River Birch is a large deciduous tree with pinkish-brown, peeling bark, which provides year-round ornamental interest. The dark green, diamond-shaped leaves turn yellow in the fall. It prefers moist to wet soils, and tolerates periodic flooding. An adaptable tree, it will also grow in drier soils. Give this large tree with an extensive root system room to grow! Use River Birch as a specimen tree, or plant it in wet areas, such as rain gardens or along edges of ponds or streams.
Sweet Birch is a large deciduous tree with reddish-brown to reddish-black bark. The cherry-like bark is smooth on young trees and scaly on mature ones. The catkins (elongated, drooping clusters of tiny flowers without petals) appear just before the leaves emerge. The leaves turn golden-yellow in the fall. The seeds are a food source for a variety of birds. Sweet Birch is a host tree for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillar), including Green Comma (Polygonia faunus). Crushed twigs have a wintergreen-like odor. Birch oil from this tree was once used to flavor candy and medicine, and the sap was used to make birch beer. This tree does well in areas where the soil is shaded, cool, and moist. Trees planted in full sun should be mulched and watered during periods of drought. Give this tree plenty of room to grow! Use Sweet Birch as a canopy tree in woodland gardens, or as a shade tree in moist areas of a large yard or park.
Yellow Birch is a large deciduous tree with distinctive bark. The peeling, yellow-bronze, shiny bark has a paper-like appearance. Crushed twigs have a wintergreen-like odor. The showy catkins (elongated, drooping clusters of tiny flowers without petals) appear just before the leaves emerge. The seeds are a food source for a variety of birds. The leaves turn brilliant yellow in the fall. Yellow Birch does well in areas where the soil is shaded, cool, and moist. Trees that are planted in full sun should be mulched and watered during periods of drought. This tree is long-lived for a birch, often living over 100 years. Its strong, close-grained wood has a wide range of color variation, making it popular in furniture-making. Give this large tree plenty of room to grow! Use Yellow Birch as a canopy tree in woodland gardens, or as a shade tree in moist areas of a large yard or park.
Begonia is a long-blooming annual, which comes in a variety of flower colors, including white, pink, red, and bicolor. The compact plants have attractive, waxy, green to bronze leaves and fleshy stems. The flowers bloom from May to frost. Begonia performs best in sun-dappled shade with consistent moisture. This plant is most attractive when massed in beds or borders. It can also be used in container plantings.
Migrating butterflies and other pollinators nectar on the late summer blooming flowers, and birds eat the seeds.
Horseflyweed is a bushy perennial with small, yellow, pea-like flowers blooming May-June. The flowers are borne in clusters on tall stems above a mound of gray-green foliage. The flower nectar has special value to native bees and bumblebees. This plant is a host to moth and butterfly larvae (caterpillars), including Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus), Dusky-winged Butterfly (Thanaos brizo), and Io Moth (Automeris io), and is the only known food source for Wild Indigo Dusky Winged (Erynnis baptisiae) butterfly larvae. Its reputation for protecting horses and mules from horseflies led to its common name, Horseflyweed. Use it in a meadow garden, sunny informal area, or in a butterfly or pollinator garden.
Blue Wild Indigo is a tall, bushy perennial with lupine-like, purple flowers, which bloom May-June. The flowers are borne in clusters at the top of tall stems, which extend above a mound of blue-green foliage. It tolerates both drought and poor soils.
Goldentuft is a low-growing, mat-forming perennial, which produces a bountiful bloom of bright yellow flowers in spring, April-May. It tolerates drought and dry soils. The mounds of gray-green leaves covered in golden flowers look great in rock gardens or growing over rock walls. It can also be used in beds, as an edging plant, or as a groundcover on slopes.
Lady Fern is a deciduous fern with light-green, lace-like fronds that grow in a circular clump. It is relatively easy to grow. While it prefers part shade and moist, organic soils, it is more tolerant of sun and dry soils than most other ferns. Use Lady Fern massed in shade gardens, woodland gardens, or along ponds or streams.
Pawpaw is a small understory tree or large shrub, which grows to form thickets. It has large, drooping, tropical-like leaves. Its cup-shaped, purple flowers bloom April-May, followed by large, green, edible fruits that taste like a mixture of bananas and pineapples. As the fruit ripens in the fall, it turns a brownish color. The fruit is a food source for birds and small mammals. This plant’s large, green leaves turn yellow in the fall. Pawpaw is a host plant to butterfly larvae (caterpillars), including Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) and Pawpaw sphinx (Dolba hyloeus). Use as shrub border or woodland edge plant, in rain gardens, along the edges of ponds or streams, or as a specimen tree in a shade garden.