THE TURK’S CAP Volume 13, Number 3 Autumn 2010 The Newsletter Of The Delaware Native Plant Society In This Issue Page 1 Natural Quotes DNPS Vision Page 2 ■ Notes From Newcroft Resources and Reviews Page 3 ■ Lewes Rain Garden List Resources and Reviews Page 4 Gardening With Native Plants Resources and Reviews Page 5 Seabeach Amaranth M DE Highway Memorial Page 6 Leave the Cleanup for Spring Rain Gardens for the Bays Page 7 M Upcoming Events Web Update Natural Quotes "Purple asters were at their peak but most roadside plants had reached their seedtime. The beauty of the summer flowers had become the util- ity of the autumn seeds." Edwin Way Teale, Autumn Across America , 1950 B How Can I Get Involved? The Delaware Native Plant Society is open to every- one ranging from the novice gardener to the pro- fessional botanist. One of the primary goals of the society is to involve as many individuals as possible. The DNPS is working on some significant projects at this time. We have completed four reforestation projects in the Prime Hook area, at Blackbird Creek in New Castle County and Cedar Creek in Sussex County where we have installed tree tubes around newly sprouted seedlings, and are performing an- nual management of the sites. Help is also needed at our native plant nursery at the St. Jones Reserve with the monitoring and watering of plants along with many other nursery activities. For more information, visit our website at www.delawarenativeplants.org. Our very informa- tive website has all the contact information for the Society, along with a section on native plants, vol- unteering, and links to other environmental and plant-related organizations. A Note About Formatting Changes The majority of our members now view this newsletter online. There- fore, with this issue, the primary font has been changed to a sans serif font which is the type of font used on many websites. Another new feature is the use of the paragraph mark (f) where space is tight. The Washington Post is utiliz- ing that symbol in such a manner. The DNPS Vision T he purpose of the Delaware Native Plant Society (DNPS) is to participate in and encourage the preservation, conservation, restoration, and propagation of Delaware's native plants and plant communities. The Society provides information to government officials, business people, educators, and the general public on the protection, management, and restoration of native plant ecosystems. The DNPS encourages the use of native plants in the landscape by homeowners, businesses, and local and state governments through an on-going distribution of information and knowledge by various means that includes periodic publications, symposia, conferences, workshops, field trips, and a growing statewide membership organized by the DNPS. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 3 Page 2 Notes From Newcroft More... .about meadows As the new editor of The Turk’s Cap, I have re- named the editor’s column to reflect the location from which I will be publishing the newsletter. Newcroft is my small (one-acre) plot purchased in 1995 just outside of Lewes on the east side of Route One. My brother named it Newcroft because we grew up on a street name Bancroft. It is on a small hill - yes, you know we do have hills in Sus- sex County. It was formerly the Ritter Farm. The derivation of croft is: “ Chiefly British -- a small enclosed field or pasture near a house or a small farm.” The name seemed appropriate. While mowing occurs around the house and keeps the neighbors moderately happy, the remainder of the property is a meadow - mowed once a year to keep the invasive trees and phragmites at bay. It’s a meadow in the broadest sense of the word, because there are eleven trees on the lot. Yard waste accumulates in brush piles which is attrac- tive to birds. The tall grass in the spring is inviting to rabbits’ procreation. Black rat snakes come and go - this year they seem to be around as evi- denced by the skins I’ve found twice. I’ve seen one slither out of the meadow into the grassy driveway that encircles it. When a 60-year old Red maple had to be removed, the snake(s) disap- peared. So, I “borrowed” a Black rat snake from a friend who was anxious to get rid of it. His chick- ens were happier to see it come to my place. It seems to have survived its relocation. With the above elements on my property, I ap- plied for the National Wildlife Federation’s Habitat Certification. There’s a great video about that ef- fort on their website www.nwf.org . Now that I’m retired I’m ready to try enhancing my meadow. I hope to learn more about meadows by research- ing the topic for this issue. Let me know if you have any experience with or knowledge of mead- ows that you would like to share. Cindy Albright Meadows are generally acknowledged to be grassy openings in landscapes with trees, often associ- ated with streams or creeks. Meadows can be composed of indigenous species, or they can be mixes of both native and introduced or exotic spe- cies. Its plant species are the “hair of the earth” as Karl Foerster a German horticulturist put it. The meadow garden at River Farm, headquar- ters of the American Horti- culture Society catches light as it passes through their leaves and grasses glow in late or early light. Similarly, my meadow at Newcroft (above) catches early morning light. Mowers, blowers, and edgers create tons of air pollution a day. Chemicals used on the average lawn are more often abused by untrained ama- teurs, not professional lawn services. Most con- ventional lawn grasses need 30 to 40 mowings a year to maintain their manicured appearance. And, constant cutting requires constant watering and feeding. Natural lawns can function as con- ventional turf doing what a lawn does. Or, con- sider converting part of your traditional lawn to a meadow, as I have done. Meadows, by attracting a diversity of “life,” are animated, alive with rhythmic movement, catching both wind and light. No lawn can do that. And — properly designed — meadows require less mainte- nance and consume significantly less resources than lawn or border. A meadow is a symphony of color, light and texture. Any one plot of meadow may look amorphous but actually it is rich in plant species interwoven to make a living cloth. Resources & Reviews The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn John Greenlee Timber Press, 2009 Greenlee's dynamic garden designs are paired with Holt's splendid photographs in a beautifully pro- duced, information-packed volume that looks at meadows in the context of garden spaces large or small. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 3 Page 3 Resources & Reviews Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape Authored by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden The authors explain the various methods of creating rain-gardening systems. Struc- tures as small as a garden shed and hard surfaces as massive as an arena parking lot each have an environmental effect through the loss of water as uncontained runoff. (2007) Lewes Rain Garden - Plant List University of DE College of Earth, Ocean and Environment In the summer of 2010, a new rain garden was installed* at the base of the parking lot at the college. Below are the plants used which you might consider if you want to create a rain garden. It was a brutal summer, heat wise, therefore irrigation was used to get the plants started. Common Name Latin Name Cultivar Qty Trees Magnolia-Sweetbay Magnolia virginiana 1 Serviceberry Amelanchier x grandiflora 1 Autumn Brilliance' 1 Serviceberry Amelanchier lamarckii 1 Shrubs Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum ' Bluecrop 1 6 Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum 1 Blueray' 6 Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis 5 Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis 1 Sputnik' 17 Chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia ' Brilliantissima' 13 Clethra Clethra alnifolia ' Hummingbird' 25 Dogwood-Redtwig Corn us sericea ' Farrow' Arctic Fire™ 3 Holly-lnkberry Ilex glabra ' Densa' 26 Holly-Winterberry Ilex verticil lata ' Harvest Red' 12 Holly-Winterberry Ilex verticil lata ' Jim Dandy' 1 Viburnum Viburnum dentatum ' Christom' Blue Muffin™ 11 Perennials Amsonia Amsonia ' Blue Ice' 25 Aster-Aromatic Aster oblongifolius ' October Skies' 25 Aster-Aromatic Aster oblongifolius ' Raydon's Favorite' 25 Aster-New England Aster novae-angliae 25 Blazing Star Liatris spicata ' Kobold' 25 Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis 25 Coneflower Echinacea purpurea ' Magnus' 15 Goldenrod Solidago rugosa ' Fireworks' 75 Goldenrod Solidago sphacelata ' Golden Fleece' 25 Hibiscus Hibiscus ' Kopper King' 17 Iris Iris versicolor 75 Joe-Pye Weed Eupatorium ' Little Joe' 23 Prairie Dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis 50 Sedge-Tufted Car ex elata 25 Turtlehead Chelone lyonii ' Hot Lips' 25 *Garden created by Tom Taylor University of Delaware The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 3 Page 4 Gardening With Native Plants Horsemint Monarda punctata NATURAL HISTORY What do Spotted Horse- mint, Horsemint, Dotted Horsemint, Spotted Bee Balm, and Bee Balm have in com mon? Yep, you guessed it, they are all common names for Monarda punctata, a member of the mint fam- ily that is native to east- ern North America from Vermont to Minnesota and south to Florida, east- ern Texas and Mexico, and depending on where you live you might have grown up referring to Monarda punctata by any of these locally familiar names. Regardless, if you are familiar with ‘Horsemint’ you may have come to admire it for its exceptional attractiveness to butterflies, moths and hummingbirds, or you may remember crush- ing the leaves for its delightful fragrance reminis- cent of fine oregano. The case can also be made for its pale yellow flowers, spotted with purple that rest above colorful palettes of soft pink leaves that your mom might have used as an addition to dried flower arrangements or sachets. In fact the bo- tanical name punctata comes from the Latin gen- erally meaning dotted. Regardless, Horsemint makes a fine addition to your perennial flower bed! The plants grow from one to three feet tall and are largely un-branched except for a few short leafy stems that develop from the axils of the leaves along the central stem. It is generally a short-lived perennial, but what it lacks in hardi- ness it makes up for in its ability to reseed, keep- ing a bouquet of aromatic one inch flowers bloom- ing for one to two months from mid-summer to early fall. The nectar and pollen of the flowers at- tract honeybees, bumblebees, Miner bees and Plasterer bees. Butterflies visit the flowers for nec- tar, including the endangered Karner Blue, which is found in sandy habitats. Horsemint is also a host plant for caterpillars of the Pyralid Moth and the Gray Marvel. Have a deer problem? The oreg- ano-scented foliage is repugnant to mammalian herbivores and rarely consumed by them! WHERE TO GROW Horsemint grows on road shoulders, in old fields and thin woods, and in disturbed areas. It is partial to sandy soils and is most prevalent in the coastal plain. It is tolerant of deer, pollution, seashore, slope and wind and salt spray. It grows best in full sun to part shade in neutral acidity and is moder- ately tolerant of drought. It may be used in the landscape as a summer ground cover in a small garden and presents a nice massed display in a perennial border. Provide occasional irrigation in drought if soil drains excessively. Horsemint is per- fect for the wild or meadow garden or in the back border. Let it self-seed in a natural area. PROPAGATION AND CARE To propagate from seed, allow the seed-heads to dry on the plants. Seeds may be stored in a dry cool dark space for later planting. Sow mid to late spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 10-40 days. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Seeds may also be directly sown in their permanent location in the fall if winters are not extremely harsh! Divisions may be taken in spring or autumn. It is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before plant- ing them out in late spring or early summer. Plant spacing should be 24 to 36 inches. LORE Native Americans made a tea from the leaves of horsemint to treat flu, colds and fever. It increases sweating. Essential oils from horsemint are high in Thymol, which is an effective fungicide and bacteri- cide and also used to expel hookworms. At one point Thymol was grown from commercially avail- able thyme. In WWI, thyme fields in Europe were destroyed, so Horsemint was grown commercially in the United States as a substitute for Thyme. Traditionally Drs. used the plant as a stimulant and diuretic. Today Thymol is manufactured syntheti- cally. Medicinal uses included treatment of upset stomach, colds, diarrhea, neuralgia, and muscular rheumatism. Horsemint flowers are uniquely at- tractive and great for cutting and arranging and can be hung in the house as incense! Bob Edelen, DNPS Member Resources & Reviews Peterson Flash Guide: Roadside Wildflowers More than 100 species — all the wildflowers most commonly found along roadsides across the United States and Canada, Houghton Mifflin 1996. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 3 Page 5 Resources & Reviews Native Plants of Delmarva’s Coastal Plain by Margaret Carter The Wild Gardener Series, prepared by the Maryland Master Gardeners of Queen Anne’s County in coopera- tion with Adkins Arboretum. This is a brochure that may be obtained from Adkins Arboretum. DELAWARE HIGHWAY MEMORIAL GARDEN MARKS 3 rd ANNIVERSARY NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL Sept. 3, 2010 Amaranthus pumiius Rafinesque Seabeach ama- ranth is listed as threatened under the fed- eral Endan- gered Species Act. Searches of likely ama- ranth habitat are conducted in Delaware three times a year: late July, mid- August and late August/early September, f “Early searches for amaranth turned up only three plants, all at Cape Henlopen. However, a survey done at Delaware Seashore State Park on Aug. 26 turned up 25 new seabeach amaranth plants,” said Bailey. fAII of the known amaranth plants are inside areas that are fenced and posted as being closed to entry. “Since some of the ama- ranth plants that have been found are only about the size of a dime in diameter, they can be very hard to see - and very easy to step on - so it is important for people to stay outside of any area that has been posted as closed,” Bailey added. % “With Hurricane Earl due to arrive today, we will be keeping our fingers crossed that any seabeach amaranth that is out on our beaches will not be swept away before it has a chance to set seed,” Bailey said. “Of the amaranth plants that have been found so far in 201 0, none have yet pro- gressed past the flower stage, so, viable seeds have not had time to develop yet.” The Delaware Highway Me- morial Garden opened to the public on October 1 5, 2007. It is the only place in Dela- ware as a place of remembrance dedicated solely to those who have lost their lives on Delaware road- ways. Memorial bricks are avail- able for purchase for those lost inroadwayaccidents.H Located on the grounds of the Smyrna Rest Area, the 1 1 ,000 square foot garden is a creative blend of native trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. There is a beautiful pond in the middle of the garden. The garden’s path- way is outlined with bricks en- graved with the names of indi- viduals who give the garden its character and significance. The Delaware Highway Memorial Garden is embodied by the slogan, “Our Garden of Love, Peace, Healing, and Remembrance”. It is a peaceful setting wonderfully landscaped with native plants such as spicebush, dogwood, winterberry, viburnum, joe-pye weed, cone- flower, goldenrod, aster, Indian pink, and various warm season grasses. U The next time you pass by the Smyrna Rest Stop, make it point to stop in, walk to the rear of the property towards the back parking lot and enjoy this wonderful garden! Photos and text by Rick Mickowski DNREC Conservation Planner The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 3 Page 6 When: Saturday, 6 November 2010, 1 0: 00 AM - 3:00 PM Where: DE Native Plant Society’s native plant nursery. Directions: The nursery is located at 818 Kitts Hummock Road, at the St. Jones Research Re- serve in Dover. Take Route 1 13 to the Dover Air Force Base. Kitts Hummock Road is directly at the southern border of the air base at the three way intersection of 113, Route 9, and Kitts Hummock Road. Kitts Hummocks Rd. only goes east, and if you go almost one mile you'll see a large sign for the St. Jones Reserve. Turn right onto the gravel road and the nursery is all the way in the back to the left of the parking lot. What’s for sale: Hundreds of trees, shrubs, herbaceous species, ferns, vines and grasses will be available at very reasonable prices. An inventory list will be posted on our website. Come early, some quantities are limited! For more information: Call 302.735.8918, email ezuelke@juno.com, or on the web at www.delawarenativeplants.org . Leave the Cleanup for Spring: Fall is for Planting and Providing for Wildlife* By Sue Wyndham * From the Fall 2009 Native Seed Newsletter of Adkins Arboretum New Campaign Promotes Regional Rain Rardens: I mproves Water Qual- ity in Bays The Rain Gardens for the Bays program hopes to create 1,000 rain gardens in estua- rine watersheds throughout DE, southeast- ern PA and coastal MD. Several campaign partners are working with homeowners, or- ganizations, schools and others to provide assistance with installing rain gardens. Demonstration rain gardens are located at St. Jones Reserve, University of DE Lewes Campus and the DE Agricultural Museum in Dover. According to the Center for Watershed Pro- tection, typically about 30 percent more wa- ter from a rain soaks into the ground in a rain garden than the same size area of lawn. When rainwater from storms comes in con- tact with buildings, roads, parking lots and other impervious surfaces, the runoff collects pollutants and deposits these pollutants in nearby waterways. Visit rainaardensforthebavs.org to register your rain garden or for more information. This year, don’t spend the gorgeous fall days on the drudgery of garden cleanup, but instead use the time for planting. Late-blooming perennials add soft shades of blues and pinks to the fall landscape. The blue mist flower (Eupatorium coelestinum ) reaches only 2”, but lavender-flowering Joe-pye weed ( Eupatorium fistulo- sum) can reach 5’ in height. New England and New York asters ( Aster nova-angliae and Aster novi-belgii) attract pollinators. To attract birds and small mammals, consider adding evergreen shrubs or trees that provide year-round seasonal interest to the garden palette while also supplying wildlife with a winter food source and escape cover from predators and freezing winds. Planting that include species like bayberry ( Morelia cerifera and Morelia pensylvanica) , eastern red cedar trees ( Juniperus virginiana) and Virginia pine trees ( Pinus virginiana ) will provide small birds protection. The Cedar waxwing is partial to the cedar tree’s blue berries, f Nothing is more gratifying after a day’s hard work in the garden than the knowledge that your prop- erty is not only more attractive, but is also serving local wildlife. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 3 Page 7 f W Upcoming Events Adkins Arboretum Program Is It an Invading Alien? Invasive Plant Identification Workshop - November 18 Learn how to identify common invasive species and how to control them in your backyard. Participants will examine pictures and plant samples to learn to distinguish invasive plants from natives. Control methods covered include mechanical and chemical methods with an emphasis on safety and minimizing the effect of control methods on surrounding plants. Weather permitting, most of the class will be held outdoors. The instructor, Dr. Sylvan Kauf- man, is co-author with her father, Wallace Kaufman, of Invasive Plants: Guide to Identifica- tion and the Impacts and Control of Common North American Species. Invasive species Celastrus orbiculatus fruits Thursday , November 18, 1-2:30 PM Fee: $10 members, $15 general public Dr. Sylvan Kaufman will be speaking on what will happen to the Delmarva's plant communities as climates change over time. For more information and to register online go to adkinsarboretum.org . Wednesday, 17 November 2010— Collect seed and grow vour own native plants . 10:30 AM - Noon Instructors: Phil Oyerly, Shelby French, Mt. Cuba Center For more information call 302.239.4244, or on the web at mtcubacenter.org . n a Saturday, 4 December 2010— Adkins Arboretum holiday greens sale from 10 AM to 4 PM. Decorated wreaths, swags, topiaries, roping, and boxwood trees will be for sale, as well as fresh local greens and natural materials to create your own arrangements. More information on the web at http://www.adkinsarboretum.org. DNPS meetings for 2011— As part of our organizational restructuring, and as of 1 January 2011, we will no longer be having bi-monthly meetings. One idea that we are pursuing is having up to 4 other types of events per year (so quarterly instead of bi-monthly), such as one workshop, one symposium, and an annual meeting which would include a field trip and lunch, and each one of these meetings would include a short business section (though most day-to-day business is now going to be handled through email among the officers). The annual native plant sale is still going to be held on the same date (the first Saturday of each November). We are still working on this and if anyone is interested in helping us to plan these workshops and symposiums, we could really use the help. Please contact Eric at ezuelke@juno.com if interested, and details of each meeting will be on our website: www.delawarenativeplants.org. Website update On 7 April 2009 we added Google Analytics to the source code of our site to track a myriad of statistics about visita- tion. Here are the stats through 9 Oct 2010. Number of total visits: 6,581 Number that were absolute unique visitors: 5,395 (81.9%)* New vs. returning visits: 5,376 new (81.6%), 1,205 return (18.3%)* Average time spent browsing: 2 min. 29 sec. Average # of pages browsed: 4.5 Pages with most clicks: Nursery, Plant Talk, Publications Places: U.S.A. (all 50 states), 64 other countries/territories How we were located: 62% from a search engine 25% from a referring site 12% from direct traffic *Absolute Unique Visitors counts visitors, whereas New vs. Returning counts visits. The Turk’s Cap, Volume 13, Number 3 Page 8 ■; Membership Application 1 i Delaware native Plant Society 1 Member Information Name: Business Name or Organization: Address: Full-time Student $10.00 Individual $15.00 Family or Household $18.00 Contributing $50.00 Business $100.00 Lifetime $500.00 Donations are also welcome $. City and Zip Code: Telephone (home/work): Membership benefits include: * The DNPS quarterly newsletter. The Turk’s Cap * Native plant gardening and landscaping information * Speakers, field trips, native plant nursery and sales Total Amount Enclosed: $ E-mail address: Make check payable to: DE Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369, Dover, DE 19903