Suggestions for native plants
My yard is very unique. The soil is acidic due to all the pine and hemlock and mostly clay and sand and I am very confused to what to plant in my yard. All of my research has led to testing the ph of the soil to know for sure and I really don't want to buy a testing kit. The plants that grow in my yard include sessile bellwort, painted trillium,dandelions, bluets,violets, kinds of mustard, a bunch of kinds of grasses(i don't know what they are), hair topped moss, spaghnum moss, british soldier lichen, trailing arbutus, wintergreen, gold thread, star flower, ferns, low bush blueberry, wild strawberries, and later in the season daisies. I planted lilies of the valley and bleeding hearts in my yard last year and they are coming up fine right now. I have fuschia and lilac as well and some kind of serviceberry in my yard. So just wondering what kind of plants could do well in my yard and how to go about planting my yard. Do I need to know what ph my soil is to due so? Or is there any easy way to test the soil without a kit?
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What a fun project. You already have a lot of great plants in there! I don't know much about native plants in New England, but I can tell you how I went about this when I was in Kansas City... a lot of experimentation. I think about sunny spots, partly sunny spots, and shady spots, and which plants are better adapted for each area. Iris do well in clay and sandy soil... not sure about native varieties. They also spread nicely. And if you have space, maybe consider a butterfly garden around the fuschia and lilac. I've done this with butterfly bush, butterfly weed, cosmos, purple coneflower. I also had fennel plants, and every year there were cocoons from a particular yellow butterfly that we got to watch.
And I have a question for you about british soldier lichen. I've never seen it, and I'm intrigued. What time of year do you see it, and in what environment?
@janezupan Ok thank you!!! British soldier prefers rotting wood and on mossy logs, tree bases, and in the soil. It's found in February a lot and early spring.
it sounds like you already have lots of wonderful plants and the fact that they thrive already gives you alot of information. You know your soil is on the acidic side and that's probably enough to know. Native Plant Trust has a Plant Finder program you could play with to find plants to think about. Audubon (national) has a Plant for Birds which might interest you given your love of birds. once you have a couple of plant names that attract a species you'd love to see in your yard (if they are likely to be local - so not toucans!), you can look up there soil, water and light preferences. you can look up the soil, light and water preferences of the community of plants in the area of the yard you are planting and try and match with some of the plants you've come up with. Have fun!
Maybe it is because your yard reminds me of my childhood wanderings, but it sounds magical. We have a portion here behind one of the buildings with moss growing thick, violets, lily of the valley...birdsong and dappled sunlight. I love taking off my shoes and slowly making my way under the branches.
@belled This is soo beautiful!! I love the way you phrased this. I like raising my arms to the sky and basking in the sun light with my eyes closed listening to all the sounds around me.
@maryjb Thank you soo much! I checked these resources out and they are great!!
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