Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org where we explore ways of living sustainably. In this series of short posts I present a native plant to encourage everybody to abandon our traditional way of gardening (basically a continuous fight against nature) and engage in sustainable gardening practices that nurture the ecosystem, sustain wildlife and foster biodiversity.
In this post I’ll talk about a native flowering plant of the carrot family: Zizia Aurea (Golden Alexander).
Quick facts:
- Zones:3-8
- Bloom time: Spring (April-June)
- Sun: Sunny to part sunny
- Soil Moisture: Medium, Dry
- Aggressive: YES
- Front yard: YES
- Height: 3’
- Status: OK
- Maintenance: MEDIUM (It spreads aggressively and may need deadheading)
- Wildlife value: High
Wildlife connection: This plant attracts many insects, including small flies, bees, and bumblebees. It is also the host plant for a few varieties of the swallowtail butterflies and some varieties of moths.
I planted a few small golden alexanders some years ago in a dry patch of my backyard mostly hoping to attract the black swallowtail. My efforts have been rewarded as shown in the picture below.
The plants grew very quickly and took over the area that was assigned to them. In addition they appear to expand aggressively through reseeding, for this reason some effort to keep them in check is required.
The green leaves emerge in early spring and by mid-May the plant is in full bloom providing early food to many insects. The yellow flowers are fairly large and even from far away the plant has a nice full appearance. After the bloom is over the leaves last through the summer. I usually cut them back in late summer if they grow too much.
If you have a rough patch in your yard that you want to fill up quickly this plant is a good choice. It may be possible to grow it from seeds, although I never tried. The plant is hardy, we have been in a drought for 2 years and it seems to do just fine. Because golden alexander is quite aggressive, I suggest to provide it with its own space. Additionally, one can deadhead the flowers before seeds are released .
Please make sure to purchase native flowers from nurseries that don’t use neonicotinoids and look out for the full botanical name to avoid cultivars.
Would you like to talk about a native plant in your backyard? Please send me your post at info@choosesustainable.org
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