Plants for the Brown Thumb

Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

So maybe your gardening efforts haven't always been as successful as you'd like. Your plants die shortly after planting or after just one season. They fail to thrive or they don't bloom at all.

Alas, don't despair! There are plants out there that are hard to to kill even for the brownest of thumbs. You might want to add one of the following plants to your garden this year.

Phlox, Phlox sublata?Flower Form Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Phlox subulata has a number of common names including creeping phlox, flowering moss, and ground pink. A spring-flowering perennial ground cover, it has cultivars in pink, red, lavender, blue-purple, and white.

Its foliage remains green until winter when it turns brown. It spreads easily and prefers full sun. Deer usually avoid it, and it can survive erosion, drought, and air pollution.

Gelsemium sempervirens, Carolina jessamine, is a native perennial vine with lovely scented yellow flowers and glossy evergreen foliage that blooms in spring. It grows from 12 to 20 feet as a vine on a fence or trellis. Without

support, it becomes a ground cover. It's a common sight along Greenville's greenway. It has no major insect or disease problems. But there are two caveats: (1) all parts are poisonous so be careful to use gloves when handling it; (2) due to its extreme flammability rating, it should not be planted close to structures.

Dryopteris wallochiana, Autumn fern, also known as Japanese Shield Fern or Shaggy Shield Fern, is a semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial that matures to 2' (h) x 3' (w). A great shade plant, it also does well in dappled sun. New fronds are reddish in color. It prefers an acidic, moist soil high in organic matter. Browsing rabbits don't bother it.

Carolina jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens?Form Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Autumn fern, Dryopteris wallochiana?Form Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Dianthus has a number of common names including Carnation, Cheddar Pinks, and Sweet William. A real stalwart in the garden it can be found as annuals, biennials, and evergreen perennials with more than 27,000 registered cultivar names. Plant in full sun in well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soil with good air circulation to avoid root rot and fungal diseases. Deer won't eat it but rabbits will.

Salvia nermerosa is a flowering clump-flowering, deciduous perennial sage in the mint family. its violet-blue blooms appear from June to September. A great pollinator plant, it attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Easy to grow, it prefers full sun to partial shade in average, moist, well-drained soil. Deer and rabbit browsing rarely damages it. It has no serious insect or disease problems.

Sweet William, Dianthus?Flower and Buds (Wake County, NC) Cathy Dewitt CC BY 4.0

Sage, Salvia nermerosa?Form in Bloom 3268zauber CC BY-SA 3.0

While these are hardy plants, they still need care so be sure to plant them in the right place, water regularly, and fertilize and prune as needed.

Now try some of these plants in your garden and turn your thumb green!

These and other plants were reviewed by Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum, during the Raulston Midweek Zoom program, Top 10 Bullet Proof Plants at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX-cas8YtfM

More information about these plants is also available through the NC Extension Plant ToolBox at https://emgintranet.ces.ncsu.edu/ where you can search by name.