Five Native American Plants That Belong in Every Southeastern Garden
Native plants solve problems encountered with non-native ornamentals․ Native plants are adapted to your particular rainfall pattern‚ soil pH‚ and the pests and pollinators that are available in your area․ In Tennessee‚ that means you will have to water less‚ your plant diseases will drop and your birds and insects will benefit․ Following are five perennial natives (and one adopted favorite) that thrive in plant hardiness zones 5-8‚ including all or most of Tennessee and the entire lower Southeast․
Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
No matter how bad the traffic jam is‚ you'll wait it out for a plant like this․ This low (4-6 inch tall) mat of creeping Phlox is one of the most exuberant displays of flowers you'll ever see in April․ The flowers are pink‚ purple‚ blue or white and last three to four weeks․ Native throughout the east and central US‚ it does well in the clay-based soils in Tennessee‚ provided that the drainage is good․
Full sun to light shade are the preferred conditions for growing it․ It can be grown on slopes‚ out from underneath retaining walls‚ and over rock garden edges․ It roots at branch nodes as it spreads out and can be 18-24 inches long after two growing seasons․ Shear back one third after flowering to keep foliage compact and encourage a fuller mat the following year․ When established it is drought resistant‚ though weekly watering will be needed during its first summer․ It is attractive to both bees and early-season butterflies‚ and is one of the first sources of nectar to emerge after the winter months‚ beyond just being ornamental․
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens)
Partridgeberry is a native plant that is more often noticed in the fall or winter when its bright red berries are present․ It is a spreading evergreen groundcover found across eastern woodlands‚ abundant in the understory of Tennessee forests․ It grows well in the type of dappled shade which most gardeners want to fill․
In late spring‚ there are two small white flowers‚ which are joined at the base‚ a rare occurrence‚ which develop into one berry each‚ leaving a pair of berries on the plant․ The berries persist through the winter and are eaten by grouse‚ turkeys‚ and other animals‚ hence the common name․ It prefers lightly shaded areas and moist‚ acid‚ well-drained soil‚ often growing beneath oak or pine trees․ It does not need much fertilizer‚ as it evolved on nutrient-poor forest floors․ It spreads slowly; a patch can take two or three years to fill in․
Fan Clubmoss (Diphasiastrum digitatum)
Fan Clubmoss‚ sometimes known as Ground Cedar‚ is a tiny evergreen forest carpet reminiscent of a rainforest floor․ One of the oldest lineages of plants still remaining (clubmosses predated flowering plants by no less than 300 million years)‚ the clubmosses are native to the northeastern United States and the Great Lakes region and parts of the Appalachian Mountains from western North Carolina to the highlands of Tennessee․
It is particular about its growing situation‚ requiring an acidic‚ humus-rich‚ consistently moist‚ shaded location such as the floor of a pine or hemlock forest․ It does not do well in compaction soil (clay) or standing water․ If it must be planted in heavy clay soil‚ amend the bed's planting soil with pine bark fines or leaf compost․ It grows very slowly‚ 6-8 inches (15-20 cm)‚ by rhizome rather than the seeds․ It may be a better fit for a small shade garden or woodland garden as it is likely too slow-growing to work as an aggressive groundcover like other violets․ Native tribes used this plant for customary medicine and dyes‚ and it retains that quietly old-forest character in the modern-day landscape․
Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Periwinkle is perhaps the most durable evergreen ground cover for very dry shaded areas such as under trees‚ steep-sloped locations that are prone to erosion‚ or the back of the strip of earth found between the drive and front curb where one cannot grow grass․ The blue-violet flowers bloom early and sporadically throughout summer‚ against a backdrop of glossy dark green foliage that persists year-round․
Although Vinca minor is not an American native‚ it has been long naturalized and is a staple of gardens throughout the Southeastern US‚ including Tennessee‚ tolerating poor soil‚ resisting the rooting of trees‚ and requiring little more than an occasional trimming to prevent it from taking over lawns․ One word of caution: intrusive enough in places that naturalized populations have been classified as intrusive in natural areas‚ it is best planted in beds rather than woodland or woodland edges‚ where it can escape․
Chocolate Chip Ajuga (Ajuga tenorei 'Chocolate Chip')
This form of Ajuga is far smaller and more genteel than the common common Bugleweed most gardeners are accustomed to․ It has a smaller rosette of bronze-chocolate foliage‚ which forms a mat only 2-4 inches tall․ It forms short spikes of blue flowers in the middle of spring‚ which attract early bees‚ when few plants are in flower․
Chocolate Chip Ajuga tolerates sun and shade‚ and it is more tolerant of foot traffic than most other groundcovers․ It works well in between pavers‚ or as a lawn substitution in small areas․ It grows best in well-drained soil (it is susceptible to crown rot in areas where the soil is saturated most of the time) and divides well every two to three years if you want to control its spread․
A Non-Native Worth Considering: European ginger (Asarum europaeum)
European Ginger is a nonnative plant but a Southern shade garden can't do without it․ It spreads to form a dense mat of glossy‚ heart-shaped leaves‚ thick enough to block weeds and grow in the deepest shade‚ where nothing else will grow․ Unlike our native wild ginger‚ the European remains evergreen through the Tennessee winter․ Try it with Partridgeberry and Fan Clubmoss in a woodland bed where they will not compete for the same needs․
Building a Native Bed That Actually Works
Plant native groundcovers together according to their moisture and light needs; Creeping Phlox and Chocolate Chip Ajuga like sun and good drainage‚ while Partridgeberry and Fan Clubmoss prefer shade and regular moisture․ Keeping those groups separate saves you the embarrassment of planting a shade lover in a hot exposed bed and wondering why it declined by midsummer․
TN Nursery also sells many of these plants‚ such as Creeping Phlox or Partridgeberry‚ as nursery-potted plants‚ as this allows for greater root formation‚ giving these plants a better chance of surviving in your garden․ Such things as planting only healthy‚ regionally grown plants are taken for granted by most gardeners‚ but they can mean the difference between a groundcover that is filled in within a season and one that stalls and limps for years․
