Here are four ornamental ground covers that are laden with colorful berrries in the winter landscape. Two (partridgeberry and wintergreen) grow best in a partial shade woodland environment and two (coralberry and cotoneaster) prefer sunny environs. Berries offer tasty winter food for wildlife such as pheasant, grouse, squirrels and deer. Cut stems loaded with berries […]
Archive for the ‘Native Plant’ Category
Fire Chief™ Arborvitae
Fire Chief™ Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Congabe’) is a compact, globe-shaped evergreen that grows 3-5 foot high and wide (in 10 years) (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). It is at its best in full to partial sunlight. Its soft scale-like foliage changes color seasonally. New spring growth emerges orangey-red, turns bright green in summer, and develops a […]
Deciduous Holly For The Fall/Winter Landscape
While deciduous hollies (Ilex spp.) are well known among home gardeners, surprisingly few plant them (USDA hardiness zones 3-9 variable by species). In the fall, their branches and twigs are covered in bright red berries. Orange and yellow berried varieties are additional choices. Birds love them, too. Deciduous hollies do not have prickly leaves like […]
Shumard Oak
Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii) is stately landscape tree in the red or black oak group (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). The species is native to moist bottomlands and slopes of the southeastern U.S. Typically, Shumard grows at a moderately fast rate to a height of 40-60 feet (30-40 feet wide) in the landscape. It has a […]
Fall Color Of Ornamental Grasses
Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergeri capillaris) grows 3-4 feet with blemish-free green foliage all summer long. By early fall, its bright colored floral seed heads (inflorescenses) are showing up, which gives Muhly its decorative look. ‘Pink Muhly’ tends to grow floppy and struts pink-hued inflorescenses that shimmer in a breeze. ‘White Cloud’ is a white flowering form […]
Blackgum (Tupelo) – Fall Leaf Color And Fruit Attract Birds And Other Wildlife
Black tupelo, blackgum, or sourgum tree (Nyssa sylvatica), its three common regional names, is native to Eastern North America from the New England states, down south into Florida, and as far west as Eastern Texas (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Mature blackgums reach heights of 60 feet and taller and 20 – 25 feet width that […]
Choices Of Inkberry Hollies
Inkberry holly (Ilex glabra), also called gallberry, is a slow-growing broadleaf evergreen shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). Inkberry grows 5 to 8 feet tall. In the wild, it spreads in the ground via root suckers to form colonies. The species is native from coastal Canada to Florida, west to Louisiana at home in sandy woodlands and […]