Blog - Page 14 of 22 - Nature Center at Greenburgh

August 18, 2022February 13, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

Who Was Joe Pye?

Joe Pye Weed is a classic American perennial, and a garden favorite for generations. It is tall, beautiful, long-blooming, and easy to grow. It is a butterfly magnet. Whenever we are asked about the best plants for pollinators, Joe Pye Weed is at the top of the list.

**Painted Lady butterfly on Joe Pye Weed**

Native to wet meadows in the Eastern half of the US, Joe Pye Weed nurtures butterflies, bees, and is the host plant for more than three dozen species of moth and butterfly caterpillars. It is a great alternative to non-native “Butterfly bush” (Buddleia spp.), not only because it attracts as many or more butterflies, but because it also allows them to reproduce. Caterpillars native to the US cannot eat the leaves of “Butterfly bush,” so Joe Pye Weed is the right choice if you want more butterflies.

There are five species of Joe Pye Weed, which is the common name of all five plants in the genus Eutrochium (formerly part of the genus Eupatorium), and all are North American natives. The main difference among them for gardeners is height. Hollow Joe Pye (Eupatorium fistulosum) is the tallest at around 10 feet. Spotted Joe Pye (Eupatorium maculatum) is usually about 6 feet tall, and Coastal Joe Pye (Eupatorium dubium) is the shortest at about 4 feet, with a cultivar marketed as ‘Baby Joe’ growing only 3 feet tall. They all bloom from late summer through fall, and they all have big flower clusters in shades of pink to lavender. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9 and deer resistant, Joe Pye looks great at the back of a formal flower bed or along a rustic fence.

The flowers of Joe Pye Weed go through a fascinating progression. The initial buds are almost silver. From there, they develop into clusters, 4 to 8 inches across, composed of tubular pink blossoms. Each tube then emits a single forked pistil, the female reproductive part. The male pollen-bearing stamens remain hidden inside the tubular structure. The huge array of pistils over the top of the flower mass ultimately creates a fuzzy appearance.

**The pistils emerge, indicating available nectar**

**Large clusters of tubular flowers top each stem**

**As more flowers open, the cluster begins to look fuzzy**

Joe Pye Weed does best in wet sunny areas, so it is perfect for a rain garden, or a low spot too soggy for lawn. Though it is not particularly drought tolerant, Joe Pye manages well in our Meadow at the Nature Center without irrigation.

**Joe Pye in a rain garden with White Turtlehead and Swamp Milkweed**

**Joe Pye Weed in the Meadow at the Nature Center**

So, who was Joe Pye and why was this wonderful plant named for him? There was a story, repeated in various forms over the past 100 years or so, that Joe Pye was “an Indian medicine man” who saved an entire colony of English settlers in the 1600’s from typhus fever using a tea made from the plant. As with many such stories, the details often changed in the telling, and the only cited source was “legend has it.” Recently, however, curiosity prompted the first scholarly research on the question, and in 2017, Richard B. Pearce and James S. Pringle published their findings in The Great Lakes Botanist journal. They concluded that the plant was likely named for Joseph Shauquethqueat, a highly-respected Mohican sachem or paramount chief, also known to white neighbors as Joe Pye, who lived in the Mohican community in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in the late 1700’s to early 1800’s. Although there is no evidence that he was an herbalist or ever used or recommended the plant medicinally, many members of the First Nations did know of the medicinal properties of the plant. Pearce and Pringle speculate that since Joseph Shauquethqueat was also a selectman in Stockbridge, well-known and respected by his white neighbors, “it would not have taken many observations of his collecting the plants now called Joe-Pye-weed for medicinal use, or suggestions from him that they use those plants for the treatment of fevers…before someone, when referring to those plants, associated them with the man they knew as Joe Pye.”

Joseph Shauquethqueat was a remarkable man. Remembering him with a plant as remarkable as Joe Pye Weed is a worthy honor, indeed.

THIS BLOG IS AUTHORED WEEKLY BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

August 4, 2022February 13, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Invasives

For the Birds

Pokeweed. You’ve probably seen this plant on roadsides, vacant lots, along hiking trails, and maybe even pulled it out of your own yard. It’s definitely a weed, and either a curse or a curiosity depending on your point of view. Considered a dangerous and poisonous plant by some, and a nutritious and delicious plant by others, we think of it as a valuable food source for over 30 species of native birds.

Phytolacca americana is commonly known as Pokeweed, Polk weed, Pokeberry, Poke root, Virginia poke, Poke sallit, Poke salad, Redweed, Redberry, Pigeonberry, Pocan bush, Red ink plant, and at least a dozen other names. As is often the case, the number of common names for a plant indicates the variety and duration of human experience with it. Pokeweed has a long and complicated relationship with humans.

Pokeweed is native to most of the US and is found now in all but a few states. It can reach 6 to 10 feet tall, spreads both by seed and rhizomes, and has a very deep tap root. It is a perennial that can live in a wide variety of conditions, which makes it a rather successful weed.

**Pokeweed stands tall among other roadside weeds**

Indigenous peoples used Pokeweed for medicinal purposes and as a dye, especially for painting their horses. The name “poke” may come from the Algonquian word “pocan,” meaning red dye. American colonists fermented the deep magenta juice of the berries to make ink. There are preserved letters from Civil War soldiers written in Pokeberry ink, which was much more available to them than imported ink.

**Pokeweed berries yield a staining red juice**

There is common agreement that all parts of the plant, if eaten raw, are toxic to humans and livestock, but agreement ends there. Some writers claim that Pokeweed is so poisonous it should not even be touched without gloves. Yet in most of the Southern US, Pokeweed has been hand-harvested as a staple of the local diet for generations. Some authorities say the root is the most poisonous part of the plant, and the berries are the least so. Other authorities say the berries are the most toxic part of the plant and eating even a few may be lethal. Many articles claim that Pokeweed poisoning can cause death, but after surveying historical records, a recent report found only 2 deaths from Pokeweed over a couple hundred years, and noted that one of those deaths was more likely caused by the medical treatment of the time, blood-letting.

**Tiny pokeweed flowers open throughout the growing season**

**Pokeweed flowers attract pollinators, including hummingbirds**

The role of Pokeweed as part of Southern US culture is memorialized in the song “Polk Salad Annie” written in 1968 by Tony Joe White and made popular by Elvis Presley.

“Everyday before supper time, she’d go down by the truck patch
Tony Joe White

Recognizing that Pokeweed is indeed toxic if eaten raw, recipes for polk salad, or poke sallit, require boiling the tender young leaves at least twice, and with two or three changes of water. The boiled greens are then sauteed in bacon fat and eaten like spinach or collard greens. Poke sallit festivals are still part of local traditions in the South every spring. But other than those circumstances, we do not recommend eating any part of Pokeweed, and children should be warned away from the berries.

We do suggest letting the plant live if you find it in an out-of-the-way spot in the garden. Pokeweed provides a real service to our native songbirds. Migrating birds store energy from eating ripening Pokeberries as they begin their journeys, and winter birds will eat the dried berries for as long as they last. Cardinals, mockingbirds, blue jays, robins, catbirds, bluebirds, mourning doves, and over 20 other species of native birds love Pokeberries. Squirrels, chipmunks, and other small mammals do, too.

**Pollinated flowers develop interesting berries**

**As the berries ripen, the stems change color!**

Pokeweed is interesting to watch, and it will definitely attract songbirds. So, if there is a spot near you where Pokeweed appears, we hope you can allow it to live its weedy, but useful, life.

For the birds.

THIS BLOG IS AUTHORED WEEKLY BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

July 28, 2022February 13, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

Worth a Mint

What makes a garden plant special? Beautiful flowers? Reliability? Long season of bloom? Easy care? Attractive to butterflies? Maybe even useful for humans? Mountain Mint checks all the boxes! This perennial garden plant is so valuable it’s a wonder we don’t see it everywhere.

The only problem with Mountain Mint is its name! The scientific name, Pycnanthemum, is a mouthful, and the common name “Mountain Mint” is just wrong. The plant does not come from the mountains, and it’s not a true mint. It’s actually a plant native to America’s meadows, from New England to the Midwest and from Florida to Texas. And unlike spearmint and peppermint, it is not in the mint genus, Mentha. (Though it does have a decidedly minty flavor, and can be a pretty good alternative.)

We have three species of Mountain Mint at the Nature Center: Pycnanthemum virginiana (“Virginia Mountain Mint”), Pycnanthemum tenufolium (“Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint”) and Pycnanthemum muticum (“Broad-leaved Mountain Mint”). All three grow in our Meadow in full sun, average soil, and without special care or irrigation.

Our favorite is Broad-leaved Mountain Mint. The plant grows about 3 feet tall with shiny, dark green, and very minty leaves. In early summer, it produces a pair of fuzzy gray-green “bracts,” leaf-like structures that frame a cluster of flower buds at the very top of the plant. The flowers themselves are tiny little polka-dotted tubes that open sequentially over two to three months. The very long sequence of blooms keeps pollinators coming back all summer for fresh nectar.

**Tiny flowers keep opening for months**

Mountain Mint is incredibly valuable for pollinator gardens. It is loaded with nectar attractive to bees, butterflies, and a wide variety of other pollinating insects. It is very entertaining to count how many different species visit the flowers.

**Clubbed Midas Fly is a native pollinator**

**Golden Digger Wasp sharing flowers with bees**

**Grey Hairstreak butterfly on Mountain Mint**

Apart from its value to pollinators, Mountain Mint is a wonderful garden perennial. It is tough! Deer, rabbits, and woodchucks avoid it. Like most meadow plants, it is drought-tolerant and does best in full sun, though the Broad-leaved species may want more moisture than Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint. Both are hardy in Zones 3 through 9 and both do well in our Meadow without irrigation. The long season of bloom means Mountain Mint looks good well into the fall, and the seed heads add interest if left standing all winter.

Mountain Mint has been used by humans for a wide variety of purposes. Indigenous people in the Eastern US made a tea from the leaves to treat headache, stomach problems, and respiratory congestion. Dried leaves of Broad-leaved Mountain Mint are said to make an effective insect repellant when rubbed on skin or clothing. Carrying fresh sprigs in a pocket or under a hat-band helps keep gnats and mosquitos away from gardeners’ faces. The leaves of Broad-leaved Mountain Mint contain pulegone, a substance said to cause liver damage if ingested in significant quantity. But reliable sources assure us that the leaves may be used safely in teas and infusions, and we have some satisfactory experience with that…

A handful of chopped leaves from Broad-leaved Mountain Mint boiled for a few minutes with equal parts sugar and water, then allowed to steep until cool, makes a lovely scented infusion for use flavoring lemonade, iced tea, or even a specialty cocktail! Strain the liquid to remove the leaves and add the syrup to your preferred beverage. Mix a bit of the syrup with gin, lime juice, and elderflower liqueur, and you have a Mountain Mint Martini!

THIS BLOG IS AUTHORED WEEKLY BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

July 15, 2022February 13, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

Summer Buzzin’

Have you ever heard a plant hum?

On a sunny summer day, you can actually hear Shrubby St. John’s Wort humming. It’s not the plant itself, of course, but the sound of extremely happy bumblebees buzzing as they collect pollen from countless bright yellow pom-pom flowers.

“St. John’s wort” is the common name for a family of almost 500 plant species worldwide. The name refers to its time of bloom – around St. John’s Day on the Christian calendar, or June 24. “Wort” is the old English word for “plant,” especially plants known for their medicinal value. Perhaps you’ve heard St. John’s wort recommended as an herbal remedy for mild depression? That particular St. John’s wort is Hypericum perforatum, a weedy perennial native to Europe and now considered invasive in parts of North America.

**Shrubby St. John’s Wort in front of the Manor House**

The “humming” plant we love is Hypericum prolificum, or Shrubby St. John’s Wort. It is a beautiful shrub, native to the US from New York west to Minnesota and south to Louisiana and Georgia. It does indeed start blooming at the end of June, and continues to dazzle for weeks into the summer. The scientific name “prolificum” refers to the enormous number of flowers the shrub produces. The shrub itself forms a rounded mound 3 to 4 feet tall and wide with small blue-green leaves.

**Shrubby St. John’s Wort loaded with flowers**

If you go shopping for Shrubby St. John’s Wort, you will likely see Hypericum frondosum, a very similar shrub with a cultivar called “Sunburst” that has slightly larger flowers. Its original native range is further south, in Tennessee and Kentucky, but it does perfectly well in southern New York gardens and throughout Zones 5 to 8. Another species, Hypericum kalmianum, is native to the Great Lakes region and hardy to Zone 4. While botanists can tell these three shrubs apart, most gardeners consider them virtually interchangeable. And all of them have year-round value as landscape plants.

Shrubby St. John’s Wort is essentially carefree, and makes an attractive foundation plant or hedge in full sun. It doesn’t need pruning, but you can shape it to suit your site. The leaves produce a substance that is mildly toxic to deer, so deer avoid it. In autumn, the shrub holds onto its leaves until late in the season, and it has great fall color. And in winter, interesting seed capsules remain on branches that have attractive grey-brown bark.

**Fall color is a mix of red, yellow, and orange**

There is no nectar in the flowers of St. John’s Wort, so it’s not a stopping place for butterflies. However, caterpillars of several moth and butterfly species, including the lovely gray hairstreak butterfly, do use the leaves as a host plant. Pollen is the big attraction. The flowers have a huge number of stamens, all loaded with pollen, so bees of every size and description come to the party.

**How many bumbles can you find on just 3 flowers?** **(Hint: there are 5!)**

We never get tired of watching the action, and we can observe up close because the bees won’t spare a second even to notice nearby humans. They are fixated on pollen collection, as you can see in this slow-motion video:

Pollen collection

And what about that summer buzzin’? Turn your sound up and, technology permitting, you may hear the sound of a plant humming!

Summer buzzin’

THIS BLOG IS AUTHORED WEEKLY BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

July 7, 2022February 13, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds

Much Ado About Mulch

We are re-thinking mulch.

Gardeners are routinely advised to apply a 2 to 3-inch layer of wood chips or bark mulch around new plantings, and to mulch regularly thereafter. We are told that mulching maintains soil moisture, suppresses weeds, improves soil, and looks tidy. This advice has been given and followed for years without regard to plant type, soil conditions, or location.

**Typical planting with bark mulch around widely-spaced plants**

There is plenty of expert advice available about types of mulch and how to use them. For example, there is general agreement that color-enhanced mulch is not beneficial. And tree experts routinely warn against “mulch volcanos,” which can “girdle” a tree and kill it by holding excessive moisture around the trunk.

**Color-treated mulch does not benefit plants, soil, or wildlife**

**Incorrect mulching actually damages trees and shrubs**

Until recently, however, there has been little discussion about whether it is necessary, or wise, to mulch at all. Our reconsideration of mulching began with a startling statement by noted horticulturist (and garden philosopher), Roy Diblik:

“There is not a plant on earth that has evolved living in a pile of wood chips.”
Roy Diblik

In his excellent book, The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden, Roy Diblik observes that plants have widely differing needs. When we buy a new plant, at a minimum we want to know whether it prefers sun or shade, dry or wet soil. The answer depends upon the habitat where that plant evolved. Did it originate in shady moist forests with soil enriched by fallen leaves, or did it evolve surviving in hard-packed clay in open prairies? The one thing we know for sure, is that it did not evolve in a habitat with a 2 to 3-inch layer of man-made wood mulch.

So, a wiser practice may be to consider whether mulching is appropriate in a given situation. Mulching vegetable gardens with compost or light organic matter that can be tilled into beds makes sense. Mulching formal beds of annuals for aesthetic and maintenance reasons is understandable. Trees and shrubs planted in full sun in lawn may very well benefit from a proper application mulch, if only to protect them from lawnmowers.

On the other hand, trees and shrubs in a moist wooded area may suffer from mildew and pest damage with a similar application of man-made mulch. They are better off as they evolved – with groundcovers and woodland perennials. As seasons change and leaves fall and decay, these plants become natural mulch and enrich the soil.

**Correct mulching can benefit trees and shrubs surrounded by lawn**

**Under-planting trees acts as natural mulch, contributing to soil health and wildlife**

Contrary to traditional advice, applying a layer of wood mulch when planting perennials (the flowering plants we hope will return every year) may be counter-productive. First, mulch can hold excess moisture, and actually reflect heat, causing plants to die.

Second, heavy mulch prevents perennials from growing naturally. Perennials grow by expanding from the base of the plant, or by sending out shoots that run below or on top of the soil and then reach up for light. Many perennials form seeds after flowering and drop their seeds on open soil to begin new plants. A thick layer of wood mulch defeats both processes. If plants can’t grow and reproduce, they eventually fade away.

**Mulching perennials prevents natural growth**

But if we don’t mulch, what about weeds? A good strategy is to plant perennials densely enough that within a season or two the desired plants occupy all the available space, making it difficult for weeds to establish. That is the approach we used in the Pollinator Garden at the Nature Center. (For a description of that process, click here)

**New Pollinator Garden densely planted, without mulch**

**Pollinator Garden in its second season, not much room for weeds**

Weeding and watering are important in the first season or two until the perennials begin to fill in. As plants expand naturally, and even seed themselves into open areas, weeds become less problematic. If it is available, leaf mulch is a good alternative to wood chips or shredded bark. Leaves break down much more quickly, and do not inhibit the natural growth habits of perennials.

**Open soil in new plantings may be covered with leaf mulch, chopped leaves, or even whole leaves until new plants fill in**

In the absence of man-made mulch, nature may offer some wonderful surprises. Not all of the plants that appear on open soil are “weeds.” We have seen “volunteer” native perennials return to areas that were previously mulched. Self-seeding perennials, like the wandering pink coneflower in the opening photo, surprise us by popping up in new spots. And native bees find open soil for their seasonal nests where we stopped mulching.

**Native trout lily appeared under trees when we stopped mulching!**

**Native columbine surprises us in new spots every year**

**Ground nesting bees found this open spot!**

The important thing is to recognize that plants are not all the same, and the best approach to gardening is to be thoughtful about their differences. By understanding what they need, and allowing them to live as they were meant to, we open our minds – and our gardens – to nature and its surprises.