FOTHERGILLA gardenii (Dwarf Fothergilla)

ENKIANTHUS campanulatus    Strongly upright, deciduous shrub with bell-shaped, white flowers tinted reddish at the tips, daintily suspended from long petioles, in clusters, in late spring. Green foliage turns vivid scarlet in autumn. With no serious pest problems, this is a carefree and architecturally interesting landscape plant. 6-8ft. tall by 5-6ft. wide. Zone 4.

Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Showy Lanterns’ New    A distinctive shrub that's not seen often enough in gardens even though it has impressive ornamental features. Habit is narrow, upright, widening somewhat over time, with ascending branches that are slightly tiered, forming an architecturally pleasing structure, and, the branches are retained to the grown. Flowers are dainty, ½in. long, solid pink bells occurring at the terminal buds of last years growth, in clusters, charmingly suspended at ends of long pendulous flower stalks, blooming May-June. Foliage is dark lustrous green in summer turning brilliant scarlet in fall. Height is 6-8ft. tall and, as members of the Ericaceae family, Enkianthus require acid, reasonably moist and well drained soil. Flowering is best in full sun. Interesting structure, handsome foliage and magical flowers give this shrub a special quality that sets it apart in the landscape. Zone 5, possibly into 4.

Epigea repens (Trailing Arbutus or Mayflower)      Look for Epigea in Woodland Wildflowers.

Erica carnea ‘Springbrook Pink’      (Winter Heath)  8” high, spreading to 2-3’. Short, needle-like, evergreen foliage in low mats and bright pink flowers that begin opening in December under the snow and continue into May. Easy to grow in sun in average, moist but drained, acidic soil. Slightly higher pHs don’t seem to have an adverse effect. Zone 4.

Erica carnea ‘Springbrook White’      Same as above except with white flowers.

FOTHERGILLA gardenii (Dwarf Fothergilla)     Dark green leaves turn a brilliant combination of yellow/orange/red in late fall. In late April-early May, before the leaves emerge, fragrant flowers appear in the form of 2", white, bottle-brushes at the ends of the stems. Reaches 2-3 or possibly 4' tall and wide, with a fairly dense, mounded form. A gem for light shade though best flower and foliage color will occur in sun in rich, acidic, well drained soil. Zones 5-8.

Fothergilla gardenii ‘Harold Epstein’ New        A curious little Fothergilla that grows only 12" high by 18" wide but gives up nothing in ornamental value to its larger cousins as it perfumes the spring garden with fragrant, white bottlebrush flowers for two weeks beginning in late May. Fall foliage is just as beautiful as the larger varieties, turning to brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. Well suited to smaller mixed shrub plantings, also for the front of annual and perennial borders and for rock gardens. Wherever it's planted, its fine qualities are sure to attract attention. Easy to grow in acidic, well-drained soil with best fall color displayed in full sun. Our Fothergilla gardenii in quite heavy shade turns a glowing yellow. Zone 5 and into zone 4.

FOTHERGILLA major ‘Blue Shadow’    A blue-leaved form of F. ‘Mt Airy’ with honey-scented, bottlebrush flowers before its outstanding display of dusty blue foliage. Beautiful autumn foliage in shades of red, orange and yellow. North American native. Zone 4.

FRANKLINIA alatamaha     A rare and beautiful large shrub or small tree, 10-20ft. high by 6-12ft. wide, with upright, spreading branches that impart an open, airy appearance. The flowers are white, 5 petaled, 3½ins. wide, fragrant and exceptionally beautiful. Blooms usually begin appearing around the end of July and continue well into August or longer. Required growing conditions are acid, moist but well drained, organic rich soil in sun to part shade with best flowering in sun. Can be challenging to grow, and a first essential step is to provide the best growing conditions possible, including locating plants out of winter winds,(especially in New England). Once the basic requirements are met, then success or failure pretty much comes down to pure luck. For those willing to undertake the challenge, this tree is worth every bit of effort and, of course, success yields huge bragging rights with other gardeners. We know of one gardener who maintains a specimen as a container plant, cutting it back hard every year and wheeling it into the garage for the winter. Zone 5.

No discussion of this plant would be complete without mentioning the amazing story of its continued survival. Plants were snatched from extention when in the 1700's, a Georgia gardener named John Bartram collected a few plants and grew them on in his garden. For reasons yet to be understood, plants have not been observed in the wild since 1790 and all commercially grown plants stem from those salvaged by gardener Bartram. Neat!

Gaylussacia baccata New    The black huckleberry is found all along the eastern N. American coast from Newfoundland to Florida and it is one tough customer.  Grows 3' high, possibly somewhat higher, with stiff, erect, much-branched stems clad in small, oval, bright green leaves that take on brilliant shades of orange and red in the fall. This is a colonizing plant that spreads by adventitious roots to form sizable thickets. Tiny reddish/purple flowers bloom in May-June followed by fruits that resemble blue berries, except black when mature in late summer/early fall, edible. Found in open woods, at woods edge and also in sunny, open locations. Requires acidic soil but is otherwise adaptable to dry sand, rocky ledges as well as wet peaty soils,- as long as they're solidly acidic. A shrub for more extreme landscapes, possibly embankment stabilization, and for naturalizing with a focus on brilliant fall color and providing food for wild life. And then, is there a shrub with a more evocative common name than "Huckleberry"? Zone 5.

Gaylussacia dumosa (Dwarf Huckleberry)      A native shrub that plays an important role in the life cycles of so many native insects and critters, and one that is so hard to find. In the wild it inhabits moist, sandy, acidic locations where it spreads by rhizomes to considerable widths and heights of 5-15". Leaves are small, glossy, thick textured and have an attractive burgundy tone for much of the year. In June, small, pinkish-white flowers are alive with feasting insects, and then in August-September shiny, black, tart-tasting berries ripen and are sought after by wildlife, including the human variety who harvest them for pies and preserves. Zone 4.