Text and photos by Carolyn Hoss reporting for Native Plant News Summer 2025
Decades ago, no one realized how important native plants are to the whole ecosystem. We’ve worked hard on our property since then, adding natives everywhere.
When my husband and I were looking for a place to buy in the 1960s, we knew we wanted a piece of wild land. We found this eight-acre property in the month of April when azaleas were in bloom and I, being from the northern Midwest, had never seen anything like it. I did not know then that azaleas can take over if you let them. They are all around our house and the non-wild woods of our property. It would be very difficult to get rid of them completely.
My background is a degree in biology with a concentration in botany and a minor in art. I have always been interested in native plants. At first I was distressed that all the ones I grew up with didn’t grow here. Then I realized that so many plants here are fascinating and unique; I really worked to get to know them. However, no one at the time realized how important these plants are to the whole ecosystem. I was just interested in all plants–and still am. That is why I have many unusual non-natives and non-invasives in my cultivated gardens. However, I have been working hard to add natives, and now you would find many everywhere.
The property has groundcover of Partridgeberry (Michella repens) and climbing vines of American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), the dreaded Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), Maypop (Passiflora incarnata), Southern Smilax (Smilax smallii), and Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans).
The majority of trees and shrubs are:
- American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
- Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica)
- Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
- Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)
- Groundsel (Baccharis halimifolia), more commonly in salt marsh
- Holly, Yaupon and American (Ilex vomitoria) and (I. opaca)
- Horsesugar/Sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria)
- Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
- Magnolia, Southern and Sweetbay (Magnolia grandiflora and M. virginiana)
- Oak, Eastern White and Live (Quercus alba and Q. virginiana)
- Redbay (Persea borbonia)
- Shining Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida)
- Southern Bayberry/ Common Wax-myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
- Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum)
- Swamp Titi (Cyrilla racemiflora)
- Wild Olive (Cartrema americanum, formerly known as Osmanthus americanus)
In our freshwater wetland and swamp are ferns, perennials, and trees, including some that can survive on drier land.
- American Sweetgum
- Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
- Cardinal Flower, Blue and Red (Lobelia siphilitica) and (L. cardinalis)
- Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor)
- Groundsel
- Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
- Resurrection Fern (Pleopeltis michauxiana)
- Royal Fern (Osmunda spectabilis)
- Swamp Titi
- Virginia Chain Fern (Anchistea virginica, previously known as Woodwardia virginica)
Mixed sun and some full sun perennials include
- Achillea (Achillea spp.)
- American Agave (Manfreda virginica formerly known as Agave virginica)
- Amsonia (A. hubrichtii and A. tabernaemontana)
- Asclepias (A. incarnata and A. tuberosa)
- Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)
- Carolina Wild-petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis)
- Coastal Mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos)
- Coneflower (Echinacea spp.)
- Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
- Coral Bean (Erythrina herbacea)
- Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor)
- Carolina Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum repens)
- Horsesugar
- Lyonia
- Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum sp.),
- Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia spp.)
- Partridgeberry
- Rattlesnake-master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
- Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
- Stoke’s Aster (Stokesia laevis)
- Sunflower (Helianthus spp.)
- White Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri)
Everywhere on the property, and especially if one walks on the three paths we have made through the woods, everything is native. We have left our woods alone except for the enjoyment of walking through them daily. Living near the water means hurricanes have created their own havoc. In fact, we have a small “ghost” forest where the salt water intrusion came in with the hurricanes.
We have lost many trees, although you wouldn’t notice this unless you had seen it 50 years ago. Our son named our place “Aldalome” (which means “tree shadow” in “Elfish”) back when he was first introduced to the “Hobbit” book series. Our woods have many downed trees that we have left where fallen unless they were across paths. They provide us with a never-ending supply of wood for our fireplaces. The latest and most devastating of those storms was Hurricane Florence, which we are still cleaning up from. One area of the property was so devastated, we may not clear it. The many standing dead trees are a boon for the many species of six or seven woodpeckers we get.
I am an advocate for any native plant of the Southeast and don’t restrict myself to what was here when people first arrived from other continents. Those first settlers also brought plants, some of which have become invasive. We have some of these on our land, but try to rid ourselves of all types of non-native invasives of privet, Asian honeysuckles, and wisterias. It is a slow progress, especially with the wisteria. Again, at first, I thought it was beautiful.
My interest has always been in all plants and their ways to adapt to their many and various environments. This interest has been reinforced in more recent years by reading authors such as Doug Tallamy and Paul Hosier and by the NCNPS and our local Coastal Plains Chapter. The amazing connection with our native insects has also increased my interest in those six-legged critters. The “circle of life” is revealed to us everyday.
Carolyn is a native of Michigan, but has lived in North Carolina since 1960 when she married her husband, Don, a marine biologist. Carolyn has a degree in biology with a concentration in botany and a minor in art. She has worked as a scientific illustrator and technician at Duke Marine, NOAA, UNC and NCSU labs in Carteret County and has illustrated several local books on birds, shells, plants and other publications. She has been a long time Master Gardener in the Carteret County program.