Page 65 - Free State Spring 2023_WEB

Calycanthus floridus or Carolina Allspice thrives in USDA dark green in the summer and a bright orange red in
zones 4-9 and blooms from mid-April –July. These deciduous autumn. The common name of Shadblow refers to the time
plants grow 6-10 feet tall, 6-12 feet wide, do best in rich when the silvery American Shad fish moves upstream to lay
loam soils in full sun to part shade, but are tolerant of a their eggs. The shad was considered ‘the fish that fed the
wide range of soils. The dark red-brown fragrant flowers nations founders’ and was highly prized for the eggs or roe.
grow 2 inches across and sit at the ends of short branches. Pests include aphids, borers, leaf miners and spider mites.
Flowers can smell like fruit and are pollinated by fruit flies Diseases include fire blight, leaf blight, and powdery mildew.
and sap beetles. The flowers mature into urn shaped fruit Morella pensylvanica or Northern Bayberry blooms in May
in seed capsules by the fall and last through the winter. and thrives in USDA zones 3-7. Plants grow 5-10 feet tall
Both the stems and foliage when scratched or bruised give and wide in full sun to partial shade. Bayberry are salt
off a spicy fragrance. Plants can vary in the intensity and tolerant making them a natural choice for seaside and
quality of fragrance so the purchase of each plant should roadside landscapes where salt water and air is present.
be when they are in bloom. Oval, dark green leaves expand They can grow in sandy acidic soils to poor or wet soils and
to 6 inches long in the summer and turn golden yellow in tolerate high winds as well. The 4-inch leaves of Bayberry
autumn. Although not invasive, like many native plants, this are narrow and glossy gray-green with a leathery feel. Like
one can spread by suckers and should be pruned if colonies their cousin the Southern Bayberry, the underside of the
are not desired. Carolina allspice can be planted near patios leaves are covered with small resin glands that provide a
or decks where the fragrance can be easily enjoyed or in strong fragrance when crushed. Semi-evergreen in the cold
shrub borders and native plant areas. No serious insect or zones and evergreen in the warmer zones, the Bayberry are
disease problems.
densely branched and prone to spreading by root suckers.
Amelanchier arborea or Serviceberry thrives in USDA zones The female and male flowers are yellowish green catkins on
4-9 and blooms from March to April. A large shrub or small separate plants. The females produce very fragrant waxy-
tree, growing 15-25 feet tall and wide, prefers full sun or coated fruit that stays on the plants through the summer, fall
partial shade. Tolerant of a wide range of soil types, the and most of the winter. Plant in woodland gardens, seaside
Serviceberry prefers moist but well-drained soils. In early gardens, along highways and slopes or banks for erosion
spring, the lightly fragrant white 5-petal flowers bloom in control. A variety of birds feast on the fruit, especially after
small clusters, which mature into berries that change from the winter has softened them. The Columbia silk moths lay
Bayberry Tree
green to red and finally a deep purple in early summer. their eggs on the Bayberry foliage. Plants can be grouped
Berries resemble blueberries in taste, size and color and are together for erosion control or as a screen. No serious
enjoyed by people and birds when ripe. After the flowers disease or insect problems.
finish blooming, finely toothed dark green leaves emerge, Eubotrys racemosa or Sweetbells Leucothoe thrive in USDA
turning a soft red-orange in the autumn. Serviceberry zones 5-9 and blooms in mid-May. Plants prefer to grow
blooms when the soil begins to warm up. Its common name in wet, acidic soils in part shade and forms colonies at the
comes from a time when funeral services were held for those edges of ponds and streams. The small white, bell-shaped
who had passed away in the cold of winter when burials flowers are strung along a 4-inch raceme with short stalks.
could not take place. Diseases include cedar apple rust, The fragrant flowers resemble heather and mature into
fire blight, leaf blight, leaf spot fruit rot, powdery mildew, 5-part coppery brown fruit capsules. Sweetbells Leucothoe
and witches’ broom. Insect pests include powdery mildew, can grow 3-8 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide and will form
witches’ broom, and leaf blight.
colonies in the damp soils. The glossy green oblong 3-inch
Amelanchier laevis or Shadblow blooms in April and thrives in leaves have serrated margins and attach alternately on
USDA zones 4-8. It grows 15-25 feet tall and wide and makes shiny red and green stems. In autumn the leaves brighten up
a lovely understory small tree or large shrub along the edges the swampy woodland landscapes with yellow, orange, and
of woods. Plants prefer moist, well-drained loamy soils but red foliage. These deciduous plants can be used to stabilize
are tolerant of a wide range of soils. April brings the lightly banks as the colonizing roots link together holding the soil
fragrant 5-petal white flowers to bloom in small clusters, from erosion. It makes an understory for trees or larger
which ripen to dark blackish purple edible berries in June. shrubs or a border. Native bees and butterflies pollinate the
Flowers are pollinated by early bees and bumblebees. The sweet-scented flowers. No serious insect or disease problems.
fruit resemble blueberries in taste, size and color and are Cornus sericea or Red twig dogwood thrives in USDA zones
enjoyed by people and birds alike. The deciduous purple- 3-7 and blooms in late May into early summer. The Red
bronze narrow foliage emerges after the flowers, turning
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