Latest for October
Ceanothus americanus in bloom
The latest seeds collected and added/replenished in the inventory belong to the following native species:
Ceanothus americanus, New jersey tea
Desmodium nudiflorum, Naked flowered tick-trefoil
Euonymus obovatus, Running strawberry-bush and
Smilax herbacea, Herbaceous carrion flower
These are all drought resistant species and are good options for those looking to add new native species to their easy-maintenance shade garden.
The New Jersey tea in particular, is an extremely adaptable small size shrub, growing very well in poor soils, with white, fragrant, pollinator friendly flowers. You can also grab a few leaves from the garden when you run out of tea!
Add the strawberry-bush as a ground cover around it and you are done for a really simple, maintenance free plants combination!
Euonymus obovatus in late fall
The time to shine for the Running strawberry-bush is in late fall, when the green foliage becomes more visible on the woodland floor showing the conspicuous red capsules with orange seeds.
The same goes for Smilax herbacea; in good years, the foliage turns bright yellow showcasing the black fruits clusters (in the featured image).
* This fall the Hamamelis capsules were damaged by the weevil larvae (Pseudanthonomus hamamelidis).
**From other species with late fruits/seeds maturation I also hope to collect Clematis virginiana and Cephalanthus occidentalis in the near future, if possible.
Due to the extensive summer drought, most likely there won’t be any skunk cabbage fruits this fall (for those who asked).
