Native for Sun This newsletter is Part 2 of our focus on Kentucky’s native shrubs. This past spring we highlighted shrubs that thrive in shade – this issue Dropseed Nursery’s Elizabeth Kuhn In This describes some of our native shrubs that prefer full sun. These provide food for native birds, butterflies and bees. Issue Fall is a great season to , as typically need less watering when planted in the fall!

Shrubby St. John’s-wort Native (Hypericum prolificum) Shrubs for Sun This is a very adaptable native that tolerates a wide range of soils. It typically grows to a height of 1-4 feet and maintains a round erect shape. The attractive yellow flowers bloom throughout the summer giving Plant Sale way to cone-shaped seed capsules that open Time! in the fall. One very attractive feature of this shrub is the exfoliating bark of the older stems that reveals a pale orange inner

bark in the fall. The turn a yellow- Shrubby St. John’s-wort green in the fall while maintaining the brown Tom Barnes seed capsules throughout the winter.

Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina)

This native shrub can tolerate shade but flowering and disease control is best in full sun. It grows to a height of 1-3 feet but can uncommonly reach 6 feet. Fragrant pink flowers appear in the spring followed by bright red rose hips in the late summer. Birds and butterflies flock to this bush throughout the summer. This shrub thrives in moist, Carolina Rose well-drained environments with good air Missouri Botanical Garden circulation to prevent foliar disease.

Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)

Fragrant sumac is a sprawling shrub reaching 2-6 feet in height. Male and female flowers most commonly appear on separate plants. The male flower buds develop on the plant through the winter, blooming in the early spring. Female flowers give way to clusters of hairy red berries that persist through the winter. The Fragrant Sumac aromatic foliage turns striking colors of Missouri Botanical Garden red, yellow and orange in the fall. It is an excellent food source for small animals and Ninebark birds. ( opulifolius)

Common Ninebark has year round appeal for the garden. This 5-8 foot shrub has arching branches which showcase several layers of exfoliating reddish-brown bark in the winter. The showy white to pinkish flower clusters in the spring give way to drooping clusters of reddish fruit pods in the summer. This bush is easy to grow and tolerant of a wide range of soil Ninebark conditions. Ninebark will attract Missouri Botanical Garden butterflies to your garden in the Winterberry spring, and birds will come to eat the fruit in the fall and winter (Ilex verticillata)

Unlike other hollies, Winterberry is a deciduous bush that typically grows 3-12 feet tall. Striking red berries cover the bush in fall and persist through the winter and early spring. This is a dioecious bush (separate male and female plants) and only fertilized female flowers will produce the signature red berries. The berries are an abundant food source for wildlife and birds. It is also a larval host for Henrys Winterberry Elfin butterfly. Winterberry is a very Missouri Botanical Garden adaptable easy to grow shrub that gives great winter interest to the garden.

Red-twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)

Red-twig Dogwood typically grows 6-9 feet tall, with an erect, spreading shape. Tolerant of many soils, this shrub prefers moist soils in full sun to part shade. Tiny, fragrant, white flowers appear in clusters in the spring giving way to whitish fruit in the summer. Foliage turns red and orange fading to purple in the fall allowing the striking bright red stems of this shrub to show after drop. Like Winterberry, this shrub has considerable winter appeal. Without pruning, this shrub will Red-twig Dogwood Missouri Botanical Garden develop dense suckers forming a hedge. Pruning can maintain the size and spread of this species Arrowwood Viburnum

(Viburnum dentatum)

. This upright rounded-shape shrub can grow to a height of 6-10 feet and can create a nice hedge. Attractive white flower clusters bloom in the spring giving way to dark blue berry-like fruit. This is a great food source for many species of birds including the Eastern Bluebird, American Robin and Northern Flicker. Fall colors are variable turning from yellow to an Arrowwood Viburnum Missouri Botanical Garden attractive red and orange. If shaping is desired, prune immediately after flowering since flower buds form in the summer for the following year.

Dropseed Nursery Fall Plant Sales 1205 S. Buckeye Lane, Goshen, KY

Saturday, September 8, 9-4 Saturday, September 15, 9-4

Or call for an Appointment Come by and see our new selections! Visit our website for directions to the nursery: http://www.dropseednursery.com

Or call Margaret at 502-439-9033

Dropseed Native Plant Nursery 1205 S. Buckeye Lane Goshen, Ky 40026

502-439-9033 www.dropseednursery.com