Lists
As a planting designer, it is hard to resist compiling lists. In fact, it is essential. Every landscape presents us with a different natural environment and a different local aesthetic, and so involves the narrowing down of a large selection of plant choices to those that best fit these regional criteria. The result is a garden/landscape that is lower maintenance and aesthetically fitting. The compiling of some of these lists was an arduous task, one only the most practiced and observant gardener could achieve. Fortunately for us, many such lists already exist, and we have done well to borrow them and, furthermore, augment them to our specific inventory. Thanks to the master plantsman-designer Piet Oudolf for his unforeseen help with a number of these.
Season of interest (following 3 lists):
These are plants with very good structure from spring to late winter. Before flowering, during, and after as seedheads, they continue to contribute aesthetically to the design of the garden. Of all the lists to consult, this is the first, with at least three-quarters of the plants used in a design chosen from below. The rest could be considered filler with the interest of contributing more color and variety throughout the seasons. Plants with an asterisk are long flowering -4-6 weeks.
Achillea – all species/cultivars
Actaea – all species/cultivars
Agastache – all species/cultivars*
Amsonia – all species
Anaphalis – all species*
Anemone xhybrida*
Aruncus dioicus/cultivars
Aster ‘Twilight’
Astilbe taquetii/cultivars
Baptisia species/cultivars
Calamintha ‘White Cloud’*
Chelone species
Digitalis furruginea
Echinacea – all species/cultivars*
Eryngium – all species
Eupatorium – all species/cultivars
Gillenia trifoliata
Helenium – all species/cultivars*
Knautia macedonica*
Liatris – all species
Monarda – all species/cultivars
Origanum ‘Rosenkuppel’*
Parthenium integrifolium
Penstemon digitalis
Pycanthemum – all species
Rudbeckia – all species
Sedum – all species/cultivars
Stachys – all cultivars
Thalictrum polygamum/T. rochbrunianum
Veronicastrum – all species/cultivars
Grasses
Calamagrostis brachytricha
Carex muskingumensis
Deschampsia cespitosa/cultivars*
Eragrostis spectablis
Hakonechloa macra
Molinia – all species/cultivars
Panicum – all cultivars
Sesleria autumnalis
Sporobolus heterolepsis
Plants with good all-around character for much of the season:
Aruncus species
Asclepias – all species
Aster ‘Twilight’ /A. umbellatus*
Cephalaria gigantea
Clematis virginiana
Coreopsis species*
Echinops ‘Vietchs’
Filipendula ‘Venusta’
Hemerocalis – all cultivars
Heuchera villosa
Hosta – all cultivars
Iris siberica/cultivars
Lunaria rediviva*
Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ (repeat flowering when cut back)
Persicaria amplexicaulis*
Salvia numerosa/cultivars
Sanguisorba canadensis*
Solidago species
Thalictrum – all species
Verbena species
Veronica longifolia*
Zizia aurea
Grasses
Andropogon gerardii
Andropogon scoparium
Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’
Chasmantium latifolium
Elymus hystrix
Sorghastrum nutans
Plants that are distinctive but for a shorter period:
Astrantia cultivars*
Epimedium – all cultivars
Geranium sanguineum*
Plants with distinctive and long-lasting seedheads and/or winter skeleton:
The primary focus of this list is the way the inflorescence of a plant, often the showiest part, looks after flowering. It is a significant yet underused way to carry the look of the garden into winter.
Achillea species
Agastache species
Amsonia species
Anaphalis species
Aruncus species
Anemone xhybrida
Asclepias – all species
Aster umbellatus
Astilbe cultivars
Baptisia species
Calamintha species
Cephalaria gigantea
Chelone species
Clematis species
Coreopsis species
Digitalis ferrunginea
Echinacea species
Echinops ‘Vietche’s’
Eryngium species
Eupatorium species
Filipendula ‘Venusta’
Gillenia trifoliata
Helenium species
Heuchera villosa
Iris siberica
Liatris species
Lunaria rediviva
Malva moschata
Monarda species
Origanum species
Rudbeckia species
Sedum cultivars
Stachys cultivars
Verbena species
Vernonia – all species/cultivars
Veronica longifolia/cultivars
Veronicastrum virginicum/cultivars
Grasses
Andropogon scoparium
Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’/C.brachytricha
Chasmantium latifolium
Deschampsia cespitosa
Eragrostis spectabilis
Hakonechloa macra
Molinia cultivars
Panicum cultivars
Sorghastrum nutans
Plants with good autumn color:
Yet another important way to extend the season of interest here in Maine. The degree foliage turns color varies from year to year, with some years more spectacular than others.
Amsonia – all species
Aruncus – all species
Asclepisa incarnata
Coreopsis tripteris
Eupatorium – all species
Geranium sanguineum, wlassovianum
Gillenia trifoliata
Heuchera villosa
Hosta – all species
Monarda bradburiana
Penstemon digitalis
Sanguisorba canadensis
Solidago semperverins, S. rigida
Thalictrum polygamum
Veronicastrum – all species
Grasses
Andropogon scoparium
Eragrostis spectabilis
Hakonechloa macra
Molinia – all species
Panicum – all species
Sorghastrum nutans
Robust and long-lived perennials that are useful for less-intensively maintained gardens:
These are plants that are low-maintenance largely because they are persistent in their growth, that is, long-lived. As well, they have a relatively limited spread vegetatively or by seed, are resistant to weed incursions, and are relatively undemanding in their needs. Not only do they not have to be replaced every few years, but they also do not have to be pruned or frequently divided unless one wants to propagate them. From an energy standpoint, this is the sustainable gardening list and is the list best coupled with the list – plants with very good structure from spring to late winter.
Actaea – all species
Amsonia – all species (slow to establish)
Anemone xhybrida
Aruncus – all species
Aster ericoides/A.novae-angliae/A.oblongifolious
Astilbe – all species
Astrantia – all species
Baptisia – all species (slow to establish)
Chelone species
Clematis – herbaceous species
Dianthus carthusianorum
Echinacea pallida
Echinops – all species
Epimedium – all species
Eryngium – all species
Eupatorium – all species
Filipendula – all species
Geranium – all species
Gillenia trifoliata
Helenium – all species
Helianthus – all species
Hemerocalis – all species
Iris siberica
Kirengeshoma palmata
Nepeta racemosa, subsessilis
Persicaria – all species
Phlox paniculata
Pycanthemum – all species
Rudbeckia – all species
Salvia numerosa
Sanguisorba – all species
Sedum – all species
Solidago – all species
Stachys – all species
Smilicina racemosa
Thalictrum – all species
Vernonia – all species
Veronica – all species
Veronicastrum – all species
Grasses
Andropogon gerardii
Calamagrostis – all species
Carex species
Chasmantium latifolium
Eragrostis spectabilis
Hakonechloa macra
Melica species
Molinia caerulea
Panicum – all species
Sesleria – all species
Sorghastrum nutans
Spodiopogon sibiricus
Sporobolus heterolepsis
Nectar:
These are plant genera that are significant producers of insect food in the form of nectar. A few species are heavily relied upon by pollen specialist bee species, the amount of which is indicated in parentheses.
Allium
Asclepias
Aster (33)
Astrantia
Calamintha
Cephalaria
Coreopsis (22)
Dianthus
Echinacea (6)
Echinops
Eryngium
Eupatorium
Helenium (5)
Helianthus (50)
Knautia
Liatris
Lunaria
Monarda
Origanum
Percicaria
Phlox
Pycanthemum
Rudbeckia (29)
Sanguisorba
Sedum
Solidago (42)
Succisa
Vernonia (12)
Veronicastrum
Plants native to Maine:
Those with an asterisk are not only native but have been acquired locally from the wild and thus have regionally-adapted genes.
Actaea racemosa*
Anaphalis margaritacea*
Asclepias incarnata
Aster divaricatus
” ericoides*
” lateriflorous*
novae-angliae*
Clematis virginiana*
Eupatorium all species
Gentiana andrewsii*
Geranium maculatum*
Penstemon digitalis*
polygonatum biflorum*
Smilacina racemosa*
Solidago all species*
Thalictrum polygamum*
Zizia aurea*
Grasses
Carex radiata*
Deschampsia cespitosa
Eragrostis spectabilis*
Panicum virgatum*
Schizachyrium scoparium*
Sorghastrum nutans*