Resilient Plants for the Beach Communities 1 | Page Table of Contents Native Plants for Costal Dunes............................................................................................ 4 Grasses and Grass like Plants .......................................................................................... 5 Ammophila breviligulata ............................................................................................. 6 Panicum amarum ‘var. arnaruium’ ............................................................................. 7 Panicum virgatum ....................................................................................................... 8 Spartina patens ........................................................................................................... 9 Herbaceous Plants ........................................................................................................ 10 Baptisia tinctoria ....................................................................................................... 11 Liatris pilosa v. pilosa (graminifolia) ......................................................................... 12 Nuttallanthus canadensis.......................................................................................... 13 Oenothera biennis .................................................................................................... 14 Opuntia compressa ................................................................................................... 15 Solidago sempervirens .............................................................................................. 16 Yucca filamentosa ..................................................................................................... 17 Shrubs ........................................................................................................................... 18 Baccharis halimifolia ................................................................................................. 19 Myrica cerifera .......................................................................................................... 20 Myrica pensylvanica .................................................................................................. 21 Prunus maritima ....................................................................................................... 22 Rhus copallinum ........................................................................................................ 23 Rosa carolina ............................................................................................................. 24 Trees .............................................................................................................................. 25 Acer rubrum .............................................................................................................. 26 Diospyros virginiana .................................................................................................. 27 Juniperus virginiana .................................................................................................. 28 Pinus rigida ................................................................................................................ 29 Vines .............................................................................................................................. 30 2 | Page Celastrus scandens .................................................................................................... 31 Parthenocissus quinquefolia ..................................................................................... 32 Norfolk Master Gardener “Dunie” Favorites .................................................................... 34 Grasses .......................................................................................................................... 35 Ammophila breviligulata ........................................................................................... 36 Panicum amarum ‘var. arnaruium’ ........................................................................... 37 Spartina patens ......................................................................................................... 38 Herbaceous Plants ........................................................................................................ 39 Artemisia stelleriana ................................................................................................. 40 Cichorium intybus ..................................................................................................... 41 Gaillardia pulchella.................................................................................................... 42 Helianthus angustifolius............................................................................................ 43 Iva imbricata ............................................................................................................. 44 Monarda punctata .................................................................................................... 45 Solidago sempervirens .............................................................................................. 46 Strophostyles helvola ................................................................................................ 47 Shrubs ........................................................................................................................... 48 Myrica cerifera .......................................................................................................... 49 Sources for Native Plants .................................................................................................. 50 Reference List .................................................................................................................... 52 3 | Page Native Plants for Costal Dunes The plants presented in the following section are those recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as plant combinations that can be used to mimic the natural communities of plants found in the Coastal Dunes. It should be noted that the shrubs and trees listed would occur on the inner or secondary dunes and/or on interdunal swales in the wild. For more information, please consult the source publication: “Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping - Chesapeake Bay Watershed.” Slattery, Britt E., Kathryn Reshetiloff, and Susan M. Zwicker. 2003. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD. 82 pp. 4 | Page Grasses and Grass like Plants 5 | Page Ammophila breviligulata Common Name: American Beach Grass Type: Ornamental grass Zone: 2 - 8 Height: 1-3 feet Spread: 3 – 4 feet Bloom Time: July, August, September Bloom Description: Soft textured, golden tan Sun: Full sun Water: Medium to wet Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: Flower: Yellow Leaf: Narrow, gray-green with sharp tips Attracts: Birds Tolerate: Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Wet Soil American Beach Grass is the most common dune plant along much of the Atlantic Coast and is one of the first plants to appear where sand dunes are forming on a shoreline. It is an important dune stabilizer. American Beach Grass is a tall, upright, rigid perennial grass arising from long subsurface rhizomes; the rhizome mat is both vertical and horizontal. A leaf cluster surrounds an elongated flowering spike, unlike other beach grasses. Its roots can grow to over 20’ deep beneath the sand and serve to join a dune together. 6 | Page Panicum amarum ‘var. arnaruium’ Common Name: Atlantic Coastal Panicgrass Type: Low maintenance landscape grass Zone: 5 to 9 Height: 3 - 6 feet Spread: 2 – 3 feet Bloom Time: October Bloom Description: Sun: Full Water: Average to Dry Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: dune stabilization Flower: Panicle, or flower with many branches Leaf: bluish green Tolerate: Drought tolerant, salt tolerant Special Value: winter cover for wildlife Attracts: Atlantic Coastal Panicgrass is a tall, robust, warm-season, perennial grass. It grows from a thick rhizome. It is useful for long-term stabilization of critical areas such as dune and can be directly seeded on coast sand dunes. It is also well adapted to revegetating disturbed areas. 7 | Page Panicum virgatum Common Name: switch grass Type: Ornamental grass Zone: 5 to 9 Height: 3 - 6 feet Spread: 2 – 3 feet Bloom Time: July to February Bloom Description: Pink-tinged Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Medium to wet Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: Naturalize, Rain Garden Flower: Showy, Good Cut, Good Dried Leaf: Good Fall Attracts: Birds Other: Winter Interest Tolerate: Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Wet Soil, Black Walnut, Air Pollution Easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates a wide range of soils, including dry ones, but prefers moist, sandy or clay soils. Tolerates occasional flooding. May flop in overly rich soils. Generally, performs best in full sun. Will grow in part shade, but begins to lose its form in too much shade, growing more openly and possibly falling over. Grows primarily in clumps, but will slowly spread by slightly creeping rhizomes. 8 | Page Spartina patens Common Name: Saltmeadow cordgrass, Marsh-hay cordgrass Type: Perennial grass Zone: 4 to 10 Height: 1- 3 feet Spread: Bloom Time: April, May Bloom Description: Yellow Sun: Full sun Water: High Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: Flower: Leaf: Green Attracts: Birds Tolerate: Salt spray This is a warm season, native perennial that also provides food