Common Rush is a grass-like, clump-forming perennial. Small, yellowish-green to brown flowers bloom June-August. Plants should be cut back in early spring. Use Common Rush in rain gardens and at edges of ponds or water gardens; it will tolerate several inches of standing water.
Black Walnut is a large deciduous tree with fragrant leaves and furrowed bark. It produces round, edible nuts in the fall; nuts can be messy when they fall to the ground. Black Walnut is the preferred host of luna and regal moths. Its roots produce chemicals called juglones, which deter growth of certain other plants; avoid planting it near fruit trees, flower beds, and vegetable gardens. Black Walnut wood is highly prized for furniture. Use it as a shade tree.
Butternut is a medium-large, deciduous tree similar to Black Walnut, but it is usually a smaller, more cold-tolerant tree. This tree has sweet, edible, oval-shaped nuts. The roots produce chemicals called juglones, which are toxic to certain other plants; avoid planting it near fruit trees, flower beds, and vegetable gardens. Butternut is susceptible to canker, a fungal disease that is devastating this species in the wild. Use it as a shade tree.
Sweetspire has long tassels of fragrant, small white flowers, which bloom in early summer. Its leaves turn attractive shades of red to purple in the fall. Use in mass plantings in shrub borders or woodland gardens. Good plant for wet locations, such as rain gardens, or along edges of ponds or other water features.
Common Winterberry is a deciduous holly with very showy, bright red, berry-like fruits from late fall through winter. Tiny, greenish-white flowers blooming June-July are a nectar source for honeybees and butterflies. The long-lasting berries provide winter food for birds. Use in shrub borders and hedges. Common Winterberry is a good choice for wet sites, such as rain gardens and along ponds or streams.
Smooth Winterberry, a close relative of Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), is a deciduous holly with spineless leaves. Its white to cream flowers bloom May-July. Its red, berry-like fruits add color to the yard from September-February and provide winter food for birds. Its leaves turn yellow before dropping in the fall. Use this bird-friendly species in shrub borders and hedges. Good choice for wet sites, such as rain gardens and along ponds or streams.
Smooth Oxeye’s daisy-like, yellow-orange flowers with darker centers bloom from midsummer to fall. The bright, showy flowers are excellent fresh-cut. Deadheading the spent flowers will prolong blooming. Smooth Oxeye grows naturally along stream banks and woodland edges. Use it in beds, borders, and wildflower gardens.
Common Sneezeweed has daisy-like flowers with distinctive, fan-shaped rays and prominent, raised centers. The flowers bloom from late summer until frost in colors ranging from yellow to reddish-brown to orange. The tall plants add vertical texture to gardens, but may need to be staked. Pinch back plants in early June for bushier growth with more blooms. The common name is based on the former use of its dried leaves to make snuff, which was inhaled to cause sneezing. Sneezeweed has special value for native bees. Use Sneezeweed in the back of borders or beds, wildflower gardens, and naturalized areas.
The floral display of American Witchhazel is unique. Its fragrant, cream to yellow flowers with tassle-like, crumpled petals bloom September-December, persisting for some time after leaf drop.