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.
Carolina Silverbell is a large shrub or medium tree with a rounded crown. Drooping clusters of showy, white, bell-shaped flowers bloom in early spring. The flowers are followed by four-winged fruits, which turn tan in the fall. This plant prefers moist, well-drained, organic soils, and grows well with Rhododendrons and Azaleas. Use it in the shrub border or woodland garden, as an accent tree near decks or patios, or as a specimen tree for the lawn.
Dwarf Witchalder or Dwarf Fothergillia is a deciduous shrub with dense, dark green foliage. Fragrant, bottle-brush-shaped, white flowers bloom April-May, before the leaves emerge. Their honey-like fragrance attracts native bees.
Redveined Enkianthus is a flowering deciduous shrub. Its small, bell-shaped, creamy-white flowers with rosy “veins” bloom in clusters May-June. Leaves turn shades of yellow to orange to red in the fall. Use it as a specimen or group in a shrub border or woodland garden. Good for planting around a patio and combining with Rhododendrons, which prefer similar acidic soils.
Shrubby Cinquefoil is a low-growing, long-blooming, deciduous shrub. It has small, grayish-green, compound leaves and is covered with showy, yellow flowers from June-September. This plant has excellent winter hardiness. Shrubby Cinquefoil has special value for native bees, and attracts beneficial insects, which prey upon insect pests. Use as a specimen plant, in shrub borders, or as an informal hedge.
Cockspur Hawthorn is a small, low-branched tree, also grown as a tall shrub. Flat clusters of white flowers with a somewhat unpleasant odor bloom in late spring, followed by bright red fruits in late summer. The fruits persist into winter, providing a food source for birds. The shiny green leaves turn bronze to red in the fall. This plant has 2-inch-long thorns, so avoid planting in areas with small children. Crus-galli in Latin means “leg of a cock,” referring to the resemblance of the formidable thorns to a cock
Common Smoketree is a deciduous shrub with bluish-green leaves. It gets its name from flower parts covering the shrub with attractive, smoke-like, pink to purplish-pink puffs throughout the summer. This shrub has colorful fall foliage, ranging from yellow to red to purple. Common Smoketree requires well-drained soil and is drought-resistant. Plant as a specimen, or in groups in shrub borders or hedges.
Beaked Hazelnut is a small, deciduous shrub. Yellowish male catkins and inconspicuous female flowers appear in April. The female flowers are followed by ornamental nuts enclosed in a bristly husk with a beak-like appearance. The edible nuts were a food source for Native Americans; the nuts could be stored for a long period of time, eaten raw, or ground into a flour and baked. The nuts are a food source for birds and wildlife, including squirrels, deer, grouse, and pheasant. Use Beaked Hazelnut in mass plantings, shrub borders, or woodland gardens.