INLA NEWSLETTER
May 2024
IN THIS ISSUE: 
  • 2024 INLA Day of Service
  • Alert to INLA Members
  • Plant Picks of the Month
INLA Day of Service
Save the Date and come volunteer
your time and skills this fall!

We will be doing a combination of Native Plantings to reduce mowing space and a wet/mesic planting for a water detention basin. The locations will be in a few different areas in front of the State Capital Building downtown Des Moines.

Date and Time: Thursday, September 19, 2024, 9 AM - 3 PM

Meet at the Agribusiness Association Office
900 Des Moines St.
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
ALERT to INLA Members
Is there anything that your company is doing this summer?

Do you have a large or impactful project to spotlight in the next newsletter?

Contact Heath DeYoung at hdeyoung@agribiz.org in the INLA office and we’ll try to highlight it for you. 

Perennial Plant Pick of the Month
by Tyler Baird
Baptisia australis
Seed pods of Baptisia australis
COMMON NAME: False Blue Indigo

BOTANICAL NAME: Baptisia australis

USDA ZONE: 3-9

SUNLIGHT: Full Sun to Part Shade

SOIL CONDITIONS: Prefers average, dry to medium, well-drained soil. Tolerates drought and poor soils.

HABIT: 36-48”x 36-48”

FEATURES: Early spring growth leading into showy bloom of blue flowers (cultivars available in many colors), good green summer color with coarse texture, great aesthetic seed pod interest in the fall/winter.

WHY WE LOVE IT:
This was the 2010 Perennial Plant Association plant of the year, and it has only gotten better as new cultivars have added new colors and color combinations to the offerings. False Blue Indigo is an excellent year-round perennial for the back of the garden. In spring, it is one of the first plants to emerge and develop blooms on a quickly amassing form. Summer brings consistent green color and the formation of seed pods. In fall, the seed pods ripen to chocolate brown and add interest into the winter season. This is a tough plant that can survive most growing conditions with minimal care.
Baptisia australis ‘Lemon Meringue’
Baptisia australis ‘Vanilla Cream’
Annual Plant Pick of the Month
by Dylan Schrock
PENTAS LUCKY STAR MIX
COMMON NAME: Pentas, Star Flower

BOTANICAL NAME: Pentas lanceolata

SUNLIGHT: FULL SUN

HEIGHT: 12-16”

SPREAD: 12-14”

SOIL CONDITIONS: PREFERS WELL DRAINED SOIL BUT CAN HANDLE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOIL CONDITIONS

FEATURES: CLEAN GREEN FOILIAGE & STAR SHAPED FLOWERS IN A CLUSTER FORM

WHY WE LOVE IT: PENTAS ARE ONE OF THE BEST ANNUALS TO PLANT WHEN TRYING TO ATTRACT POLLINATORS TO YOUR AREA. THEY APPRECIATE THE HOT AND HUMID SUMMER WE OFTEN SEE IN IOWA. BECAUSE OF IT’S CLEAN GROWTH HABIT IT HAS MANY USES IN MASS PLANTING OR PLANTERS. IT COMES IN A VARIETY OF COLORS THAT ARE SURE TO PAIR WELL WITH SOME OF YOUR OTHER FAVORITE ANNUALS.
PENTAS GRAFFITI 20/20 CRANBERRY
Woody Herbaceous Plant Pick of the Month
by David Selmer
COMMON NAME: Serviceberry, Juneberry, Saskatoon Berry

BOTANICAL NAME: Amelanchier spp.

USDA ZONE: 4-9

SUNLIGHT: Full Sun to Partial Shade

SOIL CONDITIONS: Moist well-drained

HABIT: Tree Form 10-25’ Tall and 10-25’ Wide depending on cultivar with shrub form closer to 8-12’ Tall and 5-12’ Wide.

FEATURES:
  • Deer resistant
  • Salt tolerant
  • Native
  • Edible fruit loved by people and birds can be eaten ripe or used in jams or pies 
  • Attracts birds, butterflies, and pollinators
  • Will thrive in rain gardens
  • Four Season interest with fruit, flowers, bark, and great Fall foliage
  • Native or native hybrid

WHY WE LOVE IT:
This plant is the multi-tool for a landscape designer. It provides four seasons of interest, having: Spring flowers, delicious edible fruit in the summer, great red and orange fall coloring, and silver bark and branches in the winter. It tolerates all light conditions but the darkest shade. Many cultivars are non-suckering which allows for partial shade perennials to be planted in their shade. The serviceberry comes in tree form or shrub form, and with several cultivar varieties can be a fit for any space. Some popular cultivars include:

  •  Autumn Brilliance; a hybrid, which boasts the largest flowers and an upright branching habit, as well as the best fall coloring and the best resistance to diseases. 
  • Standing Ovation; an upright and oval shrub with a very uniform habit of 5-6’ width, making it an excellent shrub for hedging and privacy plantings
  • Regent; selected near Regent North Dakota for its high-quality, extra sweet red to black fruit clusters. The fruit, which ripens in June, is loaded with vitamin C, calcium, iron, and antioxidant compounds.
INLA Membership Enrollment
If you haven’t returned your 2023-24 Membership Enrollment, please take a moment to register online!

Register online at:


Thank you for your membership!
Emmaleigh Buck
Thompson Truck & Trailer
Cedar Rapids, IA

MaryAnn Grapp
Greenscape Studio
Ames, IA
Randy Vandersee
Cedar Valley Lawn Care, Inc.
Waterloo, IA