12/13/2025
We’ve been busy this Fall as we continue adding native flowers, shrubs and trees to our property & gardens, while slowly removing non-native invasive plants. You may wonder, why go to all the time and expense when you can let Mother Nature do the job for free? That’s a good question! The short answer is, we love being outdoors, and we love beautiful things, and those beautiful things all require native plants in order to thrive.
So what are these beautiful things we seek: birds, bees, butterflies, fireflies, caterpillars, trees with beautiful leaves & fall foliage, bushes loaded with blossoms and berries, and grasses waving in the wind. And, the occasional deer, frog, toad, hawk, wild turkey, box turtle, fox, opossum and owl. Oh, and let’s not forget clean water and less soil erosion. So what do we have on our property now?
We have a lot of turfgrass, erosion around the creek, very few shrubs, and a not-very-diverse number of trees. Much of what grows on our property is non-native, and some of it is invasive. It was planted by us, the former land owners, or the wind, birds or squirrels, and it simply doesn’t provide enough food for wildlife, it doesn’t soak up enough water, and it doesn’t stabilize the soil. And when some new plant does pop up, it’s often invasive. Many of the seeds Mother Nature needs to do the job herself just aren’t around in sufficient numbers to get the job done right. So, we’ve been helping her out.
Here’s what we’ve been planting this year (mostly this Fall):
- Trees: White dogwood, Cornus florida; Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis; Common persimmon, Diospyros virginiana; Pawpaw, Asimina triloba; Red oak, Quercus rubra; American chestnut hybrid, Castanea dentata x mollisima x crenata; Witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana; Downy serviceberry, Amelanchier arborea; Short-leaf pine, Pinus echinata; White oak, Quercus alba, via acorns; Black walnut, Juglans nigra, via walnuts, and Shagbark hickory, Carya ovata.
- Shrubs: Carolina allspice, Calycanthus floridus; American hazelnut, Corylus americana; Chickasaw plum, Prunus angustifolia; American plum, Prunus americana; Red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia; Black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa; New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus; Shrubby St. John’s Wort, Hypericum prolificum; Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis (using live stakes along the creek); American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana; Red twig dogwood, Cornus sericea (nativity in Virginia questionable); False indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa; Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius; American elderberry, Sambucus canadensis; and Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum.
- Flowers (forbs) and native grasses —- we’ve used a combination of native seed mixes and potted plants, so I will name just a few varieties we are excited about: Goldenrod, Solidago rugosa‘Fireworks’ and Zigzag goldenrod, Solidago flexicaulis; Butterfly w**d, Asclepias tuberosa; Culver’s Root, Veronicastrum virginicum; Spotted bee balm, Monarda punctata; Blue false indigo, Baptisia australis; Hollow Joe Pye w**d, Eutrochium fistulosum; Blue mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinium; and the native Mountain mints Pycnanthemum muticum, tenuifolium, virginianum and incanum. Grasses: Little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium; and River oats, Chasmanthium latifolium.
Try adding some native plants to your deck, garden or yard, as you will enjoy the wildlife they bring. There are many beautiful options that grow well, are beautiful, and don’t require fertilizer, pesticides, soil amendments, weekly mowing, or water (after becoming established).
Finally, you don’t need to spend a lot of money —- we don’t. We use seeds (collected or purchased), plant swaps, cuttings or divisions from friends & family, the Culpeper Farmers Market vendors, Morningside Farm & Nursery, the Virginia state tree nursery, and the Culpeper Soil & Water Conservation district annual tree sale. And time and lots of patience.
Have questions? Come by and see us at the Farmers Market or message us on Facebook.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year
