Native Plants of the Northeast A Guide for Gardening and Conservation

by Leopold, Donald J.

• ISBN13: 9780881926736
• ISBN10: 0881926736
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-02-08
• Publisher: Timber Press

Summary

If you've always wanted to garden with native plants, this book is for you. With entries for nearly 700 species of native trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses, and wildflowers from the northeastern quarter of the U.S. and eastern Canada, its comprehensive horticultural coverage is unsurpassed by any other single volume. The natural ranges of many of the plants discussed extend beyond the Northeast; the information on horticultural uses applies to any garden. Each plant description includes information about cultivation and propagation, ranges, and hardiness. An appendix recommends particular plants for difficult situations, as well as attracting butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. Illustrated throughout with color photographs.Awards for this book:Garden Writers Association Media Award: Silver Award

Author Biography

Donald J. Leopold is Distinguished Teaching Professor at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse.

Excerpts

Nearly all flowering plants (except artificially created hybrids) are "wildflowers" or "native" species somewhere in the world; but a plant species that naturally occurs somewhere is not necessarily native to that region. For example, when dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis) blooms in moist, open areas throughout the Northeast each year, many people assume it is native, a species of phlox. However, dame's rocket is in the mustard family (four petals, versus five for phlox flowers) and is native to southern Europe and western Asia. Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is another example of a widely naturalized species (again from Europe) that many observers assume is native to this region. In fact, many European species that are naturalized in the eastern U.S. are substantial components of "wildflower" seed mixes. The term "wildflower" should be restricted to those species that are truly native to a specific region. "Native" means that as best as botanists can determine, a species naturally occurred in an area prior to European settlement. While species included in this book are indeed native to some portion of the Northeast, they are not necessarily native to every county, state, or province in this region. If one wants to learn more about which plant species are native to a particular region in the U.S., and about their identification characteristics and ecological requirements, an excellent source of information is the USDA PLANTS Database Web site. For many of the species listed here, county distribution maps are included, along with much additional information on the plants. State heritage programs also have important information about native plant species, especially those of most concern. As I reviewed many of the books listed in the bibliography to supplement my personal observations, I often found myself grumbling about species that other authors included or excluded. I suspect the most informed readers will do the same here. I include plants that are native to a good portion of this region, have one or more ornamental attributes, can be found at one or more nurseries (often specialty native plant nurseries), and typically do not require routine incantations to grow. I have not emphasized those that are relatively naturally rare, just too difficult to grow, or too expensive to purchase. And I have excluded hundreds of other species that - while native and likely to fill important natural niches - simply do not compare with the species included here for gardening and restoration purposes. To give some idea of the number of native vascular plant species in this region, relative to the number included here: there are 2078 native, and another 1117 nonnative vascular plant species in New York state alone (Mitchell and Tucker 1997). Although few plant species remain to be discovered in the wild in this region, many wait for gardeners to find and appreciate them. I have done little justice to the many graminoids - true grasses and grasslike plants, such as sedges and rushes - found in this region. One could easily fill another volume with the many native graminoid species that have roles in gardens, and especially restoration projects, and I highly recommend the reference by Darke (1999) for anyone interested in this ecologically, economically, and horticulturally significant group of plants. A group of species (plants and animals) constrained to an array of physical, chemical, and biological factors is a natural community. Natural communities can be forested or open canopy (no trees above). Forested communities generally comprise distinct groups of tree, shrub, and herbaceous species, and are typically referred to by the dominant tree species of that community (e.g., oak-hickory forest). Some open canopy communities are cattail (Typha spp.) marshes and old fields dominated by asters (Aster spp.) and goldenrods (Solidago spp.).

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