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Vaccinium corymbosum

Highbush Blueberry is a flowering deciduous shrub with edible fruit. It features white to pinkish-white flowers, which bloom in May, offering a valuable early nectar source for native bees. The edible fruit ripens June-July, providing food for birds. The berries are used in pies, muffins, and other dishes, and eaten fresh! Highbush Blueberry offers lush green foliage in the summer, and yellow, bronze, orange, or red foliage in fall. Reddish stems offer ornamental value in winter. Plant Highbush Blueberry as a shrub border, in a small garden plot, or in naturalized areas of your yard.

Vaccinium angustifolium

Lowbush Blueberry is a flowering deciduous shrub with edible fruit. It features small, white, bell-shaped flowers with pink/reddish edges, which bloom April-May, offering a valuable nectar source to native bees. The sweet and edible fruit ripens in summer and provides an important food source for birds. The berries are used in pies, muffins, and other dishes, and eaten fresh. Showy fall foliage is bronze, scarlet, and crimson. Plant Lowbush Blueberry along borders, as a tall groundcover, as small hedges, or in naturalized areas of your yard.

Tsuga canadensis

Eastern Hemlock is a needled evergreen tree. It tolerates heavy shade, but is intolerant of heat, humidity, and drought. It is susceptible to woolly adelgid, an insect pest. Use Eastern Hemlock as a specimen tree, an accent plant, or plant in groups for a screen or hedge.

Tripsacum dactyloides

Eastern Gamagrass is a warm-season bunchgrass, which displays purple female flowers and orange male flowers on the same plant (monoecious), May-September. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Byssus Skipper (Problema byssus). Deer eat the seeds. Cut back Eastern Gamagrass to 8 inches in the winter, after the foliage has died back from frost. Use it in woodland gardens, perennial borders, meadows, or naturalized areas in your yard.

Tilia tomentosa

Silver Linden is a medium-large, deciduous tree featuring fragrant, pale yellow flowers, which bloom June-July. The nectar is highly valued by pollinators — when the tree is in bloom, you can hear it “buzz” with the sound of busy bees! The leaves are green above and silver below, giving this tree its common name. It will tolerate a range of soils, but prefers moist, fertile, well-drained, loamy soil. The Silver Linden demonstrates high drought-tolerance, once established. It is also tolerant of urban conditions. Use Silver Linden as an ornamental shade tree, a street tree, city tree, or as a specimen for large areas in your yard.

Tilia cordata

Littleleaf Linden is a deciduous tree with yellow flowers blooming in June. Its nectar is an attractive food source to native bees and butterflies. Littleleaf Linden will tolerate a range of soils, but prefers moist, fertile, well-drained, loamy soil. It is drought-tolerant once established. It also tolerates heavy pruning and urban areas. Use Littleleaf Linden as an ornamental shade tree, a street tree, city tree, lawn tree, or as a specimen in large areas of the yard.

Tilia americana

American Basswood, or American Linden, is a large tree with fragrant, yellow flowers blooming in June. The nectar attracts butterflies, native bees, and honeybees. Honey made from this tree is considered exceptional! Syrup can also be made from the sap. American Basswood is intolerant of air pollution and urban conditions; however, it is tolerant of drought and clay soils. Plant American Basswood in your yard as a specimen tree or shade tree.

Tiarella cordifolia

Heartleaf Foamflower features tiny, pink blossoms, which open into white flowers on airy, terminal clusters in May. It prefers organically rich, moist soil; the soil should not be allowed to dry out. This plant spreads by rhizomes (underground stems) to form colonies. Use Heartleaf Foamflower in your shade garden, rain garden, along edges of ponds, or as a groundcover.

Thuja occidentalis

Arborvitae is an evergreen tree, which offers winter interest to yards and landscapes. It tolerates a wide range of soils, but prefers moist, slightly alkaline loam. Use Arborvitae for a specimen, accent plant, or foundation tree, or group in hedges, shelter-belts, and privacy borders. It is susceptible to diseases and insects (including bagworm, heart rot, leaf miner, and spider mites) and to deer browse.

Tephrosia virginiana

Goat’s Rue features attractive, yellow-pink bi-colored flowers, which bloom May-August. The nectar is a valued food source for native bees and butterflies. Goat’s Rue is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus). The seeds are eaten by ground birds. The roots fix nitrogen in the soil; they also contain rotenone, which is toxic to insects and fish. Goat’s Rue can be planted by seed; plant it in meadows, borders, and naturalized areas of your yard. It is difficult to transplant once established.