What’s in Bloom

A stunning native shrub cultivar, Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur,’ starts off the growing season with glossy, green foliage and clusters of creamy white flowers in June. These later give way to multi-colored berries, set against wine red foliage in the fall. For the best fruit production, plant in groups to ensure cross-pollination. Reaching about six feet tall, ‘Winterthur’ will grow in rich, wet, shady sites as well as sunny, well-drained locations, and is hardy from zone 5 to 9.

This tree delights in all four seasons. In late spring, after the foliage has emerged, it has an abundance of creamy white bracts which last quite a long time.  Flowers are followed by bright red, bumpy fruit (like large raspberries) which are edible and can be quite sweet. The deep red fall foliage and the stunning exfoliated bark give fall and winter interest. Cornus kousa is slower growing and later blooming than other dogwood trees.  With age it reaches 30 feet tall with a similar spread and can look quite stately.

With a variety of fruit shapes and sizes, ornamental peppers provide interest and vibrant colors to the autumn garden. These low maintenance annuals are good in containers or as bedding plants.

Goldenrod has been called by some the single most important plant for North American pollinator biodiversity. It is considered a keystone species and is the host plant for approximately 104 species of butterflies and moths. Many bees are goldenrod specialists, meaning that about 42 species of bees will visit only goldenrod for a food source. Although abundantly important in its native range, it is considered an invasive species in introduced areas due to its ability to rapidly spread and thrive in a variety of conditions.

Asters, from the Latin word for stars, are late blooming perennials that attract pollinators and bring color to the autumn garden.  New England asters are tall, clump-forming plants that grow naturally in meadows, along roadsides, and at the edge of woodlands in eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains.  This aster grows best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil.  

Native to eastern North America, Helianthus giganteus can commonly be found growing in wet meadows and swamps. It is spread by seeds and a rhizomatous root system, and can reach a height of up to 13 feet, from which its Latin name giganteus was derived. Traditionally, the Choctaw people used Helianthus giganteus to make bread by mixing it with corn and grinding it into a fine powder.