The Veteran Memorials Circle
Phase II is in the Works
Phase II site plan for the new Veteran Memorials Circle native plant garden
With Phase I Planted, We’re on to Phase II
The Garden Club of Yorktown has put forward a rejuvenation plan that has been sectioned out into three phases and will take several years to complete for both financial and logistical reasons. The Phase I plan involving the main park circle was planted in the fall of 2024 with native plants that are sun-loving, drought-tolerant and beneficial to pollinators and birds. More about Phase I can be found here: https://www.gardenclubofyorktown.org/vmc-garden-details.
Phase II will protect the plants that are in the circle beds and remedy the erosion problem on the embankment that surrounds half of the circle. Native plants with erosion control characteristics along with drought and salt tolerance (for when paths are salted in winter) will be planted to stabilize the steep slope and act as an attractive backdrop to the circle garden.
We are now working to start Phase II of our project. Plants need to be ordered and we need funds to do that. Will you support us?
With your support, Phase II of the VMC Native Garden project is critical to complete the garden and will be a low-maintenance solution to a steep slope that abuts the circle. But we need donation funding to purchase the plants for Phase II of our plan. Below is a list of the native plants for Phase II of our garden design with short descriptions to give you an idea of what’s been planned. Will you continue to help make the new Veteran Memorials Circle Native Plant Garden possible and sponsor the plants seen below? Please consider sponsoring any of the plants existing or planned for the new garden.
Amsonia hubrichii (Threadleaf Bluestar).
This amazing, drought-tolerant perennial sways with the wind like a grass. Blue flowers top feathery stalks April – May.
Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’ (Big Bluestem). Tall, native grass with amazing dark purple stems that arise through the summer. Blooms in September.
Baptisia alba ‘Vanilla Cream’ (White False Indigo). A tall, drought-tolerant perennial with white blooms on tall spires. Blooms June – August. Pollinators love these flowers.
Coreopsis verticilla 'Moonbeam' (Tickseed). Compact, airy mounds of thread-like, ferny foliage blanket gardens with creamy yellow flowers. Blooms June – August.
Diervilla sessilifolia ‘Cool Splash’ (Bush Honeysuckle). Small hedge, shrub borders and foundations. Naturalize in woodland garden or on slopes. Showy, fragrant flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Good stabilizing plant on a slope. Blooms June-July.
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower). A native favorite, this drought-tolerant perennial blooms June – August. Pollinators love these flowers.
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Bar Harbor' (Creeping Juniper). Evergreen groundcover shrub that provides cover for wildlife. Great for erosion control and tricky slopes.
Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' (Bee Balm). Bright red flowers and minty fragrance attracts bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Blooms July – August
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ (Red Tip Switchgrass). Tall native grass with bluish-green stems rapidly turning burgundy red. Finely textured reddish-pink panicles hover like an airy cloud. Blooms from July to December.
Penstemon digitalis ‘Dark Towers’ (Beardtongue). Pink-tinted, white, bell-shaped flowers rise above red-leaved foliage. Blooms May -June.
Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Blue' (Creeping Phlox). This early spring bloomer makes a great groundcover in dry areas of the garden. Blooms April – May.
Potentilla fruticosa ‘Goldfinger’ (Cinquefoil). A compact, native shrub great in the landscape for its outstanding flower display. Blooms June – September.
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Glitters Like Gold’ (Black-Eyed Susan). This stunning native perennial boasts vibrant golden-yellow flowers with dark brown centers. Attracts a variety of pollinators and resists deer. Blooms July – September.
Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues' (Little Bluestem). Another variety of our little native grass. Blue-green blades add color and texture to a perennial garden.
Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation' (Little Bluestem). This native grass is a great low-growing grass that positively glows with multiple fall colors.
Spirea tomentosa ‘Steeplebush’ Small shrub with large, showy flowers and fall color. Great for erosion control. Blooms July – September.
Symphyotrichum ericoides ‘Snow Flurry’ (Aromatic Aster). This prolific variety of Aster makes a great groundcover and is carpeted with blooms in September – October. Pollinators love these flowers late in the season.