Plant Identification and benefits

Question: Hello,
I have three plants that I need help identifying, and also finding the benefits.  I love the plant material that the previous homeowner installed, however, I want to make sure that the plant is beneficial.  I really would like to stick to the natives, too.  Can you help me identify, and give me a little background on each plant? And if bees and birds benefit at all?
Thank you,
Eric

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 17, 2023, 11:57 AM EDT
response: Hi Eric,  Not to be repetitive, but unfortunately the phots are a bit small for us to clearly see the plant characteristics for an ID. Are you able to send more that are either larger file sizes or more close-up shots?  The first plant we can't identify yet, but once we can see the foliage more clearly we'll try again. The second appears to be Vinca minor (Periwinkle is a typical common name) and it's widely grown as an evergreen groundcover. That said, it is invasive and has been found in park lands and other natural areas (see linked page), competing with forest-floor wildflowers and providing little wildlife value. We discourage gardeners from planting it and, if you're willing, recommend it be removed and replaced with a different species. (A native species is ideal, but non-invasive would suffice.) Which species to consider as a replacement will depend on both the site conditions (summer sun exposure, soil drainage, deer issues, etc.) and also your desired traits (seasonal flowers, evergreen, mature size, etc.).  The shrub in the third photo appears to be a variegated cultivar of Japanese Euonymus (Euonymus japonicus, possibly variety 'Silver King'). While this species of Euonymus doesn't yet spread from seed in our area, other non-native Euonymus can. We do have one or two species of native Euonymus, but they have a different look and are not evergreen, and unfortunately are rarely grown so can be hard to find at nurseries. Both are routinely eaten by deer. It has very little wildlife value and would also ideally best be replaced by another species if you are open to replacing it. Honeybees might visit its flowers (though they'd only bloom if not pruned regularly) but honeybees are non-native in North America and don't need our support in terms of pollinator resources (they compete with some of our native bees). Flies have been observed visiting Euonymus blooms (and they can be valued pollinators in their own right) but it's not really going to benefit the majority (or any) of our local native bee species. Birds might nest in its dense evergreen branches, but it won't provide them with food aside from perhaps berries, and in the case of non-native plants, we don't want to encourage them to produce fruits for wildlife since this is one way these species spread into natural areas (being deposited in bird droppings, etc.).  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 23, 2023, 8:09 AM EDT
response: Hi Miri,     Thank you for giving me this valuable information.  I will look into replacing the vinca minor plant quickly.  This might be a silly question, but how do I determine the amount of light, whether heavy or dark? Obviously, I know the shrub on this email has full sun because it is out in the middle of my front yard.  But if I have plants next to my house, how much light is enough light to be considered full shade/shade?    I have attached better pictures, starting with the right side of the garden (vinca).                                Thanks again,    Eric

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 24, 2023, 5:03 PM EDT
response: Thank you for the additional pictures. Sun exposure level is a sliding scale but generally "full sun" is considered 6 to 8 (or more) hours of direct sun in summer (when tree leaves are out fully and blocking as much light as they are going to block). "Mostly shade" is somewhere around 3 hours or so of direct light or less, and part-sun/part-shade is everything in between. Some plants are adaptable to a wider range of sunlight levels than others, though for the species tolerant of a range in light, usually more sun equals more blooms and (where applicable) better fall foliage colors. None of our garden plants really prefer full/total shade (no direct sun), though some tolerate it quite well, especially if not a flowering plant (like ferns, for instance). "Bright indirect" light or "bright shade" when referring to outdoor light can occur in places like shaded garden beds shielded from direct sun by a house shadow but which are not in the deeper, darker shade of the canopy of a low-branched, dense-canopy shade tree. (Or the shade of both a tree and house shadows.) In other words, bright shade is somewhat still bright ambient light but not an area which is receiving much, if any, direct or dappled sun. Areas where too little direct sun greatly limits the number of flowering plants can still be made visually interesting by planting with contrasting foliage colors and textures (ferny soft-textured leaves next to bold or grassy leaves, green leaves next to bluish or golden-yellow or white-edged leaves, etc.).  The Vinca has a little bit of Wild Violet (Viola sororia, probably, which is native) amid the planting that would be good to keep, but it is so common that it can be allowed to seed back in later if desired since removing the Vinca effectively may take it out as well.  The other plant we're not certain of the ID, but it resembles one of the non-native daisies; possibly Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum) as they have scalloped-edged, waxy/glossy foliage like this. It will be easier to ID once in bloom, which in the case of Shasta Daisy would occur in summer. If you with to replace it as a (likely) non-native, other native members of the aster/daisy family (Asteraceae, botanically) are of high value to pollinators.  Miri