Three High-Risers

Here’s Remy, sitting by the Giant Maiden Grass (Miscanthus giganteus). Remy is about 18 inches tall. The Giant Maiden Grass is 9 feet! In June, the garden is dominated by the Giant Fleeceflower (Persicaria polymorphus), which I wrote about in a post entitled Another Summer in the Garden, linked here. But by July, it has been overtaken by other high-risers now hitting their stride. Foremost amongst these is this huge grass, and it isn’t done yet. It has its seed stalks to top off its nine feet still to come. I purchased this grass in the fall of 2010, so this is just its second summer in the garden. You can see how it looked that first fall in my post Tucked Into Bed. It’s sure come a long way since then!

Just down from the Giant Maiden Grass is this Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum). It’s a native of eastern North America. It is topping out this year at 7 1/2 feet as it starts blooming. The large leaves are fused in pairs with the leaf opposite, embracing the interesting square stalk, giving the impression of the plant stalk perforating the leaves. The leaves form a little cup that captures rain water and gives the plant its common name.

Coming in at a mere 6 feet, the Giant Coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) falls far short of some of its neighbours, but it is a very cool plant. When I first saw this rudbeckia, a member of the black-eyed susan family, in a nursery, I thought it had been mislabelled. It sure doesn’t look like other black-eyed susans.

Its large, glaucous leaves are nothing like typical rudbeckia leaves. Maxima is native to the southern states, but has so far been hardy here in Eastern Ontario. This is its third year in the garden. It’s flowers, held high on long, stately stems, are quite attractive. This one has attracted a little white crab spider.

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Roadside Natives

Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

Lest yesterday’s post should leave you with the impression that only immigrants can be found along country roads, here is a sampling of native plants that were photographed during the same outing, holding their own with the invaders. Pictured above is Fleabane, a tough perennial with deceptively delicate blooms featuring yellow centres ringed with fine mauve rays. In the 19th century, oils from the leaves and flowers were used to control bleeding. Its common name is based on the belief that burning some Erigeron species would drive away fleas and other insect pests.

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

Anemone flowers have no true petals. The white flowers are actually five showy sepals. Anemones are sometimes called windflowers. The name Anemone comes from the Greek anemos, meaning wind.

Golden Ragwort (Senecio aureus)

Golden Ragwort is a moisture-loving member of the aster family. The word “wort” has a negative connotation these days, but wort is just an old-English word for plant or flower. Ragwort, then, just means a raggety-looking flower. The name of this large genus of plants is from the latin word senix, meaning old man. The source is not clear, but one suggestion is that the white, fluffy seed heads prompted the term.

Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale)

Northern Bedstraw, a low-growing groundcover, produces a billowing cloud of small, sweetly-scented white flowers. In the past, Bedstraw was often mixed with the straw used for stuffing mattresses to impart a fresh fragrance. The plant belongs to the same family as coffee, and its roasted seeds can be used as a coffee substitute. Native Great Plains dwellers used its fine roots to produce a true red dye.

From a distance, the flower heads of Common Yarrow can look like Queen Anne’s Lace, but yarrow is easily differentiated by its fine, fern-like leaves. Achillea is a widely-distributed genus. It has long been used for a variety of medicinal purposes. In the Middle Ages, smoke from burning yarrow flowers was used to repel insects and keep witches at bay. There are a number of millefolium hybrids that are excellent garden plants.

Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

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