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Comptonia peregrina - Sweetfern from Pleasant Run Nursery

Comptonia peregrina

Sweetfern

Sweetfern is a small but widely suckering shrub that energetically colonizes dry, acidic, sterile areas. Hair catkins crown the ends of the stems in late April and early May.  Foliage is green and fragrant (it's in the Bayberry family), with a fern-like texture. It prefers more acid soil and is a nitrogen-fixing species.  The semi-evergreen leaves of Comptonia peregrina turn bronzy green in late fall.  It is an important host for butterfly and moth larvae, including several Sphinx moth species and the Gray Hairstreak butterfly.

Height

3 Feet

Spread

6 Feet

Bloom Color

Ivory/Buff

USDA Hardiness Zone

2
Characteristics & Attributes
Attributes
Deer Resistant
Fragrant - Foliage
Groundcover
Native
Native - Straight Species
Semi-Evergreen
Soil Conditions
Average
Dry
Sandy
Exposure
Sun
Foliage Color
Green
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