Woody Ornamentals

Winter Jasmine has soft yellow flowers appearing in February through March over shiny green leaves. A true signifier of impending spring and wonderful source of nectar for early pollinators.  The green stems of Jasminum nudiflorum add a note of interest in the winter, and are excellent for trailing over rock walls.    A fantastic option for erosion control and can be effective on slopes, or in areas with poor soil.  It can be rejuvenated by severe pruning after flowering.  This plant is native to Southeastern Tibet to Central China.

‘Sea Green’ Chinese Juniper has arching branches on a compact spreading form. The foliage is a somewhat dark green which darkens further in the winter. This is a good filler for big spaces, as it makes a nice consistent mass planting. Female form, so it often has silvery fruit.

Hollywood Juniper ('Kaizuka') is a classic conifer because of its unusual irregular branching combined with its dark green needles.  The open, sculpted shape makes this Juniper showy all year, whether planted as a screen of displayed as a specimen.  Hollywood Junipers are quite cold tolerant, so they are particularly effective in large containers on desks or patios.  We have heard from several customers that this is there 'go to' plant for seashore and urban roof top gardens since Hollywood Juniper handles salt and wind very well.  The common name of "Hollywood" is because this versatile evergreen seems to be planted everywhere in California.

The deep green prostrate foliage of 'Bar Harbor' Juniper takes on a purplish cast in winter. A tough evergreen groundcover that works well in rock gardens and in salt-exposed areas.

Eastern Redcedar is a highly variable native conifer, and the selection we offer comes from a seed source that provides columnar, uniform plants.  The neat green evergreen foliage takes on attractive purplish hues in fall and winter.  Juniperus virginiana is dioecius, and female plants bear blue-green "berries" (actually covered cones) which can be extremely showy in winter.  Both wet site and salt tolerant, Eastern Redcedar is an extremely adaptable native, and an important food source for migrating birds.  The wood has long been values for its beautiful color and rot resistance.

'Grey Owl' was selected in 1938 for its unusual habit and foliage color.  This unusual form of Eastern Redcedar is a broad low shrub, bearing silver gray needles thickly on its horizontal branches.  A female form, it will often have little round "berries" (cones) when mature.  Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl' is an attractive addition the native conifer groundcover field, showing its rugged adaptability over many years. 2023 PHS Gold Medal Plant.

PRN Preferred:  A native, low growing Eastern Redcedar.  Very adaptable.

'Taylor' Eastern Redcedar is a very narrow selection of Juniperus virginiana, found originally in Taylor, Nebraska.  'Taylor' has attractive silvery blue green needles and round berry-like cones which are an important food source for birds.  'Taylor' Eastern Redcedar is considered to be the most dry site tolerant of the Juniperus virginiana selections available.  It also has better than average resistance to Cedar Apple Rust. Many love it becasue it is similar in appearance to an Italian Cypress.

PRN Preferred: The attractive bluish green needles are displayed on a very narrow upright habit.

'Carol' Mountain Laurel produces beautiful flower clumps in May and June.  The buds are red but the ballet shirt shaped flowers are pale pink to white when fully open.  The shiny green foliage is evergreen and somewhat leathery.  Kalmia 'Carol' is particularly showy when naturalized and planted in mass.  As Kalmias mature, they can become picturesquely open in habit, but if a tighter evergreen is desired, they can be pruned yearly, preferably soon after blooming.

'Carousel' Mountain Laurel blooms in May and June, with pink buds opening to white flowers accented by burgundy splotches and stripes.  The habit is upright and dense, making Kalmia 'Carousel' an excellent candidate for an evergreen natural looking hedge or screen.  Kalmia latifolia does well in acidic soils.  The evergreen foliage is attractive all year because of its lustrous dark green appearance. 

‘Pink Charm’ Mountain Laurel has vivid pink masses of flowers in May and June. The buds are dark red on the flower clumps, which open to the classic ballet skirt form New Englanders know and love. The foliage is evergreen and lustrous, making it attractive all year. Thrives best in well-drained acidic soil. Since Kalmia is a broadleaf evergreen, protection from winter winds is important.

'Raspberry Glow' Mountain Laurel comes from Dick Jaynes of Broken Arrow Nursery, and is a sibling of Kalmia 'Sarah'.  The buds are raspberry red, opening to a vivd deep pink in May and June.  The ballet skirt shaped flowers are borne in large clusters over deep green lustrous foliage.  Kalmia 'Raspberry Glow' tolerates a wide range of light conditions, and is one of the few broadleaf evergreens that is deer resistant.

‘Tiddlywinks’ Mountain Laurel produces dark pink clusters of flower buds in late spring. They open to soft pink “ballet skirt” flowers in early summer, displayed over lustrous evergreen leaves on a very compact plant. Kalmia latifolia ‘Tiddlywinks’ is considered a dwarf, but the flower clumps are normal sized, so they are particularly impressive on the small sized Mountain Laurel. Another beauty from Dick Jaynes of Broken Arrow Nursery in Connecticut.

Cherry Dazzle® ('GAMAD 1') Crapemyrtle is a product of Dr. Michael Dirr's Razzle Dazzle® Crapemyrtle series, where excellent cold and disease resistance is combined with very compact sizes.  Cherry Dazzle® is covered with cherry red flowers starting in July, borne on a ground-hugging habit.  The new foliage starts out reddish, and the fall color is shades of burgundy-red.  This showy Crapemyrtle is small enough to mix well in perennial beds, and also has possible application as a short showy hedge.

Beautiful, bold, black-leaved Lagerstroemia Thunderstruck™ White Lightning™ ('JM4') is a fast-and-easy-growing, cold hardy Crapemyrtle that is prized for its stunning, glossy, dark burgundy-black foliage and prolific white blooms from June to September. The tallest of the black-leaved Crapemyrtles, this particular selection is a cross of the popular Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’ with Lagerstroemia ‘Ebony and Ivory’, boasting a wider canopy and taller stature than ‘Natchez’, as well as the similar, dramatic, darkly-colored foliage of ‘Ebony and Ivory’. This is a wonderful specimen tree that can (and should!) be admired for its appearance – from the color contrast between the creamy white blooms and dark foliage, to the finely exfoliating bark that provides winter interest.

'Muskogee' Crapemyrtle has lavender flowers in July and August and red-orange fall color. The mature bark is shades of tan and grey.  One of several mildew resistant hybrids (crosses between L. indica and L. fauriei) that were developed by the National Arboretum and named after Native American Indian tribes. Introduced in 1978.

'Natchez' Crapemyrtle has white flowers in July and August, spectacular mottled exfoliating bark in shades of tan and chocolate, and yellow-red fall color. From Dr. Egolf and the US National Arboretum, Lagerstroemia x 'Natchez' is truly a four season plant. Per Phil Normandy of Brookside Gardens in Maryland, all the fauriei crosses like Natchez rebloom reliably after their first summer display.

PRN Preferred:  Amazing bark color added to the excellent cold tolerance really make this Crapemyrtle a winner.

'Tuscarora' Crapemyrtle has big coral-pink flowers blooming in July and August. A little more tender than the toughest of the Lagerstroemias, its flowers and open multi stem habit make it a show-stopper. Lagerstroemia x 'Tuscarora' is another winner from Dr. Don Egolf and the US National Arboretum.

Leptodermis oblonga is a dwarf ground-hugging shrub with small purple-pink lilac-shaped flowers starting in June and continuing all summer. Native to northern China.  The blooms are very fragrant and produces flowers beginning is early summer and intermittently throughout much of the growing season.  It is late to leaf out in spring but give it time, blooms on new wood.  Sometimes referred to as baby Lilac shrub.  We continue to be amazed at its subtle but relentless flower power.  The small habit of this plant makes it a perfect addition to the front of the bed or small residential lots.

Rosy purple pea-like flowers explode in August and September. Lespedeza 'Gibraltar' is a semi-woody shrub with an arching, fountain-like habit.   Treat as cut-back shrub by cutting to the ground in late winter to early spring.  It will respond by producing rapid annual growth.  'Gibraltar' Bush Clover tolerates dry sites and looks amazing cascading down walls or over embankments.  It was found by the great plantsman (and artist!) William Frederick, Jr. of Delaware.  In our experience, Gibraltar is indistinguishable from Lespedeza 'Spring Grove'.

Coast Leucothoe is a lovely spring blooming broad leaf evergreen, with white flower racemes in April and May. Leucothoe axillaris's branching habit is an interesting zigzag and in winter it's foliage takes on hues of red and burgundy.   Prefers acid, moist soil and does not tolerate drought and wind so site correctly.  Native to the Southeastern US, Leucothoe axillaris flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

The new growth of 'Rainbow' Doghobble is a striking blend of white, pink and green changing to cream and green as it matures, Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow' has white fragrant flowers in May. A selection by Girard Nursery in Ohio. Evergreen, turning plum colored in winter.

The leathery narrow green leaves of Greybush Spicebush turn the most spectacular combination of orange, red and purple in fall. Leaves are held throughout the winter, turning a very attractive tan. Since it holds its leaves, Lindera angustifolia (formerly glauca var. salicifolia) is a good screening alternative for traditional evergreens. Shiny black small fruit appears in the fall. It is Landscape Architect Michael Van Valkenburgh's newest favorite all-season shrub.

PRN Preferred: Super shrub!  Attractive all four seasons.  In the fall, many customers have asked "What's that shrub that looks like it is on fire?!".  Truly, unbeatable fall color.

Lindera benzoin has delicate pale yellow flowers in early spring, a standout in leafless woodsy vistas. The leaves, twigs and fruit are all fantastically fragrant when bruised and in that way great for connecting people to nature  In the fall the lemon yellow foliage lights up the woods. Plants are dioecious and female plants produce shiny red fruit which is an important food source for migrating birds.  It is a host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Spicebush Swallowtail.  Our native Spicebush is wet site tolerant and deciduous.

Extremely narrow form, 'Slender Silhouette' American Sweetgum was introduced by that superb plantsman Don Shadow. It has beautiful glossy green leaves and is wet site tolerant. Liquidambar styraciflua 'Slender Silhouette’ is best planted in poor soils, this will slow its growth rate allowing the plant to keep it upright, narrow habit.  When planted in rich soils it sometimes will grow too fast causing the branches to split open.  If pruning is necessary to remove straggler branches, it should be done in late winter to early spring before the tree leaves out.  The fall color is yellow to burgundy.  Virtually fruitless as a young tree, it will gradually begin to produce a few fruits, but they are much less in number than the species.  'Slender Silhouette' makes an amazing upright element in the landscape, a great choice for tight spaces, medians or as a screen that borders along property lines. 

PRN Preferred:  Amazing structure and trouble free foliage.

Privet Honeysuckle is a beautiful evergreen shrub with low horizontal branches that will root-in and slowly spread over time, making it a good choice as a woody groundcover or as a slope stabilizer.  Native to China, it is salt tolerant and does well in seashore settings.  It is easy to shape by pruning and is an excellent choice for shady deer-dominated areas.  Lonicera pileata often produces glowing amethyst fruits in late summer on older plants. 

PRN Preferred:  Works much better than any Cotoneaster as a groundcover.  This evergreen works well in dry sites.