The Kentucky native plants/seed swap movement is now in its fourth year, and this is an update on our progress. As many of you know, our swaps began in 2019 in Louisville, when some of us realized that we needed a venue to share all the extra seeds and plants from our native habitats. As of August 2023, we have 10 regional swaps fanning out from Louisville in all directions and a Louisville citywide Facebook group of over 2,500 members.
Our newest regional swap group is also a transitional moment for our greater swap network. A young lady in Somerset stepped up to host a swap group for the entire Pulaski County/Lake Cumberland area. She envisions that group as a hub for an expanding swap network independent of the Louisville one.
Our Louisville citywide “big swap” will take place at Jefferson Memorial Forest in Fairdale. The staff offered us the Horine Conference Center for free, and for that we are very grateful. Our big swap brings together the extra seeds accumulated from all the regional fall swaps that took place last November. Regional swap hosts will be present to help guide new folks on native gardening and to check for nonnative species, which we don’t want to spread around.
We’re happy to announce that this past year, many of us expanded into growing the earliest-blooming native species, or spring ephemerals, and we are excited to share those extra seeds in the years ahead at regional spring swaps.
Our goal is to increase the diversity of Kentucky native plant species, primarily by educating property owners/gardeners/landscapers via regional swap groups how to grow and share native species. We understand that, by doing so, we are joining passionate groups of people all over the world who are helping to restore natural ecosystems essential for life on this planet. To keep up with the various swap events, please join our Louisville Citywide Facebook group by clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/652100455295916
We encourage everyone to establish native plant swap events in every Kentucky county, administered by individuals who are passionate about native species. There has never been a more important time than now to use our own properties to restore native ecosystems, not just for ourselves but for all those who follow.
Anne Milligan is an artist, singer/musician, and landscape designer. She lives in Louisville, KY with her husband, author and historian Stephen A. Brown.
Sarah Grace and Jonathan Omar Cole Kubesch proudly introduce Joseph Cole Kubesch to the Kentucky Native Plant Society. Joseph joined the Kubesch family on August 20th and has taken quickly to life on the family’s turkey ranch in Pembroke, Virginia.
Date of trip: Sept. 13, 2023 Start time: 5PM EDT Location: Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve, Bullitt County, KY Difficulty of hike: Moderate, approximately 2 miles and 2 hours.
Alan Abbott, hike leader.
Join Kentucky Native Plant Society member Alan Abbott for a sunset tour of Pine Creek Barrens. We’ll be discussing some of the different plant communities of the Louisville area and looking for a number of late-season flowers in bloom, such as Clasping Aster (Symphyotrichum patens), Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) and Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana).
The hike starts at 5pm and it should take about 2 hours to complete the 2 mile trail. Meet at the main parking area. There is usually a porta-potty there. Make sure to bring plenty of water and tick protection.
This is a joint event with the Fairdale Seed Library.
Register for this field trip
Because this is a joint field trip, we limited signups to 5 people. The trip is now filled. If you have any questions, email us at KYPlants@knps.org.
In March 2022, I was lucky enough to find a new population of Turk’s cap lilies (Lilium superbum) containing about 500 stems in two colonies in McCracken County while searching for spring ephemerals. Additional searches yielded five more colonies containing another 1,700 individuals, all within about 75 yards of each other.
Due to my unfamiliarity with this plant and the lack of blooms, it took a little research to verify they were Turk’s cap lilies and not their close relative, Michigan lily (L. michiganense). Dichotomous keys usually differentiate between these plants using flower characteristics i.e., tepal curvature and anther length, which is not very helpful if you don’t have a flower to examine. Several online sources mentioned two vegetative characteristics to check: L. superbum has smooth leaf margins (not finely serrate), and the bulbs are white (not yellow). The plants I found exhibited both of these features so I’m going with the Turks cap lily. This plant was found by Mr. Raymond Athey less than 10 miles from this site in 1978, so there is historical evidence supporting the L. superbum identification, as well.
That being said, some botanists are reluctant to rely on the vegetative characteristics described above and feel that positive identification requires examination of flower structures. After being moved to more suitable sites in the future, my hope is that some of these bulbs will produce flowers allowing their identity to be determined beyond any doubt.
The species name is pronounced “superb – um” as opposed to “super – bum” and refers to the flowers, which can be translated from Latin as proud, superb, excellent, splendid, or magnificent. Mr. Linnaeus did a good job naming this plant back in 1762!
Ecology
Turk’s cap lilies are classified as threatened in Kentucky by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves and probably occur in less than a dozen counties. They are scattered across the state from Black Mountain in Harlan County in the east to Carlisle County in the west. Threatened plants are defined by the OKNP as “… likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant part of its range in Kentucky.” So, the assumption is that their numbers are declining and will continue to do so in the future.
Counties where Lilium superbum occurs in the U.S.
The BONAP map (Biota of North America Project) to the right displays the counties where Lilium superbum occurs in the U.S. Light green counties have stable populations while those highlighted in yellow have populations that are small and possibly declining.
It is generally more common in upland areas along the Appalachian Mountain chain, which includes Black Mountain. So how did they end up in McCracken County and across the Ohio River in southern Illinois? Some botanists have theorized that many southern plant species migrated north and west following the Cumberland River and the Tennessee River, which join up with the Ohio River near Paducah. Perhaps the lilies travelled from the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee along these waterways over the last several thousand years or so.
On June 27-29, 2023, the Kentucky Native Plant Society hosted two Wetland Plant ID Workshops at John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY. June 27 was a one day workshop for beginners and June 28-29 was a two day workshop for intermediate level participants. The workshops were well attended with 26 participants combined between both workshops, despite some challenging weather.
Instructor Nathanael Pilla with American bur reed (Sparganium americanum)
Participants visited several areas of John James Audubon State Park and nearby Sloughs Wildlife Management area. The workshop instructor, Nathanael Pilla of Midwest Biological Surveys, focused on more difficult taxa such as graminoids and aquatic species. He took students through overarching characteristics of wetland plants, such as unique adaptations for seed dispersal by water and drought tolerance.
Henderson County, where the workshop was located, has been understudied botanically, leading to several new county records being discovered over the course of the three days. These new county records include multiple species of duckweed (Lemna sp.), watermeal (Wolffia sp.), broad waterweed (Elodea canadensis, S3), and joint paspalum (Paspalum distichum). Some other highlights of the workshop were seeing multiple state watch-listed species (S3/S4), including hemlock water-parsnip (Sium suave) and white-nymph (Trepocarpus aethusae).
Image Gallery
Beginner class starting on the first day.
John James Audubon SP wetlands.
Beginner class looking at Lemnas
Sloughs WMA
Wolffia sp. through handlens
Class at Sloughs WMA
John James Audubon SP wetlands.
Class looking at Hydrocotyle ranunuloides and other wetland plants
Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis)
Class at John James Audubon SP
Water hemlock (Sium suave)
Workshops are one of the ways the Society fulfills its mission of education about our native plants and native plant communities. Workshops generally are narrowly focused, usually with a single instructor. Most workshops involve a mix of classroom instruction and field work, with an emphasis on hands-on experience for all of the participants. We are already talking about workshops that KNPS might offer in 2024. If there are native plant-related topics that you think would make a good workshop or if you would be interested in presenting a workshop (or know of someone who is), please send us an email at KYPlants@knps.org.
Rachel Cook is a botanist at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves.
By Michaela Rogers, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and Tammy Potter, Kentucky State Apiarist with Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Kentucky Department of Agriculture stakeholders with the Kentucky Pollinator Protection and Monarch Conservation group met on July 20th at the Louisville Zoo and Botanical Gardens. This group meets annually to discuss pollinator conservation topics and projects dedicated to improving pollinator habitat and public knowledge on the plight of pollinators in our state. Members include representatives from a variety of sectors: agriculture, education, transportation right of ways, state and local government, federal government, nonprofits, private and public nature preserves, garden clubs, beekeepers, private businesses, and interested members of the public.
This July, 65 attendees came together to learn about the Louisville Zoo’s pollinator work and hear updates from various stakeholders including the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Cave Hill Cemetery, and the Waterfront Botanical Gardens.
Photo: Joe Omielan
After a tour of the zoo’s gardens, led by Matthew Lahm of the Louisville Zoo, participants in this year’s meeting heard from several experts:
Tony Romano, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves: Roadside Remnants and Pollinator Habitat
Katie Cody, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves: Pollinators in the Forest
Michaela Rogers, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and Shelby Fulton, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves: State Wildlife Action Plan Insect Update and Partner Engagement
Christy Wampler and Nathan Lind, United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service: USDA-NRCS Updates
Michael Higgs, Cave Hill Cemetery: Cave Hill is More than a Cemetery
Kat Rivers, Waterfront Botanical Gardens: Planning for Pollinators
Stakeholders made connections with others pursuing pollinator projects throughout Kentucky and learn about resources offered through various programs highlighted by presenters. Columbia Gas and Roundstone Native Seed Company have worked to convert natural gas rights-of-way to pollinator habitat, and the Transportation Cabinet and the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves are working on similar projects.
This year, members of this group also learned about the Pollinator Protection Program Web App, which allows farmers and other chemical applicators to communicate via text or email with beekeepers when a label requires communication. This app assists with EPA compliancy and is free to farmers, applicators, landowners, beekeepers, etc.
Photo: Joe Omielan
This group meets annually and tries to find a new site each year. Last year, they met at James Audubon State Park. The Kentucky Pollinator Stakeholders group plans to meet again in Berea Kentucky in 2024, with a date and location to be announced later.
Michaela Rogers is an Environmental Scientist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. She serves as the Monarch and Pollinator Coordinator for the agency and manages implementation of the Kentucky Monarch Conservation Plan.
After working for six years with coal companies to establish pollinator habitat on former surface mine sites and working in the queen bee season in the winters, Tammy Horn Potter became Kentucky’s State Apiarist in 2014. She collects honey bee samples for the USDA Honey Bee Health Survey and has worked extensively to improve genetic diversity of queen bees with the Kentucky Queen Bee Breeders Association. She has also worked to improve honey label information with the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association. She is particularly proud of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Pollinator Protection Plan both for its diversity of stakeholders and for the department’s creation of an app, which coordinates spray information between applicators and beekeepers.
Native plants are gaining in popularity, especially with so many gardeners interested in supporting pollinators and other native insects and wildlife. So how can you landscape with native plants? You first have to plan your yard, and we’ll show you how.
Know your land
Before you can decide which native plants you want in your Kentucky native plant garden, you have to know your growing conditions. Is the area in full sun or shade? Does the soil stay wet or is it dry? Is the soil alkaline or acidic?
A good first step is to take a soil test. (You can contact your county extension agent for more information.) This determines the pH of the soil and identifies the minerals and nutrients it has or is missing. The results have recommendations on how to correct any problems. Info like the pH (acid or alkaline soil) also guides your plant selection.
Learn which USDA Zone your plot of land is in. Most of Kentucky is in Zones 6a and 6b. Small sections of the southwest are in USDA Zone 7. These zones tell you which plants are hardy enough to survive our Kentucky winters.
Pay attention to the sun. As the sun moves through the season, the amount of light that hits the ground changes. What starts out sunny in spring could be dense shade by summer as trees leaf out.
Look at the competition other plants may present for your Kentucky native plant garden. Will tree roots be a problem? They win when it comes to sucking up nutrients like water. Plus, digging through them can damage or kill a tree. Some conifers tend to be messy, dropping needles, which can make plants underneath unsightly.
Put pencil to paper or use a landscape app
Make a rough sketch of the shape of the garden you want. Note where sidewalks and structures are and where trees and shrubs are. Is there a water source nearby?
Look at how the light moves through the space – is part of a section in full sun while a portion stays in shade? That garden bed may need a mix of shade- and sun-loving plants.
Start small
Designing and planting a new garden bed can be a lot of work. The biggest job will be the soil preparation. You can always extend a bed every year or two until it’s the size and look you want. Besides saving energy, starting small also conserves cash.
Select your native plants
Some native plants are more garden-worthy than others. Although they may have all the benefits gardeners want in native plants, such as attractive leaves and colorful fruit, they may be aggressive and spread beyond their space. Others may be prone to disease, adding to the maintenance and worries about the plants.
Select perennials that provide a sequence of flowers through the seasons. Start with spring-blooming perennials such as columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), followed by summer-blooming garden phlox (P. paniculata), followed by asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) in fall.
Many native shrubs, such as Viburnum, will have spring flowers, attractive summer foliage, fall color, and fruit that persists into winter. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) has round balls for flowers, colorful fall fruit, and leaves. Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata), a deciduous holly, has red fruit that stands out in the winter landscape.
For trees, look at the Kentucky coffee bean (Gymnocladus dioicus), river birch (Betula nigra), honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), red maple (Acer rubrum), and white oak (Quercus alba) as good shade tree selections. Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), and downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arbora) are excellent native ornamental trees.
Design tips for a native plant garden
Once you have plants selected, follow a few basic design tips.
Avoid planting perennials as singles. Rather, plant them in groups of three or five for the best show.
Put tall plants in the back of the bed, with medium-height plants in the middle and short plants in the front.
The plant placement can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Maybe a stand of garden phlox at one end will be balanced at the other with a stand of ornamental grass, such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium).
Texture and form are also important. Flowers last only for a short time compared to leaves and the form of a plant.
Make sure plants will fit in the garden space once they’ve reached their mature size. It’s hard to cram a 6-foot-wide shrub in a 4-foot-deep bed. Planting for the mature size reduces long-term maintenance.
Other considerations
A lot of people think native plants will survive with little or no care, but that’s not true. Plants are living things and need a little TLC to thrive, bloom, flower, fruit, and shade as you want.
Water newly planted specimens at least once a week. New plants need roughly 1 inch of water every week to 10 days. Most native perennials do not need a lot of fertilizer. Too much fertilizer or soil that is too rich will cause perennials to flop. During exceptionally dry periods, water trees, shrubs, and perennials.
Soil prep is probably the hardest part of planning a garden, especially if you’re a beginner. You’ll need to remove any grass and weeds and add compost, chopped leaves, or other natural amendments to the soil.
Digging the soil for a new bed may unearth decades-old weed seeds, which will grow once exposed to light and water. Consider bringing in a planter’s mix from a local landscape supply company.
A lot of gardening is trial and error. Sometimes plants work out and sometimes they don’t. Don’t be afraid to pull out what you don’t like and plant something new. The more experience you have the better able you’ll be to select plants that work in your beautiful landscape design of native plants.
Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp is an award-winning Indianapolis-based garden writer, editor, and speaker. Known as a “hortiholic,” she frequently says her eyes are too big for her yard. She blogs at hoosiergardener.com.
