I look back on all the research I did during the winter and think fondly of that woman who had no idea what she was getting herself into. Sigh. The garden continues to . . . struggle. I guess that’s the kindest way I can put it. Below is a list of plants that sadly have not made it and should be thanked for their effort:
- Anise hyssop – your bare root was never found so sadly you never had a chance
- Bee Balm – as a cultivar I expected too much of you, I apologize
- Black-Eyed Susan – I really had high hopes
- Blue False Indigo – sadly it never survived its early rabbit snack attack
- Common blue violet – I live in hope that its just the wrong season to see you
- Eastern Purple Coneflower – I know you were a cultivar but really?!
- Golden Alexander – some of you remain to fight another day
- Pale Purple Coneflower – like with your Eastern cousin, I am shocked
- Strawberry – I get it, it’s too tempting for the bunnies
- Strawberry foxglove – I’ve always had a soft spot for foxglove, so this makes me sad
- Tickseed – If its because I kept stepping on you when we were replanting, my bad
- Winged loosestrife – some immediately succumbed to the drought, some are stunted but hanging on
So, I went back to the research drawing board. I now know that right below the surface is stubborn clay, so I’ve taken that into account. While I knew that it was full sun, I guess I didn’t take the dry soil into account? So that also became an important element. Starting with the Xerces Society pdf for our region, I plugged them into the National Wildlife Federation’s Plant Finder to figure out exactly which varieties would work for this zip code.
Also, after a holiday weekend in Michigan where we were surrounded by fireflies, I realized how I hadn’t seen any in years at home, so I did research on what plants they need for their habitat.
I created a master spreadsheet with everything. From there I looked each up on the Prairie Moon and Prairie Nursery sites. I used the information I found on their pages to fill out details about what conditions each prefers. Surprisingly, of the nearly 300 plants, there are 85 that I can’t find for purchase. A mystery for another day.
Once I excluded any plants that aren’t eligible for the spot because of soil type, sun/shade conditions, soil moisture and height (I’m trying to be cognizant of the needs of driver’s line of site when dealing with the corner) I have 24 plants left. Most of them I wasn’t familiar with before this research project so that’s exciting.
- showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
- prairie milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii)
- blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis)
- partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)
- purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)
- pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
- eastern purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- button eryngo (Eryngium yuccifolium)
- downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta)
- smooth oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides)
- spotted St. Johns wort (Hypericum punctatum)
- roundseed St. Johns wort (Hypericum sphaerocarpum)
- eastern beebalm (Monarda bradburiana)
- lemon beebalm (Monarda citriodora)
- switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
- whorled mountainmint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum)
- upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
- early goldenrod (Solidago juncea)
- Missouri goldenrod (solidago missouriensis var. fasciculata)
- composite dropseed (Sporobolus compositus)
- aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
- bluejacket (Tradescantia ohiensis)
- Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)
- meadow zizia (Zizia aptera)
I guess the next step is to figure out which plants I expect to survive until next year and if I’ll need to move them around to make space for their new friends. Any advice is appreciated.
Since I did all this research, I’d like to see something come of it even if the plants aren’t ideal for my situation. So, I’ve added the excel spreadsheet to this site on the Plants Native to Rogers Park page. Please use it and help the neighborhood benefit from the hours of work that I put into it. It also includes shrubs and trees meant for our area. There is a column to demarcate what was recommended by Xerces and what is beneficial to fireflies. Let me know if you have questions.
Birchwood Butterfly Corner 