Betula papyrifera

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 1
Common Name: Paper Birch, Canoe Birch, White Birch
Growth Habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)
Description: Betula papyrifera, or Paper Birch, is a loosely pyramidal tree when young changing to irregular oval to rounded with age: It usually retains low branches and can be single or multi-stemmed. It can be trained to be multi-trunked (which tends to produce a shorter tree with an irregular crown) or single trunked (which is taller with a rounded crown). It is easy to transplant and casts a light shade. This tree is noted for its white bark, which exfoliates in papery strips to reveal an orange-brown inner bark. Mature trees develop black markings on the white bark. However, it is not pollution tolerant, has shallow roots, and tends to be short-lived in warmer climates.

Dimensions

Height: 50 - 70 ft
Width: 25 - 45 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist
pH Range: 4.2 - 7.4
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a - 7a

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow
Bloom Color: Brown/Copper, Green
Bloom Period: 4 - 4
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: The use of the bark for making birch bark canoes is well known. Also used for baskets and medicinal purposes.
Landscape Value: Use as a tree for dappled shade and as a specimen tree for year round interest.

Wildlife Value

This plant is a larval host plant for the lunar moth. This plant also supports the larvae of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilo glaucus). They have three flights from February-November in the deep south and March-September in the north. The adult Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies feed on milkweed, joe pye weed, wild cherry, and lilac.

Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 2
Common Name: Sweetspire, Sweet Spire, Tassel-White, Virginian Willow, Virginia Sweetspire, Virginia Willow
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N)
Description: ‘Henry’s Garnet’, or Virginia Sweetspire, is a cultivar of Itea virginica. It is an attractive, decidous to semi-evergreen shrub with showy fragrant flowers and good fall leaf color, showing the fall colors up to the beginning of winter. This plant can be used in many places in the garden including around a pond since it does not mind wet soil as long as the soil is well-drained. The parent species, I. virginica, is rarely sold commercially and is OBL, but this cultivar ‘Henry’s Garnet’ can be easier to find and tolerates a wider range of soil types. In addition, ‘Henry’s Garnet’ has larger flowers and better fall color than the parent species.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 5 ft
Width: 4 - 6 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (silt), Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally wet
pH Range: 4 - 8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Brown/Copper, Gold/Yellow, Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow, Orange, Red/Burgundy
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: 3 - 6
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: It can form dense colonies by root suckering and can be used for erosion control in wet areas or on wet banks. Also, good aesthetics for speciman, borders, hedges, or shrub massings.

Wildlife Value

Flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators. Seeds are eaten by songbirds.

Cephalanthus occidentalis ‘Sugar Shack’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 3
Common Name: Buttonbush
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: Cephalanthus occidentalis, commonly called buttonbush, is a somewhat coarse, deciduous shrub with an open-rounded habit that typically grows 6-12’ (infrequently to 20’) tall. It is common throughout the eastern United States, most frequently occurring in wet open areas, low woods, thickets, swamps, upland sink-hole ponds, river bottomland and stream/pond margins. Tiny, tubular, 5-lobed, fragrant white flowers appear in dense, spherical, long-stalked flower heads (to 1.5” diameter) in early to mid-summer. ‘SMCOSS’ is a compact, dwarf selection of buttonbush that features glossy foliage and globular heads of small, white flowers. Mature plants will reach up to 4’ tall and spread to fill a similar area. The flowerheads are 1” in diameter and bloom from early to mid summer. The blooms are followed by a red, spherical, compound fruit. The lightly fragrant flowers are highly attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insect pollinators. Commonly found in nurseries and garden centers sold under the name SUGAR SHACK.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 4 ft
Width: 3 - 4 ft

Wetland Status

Status: NA

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (silt), Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Frequent standing water, Moist, Occasionally dry, Occasionally wet
pH Range: 4.7 - 8.6
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: 6 - 7
Fruit Interest: Summer, Fall, Winter

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Woodland garden margins, native plant gardens, rain or water garden, around a pond or along streams and boggy areas with poor drainage or shrub borders.

Wildlife Value

Flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies including eastern tiger swallowtails, and bees. Songbirds and waterfowl eat seeds. This plant provides nectar for pollinators.

Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Nugget’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 4
Common Name: Ninebark, Nugget ninebark
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: This shrub features bright, bold color making it a fine accent plant, especially when planted among darker leaved specimens. Brilliant foliage emerges a deep golden-yellow before mellowing to lime-green. Bright-white flower clusters in summer only add to its luminousness. The leaves return to yellow when fall arrives, dropping to reveal cinnamon colored peeling bark. This choice cultivar was selected by South Dakota State University for its superior, densely-compact 5’ habit.

Dimensions

Height: 4 - 5 ft
Width: 3 - 4 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACW

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Occasional flooding, Occasionally wet
pH Range: 4.5 - 6.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall, Spring, Summer
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow, Green
Fall Leaf Color: Brown/Copper, Gold/Yellow
Bloom Color: Pink, White
Bloom Period: 5 - 6
Fruit Interest: Fall, Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Autumn Color, Bark Interest, Butterfly, Foliage Interest, Hedges

Wildlife Value

Attracts birds and bees

Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 5
Common Name: Northern white cedar
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: A narrow, pyramidal evergreen with dense, emerald green foliage that holds its color throughout winter. Thrives in the heat and humidity of the south, and tolerates dry spells when established. One of the most popular and effective shrubs for screening or tall hedge use. An ideal specimen for topiary.

Dimensions

Height: 12 - 15 ft
Width: 3 - 4 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACW

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt)
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 6 - 8.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 8a

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: No
Bloom Period: NA - NA
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: The rich green of its foliage and handsome, narrow form make this conifer an excellent choice to plant in a row as a formal screen. Leave it unpruned for the full effect of its stately form.

Wildlife Value

Malus ‘Molazam’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 6
Common Name: Molten lava flowering crabapple
Growth Habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: Molten Lava’ flowers deep red in bud opening to single white with red-orange fruit staying on until early December on a wide-spreading weeper 15 foot by 12 foot tall tree bark turning yellow in winter.

Dimensions

Height: 10 - 15 ft
Width: 10 - 12 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loamy (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist
pH Range: 5 - 6.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 8a

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: 4 - 5
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Ornamental trees suitable for urban environments

Wildlife Value

Fruits attract birds but it is not a favorite food source. 350 species of lepidoptera catepillars feed on this tree which is another food source for birds.

Viburnum trilobum ‘J.N. Select’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 7
Common Name: REDWING American cranberrybush viburnum
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: American cranberrybush viburnum was selected for its densely branched form, good growth rate and attractive, red-tinted new foliage. This shrub produces white flowers in May, followed by clusters of bright red fruit that persist into winter. The foliage turns a brilliant red in fall.

Dimensions

Height: 8 - 12 ft
Width: 6 - 8 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist
pH Range: 5.5 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a - 7b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow, Purple/Lavender, Red/Burgundy
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: 5 - 6
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Viburnums are a versatile genus of multi-stemmed shrubs that are well suited to the home landscape due to their range of sizes and cultural adaptability. Some viburnums are noted for their fragrant flowers; most bear small fruit that may add visual interest. Many viburnums have attractive fall color.

Wildlife Value

Fruits are eaten deer, moose, foxes, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, mice, rabbits, grouse, pheasants, robins, cedar waxwings, and other songbirds. They are not normally eaten by birds until after they have frozen and thawed several times.

Cenchrus alopecuroides

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 8
Common Name: Chinese Fountaingrass, Chinese Fountain Grass, Chinese Pennisetum, Fountaingrass, Fountain Grass
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: A popular garden grass, fountain grass is prized for its bottle-brush inflorescence and arching ‘fountain-like’ leaves. Growing approximately two to three feet in height, the species is most conspicuous when it blooms towards the end of the summer and fall, producing pinkish white to brown flowering spikes.

Dimensions

Height: 2 - 4 ft
Width: 2 - 4 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: NA
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist
pH Range: 5 - 7
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow, Green
Fall Leaf Color: Cream/Tan, Gold/Yellow
Bloom Color: Cream/Tan, Gray/Silver, Green, Pink, Purple/Lavender, White
Bloom Period: 7 - 9
Fruit Interest: Fall, Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Fountain Grass is a clumping herbaceous perennial utilized in massing, as a specimen plant, or in bed borders.

Wildlife Value

Attracts birds

Vitex agnus-castus ‘Abbeville Blue’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 9
Common Name: Chaste tree, Chasteberry, Chastetree, Lilac, chastetree, Monk’s Pepper, Texas lilac
Growth Habit: Shrub, Tree
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: The Chaste tree is a shrub or tree native to Europe and Asia that does best in hot weather. It is hardy in zones 7 to 8. It can be severely pruned to the ground in cooler climates and will usually regrow. It can suffer winter dieback or will die to the ground in USDA Zones 5 and 6; however, the roots often survive and push up several feet of new growth the following year. Pruning can be done in early spring as flowering occurs on new wood. Due to this trait, dieback will not affect flowering. Prune faded flowers to promote continuous flowering. Flowering will be more spectacular if the plant is heavily pruned after blooming.

Dimensions

Height: 10 - 20 ft
Width: 5 - 20 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 6 - 8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Spring, Summer
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Gray/Silver, Green
Fall Leaf Color: NA
Bloom Color: Spring, Summer
Bloom Period: 4 - 8
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Essential oils have been found in the fruits and in the leaves. It has been used as an insect repellent.
Landscape Value: The Chaste tree is great for the home landscape provided it has plenty of room to grow. The unique foliage and flowers will add interest to the home garden. This plant has the potential to become invasive, especially in southern areas of the country. Its dry fruit can be a litter issue.

Wildlife Value

Resistant to deer. Attracts birds, butterflies and bees which use the flowers to produce honey.

Chaenomeles × superba ‘Cameo’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 10
Common Name: Flowering quince
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perinneal
Native Status: Not native
Description: It is a dense, broad-rounded, deciduous shrub with often-tangled, spiny-tipped twigs. It typically grows to 3-4’ tall and to 4-5’ wide. Flowers (to 2” diameter) bloom, often in profusion, before the leaves fully unfold in an early spring bloom. Flowers are followed by hard, yellowish-green fruits (2.5” quinces) that may acquire red tinges as they mature in autumn. Quinces are edible, but usually are considered too bitter to be eaten directly from the shrub. Quinces are sometimes used in preserves and jellies. Oval to oblong, glossy dark green leaves (to 3.5” long). No fall color. ‘Cameo’ is noted for its double peach-pink flowers and compact shape.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 4 ft
Width: 4 - 5 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Silt loam, Loam, Clay, Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 6 - 8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Pink, Peach
Bloom Period: 3 - 4
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Hedge, screen, barrier. Specimen or group in shrub border or cottage garden. Branches may be clipped and forced for winter bloom.

Wildlife Value

Bees are attracted to the flowers

Diospyros virginiana

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 11
Common Name: Common Persimmon, Eastern Persimmon, Possumwood, Date Plum, Winter Plum, Jove’s Fruit
Growth Habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N)
Description: American persimmon is a woody, deciduous tree. It is native to the central and eastern United States and can reach 30 to 80 feet high and 20 to 35 feet wide. Persimmons are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees, and you need both in order to get fruit. The persimmon flowers in spring to early summer and produces fruits in the fall. The fruits are very sweet when ripe and are a food source for many birds and mammals. The fruit has a distinctive beak at the base of the fruit.

Dimensions

Height: 30 - 80 ft
Width: 20 - 35 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occassionaly dry
pH Range: 4.7 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow, Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow, Orange, Red/Burgunday
Bloom Color: Yellow, Green
Bloom Period: 3 - 66
Fruit Interest: Fall, Winter

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: The inner bark and unripe fruit has been used in the treatment of fevers, diarrhea, and hemorrhage, indelible ink made from fruit, flowers used for honey. The fruit was used for food and medicinal purposes by Native Americans. The heartwood is nearly black, extremely hard and is used to make golf club heads, billiard cues and shoe lasts.
Landscape Value: It can be grown as an ornamental or fruit tree in the home landscape, or in naturalized areas for wildlife. Thus, it can be placed in many types of gardens: a butterfly, children’s, native, nighttime, pollinator, or rain garden. With spectacular autumn foliage and fruit that extends the harvest late into the fall, they are an excellent addition to an edible landscape. Fruit can stay on the tree after the leaves have fallen unaffected by freezing temperatures, giving an attractive addition to a winter garden.

Wildlife Value

A larval host plant of the Luna moth and Hickory Horndevil (Citheronia regalis) larvae which have one brood and appear from May to mid-September. Adult Hickory Horndevil moths do not feed. The fruit of the persimmon is a food source for birds, small mammals, white-tailed deer, foxes, raccoons, and black bears. Deer browse the leaves and twigs.

Pinus strobus ‘Fastigiata’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 14
Common Name: Columnar eastern white pine
Growth Habit: Tree
Duration: Perinneal
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)
Description: Fastigiata’ is a small to medium sized, rapid-growing, cultivar with a narrow, upright, columnar habit. Typically grows 30-40’ tall, but only 10’ wide. Infrequently may reach 70’ tall. Noted for its columnar shape in which the branches all ascend upwards (fastigiate meaning erect branching). Shape broadens somewhat with age. Bluish-green needles are in bundles of 5. Light brown cones are attractive to birds.

Dimensions

Height: 30 - 40 ft
Width: 7 - 10 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: High organic matter, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 4 - 6.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Gold/Yellow, Green
Bloom Period: 4 - 5
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: This upright eastern white pine is effective in small groupings or as a specimen. Also may be planted as a screen. Narrow growth habit allows siting in smaller spaces with limited clearance.

Wildlife Value

This plant supports Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Its white pine seeds are favored by black bears, rabbits, red squirrels, and many birds. The bark is eaten by mammals such as beavers, porcupines, rabbits, and mice. The tree also serves as a shelter for many birds and small mammals.

Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 13
Common Name: Beautyberry
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: Purple beautyberry is a small, rounded, compact, deciduous, woody shrub with showy, ornamental fruits that may last long after the shrub has dropped its leaves for winter.

Dimensions

Height: 2 - 4 ft
Width: 2 - 4 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5.5 - 8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple/Lavender, White
Bloom Period: 6 - 8
Fruit Interest: Fall, Winter

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: When the shrub is planted in groups or masses, it improves cross-pollination and fruit production. The shrub attracts bees and butterflies for pollination. Birds and small mammals are attracted to the fruit, yet deer rarely bother this shrub. Since it is smaller, the purple beautyberry is a good specimen for a container or patio garden as well as a children’s garden or a cottage garden.

Wildlife Value

irds and small mammals are attracted to their fruits. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers for pollination.

Waldsteinia ternata

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 14
Common Name: Barren strawberry, Dry Strawberry, Yellow Strawberry
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perinneal
Native Status: No native
Description: Barren strawberry is a perennial from Europe and Asia that is primarily used as a ground cover. The leaves and flowers are strawberry-like but the fruit is inedible. It spreads by stolons and runners but spreads relatively slowly and is not considered aggressive. The yellow flowers appear in late spring to early summer. The foliage is evergreen in mild winter areas and forms a dense mat of glossy leaves. It can be divided in spring or early fall.

Dimensions

Height: 0.25 - 0.5 ft
Width: 0.5 - 1.5 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage
pH Range: 5.5 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall, Spring, Summer
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Gold/Yellow
Bloom Period: 4 - 6
Fruit Interest: Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Use as a groundcover or in the front of the border. Mass plant it along a rock wall, or use it along a pathway in an English or shade garden.

Wildlife Value

Polystichum acrostichoides

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 15
Common Name: Christmas fern
Growth Habit: Fern
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: Chistmas fern got its name because it stays green right through the holiday season. It is a robust, leathery fern which has glossy, green fronds year-round. The fronds grow in clusters from a crownless rootstock and range from 1-2 ft. in length. Fertile fronds are taller. The once-divided fronds with pointed pinnae result in a medium to coarse texture. The silvery fiddleheads emerge in early spring.

Dimensions

Height: 1 - 3 ft
Width: 1 - 3 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Loam (silt), Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist
pH Range: 6.5 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Color: Brown/Copper, Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: No
Bloom Period: NA - NA
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Native Americans used the Christmas fern as an antirheumatic, gastrointestinal aid, toothache remedy, and antidiarrheal.
Landscape Value: It provides winter cover near the ground for songbirds using parts and scale-like hairs in nest construction. In mass plantings, it makes an excellent plant to combat soil erosion on slopes.

Wildlife Value

It provides winter cover near the ground. White-tailed deer will occasionally browse this plant but not damage it. Songbirds use the parts and scale-like hairs in nest construction. Attracts Ruffed Grouse.

Quercus muehlenbergii

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 16
Common Name: Chinkapin Oak, Chinquapin Oak, Chestnut Oak, Yellow Chestnut Oak, Rock Chestnut Oak, Yellow Oak, Rock Oak
Growth Habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: A tree with light gray platy or scaly bark and smooth, gray twigs changing to brown on the current year’s leaf-bearing growth. Leaves up to 8 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide with their widest part nearer the apex than the base. Larger leaves broadly rounded from the widest part to the apex and tapered to the base, the smaller ones narrower, leaf margins shallowly lobed or coarsely toothed, each lobe or tooth with a minute tip; the upper surface smooth, with a sheen, the lower surface dull. Flowers inconspicuous in narrow clusters. Fruit an acorn up to 1 inch long and 3/4 inch wide.

Dimensions

Height: 40 - 60 ft
Width: 50 - 70 ft

Wetland Status

Status: UPL

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5 - 8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 7b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Gold/Yellow, Green, Red/Burgundy
Fall Leaf Color: Brown/Copper, Gold/Yellow
Bloom Color: Gold/Yellow
Bloom Period: 3 - 5
Fruit Interest: Fall, Brown/Copper

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Wood has many uses including barrels, fencing, crossties, fuel and occasionally furniture. Native americans also used infusions of the bark as an anti-vomiting medicine.
Landscape Value: This tree is not often used in cultivation and may be difficult to find, but would make a good shade or street tree.

Wildlife Value

Mildly resistant to deer. Many mammals and birds are attracted to the acorns. Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus), which have one flight from June-August everywhere but Florida where they emerge April-May. Edward’s Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii), has one flight from May-July in the south and June-July in the north. Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), has three to four flights in the south from February-November and two flights in the north from May-September. White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album) has three broods in the north from February-October. Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) has three broods in Texas and the deep south from January-November, and two broods in the north from April-September. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) has one brood from April-June, appearing as early as January in Florida.

Sorbus alnifolia

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 17
Common Name: Korean mountain ash, Mountain ash
Growth Habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: Sorbus alnifolia, or Mountain Ash, is a moderate to fast growing flowering tree that begins as pyramid-shaped but matures to a more rounded appearance. Mountain Ash, is noted for its attractive form, creamy white flowers, simple beach-like leaves, red fall fruit and good fall color. Golden orange fall color can be outstanding

Dimensions

Height: 30 - 50 ft
Width: 20 - 30 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist
pH Range: 4.5 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: Brown/Copper, Orange
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: 5 - 5
Fruit Interest: Fall, Orange, Red/Burgundy

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: The Mountain ash is best used for a winter garden or for the aesthetic bloom quality.

Wildlife Value

Attracts birds.

Thymus praecox

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 18
Common Name: Creeping Thyme, Mother of Thyme, Woolly Thyme
Growth Habit: Forb, Sub-shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: Creeping thyme is a low-growing, creeping, woody-based perennial. Its leaves are hairy, ovate, and bluish-green. It has a spicy fragrance. it has tiny tubular pinkish-purple flower, depending on the cultivar. It has hairy, creeping, horizontal stems.

Dimensions

Height: 0.25 - 0.5 ft
Width: 0.25 - 1 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 6.5 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Summer, Fragrant
Leaf Retention: Broadleaf evergreen
Leaf Color: Blue, Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple/Lavender
Bloom Period: 6 - 9
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Creeping thyme has a spicy fragrance, making it an excellent choice for a sensory garden. It may be used as a lawn substitute or to fill in between pavers. Although it is a member of the thyme family, it is rarely used as a culinary herb. It attracts bees and butterflies and is deer and rabbit-resistant. It may be used as a container plant, ground cover, or as a border for patios or sidewalks. The spreading form sprawls easily over rocks and ledges or can cover a dry bank.

Wildlife Value

The nectar from flowers attracts bees and butterflies.

Neillia incisa ‘Crispa’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 20
Common Name: Cutleaf Stephanandra, Lace Shrub
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: Not native
Description: Neillia incisa, or Lace Shrub, is a perennial, deciduous shrub with a dense, wide-spreading crown that matures to a 6-foot by 9-foot plant.

Dimensions

Height: 4 - 7 ft
Width: 4 - 9 ft

Wetland Status

Status: Not classified

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist
pH Range: 5.6 - 6.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 7b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green, Brown/Copper, Red/Burgandy
Fall Leaf Color: Orange, Purple/Lavender, Red/Burgundy
Bloom Color: Gold/Yellow, White
Bloom Period: 4 - 5
Fruit Interest: Fall, Brown/Copper

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: The cultivar, Crispa, is probably the most common of the species in commerce. It is noted for its tough constitution and utility. It differs from the species with its dissected, crinkly foliage and low-spreading groundcover habit. The thin, dense stems spread over the ground in a tangle to only 3 feet tall and much wider. The plant becomes slightly mounded in the middle, but prostrate at the extremities. It may be used as a groundcover, foundation shrub or as draped shrub over a wall or raised bed.

Wildlife Value

Prunus virginiana ‘Canada Red’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 22
Common Name: Chokecherry, Common Chokecherry, Choke Cherry
Growth Habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), AK (I), CAN (N), SPM (N)
Description: A large, deciduous shrub or small understory tree, choke cherry grows 20-30 ft. tall and often forms thickets. Dense clusters of white flowers are followed by red fruit ripening to dark purple from August to September (north) or June to August (south). Shrub or small tree, often forming dense thickets, with dark red or blackish chokecherries.

Dimensions

Height: 20 - 30 ft
Width: 18 - 25 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: NA
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dryGood drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 6.8 - 7.2
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a - 6b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: 4 - 7
Fruit Interest: Late summer, Red/Burgundy

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Native peoples and settlers used chokecherry bark and roots to make sedatives, blood-fortifying tonics, appetite stimulants and medicinal teas for treating coughs, tuberculosis, malaria, stomachaches and intestinal worms. (Kershaw)
Landscape Value: An important plant for wildlife. The fruits, leaves, seeds, and twigs are used by animals both large and small. Large animals including bear, moose, coyotes, bighorn sheep browse the foliage. Birds eat the fruits, while chipmunks, mice, and squirrels eat the seeds. It is also a host plant for many insects that can destroy the foliage, wood, sap, flowers, and fruit while feeding

Wildlife Value

This is a larval host plant to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). You may see three flights from February-November in the deep south and two flights from May-September in the north. Large and small animals browse the foliage. Birds eat the fruits and gather twigs and foliage for nexting.

Aronia melanocarpa ‘Morton’

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 22
Common Name: Black chokeberry, Black berried aronia
Growth Habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: A small, mound-shaped shrub with slender, multiple stems and reddish-brown bark. Glossy, dark green foliage turns crimson-red in fall. Flat-topped clusters of white, five-petaled flowers with pink anthers are followed by persistent, blackish-purple fruit. 3-6 ft. tall. However, the Morton cultivar is a dwarf and more minor.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 3 ft
Width: 3 - 6 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (silt), Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry, Occasionally wet
pH Range: 4.4 - 6.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green, Gold/Yellow
Fall Leaf Color: Red/Burgundy
Bloom Color: Pink, White
Bloom Period: 3 - 6
Fruit Interest: Fall, Black, Purple/Lavender

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Design uses of the black chokeberry include: naturalized plantings, pond edges, riparian areas, and woodland gardens. Great for rain gardens, edible, native gardens, and pollinator gardens. They can be used for masses, borders,and hedges.

Wildlife Value

Fruits attract birds, butterflies, and other pollinators.