Wondering how to make a rain garden pop with color? Scratching your head over what to do with a low, soggy area in your yard? Several pretty native perennials can be part of the solution. These tough beauties thrive in the wettest parts of the wild in our region and can turn mire into mass displays of cheerful blooms.
Need examples? Here are five of my favorites:
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). A hummingbird favorite, it has 2- to 3-foot-tall blossom spikes that flaunt one of the prettiest reds on the planet. Although it can take full sun, cardinal flower puts on a better bloom show with at least some afternoon shade. In favorable moist soil, it will slowly spread by way of basal offshoots and seeds.
Ironweed (Vernonia sp.). This tall, open, gangly plant waits until late summer to display clusters of small, vivid purple, sprite-like blooms, which are held high on skinny, 6- to 9-foot-tall stems. As another plus for the flowers, also factor in kinetic color—these botanical bits of amethyst are bee and butterfly magnets.
Swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius). This is the showoff that turns roadside ditches golden late in the growing season. It can grow to 8 feet tall and produces better flower displays in full sun. A happy swamp sunflower can be a bit of a bully in the garden, as it rapidly spreads by rhizomes, so give it plenty of room.
Scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus). Also known as “swamp hibiscus,” it is a tall (6 to 8 feet) beauty sporting brilliant red blooms as large as 8 inches across in the summertime. Its long, narrow, palmate leaves also give this plant a tropical look. Full sun, plenty of water and occasional supplemental fertilizer feedings will keep this plant in flower through the growing season.
Canna (Canna sp.). Stretching from 3 to 8 feet tall, depending on the cultivar, cannas flash sassy flowers in hot hues of pink, red, orange or yellow. Their broad leaves can also be attention-getters, ranging from dusky, deep burgundy tones to screaming green, salmon and yellow stripes.
Although these natives shouldn’t be too hard to spot at local nurseries, if your search comes up empty, they are all easy online finds.
April in the garden
• Ready to start that summer veggie patch? Warm-season edibles, such as green beans, lima beans, honeydew melons, cucumbers, eggplant, cantaloupe, peppers (sweet and hot), southern peas, squash, watermelons and tomatoes can all be planted this month, but gardeners in western South Carolina might hold off until at least the end of April.
• Your garden friends on the wing will be working overtime with spring activities, so give the birdbath a good cleaning and then begin refilling it with fresh water at least once a week.
Tip of the month
Vines are perfect plants for dressing up bare fences, grungy mailboxes, exposed gazebos and dull deck rails during the summer. However, perennial vines, by their very nature, could become sprawling, crawling problems. So, just plant fast-growing annual (or tender perennials treated as annuals) vines instead and let them romp during the growing season until winter weather stops their parade cold, figuratively and literally. Need examples? Consider moonvine, mandevilla, cardinal climber, firecracker vine, scarlet runner bean, black-eyed Susan vine, bougainvillea or purple hyacinth bean.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.