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

This year, the Univeristy 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 second in a series on plants being offered at the UDBG spring plant sale that are recommended for Delaware landscapes.

Cladrastis kentukea, American Yellowwood, 30-50', full sun to part shade, moist soil conditions. A true star in the garden with a heavenly fragrance. The nearly 12-inch long terminal white clusters provide quite a display in mid May. A great small to medium sized tree for residential landscapes with clear yellow fall foliage. Native plant. Photo from The Dow Gardens Archive, Dow Gardens, Bugwood.org.


Crataegus crus-galli, Cockspur Hawthorn 20-30', full sun, dry to moist soil conditions. How can you resist — white spring flowers loved by pollinators, deep red fruits eaten by birds, and bronze red to purple red fall foliage. These large shrubs also offer great cover for birds due to their long 2-3 inch spines. Native plant. Photo by Richard Webb, Self-employed horticulurist, Bugwood.org.

Diospyros virginiana, Common Persimmon, 35-60', full sun, dry to moist soil conditions. The small white flowers in early summer are prized by pollinators and produce 1-2 inch apricot colored fruit. The fall foliage often turns purplish-red about the time the fruit is being savored by wildlife. Native plant. Photo by John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org.


Magnolia virginiana, ‘Henry Hicks’, Sweetbay Magnolia, 25', sun to part shade, moist to wet soil conditions. Difficulty propagating this outstanding magnolia has greatly limited its availability in the nursery trade. This cultivar retains its foliage as well as or better than all other sweetbays. The upright habit, white flowers, and stunning fragrance make this an ideal choice for nearly all gardens. Native plant. Photo by The Dow Gardens Archive, Dow Gardens, Bugwood.org.

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

Landscape and Nursery: Some New and Different Landscape Plants to Consider

The following are some new and different landscape plants to consider. Information is from Andrew Bunting, Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College.

Magnolia virginiana ‘Santa Rosa’ Sweet Bay Magnolia. Santa Rosa is a good evergreen form of sweet bay magnolia with lemon scented flowers.

Magnolia ‘Judy Zuk’. This is a Magnolia x brooklynensis hybrid with yellow flowers with a slight purple blush at the base. It has a very attractive fruity fragrance.

Gelsemium sempervirens ‘Margarita’. Carolina Jessamine. This is a vine that produces profuse quantities of trumpet shaped yellow flowers in late spring and early summer. It has a sweet Jasmine scent.

Emmenopterys henryi. Chinese emmenopterys. This is a rare blooming tree with white, wing-like bracts surrounding white to pale yellow, fragrant flowers in clusters in mid summer. It is a beautiful tree with dark green leaves.

Information from Andrew Bunting, Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore College, www.scottarboretum.org