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Sempervivum tectorum

Hens and Chicks is a mat-forming succulent with tightly-packed, rosette-shaped, evergreen leaves. Red-purple flowers bloom from upright stalks, June-July. After the parent plant flowers, it dies back, and the numerous offspring proliferate, filling in nooks and crannies in your rock garden or edge. Hens and Chicks provides winter interest, as it persists through cold temperatures. It tolerates poor soil and air pollution. Use Hens and Chicks in rock gardens, edges, containers, or as a small-area groundcover for your yard. Hens and Chicks provides best appeal when planted in a mass.

Sedum spp.

Sedum is a succulent perennial plant, available in many sizes and bloom colors. Its thick, waxy leaves hold moisture, making it very drought-tolerant. It is a nectar source for native bees and butterflies. Small varieties of Sedum can be used as a groundcover, while taller varieties can be used in beds and borders around your yard.

Scirpus cyperinus

Woolgrass needs wet, partly shady conditions. This wildlife-friendly plant has seeds and roots that are eaten by waterfowl. It also provides waterfowl with cover and nesting sites. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including the Dion Skipper (Euphyes dion). Use Woolgrass in rain gardens, moist low areas, and along edges of ponds or streams, where it can provide erosion control.

Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis

Sweetbox offers showy, fragrant, white flowers, which bloom March-April. This broadleaf evergreen shrub tolerates heavy shade, and provides winter interest. Established plants have some drought tolerance. Plant Sweetbox around your yard as a low hedge or groundcover, or in your shade garden for a delightful early spring fragrance.

Santolina chamaecyparissus

Lavender Cotton is a mounding perennial, which is also sometimes used as an annual. It has silvery-blue evergreen leaves and features button-like, bright yellow flowers, which bloom on rising stalks, July-August. The aromatic foliage has been used in sachets and as a moth repellant. This plant requires good drainage. Use Lavender Cotton in borders, or as a groundcover or edging plant.

Sambucus racemosa

Red Elderberry’s clusters of creamy-white flowers bloom May-June, and provide nectar to native bees and butterflies. The berries are reputedly poisonous and are inedible to humans, but are an attractive food source for birds. Hollow stems offer nest sites and nest materials to native bees. Red Elderberry attracts beneficial predatory insects, which prey on garden insect pests. Use Common Elderberry as a small specimen tree or large shrub in borders around your yard.

Rhus aromatica

Fragrant Sumac features yellow flowers, which bloom March-April. It is monoecious; male and female flowers appear separately on the same plant. Female flowers produce berries, which are eaten by birds. Leaves and twigs are aromatic when bruised. Fall foliage is orange to red to reddish-purple. Branches will root themselves where they touch the ground. Fragrant Sumac is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Use Fragrant Sumac in mass plantings, foundations, borders, and for stabilizing slopes.

Ptelea trifoliata

Common Hoptree is a small, deciduous, flowering tree or pruned shrub. Tiny, white flowers bloom in June. The flowers can have an unpleasant fragrance, and are pollinated by carrion flies. The fruit can be used as a substitute for hops. Common Hoptree is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) and Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). Plant Common Hoptree as a specimen or in groups in your yard. It can also be used as a hedge or for a screen.

Populus deltoides

Eastern Cottonwood is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree. It is dioecious; catkins bloom on separate male or female trees in March-April before leaves emerge. The female trees have fruit capsules packed with numerous, tufted seeds with silky white hairs, giving the appearance of cotton. Seeds provide a valued food source for birds. The “cotton” provides birds with nesting material. Eastern Cottonwood can be a messy tree, as it drops leaves, flowers, fruits, twigs, and branches. Although it is not typically used as an ornamental tree, you can plant it in rural areas along streams, where it may be difficult to grow other trees.

Polystichum acrostichoides

Christmas Fern is a clumping evergreen fern. It displays leathery, lance-shaped fronds. Emerging fiddleheads are silver in the spring. Christmas Fern does not spread; instead, the clump will increase in size as the plant ages. Christmas Fern has been known to attract ruffed grouse. Use it as a groundcover or in borders. It adds winter interest to your yard.