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Vaccinium macrocarpon

Cranberry is a low-growing, woody vine with small, white-pink flowers, which bloom in abundance, May-July. The flower nectar offers a valuable food source for native bees. The edible, tart fruit, which ripens in September-October, is used in pies, muffins, sauces, and other dishes. The small green leaves turn bright red in fall. Cranberry grows in wet, boggy areas in the wild. It can be used as an evergreen groundcover in moist areas of your yard, or grow it as a specimen plant in your small garden. It is typically grown in a mass for commerical production.

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.

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 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.

Taxodium distichum

Bald Cypress is a tall, pyramidal-shaped, deciduous tree. The foliage turns yellow-brown in fall before it drops. Its small seeds attract some birds. Bald Cypress prefers wet areas, but can adapt to dry sites. Bald Cypress offers high-wind resistance, but it is flammable; plant a minimum 30 feet from buildings in wildfire-prone areas.

Symplocos paniculata

Sapphire-berry has white flowers, which bloom late-May to early-June. The ornamental fruit appears in shades of blue, and ripens September-October. The fruit is a food source for birds. Plant more than one for cross-pollination and to ensure fruiting. Sapphire-berry can be trained as a shrub or small tree. Use it for screening at the back of a shrub border, or as a specimen tree in your yard.

Symphyotrichum novi-belgii

New York Aster features violet-purple flowers, which bloom July-October. This prolific bloomer provides fall color to the yard. It offers a valuable nectar source for native bees and butterflies, and its dried seeds provide food for birds. Use New York Aster in the front of borders, as an edging plant, or in sunny meadows and naturalized areas of your yard.