Native Plants

I've just returned from the Brandywine River Conservancy in Chadd's Ford, PA. It's the midway point between my mother and Camden, and we caught their most amazing annual native plant sale. Native plants are of utmost importance in reestablishing habitats for insects, birds, all wildlife really. Native plants also greatly help to mitigate stormwater, purify, and beautify the city as many of these species thrive in both wet and dry conditions. One of the local leaders in this movement is Doug Tallamay, author of "Bringing Nature Home"

It's too beautiful out for me to write much more about this at the current time... except as to say that native plants are being used in our Camden SMART initiative in conjunction with the Rutgers Water Resource Program . Read more about that here.

In addition to lovely conversation on the philosophy of native I've also found a GGGRRREEEAAATT resource for native seed saving at the Brandywine River Conservancy, join me on an upcoming Thursday.

Got some natives this weekend with my mom for Mother's Day and some seeds I will be starting in the fall...


PLANTS:
zizia aurea: Golden Alexanders
eupatorium hyssopifolium (native hyssop!!!!!!)
lobelia carinalis : Cardinal Flower
matteuccia struthiopteris: Osterich Fern
aquilegia canandensis: wild columbine
sedum ternatumL 
spiranthis odorata: Ladies Tresses (Native ORCHID!!!!)
lonicera sempervirens: native HONEYSUCKLEEEEE!!!!
senecio aureus: golden ragwort

Here's the ongoing list of Native Plants that have been planted in Camden, NJ in the Waterfront South neighborhood:

From North Creek Nursery

• Aster novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’
• Purple flower, 2-3’ tall
• Aster oblongifolius ‘Raydon’s Favorite’
• Abundant lavender flowers, 3’ tall
• Amsonia hubrichtii in our 38 cell plug
• Excellent foliage plant, 2-3’ tall with blue flowers in spring, golden colored foliage in the fall
• Echinacea ‘White Swan’
• White flowering Echinacea, 3-4’ tall
• Andropogon virginicus
• Great, tough native grass 4-6’ tall
• Phlox paniculata ‘Eva Cullum’
• Summer blooming pink with deep red eye, 3’ tall
• Solidago ‘Golden Fleece’
• Semi evergreen, shorter variety 18-24” tall, golden colored flowers
• Rudbeckia fulgida var fulgida
• Longer blooming than ‘Goldsturm’, 2-3’ tall

From Pinelands Nursery

Bitter Panic Grass

Culver's Root

Brown-Eyed Susan

Wild Bergamont

Red-twig dogwood

Blackhaw Viburnam

False Sunflower

New England Aster

Big Bluestem -

Blue Lobelia -

Blue Wild Indigo -

Canada Goldenrod -

Columbine -

New England Aster -

Orange Coneflower -

Turtlehead -

Wild Bergamont -

Yellow Wild Indigo -

Pre-existing species:

spiderwort

chicory

purslane

milkweed

jerusalem artichoke

...and so so many more....

Camden, NJ the new Andrew Wyeth landscape, perhaps