1. Red maple (Acer rubrum) doesn’t get its name from the fall color, which can be yellow, orange or red. The name comes from the flowers and seedpods which emerge in mid-March when most of the other trees are still dormant. This easy-to-grow tree reaches 40-70 feet tall and 30-50 feet wide. It grows largest in full sun, but it’s also happy as an understory tree in lower light, where it will be a little smaller. One word of caution, their fibrous roots can damage sidewalks, driveways and other structures under their dripline.
2. Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is another small tree that grows 20-30 feet tall. The name is a bit confusing because the buds and flowers are more purplish pink than red. It is deciduous, which means it drops its leaves in Fall. The flowers appear in late March, while the branches are still otherwise bare. It will grow in full sun, where it will be a little wider than it is tall, or it will grow in part shade where it stretches toward the light and grows narrower. Plant breeders have been working with redbuds, and they have developed some stunners. ‘Rising Sun’ flaunts leaves that transition from orange to gold to green.
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‘Convey’ is a dwarf, weeping redbud that only grows 4 feet tall. ‘Ruby Falls’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Forest Pansy’ are redbuds with purple leaves. Those are just a few of the available selections. When it comes to choosing a redbud, you have quite an assortment.
3. Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is a 10-15 feet tall shrub that is native from Southern Florida all the way to Northern Illinois, and no matter where you live, when it starts blooming in your area, it’s time to put out your hummingbird feeders. Some people say the hummingbirds migrate North following the wave of tubular red flowers. Planting a few buckeyes is a fantastic way to support our feathered friends. Buckeyes prefer moist locations with at least some shade, but they can take drier conditions and sunnier areas, although they may not perform as well.
4. Carolina yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) boasts sunshine yellow, funnel-shaped flowers in March and early April. This native evergreen vine will clamor 12-20 feet along a fence, arbor, pergola or other structure. When left unsupported it functions as a short ground cover which sprawls as the stems develop new roots where they touch the soil. It will grow in light shade, but it flowers best in full sun.
5 5. Native azalea (Rhododendron) is sometimes called honeysuckle bush, to distinguish it from the more commonly used, Japanese, evergreen azalea with trumpet-shaped flowers. In contrast, our native azaleas drop their leaves in Fall. In early April, flowers resembling the Japanese honeysuckle vine burst open on leafless branches. The arching stamens remind me of a women’s eyelashes. There are yellow and orange native azaleas, but the ones I see growing wild in the woods locally are white or shades of pink and peach. They perform best in acidic, well-drained soils in filtered sunlight.
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7/2/19 4:21 PM