The strawberry bush (Euonymus americanus) is a fairly uncommon native shrub most noted for its bumpy, raspberry-red seed pods that hang on the ends of the stems and open to reveal smooth, orange seeds. Other striking features are its green bark and acute branching angles that provides interest throughout the year. Strawberry bush grows 6…
The bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) is a wide-spreading, suckering, multi-stemmed shrub, making it an excellent plant for shrub borders. With its long, bottlebrush-like panicles of white flowers, there are few summer flowering plants that can rival this species. If transplanting, do so in early spring into a moist, well-drained soil that has been adequately prepared…
Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is a deciduous to semi-evergreen, 3 to 5 foot tall shrub commonly found in swamps, wet woodlands, and along woodland streams of eastern North America. It has slightly fragrant white flowers in May when few other plants are flowering. Its medium to dark green summer leaves change to yellow, orange, reddish…
Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii), a member of the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae), is a hardy plant native to the coastal plains. In the wild, it is often found around bogs or ponds and has interesting features through three seasons of the year. In spring, it has fragrant, white, bottlebrush-like flowers that bloom in April and…
One of the few deciduous hollies, winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) produces an abundance of persistent red berries that provide a splash of color throughout winter. Commonly found in both wooded areas and swampy areas, this holly will grow 6 to 10 feet tall in an upright, spreading manner. They grow best in moist, poorly drained…