The greens of summer

Jennifer Mason
Guest Columnist

The hot days of summer are here and I especially love the cool greens of the garden. Daytime sun wilts most of the flowers, but the greens of the understory thrive.
River oats, Chasmanthium latifolium, is a beautiful native grass and cousin to the sea oats. The fat green seed heads rise above the foliage and droop over in a graceful cluster. This perennial, native grass will grow to about three feet. If you do not want it to spread, simply cut the seed heads off before they turn brown and drop off. It loves irrigation, but seems to do fine without it.
River oats grow as far north as Michigan, where it is an endangered species. It is lovely until frost, which kills back the tops. Trim them to the ground and it will grow back in the spring. The seeds are eaten by quail and turkey. I have seen squirrels eat them too.
For interest, I love the ancient plants. Horsetails, Equisetum hymale, are relics of the Paleozoic, living 300 million years ago! There are a few species still around today. The native horsetail that grows here in the South does not have the bushy branches of its more northern cousin.
Pioneers called it scouring rush for its high silica content. A handful worked well as a scrubee. This plant loves standing water but does well in my garden. These living fossils are a real curiosity. Folks ask me if its dwarf bamboo. They get spore heads on the terminals and can grow to about two feet in height.
Another better known living fossil is the native Coontie, Zamia integrifolia. Not a palm, it belongs to a more ancient group called the cycads. This grows low to the ground and clusters. The female plants make red cones with red seeds. The male cones, on separate plants, are tall and thin and produce pollen.
A more common cycad in the landscape but not native, is the Sago “palm”, native to southern Japan. Interestingly, stegosaurus and triceratops both ate cycads!
Ferns of all kinds are perfect for green summer color. Plant native. Exotic ferns such as the “Boston fern” can spread rapidly and become problematic. Christmas fern, maidenhair fern and many others are available at nurseries. Shade and moisture will produce many different textures and heights of green. Another green beauty is Selaginella, or club moss. Resembling a small fern, it is a lacy ground cover that adds a lighter green and wonderful texture to a shade garden. Have fun and experiment with what does best in the summer in your garden.
All of these work very well for me here in Jefferson County.