I am still “building” toward my perfect native woodland garden, and as a result I am still using a majority of the progeny of my native plants for my own use. However, I can already tell that I will have seed, seedlings and even more mature plants available for a wide range of species, over the next year or two.
Right now, I have in excess, or know I will have in excess later this fall:
Sympyothrichum cordifolium (blue wood aster). I started with a few plants, and now I have literally hundreds throughout the garden. I’ve already transplanted a hundred or so to pots, and they will remain in those containers until I find them a new home. These are really easily grown in full sun to partial shade. They self-seed in the garden and if you are not careful they will be everywhere. On the plus side, they will provide beautiful color and food for bees and butterflies in late summer and fall. If you want, you can cut down the plants to the ground after flowering to prevent the self-seeding.
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed). I have many plants and they are now self seeding in the waste area under the wires. This is an excellent butterfly and bee plant! I will have thousands of seeds available in the fall.
Stylophorum diphyllum (wood poppy). This plant has multiplied from 3 plants to well over a hundred plants (with the help of the ants that take the seed everywhere). This spring bloomer is still producing additional blooms throughout the summer, but I already have a hundred seedpods ripening, and each of these seedpods will produce enough seed to turn your woodland yellow each spring, over the course of a few years.
If there is anyone on cape cod interested, let me know (first come first serve – I cannot [yet] serve the whole community). The seed is free, but I may ask for a nominal fee for pots and soil…
Hi, Gert. We met at the CCMNH plant sale in June. I would love to have some Sympyothrichum cordifolium (blue wood aster), if you still have any!
I have many pots, both small and medium, and would be happy to bring you some.
Hope you’re enjoying the sweltering part of the summer. In this kind of weather a woodland garden is a great pleasure.
Alison
Sounds beautiful! Do you have any extra that I could transplant to my garden in the cape in late August? Please let me know.
To the folks who requested plants in the fall. I had some extras from a second harvest set aside. Unfortunately the garden encountered several feeding raids from a woodchuck. The young leaves of the plants were simply too much of an enticement, even though the animal did not stop at just the potted plants… There will be more next year!