After removing the invasive vinca, we planted flowers that are natural in North Carolina in the yard. Here you can see some pictures of them, and maybe you’ll want to plant some yourself!
Remember, when they’re native plants, you just have to water them when they are first planted and newly caressing their roots into the soil. Once they are “on their feet”, you can leave them alone! They won’t need water and they will suppress weeds for you.
Spiderwort:
These are some of my favorites. They will stretch themselves out over a large patch of bare earth, suppressing weeds. They are so pretty. And they have so many blooms. And they bloom from like April or May to mid-summer! That’s a nice long time. I got two of them, and they’re both still alive, and both still in the same shadowy spot I originally planted them. Like big wet purple child’s eyes when they open after sleep.
Summer Sunshine Coreopsis:
In a burst of pinning hopes on one simple solution, I got five or six of these bright yellow coreopsis plants. They’re nice, but they only bloom it turns out for like 2 weeks, in the fall. I planted them in the shadowy spot, too, maybe that was a mistake. While the flowers only last 2 weeks, the leafy stalks start growing in the spring. So they will suppress weeds. But they don’t really spread out that much. They sort of stay rigidly in their little circle. No sprawling like the spiderwort. I think that one of the five plants has died since I first planted it. It might have been my fault, it sort of got planted in a hollow where an invasive privet tree once stood.
Okay, they look pretty cute here, actually!
Stokes’s Aster:
I extremely much love these! I love them because when I first planted it, it was apparently too shadowy. It was right under a tree. I planted it in the spring, and it was getting sunshine at that point. Then, inexplicably, the tree branches started filling out with leaves and it all turned to shadow. I don’t get it. Any case, I had to watch the whole spring as the plant strained itself to form little perfect buds that never opened and bloomed. So I carefully un-planted it in the winter, and moved it closer to the sunshine. The next year, it flourished! When I first saw those beautiful purple buds, I was so happy. So I got a second one since then, too.
Purple coneflowers:
These are extremely cheerful, good-natured, and eager flowers. I used to not like them, I think because of that big spiky brown center. However, now that I planted them, I like them a lot. They bloom from like May until August or September! And I think they definitely like the sunshine. One of the nicest things, I see butterflies loving these flowers!
Phlox:
I planted a couple of varieties of phlox. I planted a type that just nestles into the ground. Unfortunately, I planted it in the sun and it shriveled up and died. Then I planted a few types that are upright (see picture). Look how beautiful it is! These did not mind the sun. But I planted them in a yard where it was not appreciated it, and someone came around and mowed right over it 😦 In spite of that, the poor thing’s roots have somehow survived, and year after year continues pushing its way out of the soil. I planted two more in a shadowy spot. But I wasn’t around to see if it bloomed. By the time I came in the late spring, only the green stalk was there, but no evidence of flowers remained.
Autumn sun coneflower:
I really like these beautiful yellow flowers! It takes up a lot of space — so excellent for suppressing weeds. I’m writing this just before the Fourth of July, and it is full of buds, and little yellow tendrils are starting to poke out! So beautiful. When I first planted this, I sort of ached for it, because it was under the trees and I saw it reaching and reaching for the sun, and straining to push out a bud and let it bloom. So after the summer was over, I dug a giant new hole that would be closer to the sun-line; and then I dug and dug around and under the plant till I was able to excavate it. I dug a lot so as not to tear any of its roots, and it took a long time because its roots were already well-entrenched. It survived the move, and from then on has been giving out an abundance of beautiful yellow flowers.
Blue star:
I planted one of these at first. The first year, the flowers were only there for like 1 week, so I was not super thrilled with it. But the second year, the flowers lasted longer. And I liked them. So I planted one more. But yes, they don’t really last that long. Maybe 2-3 weeks? And in the spring.
Fireworks goldenrod
These are very easy to plant, and they don’t need a lot of care. They will also take up quite a good bit of space and suppress weeds. They don’t start blooming until maybe end of July or August. The ones in the picture here look nice, but that’s not from our house. The ones I planted at our house maybe look more straggly. I don’t know.
Also, once they start losing their luster, they look like this:
White wood asters:
For these, the picture does not do them justice! They are like little bright elves shining on the forest floor. They do well in shade!
Foamflowers:
These bloom in April. They last just a few weeks, but are lovely and so cute. It doesn’t come across very well in the picture, but they have a delicate milky-pink blush. For the rest of the year, the leaves are very pretty. And they do pretty well in the shade. I think.
Green-and-gold:
These are like a good, standard flower to have, because they bloom for quite a while — April to June — and they hold up well and everything. At least, I’ve planted several of these plants that I got from different shops. Some seemed sturdier than others. They do well in shade.
Stonecrop:
This hardly sounds like it could be the name of a flower. But I like it. It gets these soft white fuzz when it bloom. It’s nicer than the picture! And for the rest of the time, the leaves creep along the forest floor and keep weeds away!
More North Carolina flowers:
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