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.
American Holly is a wildlife-friendly evergreen tree with dark green, spine-tipped leaves and light gray bark. Its tiny, greenish-white flowers blooming May-June provide a nectar source for honeybees and butterflies. This tree is also a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Henry’s Elfin (Callophrys henrici). Since it is dioecious (separate male and female plants), a male must be in the area to pollinate females for fruit production. The female trees bear bright red, berry-like fruits, which persist through the winter and provide winter food for birds. The red fruits and evergreen leaves add winter color to the yard, and cuttings make excellent holiday decorations. Use American Holly as a specimen tree or plant in groups in woodland gardens or hedges.
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.
Inkberry is an evergreen holly with spineless leaves. Tiny, greenish-white flowers bloom in the spring, followed by black berry-like fruits in late fall and winter. The flowers are a source of nectar for bees, producing the flavorful Gallberry honey.
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.