Native Perennials for Dry Shade

If you have dry, well drained soils and shade in your landscape, it's often difficult to find the right plants that will work in these conditions.

For my own landscape I investigated similar conditions at local parks to see what is growing. The following three perennials are very dependable and will perform well in these conditions.

In my area, Zig Zag Goldenrod ~ Solidago flexicaulis is quite common growing in dry soils in upland, shady sites. I have included it in my own landscape in both part and full shade. Its bright yellow flowers open in early fall.

The sharply serrated leaves are attractive when this plant is not in flower. Zig Zag Goldenrod spreads by rhizomes, forming a nice cluster. It can be utilized in a woodland border or naturalized in an informal planting style in an understory.
Read more about Zig Zag Goldenrod here.

Virginia Waterleaf ~ Hydrophyllum virginianum
Virginia Waterleaf is a tough woodland native perennial. It can withstand quite a bit of disturbance and is often a remnant in a landscape that has been taken over by invasive plants.

The leaves are patterned with silver spots, this patterning often fades after flowering. An early spring bloomer, the light purple flowers open in mid May.

The flowers are pollinated by many types of native bees. Virginia Waterleaf propagates easily by seed, new seedlings will emerge around the parent plant. I think it is very attractive massed in the landscape and is underutilized in dry sites perhaps because it's so common.

Early Meadow Rue ~ Thalictrum dioicum is the third in this list I would recommend for dry shade. Another early flowering native, opening in mid May. The male flowers have long dangling stamens that hand downwards are tremble in the wind.

The softly lobed 3 parted foliage is very attractive - silmilar to Columbine (Aquilegia) foliage. The flower stalks can grow to around 2.5 feet tall with the foliage remaining shorter. The foliage also stays attractive throughout the summer months and contrasts nicely with other forms and textures.

Native Plant of the Week: Prickly Ash ~ Zanthoxylum americanum

Prickly Ash ~ Zanthoxylum americanum


The Prickly Ash fruit is all but gone this time of year, but in early July as the red capsules are forming, you can smell the orange/citrus odor coming from the berries as you walk by. Crush a capsule between your fingers to get a sense of how strong orange aroma is.

The red stalked capsules will turn dark red to brown as they mature and are sought out by many types of wildlife including "bobwhite quails, vireos, pheasants, cottontails, and eastern chipmunks. Bees are attracted to the flowers. Giant swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on the plants leaves." (USDA Plant Guide)

Prickly Ash is considered a large shrub or small tree. It can reach heights of 25 feet, more commonly a large specimen in our area is 12-15 feet. It has a suckering habit, often colonizing an area after a disturbance as well as in drier, poorer soils. The yellow-green flowers open along the stems in early May, before the leaves emerge.

Prickly Ash has triangular shaped thorns that occur along the stem. This along with the suckering habit often deters people from planting it in their landscape. But if you have poor soils and a large area that would make a good bird thicket, it is a good candidate for that. The tender new shoots are browsed by rabbits so it's recommended that you protect young plants during the winter months.

The leaves are compound with 5 - 11 leaflets. In late September to early October Prickly Ash turns a beautiful bright orange.

Tolerant of part shade to full sun, you will find Prickly Ash growing in open dry sites, along woodland edges as well as in disturbed sites.

Prickly Ash in native to eastern North America. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Reflecting the Local Landscape

My post this month at Native Plants Wildlife Gardens is about planting a landscape that reflects local plant communities.
Read the post here.

Native Plant of the Week: Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata

Poke Milkweed ~ Asclepias exaltata


If you have a more shaded landscape and would like to introduce some Milkweed, Poke Milkweed is an excellent option. A beautiful white flowering milkweed, it's common in mesic woodlands and woodland edges in part shade.

The flowers clusters are erect before opening, then droop downwards upon opening in mid June. A very attractive and tall milkweed (reaching heights up to 5 feet), with large opposite leaves.

This seems to be one of the preferred milkweeds of the Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus). I saw several patiently waiting for the milkweed to flower and set seed where it will lay its eggs. The Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) also likes to feed on the leaves, and Monarch Butterfly caterpillars.

This medium sized perennial would make a great addition to any partially shaded landscape. The foliage remains attractive throughout the summer months and into seed pod development.

Poke Milkweed is native to eastern North America. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Native Perennials for Moist Sites

Have a moist site in your landscape? Here are a few commonly sold native perennials for moist sites.

Michigan Lily ~ Lilium michiganense
This is an extremely showy native Lily. Bright orange flowers open in early July. The nodding flowers have 6 spotted tepals that curve upwards.

Michigan Lilies are tall, reaching heights up to 6 feet. The pointed leaves are arranged in whorls on the gray-blue colored stems. Michigan Lilies like moist, well drained soils. Their habitat includes sunny locations at the edges of wetlands as well as near small streams to large rivers.

Blue Vervain ~ Verbena hastata
Blue Vervain is a native bee favorite in our landscape. The light purple, candelabra-like blooms open in early July. Each individual flower spike is composed of tiny 5 parted flowers that open from the bottom upwards.

This native is also tall, reaching heights up to 3.5 feet. A common plant at the edges of lakes and wetlands, it prefers a full sun location in moist soils.

White Turtlehead ~ Chelone glabra
White Turtlehead is the one of the few larval host plants for the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly. Its bright white closed flowers resemble the head of a turtle, giving it its common name.

Flowers open in August, and are clustered at the top of the oppositely arranged, long narrow dark green leaves. White Turtlehead can be found along streams, and in wet woods in partial shade. White Turtlehead is between 2 and 3 feet tall.

Bottle Gentian ~ Gentiana andrewsii
Bottle Gentians flower in late summer, near the end of August into September. The upright, closed petals look bladder-like in appearance. Flowers are pollinated by bumble bees who force their way down the flower through the tiny opening.

Bottle Gentian grows in moist areas near wetlands. It can grow as high as 3 feet, flowering above adjoining grasses and sedges. Planted in masses, it can be very showy. It also works well to interplant this native with a spring flowering companion.

Native Plant of the Week: Eastern Wahoo ~ Euonymus atropurpureus

Eastern Wahoo ~ Euonymus atropurpureus


Eastern Wahoo is an interesting large shrub to small tree sized native. It can reach heights of 20 feet or more, with multiple suckering stems.

The maroon colored 4 parted flowers emerge in early June in clusters (cymes) that protrude from the branches, often hanging downwards.

The light green elliptical leaves are fairly small, and serrated. The branches are arranged oppositely.

Eastern Wahoo is found in medium soils in lower lying sites, often upland from water, at the edge of woodlands in partial shade, or in more open sites.

Flowers last into early July and are very delicate in appearance but not overly showy. This plant would be better massed in a landscape rather than used as a specimen because of the suckering habit. Rabbits like to browse on the new suckering shoots so it is recommended that you protect stems.

The light pink, 4 capsuled fruit forms by mid September. The capsules open in October revealing a bright red aril inside.

The fruit does not last long on our landscape, I'm assuming it is eaten by birds but have not witnessed this first hand.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Eastern Wahoo is native to eastern North America. See map below for range.

Prairie Natives That Provide Winter Interest

Round Headed Bush Clover ~ Lespedeza capitata


As winter approaches, plant forms and habits reveal themselves in their dried, browned states. I especially like the taller prairie natives, that are sturdy and stick up through the snow providing interest in the winter landscape.

Round Headed Bush Clover has a wonderful winter form, the clusters of dried seed heads turn an chocolate brown on the stiff stems. A prairie native that flowers starting at the beginning of August, the three silver-colored leaves of this legume are one of its most attractive features. The flowers are less noticeable, tiny, white to pink, 5 parted flowers stick out from the tight cluster of the flower head.

Gray Headed Coneflower ~ Ratibida pinnata


A favorite of native bees, this tall upright native perennial has showy yellow flowers with petals that hang downwards from the tall center cone. It likes dry, sandy, sunny sites and flowers from early July into August.

The cylinder like cones brown as the dry and remain on the tops of the stems in late fall. These are great sources of seed for birds during the winter months, juncos and sparrow will pick at the seed heads leaving seedhead debris on the snow.

Common Milkweed ~ Asclepias syriaca
The seeds are emerging from the dried pods right now, their white silky hairs are attractive in their own right.

The seeds will disperse with the late fall winds leaving the gray to golden colored dried pods. These stems are sturdy too and can last into the following spring.

Wild Bergamot ~ Monarda fistulosa

Another tall prairie native, it can reach heights of 4 feet in moister locations or seasons. Another bee favorite (as well as the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth), it flowers from mid July into August.

The dried rouned flower heads turn a dark brown in late fall as the leaves drop. In a mass, these seedheads are extremely attractive in the winter landscape.

Buckthorn Blaster: An Ingenious Solution for Eradicating Invasive Woody Plants

This is part of a series of posts I will be writing this winter on sustainable landscape businesses.

Late Fall Woodland with European Buckthorn
invading the understory. 

In the upper midwest, our woodland understories have been invaded by the invasive woody shrub or small tree, European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). Challenged with eradicating this woody invasive, a former City employee, Mary Wright (owner of Cicada Landscape Restoration in Minneapolis) came up with an ingenious solution. Her friend, and also former City employee, Cheryl Culbreth (owner of Landscape Restoration, Inc)  then developed the idea into a product called a Buckthorn Blaster.

An oak woodland not
yet invaded by Buckthorn

The least disruptive method of eliminating woody invasives is to cut and treat with a concentrated (18-20%) herbicide Glyphosate (sold as RoundUp™). Traditionally the herbicide was painted on freshly cut stems with a foam paint brush or spray applicator. Open containers led to spilling and applying too much herbicide, and "spray applicators are susceptible to 'drift' and may damage nearby plants" (Cheryl Culbreth).










In order to lower human risk, the Buckthorn Blaster was designed with a foam applicator tip which eliminates drift and spillage and reduces the risk to non-target native plants.

It also uses less herbicide, as the chemical is released with a little pressure on the tip to the targeted cambium or outer edge of a cut stump.

On smaller seedlings, one quick dab is all it takes.

A blue dye (Mark-It Blue) can be added to the Glyphosate to make it easier to identify treated from non-treated cuts.

You can use Buckthorn Blaster on any undesirable woody or herbaceous plant (with stems). Some examples provided by Cheryl include non-native honeysuckles, Canada thistle, motherwort, poison ivy and burdock. It is most effective when applied after the plant has leafed out and above freezing temperatures.

Cheryl sells Buckthorn Blasters on her website, www.buckthornblaster.com as well as on her company website, www.landscape-restoration.com along with the blue dye.

Two Wonderful Shade-Tolerant Native Specimens

Every landscape could use a specimen plant, either anchoring a house foundation or being the focal point in a designed or natural landscape.

Two of my favorite plants that are large shrub/small tree sized to showcase as specimens are Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) also

called Alternative Leaved Dogwood, and American Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia). Both are good choices for north eastern States.

Pagoda Dogwoods have a great horizontal branching habit in whorls, creating layers or levels. White, four parted flowers emerge in late May and cover the tree. A favorite of emerging insects, the flowers will be sought out by small native bees and wasps.

Pagoda Dogwoods can reach heights of close to 25 feet. They are fairly fast growing in loamy or mesic soils in part shade, slower in drier sites. Older trees are often multi-stemmed, with the lower branches thinned from herbivore browsing.

Pagoda Dogwoods grow locally here in central Minnesota in oak woodland understories, tolerating a lot of shade. They can also be found in more open sites at the edges of woodlands.

American Bladdernut is smaller in size, reaching heights around 15 feet. It also flowers early in the spring in mid May. The small bell shaped flowers hang downwards in clusters from the branches.

American Bladdernut is more upright in form, with leaves divided into 3 leaflets - an arrangement similar to Poison Ivy with the center leaf having a longer petiole. Young Bladdernut seedlings can be mistaken for Poison Ivy.

An interesting 3 parted bladder forms in late June and remains throughout the summer browning in color as it dries. The seeds develop in each section of the bladder.

The bark is also an interesting feature on this native. Chocolate brown in color with white vertical streaks. Bladdernut is multi-stemmed and does sucker new shoots around the base.

It grows locally along parts of the Minnehaha Creek watershed, and I have been told also near the Minnehaha falls.

An easy way to identify it during the winter months besides the bark and form is the large oppositely arranged buds.

American Bladdernut is also an understory shrub of moister lowland sites and also found in drier upland sites, often near water. It can tolerate a lot of shade under mature hardwood trees but also does well in sunnier sites with adequate moisture.

It is fairly fast growing too, in loamy soils it will double in size in 2 to 3 years.