Presenter: Janet Draper, Smithsonian Gardens

Have you ever wondered how Smithsonian Gardens’ horticulturists choose the plants in their gardens?  Janet Draper, Horticulturist in the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, highlights her favorite plants for creating a garden with year-round interest. Nothing is off limits for this self-professed plant-aholic! Janet shares what plants she relies on when creating her exuberant displays. 

Plant List    

Sunny Woody Layer   

Spirea thunbergia ‘Ogon’ – “Golden Bridalwreath Spirea.”  Native to China and Japan.  USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4-8, full sun to light shade, average soils.  This old-fashioned stalwart got a color upgrade—displaying light, airy white flowers as early as March, followed by the emergence of dainty golden foliage that persists until fall when it takes on a lovely golden hue, before foliage drop.  All winter the delicate skeleton is exposed.  Maintenance is easy.  You can totally leave it alone and it gets taller and wider with time, or you can go in right after it blooms and remove the older stems to the ground, thus keeping a tighter mound of golden foliage.    

Yucca family!  All need full sun and well–drained soils.  All are drought–tolerant and evergreen.    

  • Yucca filamentosa – Adam’s Needle.  Southeast U.S. native (South Carolina to Florida, west to Mississippi), hardy in Zones 4-10. Selections include golden variegated ‘Color Guard’ and ‘Gold Sword.’  
  • Yucca recurvifolia – Curl Leaf Yucca.  USDA zones 7-9.  3-6’ tall.    
  • Yucca rostrata – Beaked Yucca.  Zones 6-10 (perhaps down to Zone 5).    

Physocarpusopulifolius – Ninebark.  Native to eastern North America from Quebec down to Tennessee.  Member of the Rose family.  In recent years breeders have worked with the wild 10-12’ sprawling mass and shrunk it down to fit smaller gardens and made selections ranging from bright golden to nearly black foliage.  Naturally found along stream banks, this tough plant is extremely adaptable from Zones 2-8 in full to partial sun and average to moist soils.  Cultivars include Diablo, ‘Amber Jubilee,‘ ‘Coppertina,‘ ‘Dart’s Gold,‘ ‘Little Devil,‘ and ‘Summer Wine.‘  

Woody Shade Lovers  

Edgeworthia chrysantha – Paper Bush or Chinese Paperbush.  Native to China and Himalayan region, Zones 7-9.  Reaches 8’ tall by 10’ wide.  Full sun to light shade.  Average, well–drained soils.    

Aucuba japonica – “Aucuba,” ‘Gold Dust.”  Light to full shade, average to dry soils.  Broad leaf evergreen, Zones (6) 7-9. Dioecous (male and female plants).  This long-maligned plant is making a comeback.  I prefer the simple elegance of the solid green forms, but there are also some lovely, variegated selections.   It can handle light to fairly dense and dry shade; it will burn in the sun in hot areas.  Some clones will display fleshy red berries throughout the winter.   

‘Rozannie.’ Solid green compact form that is self-sterile. It produces large quantities of Bright Red fruit.    

‘Picturata.’ Solid gold leaf center.  

Illicium floridanum.  U.S. Native, Florida to Louisiana — to wet swampy areas, adaptable to average soils.  Zones 5-9, partial to full shade.  Suckering shrub.   I read an ID trick: bruised foliage smells like gin and tonic!  Foliage and fruit is poisonous to livestock. ‘Halley’s Comet,’ ‘Florida Sunshine.’  

Danae racemosa- Poet’s Laurel.  Sometimes listed as a member of Asparagus family.  From Iran and Caucus regions.  Zones (6) 7-8, dry shade, partial shade.  Slow growing from seed.   Arching stems, 3’ tall by 4-5’ wide.     

Sarcococca hookeriana var humilis - “Sweet Box.”  Native to China, Zones 6-9.  Evergreen groundcover.  Tiny, extremely fragrant flowers in early spring.  

Sunny Herbaceous Layer  

Amsonia hubrichtii – “Blue Star.” Native to south central U.S. Full sun to partial shade, average to dry soils.  Blooms April/May with little blue flowers.  Can cut back to 6” after flowering to reduce plant flop.  

Salvia officinalis ‘Berggarten’  Berggarten Sage.  Selection of culinary sage, native to Mediterranean areas (Italy – Albania).  Zones 4-8, full sun, well–drained soils.   

Euphorbia characias sp wulfenii.  Southern Europe to Balkan areas, Zones (6) 7-10.  Demands well–drained soils.  Awesome in rock or gravel gardens.  

Shade Herbaceous Layer   

Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ - Japanese Hakone Grass or Japanese Forest Grass.  Zones 5-9, partial shade to shade, moist to average soils.  Love the texture, movement and sound.    

  • macra– solid green, ‘All Gold’, and green and white forms.   

Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’ - Golden clump-forming Japanese sedge.  Native habitat is dry woods and rocky slopes.  Best in moist shade, but tolerant of dryer soils once established.       

A slew of new great cultivars including ‘Everest’ – green and white, ‘Eversheen’ green and yellow.   

Also ‘Ribbon Falls’ - solid green and ‘Feather Falls’- green and white variegated.