'Native Plant of the Month’
February, 2005
Paper Birch, also known as white birch, canoe birch, and silver birch
(Betula paperifera)
 |
Birch Bark Canoes.
The principle mode of travel for Indians over the 4,000 mile canoe
trail. .
Try planting a mixed stand of birch and Douglas fir.
A recent article in the National Arbor Day Foundation describes a
beneficial relationship between paper birch and Douglas fir trees.
Researchers have found that paper birch trees can help Douglas fir trees
obtain carbon (sugar). Paper birch also have an 'antibiotic'
effect on soil pathogens that can cause root rot.
U.S. Champions:
107 feet tall and just under 6 feet in diameter. One is in
Cheboygan City, MI and the other in Point Aux Barques, MI.
Symbol of the North Country.
Many associate beauty and romance with the gleaming white
bark. The state tree of New Hampshire. Primary tree of the
great Boreal Forest that stretches from Alaska to New England. |
- Paper birch is short-lived and rarely lives more than 140
years.
- Typically grows 40-50' tall, and often grows in clumps.
- The handsome foliage and showy white bark make the trees
attractive for landscaping.
- Prefers moist, well drained soils, full sun, acidic soils,
and sandy or silty loam
'Native Plant of the Month’
October,
2004
Common Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
- look for the fragrant, yellow flowers in mid-October or November
- 10-15' tall, and can grow that wide as well, does well in naturalized
settings
- prefers moist soil, often found growing in shaded area along wooded stream
banks
- plant in spring or early summer
- can tolerate sun or full shade
- alkaline soil can result in yellowish leaves (use acidifying fertilizers
like ammonium sulfate and organic mulches to counter alkaline soil)
- slow growing
- rabbits like to nibble on the trunks
'Native Plant of the Month’
September,
2004
Nannyberry Viburnum or sheepberry (Viburnum lentago)
A garden without a viburnum is akin to life without music or art (Michael A.
Dirr, 1998).
- Size: ~15' high, spread is variable but often get stretch over 10'.
National Champion is 50' by 40' in Oakland County, MI.
- Hardiness Zone: 3-7
- Branches: slender finally arching branches, somewhat open at maturity
- Fruit: an oval drupe with a bluish black color from September to October
(early color shows green to tinges of yellow, pink, and rose)
- Ideal shrub for naturalizing borders and is a great winter food source for
the birds
- Viburnum borer is an insect that of recent has been a major problem to
many species of viburnum.
'Native Plant of the Month’
April,
2004
Wild Ginger or Canadian Ginger (Asarum canadense)
-
This forb is a great ground cover under trees and
shrubs. Ideal when nothing else will grow under your spruce.
-
6-12 inches tall and blooms in early May with
greenish-purple or brown flowers.
-
Bell-shaped flowers usually go unnoticed underneath the
large leaves
-
Prefers full to dense shade, but tolerate partial shade
-
Needs plenty of moisture and organic matter
-
Hardy in zones 3-5
'Native Plant of the Month’
March,
2004
Downy Hawthorn (Crataegus mollis)
- Zone 3 to zone 6
- Can tolerate dry soils
- Rounded to wide-spreading tree, growing 20' to 30' tall, annual growth
rate is 12-18" per year
- Branches take on a grayish cast and are quite different from other
hawthorns
- Leaves are downy when unfolding, medium green in summer, yellow to bronze
to bronze-red in fall
- Flowers are white and bloom in early May, one of the earliest blooming
hawthorns!
- Rust is a disease problem, and fruit drop can be very heavy
‘Native Plant of the Month’
February,
2004
American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), also known
as musclewood, or blue-beech.
-
Hardy to zone 3b (northern strains only)
-
Wide-spreading; multi-stemmed tree with low branches; 20-30’
tall
-
Fluted, muscle-like bark and branches; yellow to orange-red fall
color
-
Slow grower, shade tolerant
-
Prefers rich moist, slightly-acid soil; salt intolerant
