Native Plants
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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Tuesday - March 30, 2010
From: Katonah, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Rain Gardens
Title: Rain garden plants for Ketonah, NY
Answered by: Anne Bossart
QUESTION:
Rain garden plant selections for lower NY stateANSWER:
Creating a rain garden is a great way to manage stormwater runoff and create an ecofriendly garden using plants that might not otherwise thrive in a home garden setting.
If you do an Internet Search for "Rain Gardens New York" you will find a wealth of information. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has published plant lists and a tip sheet you will find particularly helpful. the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also has a publication that will be informative.
You can find detailed information about the plants they recommend by visiting our Native Plant Database and either entering their names individually or doing a "Combination Search" for New York State and then selecting the appropriate conditions and the plant types you require. The plants in the lowest part of the garden will have to be adapted to saturated conditions ... around the edges, the plants may have to be able to withstand quite dry conditions as well.
Here are a few examples of plants that will work for you if your site is sunny:
Eupatorium purpureum (sweetscented joepyeweed)
Liatris spicata (dense blazing star)
Spiraea alba (white meadowsweet)
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass)
Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac)
Viburnum opulus var. americanum (American cranberrybush)
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October 21, 2009 - Can you recommend edible plants that would be appropriate for use in a rain garden? I'm located in Charlottesville, VA, but this can be in general as well.
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March 21, 2010 - I have an easy question for you... I hope... We just moved into the floodplains of NJ in Fairfield and are interested in some plants. We would like to know what plants are best suited to grow in flood...
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March 20, 2010 - I have a 7'x1' shaded area in between my house and sidewalk where the downspout is, and would like to add plants for a more eco-friendly drainage solution. Which plants would be best? I know that th...
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