Planting Some Natives

Cupplant -- Silphium perfoliatum

While we are working on a list of possible plants for the area that we have chosen for the Less Lawn More Life challenge and a plan for planting them, we finally had a nice day today and chose to work somewhere else. Renee has some plugs with cupplant seedlings that are getting root bound and they will be too tall when they mature for the area we are planning. So, we switched gears and chose another location in what we are calling the knotweed expanse that extends all along the south boundary of our property. 

We chose an area that is a little over ten feet by ten feet and just beyond a barely established trail that weaves along the property boundary to plant three cupplants, Silphium perfolatum. First we dug up any of the knotweed shoots that had appeared here. We also found several live rhizomes and removed them. They and the shoots are now spread along the edge of our asphalt driveway to bake in the sun for a couple of months.  Then we planted the three plugs approximately two to three feet apart. In the photo, the small plugs are hard to see; clicking on the photo will enlarge it. One is to the right, appearing below the watering can. One is to the left, below the watering can. The third is farther to the left, along with a goldenrod that has popped up on its own. 

Cupplant, Silphium perfoliatum, is a tall and aggressive plant that likes moisture, making it a good choice for the back of beds like this one here in the knotweed expanse. While it may not bloom or reach its full height for the first year or two, upon maturity it will bloom with yellow flowers from mid-summer attracting pollinators of all kinds. Cupplants get their name from the way their leaves project directly from the square stem forming a cup that holds water after rain. It has a reputation for, in addition to being a pollinator magnet, supporting birds by providing food, water, and shelter. Goldfinches are known to relish the seeds of the cupplant. While it is found naturally in counties south and north of us in eastern Pennsylvania, it is not native to our local ecoregion. That said, with its aggressive nature, we are hoping it will outcompete the return of the knotweed, and we appreciate the support it will provide to pollinators and birds.