LOCALLY NATIVE PLANTS RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN RAIN GARDENS IN CALVERT COUNTY

Herbaceous Perennials Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Grows to 3 tall in moist to wet soil in full shade. Berries form after the appearance of jack in early spring and turn a beautiful, true red in late summer. Colonizes by seeds and runners. Plant with ferns to cover the yellowing foliage in fall. HWV Chelone glabra White Turtlehead. Grows wild in wet areas in sun to shade but prefers some sun. Can reach 5 tall. White flowers, which resemble the shape of a turtles head, top heavy stalks with green leaves in late summer. Forms large clumps and is excellent paired with Blue or Cardinal Lobelia. (Shorter non-native Chelone are C. lyonii and C. obliqua which have pink to rose-colored blooms.) All are host plants for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies. Rain Garden. HWV (Will form a clump at least 2-3 wide) Dicentra eximia Wild Bleeding Heart. Heart-shaped pinkish red or white blooms appear in April and occasionally throughout the summer. Likes rich soil, dry to moist and requires Part Shade to Full Shade. Lovely deeply cut foliage. Echinacea purpurea Coneflower. Ht. to 4 in full sun to light shade and average soil, the pinkish petals surround a large brown cone filled with seeds which attract Goldfinches and other small birds. Good for naturalizing but deer love it! Very attractive to butterflies. Eupatorium fistulosum- Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium maculatum Spotted Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium purpureum- Sweet Joe Pye Weed. For height in Part Shade to Full Sun, Joe Pye Weed is a stunning plant that ranges from 6 to 10 with adequate moisture. Huge pinkish blooms on top of thick stalks are magnets for butterflies in July through August. Does best with more sun than shade. Rain Garden. HWV (Will form a clump at least 3 wide) Eupatorium dubium Three-Nerved Joe Pye Weed. The shortest member of the family also sports pinkish to purplish blooms on stalks that grow no taller than 5 in similar conditions. Rain Garden. HWV

Geranium maculatum Wild Geranium. Blooms in late spring with pink-lavender blooms above attractive mounding foliage. Can serve as a groundcover. Sun to Part Shade in Average to Moist soil. Helenium autumnale Sneezeweed. Yellow blooms appear from late July to the end of September atop 2-4 stems. Will tolerate full Sun to Shade and prefers moist soil. Grows wild in woods, swamps and along riverbanks. Will tolerate wet areas but not heavy clay soil. Attracts butterflies. Helianthus angustifolius Swamp Sunflower. Like annual sunflowers, this plant can reach over 5 in height in full sun. It requires moist to wet acidic soil. Rain Garden Hibiscus moscheutos Marsh Mallow. Height is 3-6. The large white/pinkish blooms with deep red-violet centers attract attention in marshes and along the edges of both fresh and saltwater creeks in Calvert County. They will also tolerate average to moist soil in the garden. Rain Garden. (Allow 2-3 width) Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower. A very popular native plant that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, Cardinal Flower blooms in mid to late summer atop 2-4 sturdy stalks. It grows wild in moist to wet areas in Calvert County but will grow in average to moist soil in Sun to Shade, although it blooms earlier with a bit of sun. Rain Garden. HWV Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia. Similar requirements as the Cardinal Flower but will grow even taller and tolerates more Shade. It blooms a bit later and will also attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Rain Garden. HWV Packera aurea (Senecio aureus) Golden Groundsel. Sun to Shade. A wetland plant that will also grow in average soil, it spreads by runners and can be aggressive in the garden. It makes a good groundcover and bears deep yellow flowers in early to mid summer on 1-2 stalks. Rudbeckia fulgida Orange Coneflower and Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan. Both grow in Sun to Part Shade to heights up to 3.5 in dry to moist soil, although neither likes to be too dry. Blooms appear in June or July and continue into fall. Pretty paired with Cardinal lobelia. Rain Garden. HWV Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan. Height 1.5-4. Sun/PtShade. Dry to moist soil Yellow blooms in late summer attract butterflies, pollinators, and birds eat seeds. Host

plant to dozens of species of Lepidoptera, including Pearl Crescent and Silver Checkerspot butterflies. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae New England Aster. Height 1-6 Sun/PtShade. Moist soil. Violet blooms in late summer provide nectar for butterflies Thalictrum pubescens (T. polygamun) Tall Meadow Rue. Likes Moist to Wet soil in Sun to Shade. This tall (to 8 under ideal conditions) plant has lovely, columbine-like leaves and white flowers that appear in early June. Rain Garden. Vernonia noveboracensis New York Ironweed. A tall native that grows in Sun to Part Shade, Ironweed likes moist to wet soil where it can reach 8 tall, but will grow in average soil where it will reach 4-5 in height. Red violet flowers appear in late summer and attract butterflies. Rain Garden. HWV

This usually prefers quite a bit of sun, but there may be enough, particularly if it is near a building and sun and heat reflect on the bed. Amsonia spp. Amsonia are commonly called Bluestar and are native to the Midwest or Southeast. They grow in average soil and prefer abundant moisture; however they are drought tolerant. In the spring, pale blue flowers are held upright in clusters and last well as cut flowers, but be careful cutting them--the stems exude a milky sap that may be irritating to the skin. Have never been bothered by deer. The yellow blooms of Coreopsis verticillata and C. auriculata provide a pleasing color contrast. Rain Garden Amsonia ciliata Fringed Bluestar. Ht. 2-3, narrow green leaves are wide by 2 long. In fall, they turn tan and leaves crinkle, providing fall and winter interest. A. hubrictii Hubrichts or Arkansas Bluestar. Flowers are not as showy as the other Bluestars, but this smaller plant is glorious in the fall when its fine foliage turn bright gold. Plant several together for a stunning effect. A. illustris Ozark Bluestar. This plant reaches 4 tall and almost that wide and can form a summertime hedge. Its narrow green leaves on stiff stalks support large heads of small blue flowers in the spring, followed by thin beanlike seed pods. Because of their weight, the stalks should be pruned back by one-third to one-half after blooming; however, leave a few with beans to mature and self sow. A. tabernaemontana Bluestar. Very similar to Ozark Bluestar with wider leaves and even heavier stalks.

Iris versicolor Large Blue Flag. Height 1-3. Sun/PtShade. Moist to wet soil, withstands inundation. Late spring bloom is lavender blue. Seeds provide food for birds, small mammals.

Button bush

Sweet Pepperbush

Winterberry