Landscape and Nursery - Plants for Delaware Landscapes Featured at the 2009 UDBG Spring Plant Sale #10

This year, the University of Delaware Botanic Garden spring benefit plant sale features those plants that add to the biodiversity of the landscape and offer food and habitat for wildlife, especially insects and the birds that eat them. Many native plants are featured. This is the tenth in a series on plants being offered at the UDBG spring plant sale that are recommended for Delaware landscapes.

Fothergilla × intermedia ‘Blue Shadow’, Hybrid Fothergilla, 6-10', sun to part shade, moist soil conditions. A new hybrid with powdery-blue leaves, most prevalent on new foliage. It also boasts bottlebrush white flowers in spring and brilliant orange red color in fall. Native plant.


Gelsemium sempervirens ‘Pride of Augusta’, Carolina Jessamine Vine, trellis, full sun to full shade, moist soil conditions. Evergreen vines are a welcome sight in the winter landscape and this one does not disappoint. The twining vine is appropriately vigorous and beckons spring with fully double golden flowers in March and April. Native plant.


Hamamelis vernalis, Vernal Witchhazel, 6-10', full sun to full shade, moist to wet soil conditions. This plant flowers well before the vernal equinox. Flowers are typically yellow, somewhat fragrant, and can start in February and last 4 weeks or more. Combined with good yellow fall color, this is a great plant for the shrub border and naturalizing. Native plant. Photo from The Dow Gardens Archive, Dow Gardens, Bugwood.org.


Hamamelis virginiana, Common Witchhazel, 20-30', full sun to full shade, moist to wet soil conditions. Relatively common in our native woodlands, this large shrub often grows along streams. It produces numerous 4-petaled yellow flowers in October and November. Native plant. Photo by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org.


For more information on the 2009 UDBG Spring Plant Sale go to http://ag.udel.edu/udbg/events/annualsale.html