Zizia aurea - GOLDEN ALEXANDERS
Tanya’s Take Early, early bloomer for pollinators- April in my garden. Bright, cheery sprays of blooms held on delicate stems. Very attractive to humans and pollinators alike.
Pollinators served Host plant for Black Swallowtail butterfly. OK, so this is the first plant I ever got a caterpillar on, so I'm totally hooked.
Color and texture Bushy texture of medium leaves. Sort of small shrub like.
Flowers Pretty clusters of delicate yellow flowers held on the slimmest of stems.
Height 2-3' for foliage, flower stalks an ethereal cloud held above.
Sun, part shade or shade? Sun
Soil moisture Likes moist soils but will perform in dry conditions as well
Preferred soils High organic matter soils like clay and some loams. Not dry sand.
Is it a bully? It does self seed a bit but easy to share. Deadhead to control. Worth it for the butterflies it hosts!
Drought tolerance I know other gardeners who are not plant coddlers grow this without supplemental watering...so it's likely got some serious drought tolerance chops.
Toughness rating I'll give it a probably high. I'm growing it now, so I'll have first hand data next year.
Should you give this plant a try Yes if full sun and normal garden conditions and you want swallowtails!
Is this native Yup. Entire east coast including DC, MD and VA
More info
What is a native plant plug?
A small plant about 1.5" x 1.5" x 5". Yep, it’s pretty small. But they are incredibly well rooted and ready to grow.
With a season of growth, they'll be roughly the size of a gallon plant and fully acclimated to your conditions.
Why does Bipartisan Gardens focus on selling native plant plugs?
It's a 45 min drive to the nearest native plant nursery is a deal breaker. We provide easy access to native plants at a cost effective price.
We want you to have birds and bees in your yard…you can buy native plants online, right here, right now, and we’ll even deliver them.
Benefits/uses of plant plugs
1 - Establish new areas of garden beds quickly and inexpensively.
Native plant plugs allow you to purchase multiple plants cost effectively. You can establish robust plantings quickly to have flowers and dense, weed blocking plantings this year.
2- Buy a sampler!
From this sale you can also try native pollinator plants in a cost effective way. Not sure a plant will work for you? Less than $4 lets you see if it’ll work. You can try as many as you like and see what works for different locations in your yard without breaking the bank.
3 – We provide a variety of natives that you won’t see in many nurseris. From sun to shade, native specites to tried and true native cultivars we strive to bring a variety to you.
4 - Did I mention they are cheap?? At $3.75 per plant they are a cost effective investment this year for next year's garden.
To put this in context, at a nursery native plants are between $11-20 per plant. While those plants are larger, they typically only have one extra season of growth on them. Buying small and waiting is an excellent investment!
If you buy in the fall the plant will be busy building a root system. You won't see much top growth, if any at all. However, in the spring you should see a robust plant come rocketing out of the ground!
PICK UP LOCATION
Pick for native plants is only at the Takoma location.
TAKOMA - 808 Aspen St NW DC 20012
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
The plants will come with basic care and planting instructions.
A few quick FAQ's Planting immediately is best, but it is ok to leave them in their containers in a cool shady spot for a few days. Keep them watered, they are small they dry very quickly. Dig a small hole, plant and water thoroughly. Don't forget to label them!
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