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As the weather turns cooler and the days grow shorter, many plants die off (annuals) or go dormant (perennials.) There are however some notable late season plants that are quite showy and worthy of a place in the home landscape. Besides adding color, texture and increasing bio-diversity, they also provide wildlife benefit in the form of food and shelter. Native plants have evolved locally so are better suited to site conditions, generally tolerate periods of wet and drought better and support native wildlife. For example, asters and goldenrods attract late season pollinating insects and throughout the winter, birds and small animals feast on the seeds and find shelter in the dried stalks. Coneflowers like Black-eyed Susan provide a nectar source for butterflies and bees and the seeds are a food source for birds. Consider planting coral honeysuckle, a climbing plant, perfect for an arbor or trellis and delight in the visiting hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. The berries of coral honey suckle attract quail, finches and nourish small mammals. Native bees and butterflies love Gaillardia and have another advantage; they are distasteful to deer and rabbits. American beautyberry is an important food source for birds. The purple berries are quite striking and consumed by raccoon, opossum and fox.
All of the above mentioned and illustrated plants grow in demonstrations gardens located at the Anne Arundel County Extension Office, 97 Dairy Lane, in Gambrills, Maryland. The Village Garden demonstration project tended by Master Gardeners includes a rain garden, herb garden, and a butterfly garden. Native shrubs and flowering plants fill the beds. The gardens provide information via plant labels and show how native plants can be successful in residential landscapes.
Master Gardeners also have demonstration gardens at other county locations. These include the Chase Lloyd House, Composting and Demonstration Native Garden at Quiet Waters Park, Eastport Nature Restoration Project’s Pollinator Garden, Linthicum Walks Native Garden, South County Senior Center Demonstration Garden, the Tawes Garden and the Woodland Garden at Kinder Farm Park. The link below provides information about these and other Anne Arundel County Master Gardener Projects.
https://extension.umd.edu/locations/anne-arundel-county/master-gardener-program/master-gardener-projects
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