What’s in Bloom

This pyramidal tree, with spiny evergreen foliage, will grow up to 50 feet tall. Starting in October, the female trees of this US native produce red berry-like fruit that persist into winter, providing an important food source in the late fall and winter to birds and mammals. A nearby male pollinator is necessary for fruit production. American holly grows well in acidic, well-drained soil and will tolerate most light conditions, but prefers full sun and protection from the wind.  Like most fruiting hollies, it is a traditional favorite in winter holiday decorations and displays.

Several shrubby dogwoods, such as Cornus alba, are prized for their vibrant red, orange or yellow colored bark during the bleak winter months. The stem color is most pronounced on young branches and it intensifies in late winter, especially when temperatures drop below freezing.  This Tatarian or red-stemmed dogwood has a compact form and bright red stems along the shores of our Large Lake. 

Atlas cedars, native to the Atlas Mountains in Algeria and Morocco, are large picturesque conifers in the landscape.  The timber, which is strong and durable, is used in construction and furniture making in northern Africa.  The wood is also very aromatic and used to make essential oils.

Trees with ornamental bark can add texture and color to the winter garden.  This paperbark maple has beautiful exfoliating, cinnamon colored bark, which is a garden highlight any time of year.

These deciduous conifers have a narrow growing habit and a beautiful bronze fall color.  Adapted to grow near water, pond cypress are a standout in Peirce's Woods.

Ginkgo biloba is a large deciduous tree that can grow to 100' tall, with leathery fan shaped leaves that turn bright yellow in autumn. This tree is considered a living fossil because it has remained unchanged and is the last living member of the order Ginkgoales, a group of plants that inhabited the earth around 200 million years ago. It was common during the Jurassic and Cretaceous era (206-65 million years ago), where its canopy would have been shaped by browsing apatosaurus, a long-necked giant. Ginkgo has long been cultivated in China; some trees in temple grounds are believed to be over 1,500 years old. Its status in Buddhism and Confucianism led to further distribution to Korea and Japan, before it was encountered by Europeans in 1690, who spread it throughout the western world. One of the largest G. biloba trees in North America can be found at Longwood Gardens, planted in the late 1700s by the Pierce family. The male trees are vastly preferred in America, especially ornamentally, because the seeds have a rather odorous outer layer.