Most people are familiar with the perennial yellow coneflower or black-eyed Susan(Rudbeckia fulgida). It’s a tough, cheery-looking garden perennial that has earned a place in native gardens, wildlife gardens, and just plain hot, dry difficult sites. Here’s something just a bit different. Like its tough little relative, Giant coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) is a native perennial with seeds beloved by finches and other songbirds. But once this one starts to sprout in the springtime, it’s like it forgets to stop! Glaucous bluish leaves give rise to vertical stems that keep growing and growing straight up. Seven feet later, a familiar-looking yellow flower with a green cone in the center pops open, ready to do what coneflowers seem to be good at: producing nectar for bees and butterflies and making birdseed. Here at the Garden it is planted in the Sunken Garden area at the base of Hosta Hill, near the Japanese Garden. You can also see it from the big windows in the hallway outside the Eleanor Squirres Library. We think of it as a seven-foot -tall birdfeeder that we don’t have to refill.

 Part II: Ornamental native plants 

 

The American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) has a special place in the affections of people who like to harvest wild foods. The one-to-two-inch orange globes ripen late and remain on the trees into early winter, growing sweeter, until they finally soften enough to drop to the ground. Before ripening they are quite astringent, but at this soft stage they have a rich, aromatic flavor and texture all their own.

Native American people harvested the fruits to eat fresh or dry. There were also a number of medicinal uses for fruits and for bark. The word “persimmon” derives from the Algonquin name for this native fruit. European settlers quickly developed a fondness for it, and discovered dozens of new ways to enjoy it. I was fascinated to learn that people have made wine, beer, vinegar, and molasses from persimmons, in addition to the more predictable jams and baked goods. Persimmon pudding is a traditional holiday dessert in regions of the Southeast where persimmons are plentiful. I hope to try making persimmon leather if I manage to harvest any myself!

Persimmons belong to the same family as tropical Ebony trees. In fact, most of its relatives are tropical. The other widely known species of edible persimmon is Japanese (Diospyros kaki), which produces a larger fruit, but is less winter hardy. The American persimmon is hardy in zones 5-9, and can grow to 135 feet high in rich bottomland soil. It is more typically around 30 feet high, and can probably be controlled by pruning. Some plants in the wild may bear only male or only female flowers. Persimmon afficionados have developed a number of cultivars for larger, tastier and more reliable fruits, too.

The persimmon is just one of many beautiful and useful plants in the Western Reserve Herb Society’s Herb Garden. The photo depicts the small, very productive tree planted on the Herb Garden Terrace just outside of the big window of Clark Hall.

I took teachers to Dike 14 last night as part of a teacher workshop. What the heck is Dike 14, you ask? It’s a secret little patch of 88 acres at the north end of Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd, near Gordon State Park, located right on our Lake Erie. I took the teachers there to introduce them to this area, to look for plant and animal interactions, and discuss invasive species.

There’s been lots of press this year about the Port relocation and how it would impact this area. Some people are concerned about the move disrupting wildlife that have taken up residence on the Dike as well as the animals that use it as a migration stopover. Coyote, deer, mink, snakes, over 280 different species of birds, and many other creatures have been found here, so a thorough impact analysis needs to happen before final decisions are made. What do you think?

Dike 14 is a nature preserve not open to the public except for opportunities like the teachers had last night and the twice yearly open houses. The next open house is Saturday, September 26 from 7:30 – 2. The Garden will be helping out during the event and hopefully it will be as gorgeous of a day as it is today. Maybe we’ll see you there?

The brilliant purple flowers of New York Ironweed (Vernonia novaboracensis) are a sure sign that summer is winding to a close. This tall, sturdy native perennial flower is said to get its nickname from the “rusty” appearance of its stems and dried flower heads, which persist into fall. It is a wonderful source of nectar for butterflies. I am sure that the Monarch butterflies I see landing on it have crossed the lake from Canada, and are fueling up for their long journey south for the winter.

Hershey Children’s Garden Cool Plants
(#7 in a series of 10)

Bird Plant: Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Some adults bring their children to Hershey Children’s Garden and become engrossed in exciting adventures and programs — and possibly miss some of the horticultural nuances of this great garden space. Hershey Children’s Garden is a sophisticated and — now in its 10th anniversary season — mature garden with many plantings that any adult gardener or garden enthusiast would love to have in their personal greenspace. Who can blame them?

Here is the seventh plant in our series of 10 of our staff’s favorite Hershey Children’s Garden plants, along with their special and unusual properties to appreciate with a child.

Cardinal flower is one of the many stunning blooms visitors may find in Hershey Children’s Garden right now. Redder than fire engines, hummingbirds love the flowers of this Midwestern native. It naturally grows in wetland environments, sporting a spike of brilliant blooms from mid- to late-summer. Visitors will find this plant growing along the water fall section of the pond, stretching toward the sky alongside other riverbank lovers golden Alexander and swamp milkweed. This  bloom offers a great opportunity to speak to children about how observing flower shapes (i.e. tubular), colors (i.e. red), and sizes (i.e. medium) serve as good indicators of a species’ pollinator. Wander outside and see if you and your little one can guess who or what visits your flowers.

The Woodland Garden is full of hidden treasures. Many of its interesting plants don’t really leap out at you demanding attention. Instead they simply grow, awaiting the curious or leisurely visitor to discover their hidden charms. 

One of these subtle charmers is the little native perennial known as Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense). It forms colonies of heart-shaped leaves about 4 inches tall. The common name comes from the spicy aroma of its roots. The plant is not related to the culinary spice (Zingiber officinalis), but aparently was used by Native Americans to flavor foods at times.

Another common name for the plant, Monkey jug, is used in the southern states. This seems like a whimsical description for the odd little brown flowers that sprout from the base of the plant in springtime. Not really visible from above without pushing apart the leaves, they seem well-suited for pollination by crawling insects like beetles and ants.  

Posted by Ann McCulloh

All kinds of pretty fruits and berries are coloring up right now. Tempting-looking clusters hang from nearly every shrub and hedge. This one’s common name, red chokeberry, gives a clue to the almost astringent taste of the plump little berries. But wait! Before you give it the admiring “Thanks, but no thanks,” pass, memorize the Latin name. Aronia arbutifolia. You have seen that somewhere recently, maybe in little tiny letters, maybe on the label of a vitamin-enhanced miracle beverage in the cooler at the corner store. 

This native shrub has lovely white flowers in spring, grows almost trouble free in somewhat damp, partly shady spots, changes to lovely shades of apricot and ruby in the autumn, and… it’s really high in vitamin C, is made into jams and used as a natural food coloring in things like yogurt and juice drinks. Its closest relative, black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), has dark purple fruits that are higher in anti-oxidants than blueberries, grapes and cranberries. Native Americans used it to make pemmican, that staple wilderness food made of dried meat and berries.

The demand for products like nutritional supplements, beverages, and snacks made with Aronia has been growing as its potential benefits become better known.The shrubs are undemanding and easy to grow. Some Midwestern state agriculture researchers have been investigating its potential as a more-widely-grown crop. In the meantime I think it could be more widely grown as an ornamental, too.

Posted by Ann McCulloh

The bottle gentian, Gentiana andrewsii, is a hardy, native perennial that blooms from September into October. The flower never actually opens – that’s where the plant’s other common name, closed gentian, comes from. The bumblebee is the main pollinator for this species, since it’s just about the only insect burly and determined enough to push its way into the tiny opening at the tip of the blossom.

Bottle gentians thrive in part to full sun. The key to their well-being is moist soil and an undisturbed location. They can be found in damp, open fields, floodplains, and even roadside ditches in remote areas of Northeastern Ohio. Deer leave them alone for the most part because most parts of the plant contain an extremely bitter plant chemical called seco-iridiods.

There are species of gentian native to Europe as well. There, the bitter substances found in the roots gave rise to a number of medicinal uses. Here in the U.S. the Native Americans used gentian root to treat snakebite and digestive problems. A patent medicine made from gentian, called “Moxie” was marketed in 1876. It was later sold as a soft drink and is actually still made and sold in New England as a nostalgic specialty.

I’ve never tried “Moxie”, although I mean to one day. Right now, it’s enough of a tonic for me to stroll into the Japanese Garden and be amazed at the brilliant, unearthly blue of gentian flowers.

Posted by Ann McCulloh