The Midwestern Native Garden. Charlotte Adelman
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A perceived resemblance between the leaves and the human liver.
Hepatica (Hepatica transsilvanica)
Native Alternatives:
SHARP-LEAVED HEPATICA, SHARPLOBE HEPATICA. Family: Buttercup (Ranunculaceae). Genus: Hepatica (H. nobilis var. acuta); ROUNDLOBE HEPATICA (H. nobilis var. obtusa, H. americana). Height: 4–6 inches. Ornamental Attributes: There is no woodland wildflower “more beautiful than Sharp-lobed Hepatica.”62 Delicate early spring lavender, pink, blue, or white flowers March through May. The three-lobed evergreen leaves remain over the winter and the appearance of new leaves in spring signals the disappearance of the flowers. Cultivation: Light/full shade. Dry or moist well-drained soil. Soft hairs protect the blossom from too rapid temperature changes. Snow and leaf litter provide winter protection. Note: See Frederick Pursh note in the appendix. Nature Note: Small bees collect pollen and beneficial flies feed on the pollen. Chipmunks (p. 14) reportedly eat the seed achenes.
Sharp-leaved hepatica (Hepatica nobilis)
Nonnative:
HYACINTH. Family: Lily (Liliaceae). Genus: Hyacinthus (H. orientalis). There are hybrids. Origin: Asia. Height: 1 foot. Ornamental Attributes: Spikes of white, pink, purple, yellow, or orange early to mid-spring flowers. These ephemerals have been described as, “obese, fat-stalked, overstuffed, over-scented Levantines.”63 Cultivation: Sun/light shade. Well-drained soil. Nature Note: Squirrels, chipmunks, and skunks seeking insects and worms and attracted to organic fertilizers dig up the bulbs. Gardeners combat this with homemade and commercial repellents, protective barriers, plastic owls, and other ingenuous deterrents.
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis)
Native Alternatives:
WILD HYACINTH, EASTERN CAMAS, ATLANTIC CAMAS. Family: Lily (Liliaceae). Genus: Camassia (C. scilloides); PRAIRIE, SOUTHERN WILD HYACINTH (C. angusta). Height: 1–2 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant spikes of violet, blue, or white six-pointed starry flowers May, June. Foliage dies expeditiously, unlike that of daffodils, tulips, and daylilies. Cultivation: Sun/light shade. Well-drained soil. Note: Native hyacinths are threatened or endangered in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Attracts butterflies such as the silvery checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis), red admiral (Vanessa atalanta), and American lady (Vanessa virginiensis) (p. 65). Attracts skippers, nectar- and pollen-collecting long-tongued and short-tongued bees, and beautiful and beneficial wasps and beetles.
Silvery checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides)
VIRGINIA SPIDERWORT. Family: Spiderwort (Commelinaceae). Genus: Tradescantia (T. virginiana). Height: 2–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Spectacular long-blooming blue or purple threepetaled flowers May to July bridge the gap between spring and summer. Each day a new flower replaces yesterday’s one-day bloom. One nineteenth-century observer described this plant as, “The splendid blue spiderwort, that ornament of our gardens.”64 “Because of the beauty of the flowers of this species, it is a favorite in gardens.”65 Cultivation: Sun in moist soil. Shade in dry soil. Spiderworts typically go dormant in summer, so cut back unkempt foliage. Name Note: Honors John Tradescant, royal gardener of King Charles I, who brought the plant to England from America.
Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)
More Native Spiderworts:
OHIO SPIDERWORT, BLUEJACKET (T. ohiensis). Height: 2–4 feet. Cultivation: Sun, part sun. Dry, medium, or moist soil. June to August; LONG BRACT SPIDERWORT (T. bracteata). Height: 1–2 feet. Spreads gradually; ZIG-ZAG SPIDERWORT (T. subaspera). Height: 3 feet. Flowers until August. Nature Note: Spiderworts attract bees and other beneficial insects.
More Native Alternatives:
INDIGO, pp. 111–12; WILD BLUE PHLOX, p. 38; WILD LUPINE, p. 37.
Nonnative:
IRIS. Family: Iris (Iridaceae). Genus: Iris. Origin: Europe, Asia. Hybrid mixtures of European, Eastern Mediterranean, and Asiatic varieties are too numerous to mention. Height: 8 inches to 3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Showy flowers consisting of three upright petals (standards) and three downward-facing outer petals (falls). Sword-shaped leaves. Cultivation: Most bearded iris hybrids and cultivars (dwarf, intermediate, and tall) require sun, well-drained soil, and lifting, spraying, fertilizing and watering to prevent disease. European yellow flag or pale yellow iris (I. pseudacorus) and Siberian iris (I. sibirica) prefer wet or moist soil. Invasiveness Note: German iris (I. germanica), lemonyellow iris (I. flavescens Delile), and European yellow flag iris (I. pseudacorus) are naturalized or invasive in the Midwest.
Iris (Iris)
Native Alternatives:
VIRGINIA IRIS, BLUE FLAG, SOUTHERN BLUE FLAG IRIS. Family: Iris (Iridaceae). Genus: Iris (I. virginica, I. shrevei). Height: 2–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Dramatic purple yellow-crested flowers May to July. Sword-shaped longlasting leaves. Looks like a beardless German iris cultivar (Iris × germanica). “A colorful beauty” that “grows very well in average garden soil and, in favorable habitat, spreads rapidly from large rhizomes.”66 Cultivation: Sun. Moist, medium, or wet soil. Creates easily divided clumps; CRESTED IRIS (I. cristata). Height: 6–9 inches. Ornamental Attributes: Pale blue flowers with a yellow crest. Crested iris is “one of the finest dwarf irises for the garden.”67 Cultivation: Light/part shade. Rich soil. Also: WHITE CRESTED IRIS (I. cristata alba). White flowers; HARLEQUIN BLUE FLAG, LARGER BLUE FLAG, NORTHERN BLUE FLAG (I. versicolor). Height: 2–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Blue to purple. “Strongly resembles its domesticated relatives which, like it, derive