Demystifying the Native Shade Garden
Episode Introduction
In today's episode, Demystifying the Native Shade Garden, we go over why we don't need to rely on exotics for these spaces and some native Nebraska plant choices you can inject for some habitat value and beauty in low light areas.
Host Stephanie Barelman
Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/
Find us on Facebook
Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm
Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska
Support My Work via Patreon
The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.
Episode Content
Go back and catch up on old episodes
-PLEASE PLEASE listen to Episode 1 if you haven't already which gives you a primer on what native plants even are, link here
Don't use exotic standbys for shade, go native!
Does the American garden need more hydrangeas, hostas, exotic ferns, lamium, astilbe, lily of the valley? No! While this is basically all that was available to the consumer for decades, it is not the truth (at all!) of what can be grown in totality here in the Midwest.
Native plant gardens create habitat!
Say it with us: back-yard-con-serv-ation.
Exotic plants are:
- expensive- require teams to engineer and zhuzh
- freakishly small- but seriously why is everything 2 feet or under
- alien in terms of form and color- double coneflowers? all the colors of the rainbow? yeah, probably not good for pollinators.
WHAT YOU CAN PLANT IN FULL SHADE (not a complete list, just ideas people)
- Snakeroot- wild and delicate (just like my daughter,) white blooms, found in the wild virtually everywhere here
- American Columbine- sweet little red and yellow bell shaped flowers, attracts hummingbirds
- poke milkweed- yes, a shade milkweed for monarchs!
- sweet Joe pye- tall, gorgeous, fragrant, unusual (like my husband)
- wild blue phlox divaricata- amazing blue in nature, graceful, looks good everywhere
- the Solomon's- (Solomon's seal, Solomon's plume, starry Solomon's plume) tasteful, traditional looking, will not offend your nana's sensibilities
- wild garlic- sweet and unassuming native allium, allium canadense
- goldenrods- zig zag goldenrod, elm leaf goldenrod, regionally native blue stemmed goldenrod; at the end of the day you really can't have too many goldenrods
- asters- heart leaf aster(you really won't regret planting this one,) Drummond's aster
- mint- wild mint, smells heavenly, but might be the only plant you need in the right space, keep it under control and all is well in the world
- sedges- carex brevior (Ben Vogt doesn't like this one but Christina Musgrave and I think it's cool,) carex eburnea, carex sprengelii
- grasses- bottlebrush grass (even your baby thinks it looks cool,) silky wild rye
- spring ephemerals- jack in the pulpit, bloodroot, dutchman's breeches (forgot this one in the episode, so bonus for you if you are reading)
- groundcovers- wild ginger (awesome, a must have,) common blue violet (who doesn't like edibles,) wild strawberry (again, not mock strawberry, very different,) wild geranium ( finally, a native geranium!) and mayapple.
PERENNIALS FOR DAPPLED OR LIGHT SHADE
- anise hyssop ( smells like licorice and looks just peachy)
- allium cernuum (autocorrect really really wanted to change this spelling)
- dogbane (no, it is not good for dogs that eat everything)
- penstemon-digitalis, showy penstemon, really any native or regionally native penstemon
- mountain mint- any of the native mountain mints: hairy, Virginia, common; truly a pollinator delight
- golden Alexander- hearty perennial, the lion of the garden, profuse blooming golden umbrels that will cheer your spirits
SHRUBS FOR THE SHADE GARDEN
- prairie ninebark
- elderberry- fantastically perfect wonder shrub that will give you jams and medicinal berries for days (just cook them first), flowers can also be used to make elderberry wine
- coralberry-attractive, berry generating shrub that will attract birds to your yarden
- buttonbush- supposedly not for shade according to "thee literature," but likes my shade jussssst fine
BONUS: Edible, medicinal, utilitarian qualities of these plants!
- This isn't discussed in the episode but you can find some really wonderful ways to use these plants for your own benefit! Ideas here: Daniel Moerman Native American Ethnobotany https://amzn.to/3YCAIt3
Thank you for listening!
-Stephanie
See us at local events!
Chat with Stephanie and learn more at four upcoming events:
-Benson Bounty Pollinator Party Jul 24th 10am-1pm 6915 Evans Street Omaha https://www.bensonbounty.com/newsandevents
-The Home-Grown Micro Prairie Jul 06, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM City Sprouts North, 4002 Seward St, Omaha, NE Today's podcast is the basis for this talk but we will go more in depth in some areas and there will be a visual powerpoint to go with it. Plus there is a Q&A afterward and materials to take home. Sign up here!
-Mulhall's Wild Plant Party July 22nd from 10am-2pm. This event isn't yet posted online, so keep an eye here to RSVP
-Bellevue 2nd Annual Pollinator Party hosted by Bellevue Native Plant Society and Bellevue Public Library July 29th from 10am-1pm
Additional content related to this episode:
What makes a plant native?
http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska
https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society
native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)
On the Web
BONAP aforementioned
BNPS aforementioned
http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook
Books & Authors
Rick Darke- The Living Landscape
Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".
Enrique Salmon- Iwigara
Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany
Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com
Native Plants of the Midwest
Planting in a Post-Wild World
Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska
Additional Resources
Other Local Organizations
- Green Bellevue
- PATH
- Nebraska Native Plant Society
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/
Find us on Facebook
Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm
Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska
Support My Work via Patreon
The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.
