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Indigenous Landscapes

Pollinator Traffic on Smooth Sumac - Rhus glabra

On a cloudy day in Early June, this Smooth Sumac thicket was full of native pollinators.

This short article was written by Solomon Gamboa; Author of Native Meadowscaping , Native Plant Agriculture , and A Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model all available at this link.

Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) was the most popular native plant with pollinators on this early June day. Many species of native flies including a bumblebee mimicking fly. Solitary bees and Wasps made up most of the other visitors.

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Whether you're considering the early spring blooms of Fragrant Sumac; the mid spring bloom of Staghorn Sumac, the Early Summer bloom of Smooth sumac, or the later summer blooms of Winged Sumac - you cannot go wrong with planting sumac species for pollinator support.

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The main condition native sumacs need to prosper is an abundance of sunlight. Fragrant Sumac is the only one of these listed sumac species that doesn't spread much through suckering. They all have reddish and orangish fall color. The two best and most sought sumacs by birds for their fruit are Fragrant Sumac and Winged Sumac. Fragrant Sumac fruits are taken early in the year, around late spring while Winged Sumac fruit are taken throughout the fall. All of these native Sumacs can be used for flavored drinks or as sumac spice. Staghorn sumac shoots can be peeled and eaten as a native vegetable. All of these species of sumac are adapted to dry open grassland conditions as well as soil that is seasonally saturated - but not wetlands.

Winged Sumac being mowed around to prevent it from spreading further.

To control Sumac suckering in the landscape, you can plant where it will be surrounded by lawn which allows you the opportunity to mow around preventing suckers from establishing.

Sumacs are known to host at least 50 native butterflies/moths caterpillars. This attracts a higher diversity and quantity of lepidopteran (moths/butterflies) to grasslands and fields where sumac is native to. Each Sumac species blooms at a time of nectar/pollen for the pollinator community. Fragrant Sumac blooms soon after Spicebush in the spring, before most plants are ready to bloom. Staghorn Sumac blooms in mid Spring, when the wildflowers of native grasslands are too few to rely on. Smooth Sumac blooms in early summer when the grassland wildflowers are just starting to gain blooming momentum and quantity. Then Winged Sumac waits until late summer during a dearth period within which summer droughts and heat waves have challenged the vitality of the landscape. It’s almost if these Sumac species have purposely chosen times of need to release their huge source of pollen and nectar. Sumac thickets either produce female - nectar bearing flowers or male - pollen bearing flowers. So when planting a sumac species - plant at least 5 to assure a mix of genders. Only the female - nectar bearing flowers will produce fruit.

Germination Tips: Naturally, wildfire stimulates mass germination of Sumac seeds, but understanding how much fire is needed to cause germination is an experiment I haven’t tried. The alternative method is acidic scarification which mimics what would happen to the seed if the fruit were consumed by an animal. Use retail strength sulfuric acid with chemical gloves and goggles to acid scarify sumac for 40 minutes. Then wash the seeds clean of the acid with a strainer. This process should happen in the fall or late summer when you collect the sumac fruit. Afterwards, outdoor cold-moist stratify the seed from the fall into the Spring before sowing in mid Spring.

Receive 40% off of our Native Plant Propagation Guide/Nursery Model book when purchased as a package. deal with either our Native Meadowscaping book or our Native Plant Agriculture book at this link.

Learn about what our Native Meadowscaping book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Agriculture Vol. 1 book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model has to offer here at this link.

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Elderberry - Sambucus canadensis Profile

This short article was written by Solomon Gamboa; Author of Native Meadowscaping , Native Plant Agriculture , and A Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model all available at this link.

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a thicket species that thrives in permanently wet, seasonally wet, and average soil moisture conditions. The small fruits are medicinal and edible to humans when properly prepared. They’re also highly favored by a wide variety of native bird species. This thicket species is very vigorously growing, capable of growing 6 feet in one year after it’s established. They top out at 7 to 12 feet tall depending on the available moisture and surrounding competition. The blooms are born in early summer after Flowering Dogwood and the Shrub Dogwood species are finished blooming. Elderberry is primarily pollinated by short-tongued insects and small native solitary bees. In seasonally saturated or frequently saturated soils they grow well with Silky Dogwood, Gray Dogwood, Buttonbush, Ninebark, and shrub willow species. Wild growing Elderberry is a good indicator of at least moderately high soil moisture as it does not grow in drier soils. In landscape conditions, just with providing it with 2 inches of water during the summer droughts, you can get elderberry to grow in a wider range of conditions. This thicket species is adapted to partial shade as well as full sun. On river floodplains it is one of the only thicket species that can withstand the flooding waters carrying tree logs that destroy understory trees and shrubs. It survives by creating hollow branches that are easily regenerated after collision with flood-thrown logs.

Elderberries are used as an anti-viral treatment of illnesses. Science has proven that the medicinal compounds found in elderberries lessens the recovery time and severity of the flu virus and other viruses. The practice of using Elderberries as medicine originated with indigenous people within the native ranges of the Elderberry species. Today, elderberries have managed to become a small part of U.S. culinary practice and medicinal practice. You can find medicinal elderberry syrup in many health food stores. Cooking the berries to make jellies, syrup, or wine are the most common consumption routes of elderberries and cultivars have already been selected for larger berry sizes and/or flavors. These first cultivar selections of elderberry represent small gains over wild elderberries in size, but with more attention and time devoted to the cultivation of elderberries, they likely will increase more in yield and/or size per berry overtime. Elderberry commercial production has grown the quickest in Missouri where it is now the most profitable berry grown in the state.

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Above the native Elderberry Borer (Desmocerus palliatus) is pictured. Borers are a type of beetle that eats the pith, sapwood, and/or cambium of trees and shrubs. Native Borers are co-evolved with the native plants and don’t kill their host plants unlike the non-native Emerald Ash Borer that kills Ash trees. Technically the Elderberry Borer is a long horned beetle despite its common name. This beetles’ larvae develops by consuming the pith inside of the elderberry branches and roots.

Propagation (Cloning and Growing from Seed)

When exceptionally sized or yielding elderberry seedlings are found, cloning them is easy due to the rhizome production. Cutting into the elderberry thicket with a spade in the fall will expose fleshy whiteish rhizomes that can but cut into 4-5 inch pieces that will each become clones of the parent plant genetically. Taking these rhizomes and nursery propagating them into 25 gallon pots will make the rhizomes multiply after a full-growing season creating more clones of your selected Elderberry. They can also root through stem cuttings, and if you're not seeking clones; collect the seed and overwinter them in silty soil pot outside for the winter. Come early march; wash the silty soil away through a fine mesh strainer leaving the seeds behind. Sow the seeds in early march or your region's equivalent to early spring/late winter. The seeds will germinate by mid spring and can grow as large as 4 feet tall during their first season if provided with enough soil medium, fertilizer, water, and sunlight.

Receive 40% off of our Native Plant Propagation Guide/Nursery Model book when purchased as a package. deal with either our Native Meadowscaping book or our Native Plant Agriculture book at this link.

Learn about what our Native Meadowscaping book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Agriculture Vol. 1 book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model has to offer here at this link.

EXPECT 3 NATIVE PLANT EDUCATIONAL POSTS A WEEK AT THIS WEBSITE

OUR 2022 FALL NATIVE PLANT SALE WILL HAVE 1,600 NATIVE SHRUBS AND TREES AVAILABLE FOR SHIPPING SHORT OR LONG DISTANCE AND LOCAL PICK UP. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL LIST BELOW TO BE NOTIFIED OF THIS SALE AND THE PLANT LIST.

Compass Plant - Silphium laciniatum profile

Compass Plant in a Prairie Dropseed sod with White Prairie Clover, Purple Prairie Clover, Wild Quinine and Prairie Dock.

This profile was written by Solomon Gamboa; Author of Native Meadowscaping , Native Plant Agriculture , and A Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model all available at this link.

Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) is a perennial giant of the prairies, reaching six to ten feet tall when mature. Its taproot can grow over 7ft into the ground, and Compass plants have been known to live for over 50 years. It prefers full sun and tolerates moist to dry soil conditions. The drier the soil, the shorter the flowering stem. Sometimes the flowering stem will get pruned by deer grazing early in the season resulting in a shorter flowering stem. The gold flowers have broad, long petals that help them standout from a distance. In a native meadow planting Compass Plant is an easy standout aesthetically. The foliage is drought resistant in the sense that in the case of drought, the foliage will not visually degrade in response the stress. Long-tongued bees are important pollinators of this plant, including bumblebees, miner bees, and large leaf-cutting bees. Sulfur Butterflies, Monarchs and other butterflies also visit the flowers for nectar.

Compass plant orients its leaves to the sun (read below).

It's called a compass plant because the "front" side of the leaf that does most of the photosynthesis faces east to catch morning sunlight in the cooler part of the day. The thin margin of the leaf is pointed south, minimizing sunlight exposure during the hottest part of the day. And the back side faces west. This orientation is especially true of younger, immature plants.

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Compass Plants produce excellent perching plants for grassland and native meadow birds. You may notice a concentration bird droppings on around tall meadow plants like Compass Plants because of their prime perching disposition, acting as a bit of natural fertilizer. The droppings wash off after a few rain events. Goldfinches and native rodents will eat the sunflower like seeds as they mature. In meadow mixes it will often take 4 full years or more for the Compass Plant to bloom, especially in clay soils as it takes its time drilling the taproot deep into the subsoil. Plants as deeply rooted as Compass Plant have excellent staying power among vigorous prairie grasses such as Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, Switch Grass, Little Bluestem, and Prairie Dropseed. This is also true of its cousins - Prairie Dock, Cup Plant, and Rosinweeds. This whole genus is packed full of long lived, large growing native perennials excellent for native meadow plantings. In gardens Compass Plants often flop due to lack of enough root competition. But within native prairie/native meadow plantings they are provided with enough root competition to stand high and mighty among the other native vegetation.

Germination Tips for Plugs: Cold moist Stratify for 40 or more days then sow 1/8th inch below surface.

Receive 40% off of our Native Plant Propagation Guide/Nursery Model book when purchased as a package. deal with either our Native Meadowscaping book or our Native Plant Agriculture book at this link.

Learn about what our Native Meadowscaping book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Agriculture Vol. 1 book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model has to offer here at this link.

EXPECT 3 NATIVE PLANT EDUCATIONAL POSTS A WEEK AT THIS WEBSITE

OUR 2022 FALL NATIVE PLANT SALE WILL HAVE 1,600 NATIVE SHRUBS AND TREES AVAILABLE FOR SHIPPING SHORT OR LONG DISTANCE AND LOCAL PICK UP. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL LIST BELOW TO BE NOTIFIED OF THIS SALE AND THE PLANT LIST.

How to Grow Spicebush - Lindera benzoin

A mature open grown Spicebush tolerating seasonally saturated soil.

This short article was written by Solomon Gamboa; Author of Native Meadowscaping , Native Plant Agriculture , and A Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model all available at this link.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) - a most productive and adaptable shrub for wildlife native to the entire Eastern half of the U.S. Spicebush stands out among native shrubs in a various ways.

1. Their fruits are among the highest quality nutritionally, high in fats and protein.

2. Their blooms offer one the earliest sources of pollen and nectar.

3. Their shade tolerance is excellent, though they can adapt to full-sun with moderate soil moisture as well. They can also adapt to seasonally wet soils and acidic or alkaline PH.

4. Their fall color is consistently gold, and their form is beautiful without pruning efforts.

5. They are supremely resistant to deer grazing.

6. They host a few specialist insects, one being the Spicebush Swallow Tail (Papilio troilus) that uses plants in the Laurel family to host on.

7. Their fragrant foliage and stems and fruits can be used for a flavorful tea or seasoning applications.

Spicebush going into fall color in a well drained soil condition at a cemetery in full-sun.

Spicebush is highly adaptable. In regions that receive at least 38 inches of rain annually on average, they can be grown in full-sun especially in the lower midwest, mid-atlantic, mid-south, northeast, and upper midwest - where native. In these regions, they grow well out in open areas showing a moderate drought tolerance. The shrubs either produce male - pollen bearing flowers or female - nectar producing flowers. Most nursery’s will not have the sex of the shrub identified, so be sure to plant at least 3 to 5 to heighten the probability you get a mix of male and female flowering trees. Only the female flowering trees produce fruit.

Deeper into the south where temperatures are higher and growing seasons are longer, they establish best in seasonally saturated soil if grown in full-sun, or shadier conditions. If you’re trying to find a place in your yard for them in the Deep South, try the Northside, Eastside, or Westside of your home where they will receive shade for part of the day.

In historically bad droughts or severe droughts, simply set your sprinkler up on the spicebush and give 2 inches of water ever 14 days in which there isn’t 1” of rain fall. This is just watering twice a month during exceptional dry spells. While they should survive without this watering, the watering will increase growth rate and increase the size of the fruits for wildlife as well as the density of flowers for the following spring.

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How to Germinate Spicebush Seeds

To grow spicebush from seed, collect some red fruits in the late summer, burry them in a pot with a silty soil, and allow the soil microbes to break down the flesh of the fruit over the fall and winter. Leave this pot outdoors buried halfway underground so it is not subjected to the coldest winter temperatures. In early spring, strain the silty soil from the seeds by using a hose on a jet setting and a strainer; washing the silty soil away leaving only the seeds. Sow in early spring and expect germination by mid spring. Grow the seedings in full-sun or partial shade (either). Full-sun for the seedlings will result in larger seedlings than those grown in partial shade.

Receive 40% off of our Native Plant Propagation Guide/Nursery Model book when purchased as a package. deal with either our Native Meadowscaping book or our Native Plant Agriculture book at this link.

Learn about what our Native Meadowscaping book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Agriculture Vol. 1 book has to offer here at this link.

Learn about what our Native Plant Propagation Guide & Nursery Model has to offer here at this link.

EXPECT 3 NATIVE PLANT EDUCATIONAL POSTS A WEEK AT THIS WEBSITE

OUR 2022 FALL NATIVE PLANT SALE WILL HAVE 1,600 NATIVE SHRUBS AND TREES AVAILABLE FOR SHIPPING SHORT OR LONG DISTANCE AND LOCAL PICK UP. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL LIST BELOW TO BE NOTIFIED OF THIS SALE AND THE PLANT LIST.

Our Second Native Plant Seed Mix Sale of this fall was completed November 29th, 2024. Sign up for our email list to be notified of upcoming native seed mix sales using the sign up below.

We’re located in Cincinnati, Ohio - For Customer Service; email us at Solomon@Indigescapes.com