Fall in a Native Plant Arboretum

A collection of rare native plants celebrates the changing seasons

Anna Norton sent in these photos from the Southern Highlands Reserve , where she works , along with this verbal description of the place from its website :

Southern Highlands Reserve is a native plant arboretum and research heart dedicate to sustaining the natural ecosystems of the Blue Ridge Mountains through the conservation , cultivation and display of plants native to the region and by advocating for their value through education , return and inquiry . Located in Western North Carolina at an elevation of 4500 foot , the varied topography and forest types find on our 120 acres allow us to emulate many of the plant community bump in the gamey reaches of the Southern Appalachians . Southern Highlands Reserve has been capably describe by some as “ the largest and most diverse collection of native southerly Appalachian plants and their cultivars . ”

These high - peak forests are home to rare ecotones that provide unique chance for education and research . The Reserve ’s gardens are wangle to illustrate how thoughtful purpose combined with a vivacious array of native plants can showcase our eminent lift microclimate . Each garden room is designed to evoke an aroused experience , fostering a human connection with the plants , animals and environment surrounding us . We trust our visitors experience the gardens as a position to reconnect with nature and reflect upon their part in the grand aim .

A view of Vaseyi pond at the Reserve in fall .

A mature stand of mountain Arthur Stanley Jefferson Laurel ( Kalmia latifolia , Zones 5–9 ) . flock laurels are easily known for their showy leap flowers , but the stringy shorts of mature plant have a particular beauty all their own .

A routine of fall - foliage color on a bottom of lush mosses .

The fuzzy white ball flowers of buttonbush ( Cephelanthus occidentalis , Zones 4–10 ) are a pretty lineament of mid to belated summertime .

You do n’t often imagine of fern when it descend to fall color , but these cinnamon ferns ( Osmonda cinnamomea , Zones 4–8 ) turn an attractive fortunate - John Brown before going hibernating .

Come spring , creeping phlox(Phlox stonolifera‘Home Fires ’ , Zones 5–8 ) will wreak bright flowers to the shade .

Indian ghost pipe ( Monotropa uniflora ) has no chlorophyll , because rather of photosynthesizing to make nutrient , it lives as a parasite on fungi live in the woodland soil . The only prison term this strange native plant life shows itself above land at all is when the spooky blanched flowers bloom in summer .

Indian cucumber root ( Medeola virginiana , Zones 3–8 ) has small , light-green flowers in the spring that are followed by pretty glossy black berry in the tumble .

A view from the Reserve at the beautiful landscape around it .

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