Hit the Dirt; Using Native Plants

Good morning. This is Sally crest of yet to hit the dirt. One of the reasons to plant native shrubs in the landscape is to rely less on exotic species that can be invasive and threaten native species and their habitats. Other more obvious reasons are their beauty their hard Inus their comparative freedom from pests and diseases and the variety of habitats in which they will grow. Let's look at some of these habitats and suitable plants for them. Wetlands have standing water for part of the year. Most shrubs cannot tell urate their roots being covered by water or years so need to be planted at the edge of a pond or stream suitable plants for wetlands. Some native to Maine will be high bush blueberry Vaccinium car and both some. I was surprised when I first walked through Maine woods to find a high bush blueberries growing in boggy areas thinking of the air Acacius blueberries or the Barrens. When to bury. I like Spitta Salada with grey stems and scarlet berries that persist into winter sheep Laurel Kalmia angustifolia flowering in early summer with showy pink blossoms along the stems row Dora rhododendron canadensis a pinkish purple also a species Alba that is white

swamp Azalea rhododendron discuss some delicious they fragrant in summer. Chuck Berry a row near our beautiful area flowering white in spring followed by red berries and stunning red foliage in the fall and are only a melon a copper which has black fruit and then the sweet pepper Bush for a much needed late summer blooming shrub with fragrant white flowers. I do a shade for shrubs is under a high canopy of deciduous trees or thinned out and limp coniferous trees. If you work in a dense coniferous forest you will not find much in the way of shrubs for understory Viburnum is sort of for your maple leaves. Viburnum is little used in landscaping and does well in shade. The fruit is loved by birds and the leaves turn a beautiful dusky purple pink in the fall. Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia thrives among hard woods especially oaks that are not shallow rooted like maples and will bloom more profusely than in deeper shade. Rose Bay rhododendron rhododendron Maxima does well in shade tolerate some wet

conditions and will grow 12 to 15 feet high. And without Schilens food roots it is a good idea to mulch well with pine bark or pine needles. Azalea is deciduous rhododendrons make a spectacular display planted at the edge of woods famous area rhododendron Callender this year has yellow orange blooms after the leaves appear pink shell Azalea red and dreaded Dendron Vassie eye blooms earlier before the plant has leafed out with pink flowers clustered at the tips of the branches and with sprawling habit lends itself well to mass plantings and the above mentioned swamp Azalea provided there is adequate moisture in moist sights plantings will be near the edge of wetlands not at the edges. All the plans mention for wetlands will be suitable. In addition elderberry Bocas canadensis can be used for job in winemaking pussywillow sailor discolor. We'll bring you that first sign of spring Meadowsweet spiral out of fall you're often maligned as mere pocket

brush. Has pink flowers in summer and steeple Bush aspira Tom and toaster has deeper purplish pink flowers. Both of these spires grow to about four feet tolerate a range of soil conditions and spread by underground stems for late winter and early spring color and fragrance. There is which Hazel have a mayor's Virginiana which has short yellow to red petals and there are three dark was the fourth thicket sunscreens and they have showy clusters of creamy flowers followed by fruit that attracts many birds. Read over your dogwood Cornus a receiver with its red stems that benefit from hard cutting back occasionally to maintain good color Souci dark wood corners. A moment with hairy reddish twigs and grey dark wood. Cornus Ressam us that is gray stemmed and has white fruits with red stems. It is still in there for us and for sizeable patches that are good shelter for wildlife. The sunny dry sites Rocky exposed areas usually with excellent drainage. There are

some good tough plants. Low Bush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolia and bare Berry Octa staff list over Percy sweet firn comp Tonia Peregrina bayberry Myrick a pencil panic and beach plum Prunus maritima I can close without mentioning a few more viburnums a wonderful genus of shrubs afterward Viburnum dentate them with its blueberries with a rod or wild raisins. Viburnum cats annoyed DS and Viburnum tried the high bush cranberry with clusters of bright red fruits that persists through the winter into spring when the birds finally devour them after they have sweetened somewhat. An excellent bulletin from the Connecticut College is native shrubs for landscaping reprinted in 1992. There are other lists and cultural information. Some of these plants and other native plants can be found in eastern plant specialties catalog a nursery in Georgetown Maine and from the forest farm catalog a four hundred ninety six page catalogue of ornamental and useful plants from

around the world. A fabulous resource where you can get plants in tubes 1 and 5 gallon sizes. The price is usually right. This is Sally for hit the dirt.