One of the garden seasons that tends to be overlooked is late summer when plants are beginning to wind down. Many of the plants at a Sept. 20 plant sale from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum can fill in that gap.
Sea lavender forms a low mound of large, leathery green leaves, giving rise to upright branching heads of tiny, pale-blue flowers for a misty, cloud-like effect. Helen’s flower or Helenium autumnale is a dependable, easy-to-grow native with large and numerous daisy-like yellow flowers, providing welcome color in late summer and autumn when many other blossoms have disappeared. And although ironweed doesn’t get the attention it deserves as a garden plant, NSA offers one called giant ironweed, named for the large, oval leaves and tall 5-8 foot stems. The clusters of pinkish-purple flowers are a favorite of pollinators.
NSA offers a diverse selection of native sedges or Carex species. Sedges are grassy plants that grow as clumps, emerging in early spring. They are becoming more popular, particularly in shady positions. Native species are used in wildland habitat restoration projects, natural landscaping and in sustainable landscaping as drought-tolerant grass replacements for lawns and garden meadows. Some require damp or wet conditions and others are relatively drought-tolerant.
Many of the trees and shrubs offered were grown from seed collected in the wild or from proven winners in the landscape. Trees include the rarely offered chinkapin oak, shellbark hickory, catalpa, osage orange, Rocky Mountain birch and Meyer’s spruce. Edible wild plants include pawpaw, persimmon, serviceberry, chokecherry, Aronia and currants.
Henrickson invites gardeners to “bring their problems” in the form of questions or photos of problem sites.
The plant sale will run from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 20 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus on 38th and Huntington/Leighton. The greenhouse is also open from noon to 5 p.m. every Friday from October 10-31. For more information, go to arboretum.unl.edu/plant-sales or call 402-472-2971.