April 24, 2025 The Beacon • 29
Did you know that April is Ohio Native Plant Month?
Hello, Coshocton County. It has been exciting to see the world blossom earlier this month with the warmer temperatures, and it looks like we are going to see more of that kind of weather as we close out the month of April.
April also is a special month for Ohio, as it is Ohio Native Plant Month. On July 18, 2019, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law designating April as Ohio Native Plant Month. This made Ohio the first state in the country to have a law recognizing the importance of native plants for an entire month. Today I would like to highlight some of those native plants that are so important to Ohio.
First up, and one of my favorites, is black-eyed Susans. This flower can be easily distinguished by
its almost black centers and bright-yellow daisylike petals. They typically bloom profusely between June and October. One warning is this flower can become invasive to the rest of your garden and crowd other flowers. They abundantly reseed themselves, which makes this flower perfect for gardeners who do not want to plant year after year.
Some management tips are to keep the plants well-spaced and weed free. Planting them in a sunny location can help with photosynthetic health and dry out moisture to prevent fungal growth. Finally, it is recommended
to divide black-eyed Susans every three to four years for healthy plants and to prevent spreading.
Some fun facts are black-eyed Susans are pioneer plants, which means they are the first plants to grow in an area that has been damaged by fire or other natural disasters. They also make wonderful cut flowers because they last six to 10 days. They also are the plant host of the silvery checkerspot butterfly caterpillar.
A common native plant that can be seen everywhere is the tall ironweed. Tall ironweed is an upright perennial wildflower with a dark-red stem that grows over 7 feet tall. It is widely branched at the top with clusters of purple disk flowers. Ironweed blossoms appear from midsummer to fall and attract all kinds of butterflies.
It is important to water ironweed while it is being established to ensure it retains moisture. Because they are so tall, it is recommended to plant ironweed at the rear of gardens or flowers or other locations where they don’ t overshadow other plants. Finally, to keep them shorter, you can cut the stems in half during early summer.
The wild strawberry is another common native plant that is a perennial characterized by its short, woody stems that end with three toothed leaflets. Its clustered, white, fivepetaled flowers bloom from April to June and then produce strawberries that are often smaller but more flavorful than the usual commercial strawberry.
The wild strawberry has been around for thousands of years, growing in both Europe and America. The
ancient Romans used it for medical purposes, and the Native Americans used them to make strawberry bread. Today, the average American eats about 3 1 / 2 pounds of strawberries per year.
To manage the wild strawberry plant, it is important to plant it in the light and well-drained soil with good air circulation to prevent strawberry leaf spot disease. If you happen to spot this disease on your wild strawberry plants, make sure to remove the older or infected leaves before planting new plants.
There are so many more Ohio native plants to celebrate before April is over. To learn more about other Ohio native plants, check out the native plants page on the Department of Plant Pathology website at plantpath. osu. edu / nativeplants. While I just covered plants and flowers today, you can check out OSU Extensions Ohio native shrubs fact sheet at ohioline. osu. edu / factsheet / hyg-5813 and Ohio native trees fact sheet at ohioline. osu. edu / factsheet / hyg-5815.
Brett Kinzel is the extension educator of agriculture and natural resources for Ohio State University Extension Coshocton County.
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