Here's how to plant for our climate future

Boston Globe

a day ago

A senior research fellow, Allen is part of a team from UMass and the
'It helped me feel better about choosing species that are going to be resilient over the long term,' she said. That included plants such as milkweed, beebalm, lanceleaf coreopsis, and smooth blue aster that would do particularly well in a meadow-type garden.
'Mostly everything is shifting north,' said Matthew Fertakos, a research fellow at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and lead author of the new guide. By mid-century, the climate in Massachusetts is
'So you can think about the plants that are growing in that region becoming more and more optimal in the Massachusetts area.'
And other plants, such as Canadian wild ginger, swamp milkweed, paper birch, and sweetfern, that were once considered native to Massachusetts, will find the climate here no longer hospitable.
When the USDA updated its plant hardiness map in 2023, the coldest zones in Massachusetts were eliminated or reduced, compared to the previous map, from 2012.
By the 2050s, between 10 and 20 percent of native species in each state are predicted to be no longer suitable to the new climate, Fertakos said.
Related
:
The UMass researchers surveyed roughly 350 nurseries, from Virginia to Maine and Ohio to Massachusetts, to find out what native plants were available for purchase. Then they used forecasting models to understand how growing conditions might change over the next 40 years, and came up with a list with hundreds of options for home gardeners in each state.
Using the Climate-Smart plant database as our guide, the Globe
created four potential gardens, each with native and near-native plants that are well-suited to the current climate, and what's expected.
The plants in each garden were chosen to ensure year-round foliage, with a variety of colors and heights. Each garden has its own variables — different soil needs, available space, sunlight, and more — so this is less of a prescription, and more of a vision for what's possible.
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Meadow garden
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Common Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Foxglove beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Smooth Blue Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
Bergamot (Beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa
Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
Eastern Purple Coneflower
Echinacea
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
8
10
11
2
1
7
4
9
3
5
6
Common Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Bergamot (Beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa
1
7
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
2
8
Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
Smooth Blue Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
3
9
Foxglove beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa
4
10
Eastern Purple Coneflower
Echinacea
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
5
11
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
6
8
10
11
2
1
7
4
9
3
5
6
Common Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Bergamot (Beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa
1
7
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
2
8
Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
Smooth Blue Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
3
9
Foxglove beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa
4
10
Eastern Purple Coneflower
Echinacea
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
5
11
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
6
SOURCE: Climate-Smart Gardening 2.0; CREDIT: Lily Cowper/Globe staff
'Meadowscaping' is the practice of turning your lawn into a meadow, which is the route
Allen chose for her property. Meadow gardens usually include a mix of grasses, herbs, and wildflowers.
There are many reasons to choose this style, from the practical (meadows are less expensive to maintain than lawns, and require less water and energy) to the ecological (they encourage biodiversity, can sequester more planet-warming emissions, and appeal to pollinators).
They are best for large, sunny yards, since meadow plants tend to prefer full sun. Still, there are plenty of native and near-native herbs that do well in shade; you can use the Climate-Smart plant database to plan accordingly.
It takes some time for the plants to spread and develop, so don't be discouraged if your meadow isn't what you imagined at first.
We modeled our meadow off the plants Allen used, including a few near-natives such as lanceleaf coreopsis, a yellow flower that readily spreads, and eastern purple coneflower, an echinacea plant with lavender flowers.
Pollinator garden
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Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Fall Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
Bergamot (Beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa
Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Blue Mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum
Mexican hat
Ratibida columnifera
2
7
1
4
3
8
6
5
Fall Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa
1
5
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Blue Mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum
2
6
Bergamot (Beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
3
7
Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
Mexican hat
Ratibida columnifera
4
8
2
7
1
4
3
8
6
5
Fall Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa
1
5
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Blue Mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum
2
6
Bergamot (Beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
3
7
Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
Mexican hat
Ratibida columnifera
4
8
SOURCE: Climate-Smart Gardening 2.0; CREDIT: Lily Cowper/Globe staff
Pollinators such as honeybees, butterflies, birds, and bats play a critical role in our ecosystem, supporting three-quarters of the world's flowering plants and more than a third of the world's food crops,
Our pollinator garden includes plants that were flagged in the database as attractive to a large number of pollinators, and that bloom across seasons, ensuring species have adequate food when they emerge from and prepare for winter hibernation.
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Our garden also includes a few near-native plants, such as sweet azalea and blue mistflower, both known for attracting native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Pollinator gardens aren't just for bugs; the Climate-Smart plant database also denotes whether the plant supports birds, mammals, and amphibians, which also help maintain a healthy local ecosystem.
Rain garden
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Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
Fewflower Milkweed
Asclepias lanceolata
Wax Myrtle
Myrica cerifera
Swamp Rose
Rosa palustris
Slender Blue Iris
Iris prismatica
Bog Rosemary
Andromeda polifolia
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Giant Goldenrod
Solidago gigantea
Crimson-eyed Rose-mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
Steeplebush
Spiraea tomentosa
11
1
12
3
2
5
10
4
9
7
6
8
Wax Myrtle
Myrica cerifera
Crimson-eyed Rose-mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
1
7
Bog Rosemary
Andromeda polifolia
Steeplebush
Spiraea tomentosa
2
8
Swamp Rose
Rosa palustris
Giant Goldenrod
Solidago gigantea
3
9
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Slender Blue Iris
Iris prismatica
4
10
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
5
11
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Fewflower Milkweed
Asclepias lanceolata
6
12
11
1
12
3
2
5
10
4
9
7
6
8
Wax Myrtle
Myrica cerifera
Crimson-eyed Rose-mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
1
7
Bog Rosemary
Andromeda polifolia
Steeplebush
Spiraea tomentosa
2
8
Swamp Rose
Rosa palustris
Giant Goldenrod
Solidago gigantea
3
9
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Slender Blue Iris
Iris prismatica
4
10
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
5
11
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Fewflower Milkweed
Asclepias lanceolata
6
12
SOURCE: Climate-Smart Gardening 2.0; CREDIT: Lily Cowper/Globe staff
Rain gardens are designed to temporarily catch and absorb runoff from roofs, driveways, patios, or lawns. This practice is also called bioretention and has inspired so-called 'sponge cities,' a planning technique that aims to reduce urban flooding by redirecting runoff into small 'sponge parks' that will catch, store, and even clean water for reuse.
To make your own personal sponge park,
For our garden, we chose a mix of plants that prefer medium- to wet-moisture levels, as well as some that can tolerate both dry and wet. Using grasses like Pennsylvania sedge as ground cover to help the soil better absorb rain, along with a combination of plants of different heights and light preferences, can make for a hearty garden.
Our rain garden includes a few near-native species, such as wax myrtle, an evergreen shrub or tree, and few-flower milkweed, which can grow between 3- to 5-feet tall and blooms with red-orange flowers in summer.
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Small, shady garden
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Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Witch-hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Dwarf Crested Iris
Iris cristata
Creeping Phlox
Phlox stolonifera
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Feathery False
Lily-of-the-Valley
Maianthemum racemosum
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Eastern Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Fringed Bleedinghearts
Dicentra eximia
Jacob's Ladder
Polemonium reptans
1
4
2
6
10
3
11
9
5
8
7
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
1
7
Jacob's Ladder
Polemonium reptans
Dwarf Crested Iris
Iris cristata
2
8
Eastern Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
3
9
Creeping Phlox
Phlox stolonifera
Witch-hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
4
10
Feathery False
Lily-of-the-Valley
Maianthemum racemosum
Fringed Bleedinghearts
Dicentra eximia
5
11
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
6
1
4
2
6
10
3
11
9
5
8
7
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
1
7
Jacob's Ladder
Polemonium reptans
Dwarf Crested Iris
Iris cristata
2
8
Eastern Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
3
9
Creeping Phlox
Phlox stolonifera
Witch-hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
4
10
Feathery False
Lily-of-the-Valley
Maianthemum racemosum
Fringed Bleedinghearts
Dicentra eximia
5
11
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
6
SOURCE: Climate-Smart Gardening 2.0; CREDIT: Lily Cowper/Globe staff
Not every space is ideal. So, what if you don't have much room, and it's mostly shady?
For this, we chose plants that are
not considered aggressive, don't grow too tall, and can tolerate a good deal of shade. We've got a mix of native and near-native species, including dwarf crested iris (a groundcover with purple flowers) and fringed bleedinghearts (a compact, bushy perennial with tell-tale pink heart-shaped flowers).
Urban gardeners can also make use of fences, shade structures, and walls by growing colorful vines such as coral honeysuckle or wisteria, though keep in mind that most vines prefer full sun.
The table below shows some columns from the Climate-Smart Northeast Plant list, but you can download a full version of the table
Sabrina Shankman can be reached at