#moist soil

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Thursday 6 November 2025

The strong blue flowers of Salvia uliginosa (bog sage) seem to be at their best in late autumn, these looked great with the grass inflorescences. This, sometimes tender, herbaceous perennial comes from the damp watercourses of South America and so thrives in moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist soil in full sun.

Jill Raggett

[malleedesign]

New Post has been published on http://malleedesign.com.au/the-pretty-prickly-grevillea-acanthifolia/

The pretty prickly Grevillea acanthifolia

There aren’t really enough spikey Grevilleas in my opinion, when it comes to planting for birds and to create habitat especially for small birds Grevilleas are a wonderful lure, if they are spikey they can also provide shelter as well as food.

This is Grevillea acanthifolia a large shrub reaching upto to 3 metres high and 3 metres wide, it grows naturally in the Blue Mountains and in other small pockets in of the northern tablelands of New South Wales. Therefore, it can withstand heavy frost and occasional snow, it grows naturally on the edges of creek and river banks in fun sun to part shade.

Grevillea acanthifolia has pinkish red toothbrush flowers from early Spring through Summer which are irresistible to nectar feeding birds. It also attracts many insects and this makes it also a wonderful plant for small insectivorous birds and thanks to its chunky holly-like leaves it offers shelter from predators.

Sometimes the flowers are almost a luminescent purple and are prolific if the Grevillea is in fun sun. I am a big fan of the large divided Grevillea leaf and this species has been used in hybrids to create other useful Grevilleas like ‘Gaudichaudii’ and ‘Bronze Rover’, two ground covers great for weed suppression which show off the prickly coarse leaf with red new growth.

Grevillea acanthifolia makes a great screening shrub if pruned and a wonderful feature shrub if left to arch and spread in its natural shape. This species is a worthy addition to any habitat garden, especially if you are in a frost prone area.

[plantsidentified]

Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry)

Family: Rosaceae

Native region: Eastern Canada, central and eastern US, eastern North America, Newfoundland to southern Ontario and Minnesota south to Missouri, Tennessee and Georgia

Size: 3-6' tall and wide

Hardiness Zone: 3-8

Habitat: Low woods, swamps, bogs, cliffs, ledges, roadsides, peatlands and moist thickets but occasionally to dry upland areas. Prefers well-drained soils of medium moisture in full sun to part shade, but can tolerate boggy soil and wet conditions.

Leaf: Dark green in the summer, purple/red in the fall.

Flowers: White, blooming in May

Ecosystem services: Because this species can tolerate such wet soil conditions, it is a good candidate for areas of stormwater management, floodplains, and rain gardens.

Sources: 

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/aronia/melanocarpa/

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=j420

[plantsidentified]

Betula alleghaniensis (Yellow Birch)

Family: Betulaceae

Native region: Northeastern US and Canada

Plant Community: Red Maple Swamp

Size: 50'-100' tall

Hardiness Zone:

Habitat: Forest edges, inland forests, swamps, and stream banks. Prefers moist, well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. It is not tolerant to heat and serves as the main canopy in a forest.

Leaf: Dull green above and yellow underneath in the summer, yellow in the fall.

Flowers: Yellow, green, and brown, blooming in April and May.

Ecosystem services: This tree makes a good choice for area close to flooding and storm water interventions because it is resistant to rot below the waterline and prefers wet soil.

Sources:

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/betula/alleghaniensis/

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=BEAL2

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BEAL2

[plantsidentified]

Cornus sanguinea or Swida sanguina (Cultivar of Bloodtwig Dogwood)

Family: Cornaceae

Native region: Northern Region and NW Asia

Naturalized region: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington

Size: 5′-15′ tall and wide

Hardiness Zone: 5-7

Habitat: Found in meadows, fields, and disturbed/man-made areas. Prefers consistently moist, well-drained soil and sun to partial shade. This species if tolerant of a wide range of soils but prefers ones that are organically rich.

Leaf: Dark green in the summer, red-purple and green-purple in fall.

Flowers: White, blooming in May and June.

Ecosystem services: Because this species is so tolerant to moist soil, it serves as a good choice for areas prone to flooding or designed for stormwater management. It also thrives in man-made and disturbed areas, so this makes a good choice for urban interventions like rain gardens. This species is also helpful for areas prone to erosion, making it an extra good option for areas prone to erosion from flooding.

Sources:

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/swida/sanguinea/

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=255942&isprofile=0&

[dmalacaman-blog]

Liriodendron tulipifera: Tulip Tree

Plant community: Oak Hickory Forest

Native region: Eastern and central North America, as far west as Louisiana.

Mature size: Tree, usually grows 60-90′ tall, 30-50′ wide.

Habitat: Prefers moist, organically rich soils in full sun. Tolerates some shade. 

Hardiness zones: Zones 4-9

Leaf characteristics: Alternate and simple. 3-8″ long and wide. Has four lobes. Bright green above. 

Flower and fruit characteristics: Perfect greenish-yellow flowers which represent a tulip flower, hence the name. Produces a cone-like aggregate of samara as fruit.

Other notable characteristics: Known for its pyramidal to conical shape, without lower branching. Trunks can reach 4-6′ in diameter. Grayish-brown, furrowed bark.

Urban Uses: Very large profile allows for use as a shade tree, but makes it too large for a street tree.  

More on shade trees and urban heat island effect

Sources: Missouri Botanical Gardens, USDA Plants, Dirr

[malleedesign]

New Post has been published on http://malleedesign.com.au/one-for-that-difficult-damp-spot-bauera-rubioides/

One for that difficult damp spot: Bauera rubioides

This is Dog Rose one of the few native plants with a likeable common name 😉 Bauera rubioides grows happily in those moist positions in sun or shade where other native plants rot or succumb to fungal diseases. It makes a wonderful low hedge or border plant if pruned, other wise it likes to scramble all over the place, often in the bush you will see it attempting to become a climber.

Bauera rubioides can be found growing naturally all alomng the esat coast of Australia along creek banks and in moist sandstone crevices. It is a small, bushy shrub between 0.3 and 1.5 metres in height and aproximet 1-1.5 metres in width and flowers year round.

There is also a white form of Dog Rose and a low prostrate cultivar, both enjoy similar conditions to the regular Bauera rubioides. This plant will let you know if it is thirsty by drooping stem tips, it grows well in a pot and is dense enough to be a good weed suppressant.

[dreamzs338]

Pansy or Viola Tricolor Hortensis

Pansy or Viola Tricolor Hortensis

The garden pansy is a type of large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from more than a few species in the section Melanium of the genus Viola, chiefly Viola tricolor, a wildflower of Europe and western Asia known as heartsease. For simplicity, the older name Viola tricolor var. hortensis is often used. Pansies are perennials but are short lived in…

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