Recommended Plant list  

   Plant Recommendations

 Plants are truly amazing.  I’ve always been fascinated by the amount of “things” that are produced from plants.  They provide food, fiber and shelter.  Plants are used in the production of items ranging from drugs to building materials and just about everything in between.    A trip to a botanic garden or conservatory will open your eyes to the diversity and possibilities that exist within the plant world.  So why do we limit ourselves to a handful of plants in the average home landscape garden?  There are many unusual trees, shrubs and perennials that will perform very well for you and set your home apart from the ordinary, not to mention preventing pest and disease epidemics which run through vast plantings of the same susceptible plants.

 The following is not intended to be a complete list of landscape plants.  It’s just a short list of some things that are available, adaptable, attractive and worthy of your consideration.

 The plants listed here will be alphabetized by Latin or botanical name.  This is not to confuse anyone.  Actually the Latin name is the only official name of a plant and should be used when shopping for plants to avoid confusion.  There might be a trademarked cultivar or variety name also which is listed after the botanical name.  All nursery professionals should know the plants they sell by Latin or botanical names. 

 Some plants have a widely accepted common name which (will be included in parenthesis) but many plants have several common or local names which only tend to create confusion. All these plants are hardy in USDA zones 4 and 5.  Although I won’t take the space here to totally describe each of these plants and their identifying characteristics, I’ll briefly describe the highlights of why I’m recommending  them.  Sizes listed are generally expected ultimate sizes of the plants grown in cultivation.

 This plant list is an evolving work.  Please feel free to help me by making your own suggestions!

                             Deciduous Trees

Acer campestre  (hedge maple)    30’

Acer miyabe

 Acer ginnala     (Amur maple)   15’

Small clump maple with good orange fall color.  Very hardy

  Acer palmatum Japanese maple            15’

The Japanese maples come in hundreds of varieties with different foliage colors and textures.  The growth habits range from upright to weeping.  All are very decorative but somewhat “touchy”.  Japanese maples require protection from wind and hot dry locations.

 Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’ (C.K. maple) 40’

This is the dark crimson leaved tree often erroneously referred to as “red maple”.  It’s a slow grower so don’t plant it for shade.  But an excellent accent tree with it’s dark foliage.

 Acer rubrum     (red maple)       50’

Native shade tree with bright red fall color.  Tolerates heavy, relatively wet soil.

Acer sacharum (sugar maple)    60’

Native shade tree with bright orange fall color.  This species prefers better drainage, typically growing on hill tops.

Acer x truncatum ‘Norwegian Sunset’ (N.S. maple)      40’

This is a hybrid between Norway maple and Truncatum maple.  Basically it’s a Norway maple with bright red fall color!

Aesculus octandra        (yellow buckeye)          60’

Less common than the Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) this native shade tree offers cleaner foliage, larger stature and creamy yellow flowers.  Also holds it’s foliage later into fall.

Aesculus hippocastanum   (horsechestnut)   (40’)

Alnus glutinosa   (Black Alder)   50’

Amelanchier laevis        (serviceberry)               20’

A truly 4 season native tree with white flowers in spring, edible fruits in fall (quite good!) clean foliage and smooth bark.  A nice open growing clump tree for the corner of a house or patio. 

Betula nigra  (river birch)           (60’)

Carpinus

Celtis occidentalis

Cercis canadensis         (redbud)           20’

Another native with clean foliage, lavender flowers, open habit.  Grown either single stem or clump form. 

(Lavender Twist)

Chionanthus virginicus

Cladrastus kentuckeana            (Yellowood)     50’

A wonderful native shade tree with white flower clusters.

Not many large trees have attractive flowers.  This one does!

Cornus alternifolia         (Pagoda Dogwood)      15’

A small, rounded, native tree for a protected area.  White flowers and orange fall color.  Most notable is it’s horizontal branching habit giving it the common name of  pagoda dogwood.          

Cornus mas      (Cornelean cherry dogwood)    20’

An interesting dogwood species with very early yellow flowers.

Blooms in March!  Extremely hardy.  Decorative bark.

Crataegus crusgalli  ‘Inermis’

Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’

Eucommia ulmoides

Fagus grandiflora

Fagus sylvatica

Fraxinus

Gleditsia triacanthos ‘inermis’

Gymnocladus dioicus

Halesia carolina

 Hamamelis virginiana       witchhazel  20’

This “tree” might just as well be listed as a shrub for it’s small stature.  Although, like many large shrubs, older specimens will make a fine, small patio tree.  The habit is open and arching.  Foliage is clean with orange fall color.  The flowers are interesting for opening in the late fall unlike most other plants which bloom in the spring.  The closely related species Hamamelis vernalis (vernal witchhazel) flowers in very early spring on warm March days while snow might still cover the ground.

 Liquidambar styraciflua

Liriodendron tulipifera

 Maackia amurensis       Amur maackia              15’      

Amur maackia is native to the cold north eastern Amur River region of China and Mongolia.  This is an extremely hardy and drought tolerant small rounded tree with white summer flowers.

Magnolia acuminata      cucumber tree               60’

A large shade tree with flowers!  Not very many shade trees have decorative flowers.  I’ve seen old log cabins made with the trunks of these trees ……….”cucumber logs”. 

Malus spp.      

 Nyssa

Ostrya

Platanus acerifolia

 Prunus

 Quercus rubra

 Quercus imbricaria

Quercus coccinea

Quercus palustris

Quercus bicolor

Tilia

Ulmus

Zelkova

Coniferous Trees

Abies concolor

Larix decidua

Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Picea glauca

Picea omorika

Picea pungens

Pinus banksiana

Pinus flexilis

Pinus parviflora

Pinus strobes

Taxodium

Tsuga

Trees to use only with caution

Pyrus calleryana

Salix

Populus

                             Shrubs

Aesculus parviflora

Aronia arbutifolia

Azalea

Berberis

Buxus

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Chamaecyparis

Clethra alnifolia

Cornus sericea

Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’

Cotinus

Cotoneaster

Deutzia

Diervilla

Euonymus

Forsythia

Fothergilla

Hydrangea arborescens

Hydrangea macrophylla

Hibiscus

Hydrangea paniculata

Hydrangea quercifolia

Ilex

Itea virginica

Juniperus horizontalis

Juniperus virginiana

Lindera benzoin

Magolia jane,

Magolia soulangeana

Magolia virginiana

Myrica pensylvanica

Physocarpos opulifolius

Pinus mugo

Potentilla fruticosa

Rhamnus frangula ‘Asplenifolia’

Rhododendron

Rhus

Salix

email: mikeepp@mindspring.com