Native gardeners in the southeastern US

[fldiver97]

I know we have a lot of gardeners on the site.
I am very interested in native plants and curious if anyone has same interests. I moved to Tennessee 3 years ago, left my old house and property with a big native garden.
Now I had to start from scratch again and it feels like it’s taking forever. The property had to be cleared from a lot of trash, building materials etc. I am working on an area that sometimes gets flooded a little. I have expanded it a bit at a time.
Just had a lot of invasive privet cleared (yea, right…… it’s hard to eradicate) and want to plant some native shrubs and some native persimmons and paw paw trees.

 

[LoveClockwise]

I'm not from the Southeastern US, but definitely interested in native plants! I think this thread is a good idea. Good luck on your new garden!

 

[FunClucks]

Have you checked out Wild Ones? It's a group of folks interested in this topic. I think they have a website.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I was going to recommend Pollinator Pathways, but I’m looking at their site and not seeing a sub-site for Tennessee.

 

[fldiver97]

Have you checked out Wild Ones? It's a group of folks interested in this topic. I think they have a website.

I went to Chattanooga a couple of years ago, they had a native plant sale and folks from Wild Ones were there. Good group ! One of the issues purchasing small native starters is cost and often selection.
I know I can start from seeds and I have seeded every year but many of the seeds are eaten by the large number of birds coming in the yard. Plus …. It takes a while for some plants and a few need years to grow (I think shooting star was one I had in the woodsy part of the yard in Wisconsin and there were a few others that took a while)
After spending a lot of money on my last conversion of all grass to mostly native plants and shrubs and trees I started posting in our neighborhood online site that I had plants to share. I let people bring pots and soil and gave them some of what I divided or had to clear every year or two. I was happy that others planted natives and they were happy to get plants for free

 

[VaDutch]

I got a mulberry tree, some witch hazel, and an elderberry plant from a local native nursey last year but I forgot their name. If I see them at any Farmers Markets or events this spring I will remember the name and let you know. I am in the same state as you. Id also like to plant some paw paw trees in future.

 

[BoundlessLove]

The Nature Center in Chattanooga has a native plants sale twice a year. Arrive early because it can get crowded.

 

[Rillowen]

I know we have a lot of gardeners on the site.
I am very interested in native plants and curious if anyone has same interests. I moved to Tennessee 3 years ago, left my old house and property with a big native garden.
Now I had to start from scratch again and it feels like it’s taking forever. The property had to be cleared from a lot of trash, building materials etc. I am working on an area that sometimes gets flooded a little. I have expanded it a bit at a time.
Just had a lot of invasive privet cleared (yea, right…… it’s hard to eradicate) and want to plant some native shrubs and some native persimmons and paw paw trees.

I would be planting Youpon Holly! I loves water, is aggressive enough to out compete the privet, yet doesnt spread, is a pretty shrub that can be trained, good for pollinators and birds(native to S USA) and as a bonus: free green tea (its a cousin of Yerba Matte) !!! I have been trying to get some myself, but in MO I'm at the very edge of its range, and it will probably die if it isn't a native version. I just have to find it i guess!

 

[fuzzi]

Following!

I'm in eastern NC, USDA Zone 8a. I also have invasive privet, honeysuckle, and trumpet weed. All three try to smother my little yard, it's a constant fight.

I'm working on transitioning to more natives, including pollinator plants. I already have a beautyberry that planted itself, and want to add more natives around it. I have milkweed growing close to my little pond area.

I planted two elderberry bushes last year. One was supposedly a wild type, but the other was given to me by a friend.

 

[fldiver97]

Well, before the backyard was finally fenced in a lot of the remaining privet was cleared
I planted 6 or 7 arrowhead viburnum bushes ( bare root, about 3.5 to 4 feet tall), 2 button bushes same size. Also planted some native ginger for ground cover. The week before that I planted giant ostrich ferns, I think 6 or 7 and 4 fiddle head ferns by the fence. All native, all shade or part shade. I added some woodland poppies and 4 painted trillium roots. Hope they all make it. This week I will seed more coneflowers, prairie clover, tickseed and a few other natives but birds often get into the native flower areas and eat seeds. I also ordered some buffalo grass seeds for the torn up area next to the shed and have ordered 2 passionflower (may pop) vines for the fence on one side. Also planted a couple of white dogwood saplings….. In the last couple of years I planted some native flowers and elderberry bushes, a few ferns and a couple of other viburnum species. Tennessee has an annual program for inexpensive tree saplings and I ordered persimmon, 2 eastern redbuds and an elderberry tree sapling. It’s a several year project for me, clearing stuff out and getting some fruit trees in and getting some starter plants in Chattanooga at the native plants sale was all that was in the budget a couple of years ago. So this season I got a lot done and I’m so impatient to have it grow.
I’ve converted my first backyard in Florida and the one in Wisconsin to natives, after a few years I was able to divide a lot of plants to give to others . Fingers crossed