Image by Teresa Golden

Learn about native coneflowers on Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley

Episode 129: Good Plant/Bad Plant Retrospective (Part 2)

Welcome back to Part 2 of the Good Plant/Bad Plant retrospective that includes previously aired short segments on beneficial plants as well as invasive ones. In this episode, Master Gardener Volunteer, Tim Kennelty, talks about the benefits of dogwoods, milkweed, and coneflowers, as well as the challenges associated with garlic mustard, multi-flora rose, and mugwort.

The first segment features a family of about 50 species of trees/shrubs/sub-shrubs that grace the landscape with multi-season interest with spring flowers, berries in mid/late summer and fall color. Dogwoods are fairly easy to grow and have great spring flowers for pollinators, nutritious fruit for birds and many are host plants for butterflies and moths. In contrast, the non-native garlic mustard is an invasive herb. It is a biennial, maturing over two years. In its second year, it produces thousands of seeds (that can be viable for 10 years), which when they germinate, they push out beneficial native plants, inhibit growth of other plants, and quickly become dominant in the landscape.

The second segment features milkweed, a butterfly magnet, which offers both ornamental and wildlife value. As you probably know, milkweeds are the only host plant for monarch butterflies. Milkweed flowers are rich in pollen and nectar and are extremely attractive to native bees, wasps and beetles, as well as more than 400 different species of insects. With more than 70 species of milkweeds in North America, there's a milkweed for you. On the other hand, the multiflora rose is a perennial shrub from Asia that was once planted for erosion control, wildlife enhancement and to deter roaming animals. But today, multiflora rose is considered an invasive plant as it quickly forms thickets, pushing out native plants and inhibiting nesting birds. A single plant can produce up to 500,000 seeds per year, viable for up to 10 years, and dispersed by birds and other fruit eating animals.

This episode ends with a segment about featuring the purple cornflower (echinacea purpurea), a favorite New York native garden perennial, beloved by butterflies and hummingbirds. Seed heads, if not removed, become a great food source for birds in the winter. Tolerant of heat, drought and poor soils, the flowers look great in a mass planting or in flower arrangements. But Tim also discusses the challenges of dealing with mugwort (artemisia vulgaris). Mugwort is a perennial weed in the daisy family. It grows in loamy or sandy soils in forested areas, and along roadsides. It spreads by rhizomes and can form dense mats. This plant has been listed as invasive in several states.

But remember, if you want to support wildlife in your yard, make sure to plant natives.

Host: Jean Thomas

Guest: Tim Kennelty

Photo by: Teresa Golden

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski