reason. The large, purple flowers enhance the visual appeal of every space it inhabits, from rain gardens to flower arrangements. However, it’s important that, wherever they are, the asters have good air circulation. If they don’t, foliar diseases—fungal diseases that primarily affect the leaves—may creep in.
This plant won’t stand for any soils that aren’t composed of clay or high organic matter, and will complain if there isn’t good drainage. At the very least, you don’t need to worry about the sun, as this aster doesn’t mind full or partial light. Abide by these conditions, and you’ll find the New England Aster peaking anywhere from 3 to 7 feet tall—a notable height for a notable flower.
Source:
North Carolina State Extension, Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Shelby Diehl is the Southeast Forestry Communications Specialist at the National Wildlife Federation and a Contributing Editor for Cape Fear’s Going Green.
New England Aster (close-up). Observation © er-birds (CC BY).
org/observations/188152678. No changes made.
inaturalist.
Introducing Native Garden Tours: A
New Feature of the Cape Fear Native Plant Festival
Are you looking to transition your home landscape from traditional turf grass and evergreen hedges into a space that provides beneficial coverage and food for the wildlife and pollinators of North Carolina? Are you unsure which plants are beneficial and which are not for your landscape? Get ready to be inspired, learn and grow with the newest addition to the Cape Fear Native Plant Festival—Native Garden Tours!
On Sunday, September 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., participate in a self-guided garden tour that will take you to 11 garden spaces throughout New Hanover County. Explore both residential and public gardens that feature native plants and see what your yard can look like! Do you have any questions or need additional resources? The New Hanover County Master GardenerSM volunteers will be available at each garden to assist you. Take this opportunity to learn how you can bring nature into your community and see the beauty of native plant gardening.
Still not sure why you should make the switch to nativeforward landscaping? Read why New Hanover County Nature at Home ambassador Barb Ingram plants native:
“One reason I love native gardening is because it’s something concrete that I can do to make a difference. A lot of things that are wrong in the world make me feel small and helpless, but in my yard I have the power to make decisions that matter. I can transform it into a space where native plants thrive, along with the insects and birds and other wildlife that desperately need them. Not only that, but I can delight in the beauty of the plants and marvel at the growth and change they go through each season. The more I learn, the better equipped I am to share with others and encourage them. Native gardening is a way I can give back by doing something good.”
While they are often pretty, invasive plants can damage native plant habitat, and therefore affect our wildlife’s ability to access cover and food. Non-native plants, including expansive lawns and introduced trees and shrubs, have little to offer local wildlife. Native plants not only offer these much-needed resources for local wildlife, but are well-adapted to our soil and climate! Planting natives can provide vibrant flora, fall color change, food for birds and squirrels, nectar for hummingbirds and homes for butterfly larvae. If grown properly, they also require less maintenance due to being well-adapted to the region. To put it simply, native plants are all-around beneficial for both our local wildlife and our yards!
Dig into the world of native landscaping and give back by participating in this year’s Cape Fear Native Plant Festival Native Garden Tours. Space is limited, so please register by visiting go.ncsu.edu/nativeplantgardentours2025. We look forward to giving you the resources to conserve, grow and learn!
The Native Garden Tour is possible thanks to the New Hanover County Extension Master GardenerSM Nature at Home program. Learn more about how you can turn your home into a wildlifefriendly habitat at go.ncsu.edu/nature-at-home.
Thanks to all our vendors of native plants! Here’s how to contact them after the Festival:
Above the Briery, LLC abovethebriery.com
Karen Mulcahy • Karen@abovethebriery.com • (252) 258-0916
Blooms + Branches Garden Center, LLC bloomsandbranchesgardencenter.com info@bloomsandbranchesnc.com • (910) 350-6772
Community Nursery [cash sales only]
Duane Truscott • duanetruscott@gmail.com
Flytrap Jones
Richard Jones • venusflytrapjones@gmail.com • (910) 269-3943
The Garden Shop on Moss thegardenshoponmoss.com
Rebecca Patman • rebecca@wildmagnoliadesigns.com • (910) 690-0452
Going Native Gardens (at Wild Bird & Garden)
Joyce Huguelet • joyhuguelet@gmail.com • (910) 547-7973
Grizz’s Nursery [cash sales only]
Michael Gore • (910) 547-4934
The Herbal Gnome Instagram @the.herbal.gnome
Renee Burbank • theherbalgnome@gmail.com • (910) 742-0763
The Honey Bee Farm at White Heron Retreat whiteheron.us
Ken Edgar • stumpgrinding@msn.com • (910) 443-2336
Pender Pines Garden Center penderpines.com
Jon Schwarz • penderpines@gmail.com • (910) 270-2706
Plant Mamas [cash or Venmo sales] plantmamasnc.com
Susie Rivadeneyra • design.earthgirl@gmail.com • (910) 970-6246
Shelton Herb Farm sheltonherbfarm.com
Margaret Shelton • info@sheltonherbfarm.com • (910) 253-5964
Sorrell’s Lawn Care and Nursery www.facebook.com/sorrellsnursery
Christina Sorrell • cgtripp76@gmail • (252) 286-5358
Wild Bird & Garden wildbirdandgarden.com
Jill Peleuses • wildbirdgardeninc@gmail.com • (910) 343-6001
Wild Meadow Farm [cash sales only]
Chris Dean & Maria Ortado • WildMeadowFarmNC@gmail.com
Why Go Native?
Native plants are a wonderful choice for the home gardener. Plants that have evolved in your home region are suited to thrive with minimal care once established. They have also co-evolved over time to be part of the whole ecological system of the area: beneficial insects live on native plants (and not non-natives), and in turn are available as food for birds rearing their young and other wildlife. Babies of most species of songbird can eat only beneficial insects, not the berries that their parents may be able to eat. So to attract birds, plant native plants that will attract native insects.
