Latin for Gardeners: September 2019

September’s Native Maryland Plant 
Campanulastrum americanum
L. (kum-PAN-you-luh-strum uh-mair-ih-KAY-num)
Common Name: American or tall bellflower

My birthday is this month, and the birthstone in September is sapphire which can be many colors but is usually associated with blue, very close to the color of Campanulastrum americanum – my new favorite plant.  When it’s your birthday you often do a bit of reflection on where you’ve been and how things are going:  Health okay? Keeping your mind busy? Spending quality time with family and friends? 

In mid-April, I visited my good friend Judy Fulton at her home.  Judy was kind enough to give me some Lindera benzoin (spicebush) saplings for my community.  As I was leaving her house and walking to my truck she said, “Wait a minute Alison”, she nonchalantly reached down and gently pulled a 4” plant from the ground and handed it to me.  “This is one of my favorite’s”, she said, “I think you’ll like it too.” I thought to myself “that’s nice Judy”, but for those of you who know Judy Fulton you know she loves native plants - seemingly all native plants - so she could have just handed me a Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan).   I went home and busied myself planting the saplings, I almost forgot about this mystery plant; it wasn’t until early May that I made a home for it in my garden.

Getting back to sapphire:  sapphire is formed from the mineral corundum, normally drab and grey - also the second hardest mineral after diamond.  This little 4” plant Judy handed me, seemed kind of like corundum to me (even a conundrum) – not much to look at, at least not in April. Like corundum, however, this plant turns out to be a sapphire in the garden – a real stunner - when it’s in its gem form; (in June-August, maybe even September if I’m lucky). The light blue, star-shaped flowers appear in clusters or solitary in the axils of the upper lance-shaped leaves.  And oh, just look at that style with its three-lobed stigma!

Campanulastrum americanum is a biennial (blooms in its second year then dies), but will easily remain in a garden by self-seeding.  I’ve already weeded around my specimen hoping it reseeds aplenty so I can enjoy its beauty for many years to come.

As my birthday nears, I know I have a multitude of people and things to be grateful for; Campanulastrum americanum and Judy Fulton are both high on that list.

Genus campana comes from Latin and means “bell” in reference to the bell-shaped flowers.  Species means from America, North or South. NOTE: This plant was previously known as Campanula americana L. but was reassigned to its own genus because of the unique structure of the flowers.

~ Alison Milligan – Mstr. Gardener/Mstr. Naturalist/Mstr. Watershed Steward

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)

aligmilligan@gmail.com

No Moore Pet Waste in the Magothy

Guest post written by Susan Cohen, Class 11 Steward Candidate

Just after I moved into the Moorings on the Magothy community in January 2018, I adopted a rescue puppy. I began walking her in the neighborhood and meeting my neighbors, those with and without dogs.  Everyone wanted to say hello and pet 8 week-old Zooey, which allowed me to make over 35 new friends very quickly and to meet almost everyone who owned dogs.  One of the first things I noticed about my small community of 80 townhomes was that there was a pet waste problem. I began modeling good pet waste clean-up behavior immediately (using eco-friendly bags, cleaning up after every time, and carrying a flashlight at night)  but only a few of the neighbors seemed to notice. So for my first WSA action in the community I began a pet-waste awareness and action campaign.

While I did raise the issue at a HOA meeting and present facts about pet waste and the environment, I did not feel this was effective—group think has a way of focusing on the negatives. I believe that talking directly to neighbors, one-to-one, is the more effective way to help them feel connected and to help them take responsibility for mitigating environmental problems it the community. For my pet waste campaign I dreamed up a plan to talk with every dog owner in the community and give them an eco-friendly pet waste bag filled with information about pet waste, organic dog treats, and my contact information which was attached with my WSA card by a hemp string.  This way, I could also hang the information on the front door if I was unable to talk with folks directly.  I also wanted to find a way to get other members of the community involved in meeting their neighbors and empowering them to help keep the pet waste out of our communal yard.

By the time I enacted the pet-waste campaign in my neighborhood, I had determined which households were the worst offenders, so I asked those specific neighbors if they would like to help me with the pet-waste campaign. I was positive and did not indicate that I had noticed that they were more likely than other neighbors to leave pet waste in our communal yard areas. I was delighted when these specific neighbors agreed to help and I talked with them about the environmental and other reasons for being responsible for their dogs’ pet waste.

Within Moorings on the Magothy there are three distinct sections, so we approached those sections on different days. We either spoke directly to the dog owners or left the pet-waste informational goody bags on the front door with my contact information. WSA also provided me with pet waste information signage which we posted in very visible areas in the community.

While the problem is not 100% solved, it is significantly improved. I will do a follow-up this fall and try to get the teenagers in the neighborhood more involved.

All in all, it the pet waste education action was effective, the neighbors noticed the change, and it is no longer an issue that emerges during HOA meetings or causes finger pointing in the neighborhood.  But I do feel it will require occasional follow actions to maintain awareness and to celebrate and reinforce the positive changes.

Latin for Gardeners: August 2019

August’s Native Maryland Plant 
Rudbeckia laciniata L.
(rud-BECK-ee-uh luh-sin-ee-AY-tuh)
Common Name: Cutleaf Coneflower

Finding plants that can survive the wettest areas in a landscape can be a challenge, and finding plants that look great doing it is even more difficult – unless you’re growing Rudbeckia laciniata. This tall, bodacious plant has a long bloom period and scoffs at high humidity. Its stature and bright yellow bloom are a not-to-be-ignored calling card to pollinators, who relish the nectar and pollen found on its unique green cone. The alternate leaves are conspicuously large, up to 12” long and wide, becoming smaller as they ascend the plant.

Rudbeckia laciniata is best planted in large landscapes where its aggressive rhizomes will form large colonies.  It’s not drought tolerant, but if sited properly and with Maryland’s increasingly wet weather that’s not likely to be an issue.  Many people avoid planting such tall plants, but for biodiversity’s sake and my own visual pleasure I try to find places for a variety of architectural plants in my garden. If necessary, I use Texas tomato cages to provide them extra support. I’ve been thrilled with the range of pollinators this plant has attracted to my yard and I’m really looking forward to the birds that will come later this year to feed on the seed heads.

~ Alison Milligan – Mstr. Gardener/Mstr. Naturalist/Mstr. Watershed Steward

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)

aligmilligan@gmail.com

Latin for Gardeners: July 2019

July’s Native Maryland Plant 
Verbena hastata L.
(vur-BEE-nuh hass-TAH-tuh)
Common Name: Blue Vervain

Verbena hastata is often described as having a candelabra-like inflorescence.  It grows on erect stems that can reach 5’ and its tiny 5-lobed, tubular flowers attract a variety of pollinators.  In my garden I’ve observed long and short-tongued bees that quickly circle the flower from top to bottom, collecting nectar as they go; other insects tend to linger. Its bitter foliage is said to be unpalatable to herbivores although tender new growth is susceptible to nibbling by rabbits. I planted Verbena hastata with other moisture-loving plants in a consistently wet area in my yard. I was delighted to learn that this plant is a host plant for both the verbena moth and common buckeye butterfly and that the seeds are eaten by songbirds, including sparrow, junco and cardinal. How wonderful is that?  If you have wet areas in your garden and deer pressure – I suggest you give Verbena hastata a try.  I’ll be recommending it at the next Bay Wise visit where residents have wet ground to cover.

~ Alison Milligan – Mstr. Gardener/Mstr. Naturalist/Mstr. Watershed Steward

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP)

aligmilligan@gmail.com