Georgia Native Wildflowers

Volume 3, Issue 22
June 14, 2012
Georgia Native Wildflowers
Table of Contents
Stokesia, commonly known as Stokes’ Georgia Native
Aster, is native to the Southeastern U.S. from Wildflowers
pg. 1
South Carolina to Florida and Louisiana. The genus name honors Dr. Jonathan Stokes,
an English botanist. Stokesia is a mono- Tree Clearing typic genus in the aster family, and the only
pg. 2
species in this genus is Stokesia laevis. Years
of selection of this evergreen perennial have
resulted in a number of Stokesia cultivars that
are larger and more colorful than the species.
These plants are ideal for Southern gardens,
providing beautiful early summer color and
Lockerly Trustees
great cut flowers.
Monica Webb,
President
Stokesia laevis features smooth, dark
Stokesia laevis ‘Purple Parasols’
evergreen leaves, which reamian attractive
Joe Mangum,
year-round. The plants produce fringed,
Vice
President
cornflower-like flower heads that are borne
this time of year in abundance. The flowers
come in shades of blue, lavender, pink, white, Robert Culberson, Ph.D.,
Treasurer
or yellow and will continue to bloom for
several weeks. This plant is
Sherrill Jones,
best placed at the front of
Secretary
the border in full to filtered
sun and well-drained soil
Kathy Chandler
as they do not tolerate wet
David Evans
feet in the winter. This is an
Steven
M. Fortier, Ph.D.
adaptable and easy to grow
Jan Flynn, Ph.D.
perennial, considered by
George
Hogan, Sr.
many as one of the most
James Marshall
attractive summer-flowering
Jackie Nelson
perennials. We have a
Doug
R. Oetter, Ph.D.
couple Stokesia laevis
Joni Smith
cultivars planted in our
Bruce
Vaughn, CFP
flowerbeds at Lockerly.
Al Woods
Stokesia laevis ‘Peachie’s Pick’ at Lockerly
‘Purple Parasols’ features deep blue flowers that mature to a rich
purple. This is a heat and drought tolerant cultivar, making it an
ideal choice for your Southern garden. One of the best selections is
‘Peachie’s Pick’, an upright vigorous cultivar that has an abundance
of blue flowers on erect stems. The cultivar name refers to Peachie
Saxton who discovered the plant growing in Mississippi. Goodness
Grows nursery in Lexington, GA also has a few cultivars of Stokesia
available for purchase. ‘Mary Gregory’ is a pale-yellow
selection with single blooms that open in late spring
and early summer. Goodness Grows also offers a
selection that has large, clear white blooms. You can
find the cultivar ‘Honeysong Purple’ at Plant Delights
Nursery in Raleigh, NC. This selection boasts large,
vivid purple flowers with a contrasting red-pink
center. It is a compact grower and is considered to
be one of the most stunning colored Stokesia on the
market. Whichever Stokesia laevis cultivar you choose,
rest assured that this plant is guaranteed to thrive in the
hot, humid summers we have in Georgia.
S. laevis ‘Mary Gregory’
(above)
S. laevis
‘Honeysong Purple’
(left)
Tree Clearing
This week, Ray Wells began the next
phase of Lockerly’s ongoing project to remove
dead and damaged trees from the property. We
are currently focused on the areas adjacent
to our woodland trails. Mr. Wells previously
cleared these areas of undergrowth using our
tractor and bush hog, and he is now cutting
down and hauling out any dead trees. Only one
particularly large pine tree will have to be
removed by a professional arborist. The
character of the Arboretum woodlands has
been greatly improved by this process, which
includes removing invasive plants and
managing the regrowth of vegetation. We are
grateful to Ray for all of his hard work and look
forward to the outcome of this project.