Understory Trees
Cornus florida - Flowering Dogwood: Available in the Spring
Habitat
- native to the eastern and central United States
- zone 5 with selection of proper genetic material
- grows naturally as an understory tree
Habit and Form
- a small deciduous tree
- grows to about 30' tall with an equal or greater spread
- shape is rounded to somewhat flat-topped
- branching is approaching horizontal
- branches low to the ground with a short trunk
Summer Foliage
- opposite, simple leaves
- oval to ovate shape
- leaves 3" to 6" long
- leaves 1.5' to 3" wide
- leaf color is medium green
Autumn Foliage
- red or reddish purple
- generally quite showy
- colors early and color holds for an extended period
Flowers
- flowers are small and yellowish green
- the showy part of the bloom the four white bracts
- each bract is nearly 2" long
- the diameter of the bracts combined is about 4" across
- bloom time is mid-May
- bloom is effective for 2 weeks
- flowering occurs before leaf out
Fruit
- bright, shiny red fruits
- held in tight clusters of 3 to 4
- each fruit is 0.33" to 0.5" long and elongated
- some trees retain fruit into the winter
- birds often eat the fruit
Bark
- quite attractive
- develops small square or rectangular blocks
- resembles alligator skin
- color is dark gray, brown or black
Culture
- prefers a cool, moist, acidic soil that contains organic matter
- full sun promotes greatest flowering but tolerates partial shade well
- not tolerant of stresses such as heat, drought, pollution, road salt
- best transplanted at a small size
- can be slow to reestablish following transplanting
Landscape Uses
- small groupings
- lawn tree
- specimen
- border
- naturalistic areas
- edge of woods
- patio tree
- has four season appeal in flowers, fruits, fall, color, bark and branching character
Liabilities
- flower buds can be killed or injured by cold in zone 5
- dogwood borer
- dogwood anthracnose
- powdery mildew
- crown rot and canker
- almost overused
Cornus florida - Flowering Dogwood
Franklinia alatamaha - Franklin Tree: Available in the Spring
Habitat
- native to southeastern United States
- zone 5
Habit and Form
- a small deciduous tree
- 15' to 25' tall
- almost as wide
- rounded to conical dense crown
- upright
- medium texture
- slow growth rate
Summer Foliage
- alternate leaf arrangement
- simple, deciduous leaves
- oblong leaf shape
- 4" to 8" long
- serrate leaf margin
- bright green leaf color
Autumn Foliage
- orange-red fall color
- showy
Flowers
- white flowers
- blooms in summer
- fragrant
- showy
- 3" in diameter
Fruit
- dry rounded fruit
- up to 1" in diameter
- not ornamentally important
Bark
- branches low on trunk
- white stripes along bark
- greenish brown twigs
- older bark is gray
- winter interest
Culture
- prefers well-drained, rich, acidic soil
- needs moisture
- partial sun to full
Landscape Use
- specimen
- patio tree
- for fragrant flowers
- good four season plant
Liabilities
- root rot
- needs extra watering
Franklinia alatamaha - Franklin Tree
Magnolia virginiana - Sweetbay Magnolia: Available in the Spring
Habitat
- native to eastern United States; more common in southeast
- hardy to zone 5
- often found in swampy locations
Habit and Form
- a semi-evergreen small tree
- 10' to 30' tall in the northeast
- 40' to 60' tall in the southeast
- multi-stemmed, loose and open
- rounded to pyramidal or irregular outline
- upright, spreading branching
Summer Foliage
- leaves are evergreen in the southeastern United States
- leaves are semi-evergreen to deciduous in the northeastern United States (zone 5 and 6)
- leaves are 5" long; alternate arrangement
- smooth, almost wary, bright green upper surface
- undersides of leaves are white and look frosted
- young twigs are green and smooth
Autumn Foliage
- typically not showy
- a mix of yellow, brown and green
- non-uniform color due to semi-evergreen nature
Flowers
- blooms in mid-June; sporadically during the summer
- 2" to 3" diameter creamy white flowers
- 9 to 12 petals
- lemon-scented
- generally not strongly showy in bloom because the foliage hides many blossoms and flowers are not very abundant
Fruit
- 2' long aggregate fruit
- changes from green to red when mature
- orang-red seeds are visible through slits in mature fruits
Bark
- smooth, dark gray on older branches and trunk
- young branches smooth and green
Culture
- tolerant of wet soils
- soil must be acidic
- full sun is best, but tolerant of partial shade
- avoid sites that are cold and windswept in winter
Landscape Use
- as a specimen tree or large shrub
- useful for flower fragrance
- patio plant
- naturalistic areas
- wet soils
Liabilities
- chlorosis on high pH soils
- subject to winter injury in zone 5
- does not always perform well in colder parts of its recommended use range
- does not bloom as heavily as other common-magnolias
Magnolia virginiana - Sweetbay Magnolia
Native Shrubs
Kalmia latifolia - Mountain-laurel: AVAILABLE in the SPRING
Habitat
- native in eastern North America
- hardy in zone 5 and protected locations in zone 4
- typically found at the woods edge, edge of water or where light filters through the forest canopy
Habit and Form
- generally has a rounded shape
- can be dense-compact or loose-open depending on how much light the plant receives
- mature size is typically 5 to 12' tall, with a similar spread
- can be significantly larger, especially in the southern Appalachian Mountains
- branching is irregular
- a broadleaf evergreen
Summer Foliage
- leaves arranged alternately
- leaves clustered toward the shoot tip
- leaves are elliptical, 2" to 5" long, 0.75" to 1.5" wide
- leaf tip is pointed
- margins are entire and smooth
- color is dark green and glossy above
- in full sun foliage can be yellow-green
Autumn Foliage
- evergreen; no fall color
Flowers
- showy, lasting 2 weeks or more
- blooms in late May and mostly in early June
- 4" to 6" diameter clusters of small individual blooms at branch tips
- individual flowers are 0.75" to 1" across
- normal color is pink that fades to nearly white
- selections and breeding have produced red budded, cinnamon banded, pure white and deep pink/red flowered forms (see cultivar section)
Fruit
- non-ornamental, small dehiscent capsules
- brown-tan color
Bark
- lightly ridged and furrowed
- trunks gnarled and twisted
- brown-tan color
Culture
- partial shade to full sun
- often touted as tolerant of heavy shade, but plants under those conditions are very thin and open and bloom sparsely
- requires a cool, moist, acidic, organic soil for best performance
- avoid windswept sites
Landscape Use
- for evergreen foliage
- for showy blooms
- foundation plantings
- excellent in partially shaded sites
- works well with other broadleaf evergreens
- for naturalizing
Liabilities
- foliar burn in exposed sites
- will languish in heavy, high pH soils
- lacebug
- leaf spot can be especially troublesome on non-resistant cultivars in moist, heavy shade.
Kalmia latifolia - Mountain-laurel
Ilex verticillata - Winterberry: AVAILABLE in the SPRING
Habitat
- native to the eastern and central United States; parts of Canada
- zone 3 to 4
- often found at the edge of the woods or in swamps
Habit and Form
- a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub
- generally 6' to 10' tall, but can get larger
- oval to rounded form
- upright and spreading
- tends to sucker and form large clumps
Summer Foliage
- deciduous with alternate leaf arrangement
- leaves are 1.5" to 3" long and 0.75" to 1.25" wide
- elliptical with an acute base and acute/acuminate apex
- color is green to dark green
- leaves vary from flat to shiny on the upper surface
- underside of leaf somewhat pubescent
- serrate leaf margins
Autumn Foliage
- not especially showy
- typically yellow-green with some purple tinges
Flowers
- dioecious, with male and female plants
- male flowers in clusters
- female flowers solitary or in 2's or 3's
- small white flowers in early June
- not especially showy
Fruit
- only present on female plant
- bright red and glossy, held will into winter
- held close to the stem, singly or in pairs
- green during the growing season, changing in October
- birds will eat fruit
Bark
- dark gray to brown
- generally smooth with some lenticels
Culture
- full sun to partial shade; more sun means more fruit on females
- easily transplanted from containers or B&B
- tolerant of poorly-drained soils
- prefers moist, acidic soils
Landscape Use
- in native plantings
- for fruit display in fall and winter
- useful in wet soils
- in mass planting
- along water
- shrub border
Liabilities
- fruit set only on pollinated female plants
- need a male pollinator nearby
- chlorosis on high pH soils
- leaf spot and powdery mildew, but they are rarely disfiguring
Ilex verticillata - Winterberry