Sweetgum - Liquidambar styraciflua

All sizes of Sweetgums were $30, now $18!

Sweetgum gets a bad rap as homeowners tend to dislike the spiny gumball fruit this tree drops into the landscape. The “messiness” is far outweighed by the support and resources sweet gums provide for wildlife. In spring, sweetgum provides a source of nectar to ruby-throated hummingbirds and other nectar feeders. The sweetgum’s star-shaped leaves are host to more than 30 species of butterflies and moths, including two of the most impressive moths, luna and promethea! As for the odd fruit, each one can produce 30-50 seeds, which feed squirrels, chipmunks, red-winged blackbirds, chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, wrens, sparrows, northern cardinals, purple finches, goldfinches, eastern towhees, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, wood ducks, wild turkeys, mallards, mourning doves, and quail.   

If we look at the tree in a more human centered view it is still a great tree to plant. With its adaptability to just about any soil type and its large mature size it is a great option for a hardy shade tree.  And the kicker? Fall color.  Sweetgum is one of the only trees that will display yellows, reds, oranges, and purples all at the same time on one tree. 

NAME: Liquidambar “fluid amber” and styraciflua “flowing with resin” – both Latin names reference the tree’s fragrant sap when the bark is peeled away.  This resin was used to make soaps, adhesives, medicine, and chewed as gum.

NATIVE RANGE: Native to eastern and south-central United States, as well as Mexico and Central America.

FUN FACTS: Check out this link for more information on the medicinal and beneficial compounds of the resinous sap: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441155/

GROWING CONDITIONS:

• SOIL: Naturally grows in bottomland areas with rich, moist soil, but can tolerate a variety of soil conditions where roots have ample room to grow.

• SUNLIGHT: Full Sun to partial shade

• HEIGHT/WIDTH: Pyramidal shape when young, but matures to a rounded crown reaching 60-75' tall and a spread of 40-50'

• ZONES: 5-9

American Witch hazel - Hamamelis virginiana

5G Witch hazel was $65, now $40!

Witch hazel is a large, multi-trunked native shrub (or small tree) with an irregularly shaped open crown and zig-zag stems. One of the most unique features of witch hazel are the yellow-orange blooms present in October through December. The fragrant blooms have long, narrow petals with a crinkled paper appearance. The late bloom time provides an important source of nectar and pollen to its pollinators: flies, bees, wasps, and beetles, with the most peculiar pollinator being the owlet moth. Owlet moths are winter-flying and can fly in freezing temperatures because of their ability to thermoregulate – they are attracted to the strong fragrance and strap-like petals. As the hard capsule fruit matures, seeds are launched up to 30 feet away for dispersal! Seeds are food to wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, songbirds, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, crows, and many others. Witch hazel is not resistant to deer browsing, but it is seldom eaten – depending on your deer population and their browsing habits. Witch hazel is a host plant to 69 species of Lepidoptera larvae, including large lace-border, definite tussock, and funerary dagger moths.

Along with stunning autumn blooms, witch hazel also puts on a bright display of fall foliage with yellow to yellow-orange display.  If you’re looking for a fall specimen for your garden, you have found the one!

NAME: Hama- Greek for “at the same time” and -melon means “fruit”, which is a reference to the rare feature of both the flowers and fruit appearing at the same time on the plant.  Virginiana means the plant is from Virginia.

NATIVE RANGE:  Native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia down to Florida and as far west as eastern Texas.

FUN FACTS:  Witch hazel’s common name came from the Middle English word “wicke” meaning to bend.  Witch hazel was used by early settlers to source water by using forked branches of the shrub as dowsing rods – a bend in the branch would indicate underground water. Witch hazel has many medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, astringent and as an antiseptic.

GROWING CONDITIONS:

• SOIL: A fairly tolerant plant - grows well in acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam and well-drained soils - handles a variety of moisture conditions

• SUNLIGHT: Full sun to partial shade - prefers a minimum of 4 hours of direct sunlight

• HEIGHT/WIDTH: 15-30’ tall and 15-25’ wide

• ZONES: 3-8