More Native Shrubs (from our archive)
August 2023: Summersweet, Clethra alnifolia.
In August, the crowds on Cape Cod start to thin, and there’s often a crisp note in the air after the humidity of July.
It’s time to take a deep breath, and revel in the fragrance of
summersweet, the shrubs with the white bottlebrush flowers reaching peak
bloom.
Summersweet is native to coastal regions from Maine to Florida and west to Texas. It likes the filtered sunlight of open woods, as well as sunnier sites near lakes or bogs where the soil retains some moisture. It can also tolerate heavy shade and still produce some flowers. You’ll find it, both cultivated and wild, in Mayflower Point. You can also enjoy its aroma by the ponds of Nickerson State Park and along the Cape Cod Rail Trail heading west from downtown Orleans.
According to the Native Plant Trust, “Before the proliferation of lighthouses, many sailors knew this plant as ‘sailors' delight’: when the winds were right, they could often smell Clethra in bloom before they saw land.” Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers as well. In fall its foliage turns shades of gold and the flowers ripen to seedpods that various birds and mammals eat.
July 2023: Black huckleberry, Gaylusaccia baccata.
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This month, in your walks around Mayflower Point, you may notice stands of shrubs, about hip-high, bearing navy blue, almost black berries that resemble wild blueberries. While we do have lowbush blueberry here (about ankle-height) and highbush blueberry (shoulder height and higher), the huckleberry bush grows to an ergonomic height for picking—which is good because it takes rather a long time to pick enough of its small berries for a dessert. Still, if you can be patient enough to pick a pint to augment the blueberries you’re assembling for a pie, you’ll be rewarded with intense flavor. Huckleberry is visually appealing, too, with shiny green leaves in spring and summer that turn red in the fall. |
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Huckleberry can be found throughout New England and west to the Great Lakes and south to Alabama and Georgia. It likes acidic, well-drained soils in sun or part shade, the filtered sunlight of open woods in particular. It grows in thickets, with new stems emerging each season from the outskirts of the colony. Wherever huckleberry grows, wildlife appreciates it. Numerous birds and mammals feed on its berries, and several species of butterflies, including the endangered Karner Blue, seek the nectar of its blossoms. |
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June 2023: Rosebay rhododendron, Rhododendron maximum.
This
evergreen shrub, also known as great laurel, packs a bold ornamental
punch, as its Latin name implies. Its height typically ranges between
five and 15 feet but can reach 30 feet when its optimum
conditions—moist, acidic, humusy, well-drained soils in part shade—are
met. Judging by the size that many rosebay rhododendrons attain on
Mayflower Point, the conditions here suit them.
The dramatic blossoms, which began appearing last month on the Cape, can be white, pink or deep rose-red. “Maximum” also describes its leaves, which are the largest of all native rhododendrons, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Rosebay rhododendron’s range stretches from Nova Scotia to northern Alabama and Georgia. It can propagate itself by layering, where rootlets sprout from branches that touch the ground, a feature that gardeners can encourage or curb according to their landscape designs.
Rosebay rhododendron has special value to bumblebees, attracts birds and provides shelter to wildlife, but all parts of the plant are poisonous to humans if ingested.December 2022: Common witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana.
For an unfussy, tall and attractive native shrub to add to your garden, consider witch hazel. It does well in full sun or in dappled shade. It grows as tall as 15-20 feet but maintains a columnar or vase shape. Plant several for a leafy deciduous hedge, or one or two for vertical accents. The leaves, a refreshing green in summer, turn golden yellow in the fall.
And in November and December, even after its leaves have fallen, witch hazel offers a surprise: its yellow blossoms.
Another unusual feature is that the seedpods from the previous season appear with the new blooms and then split open, “exploding the 1-2 black seeds within for up to 30 feet,” according to the Missouri Botanical Garden database. The fruits and seeds appeal to birds and small mammals, too.
Witch hazels are available in Cape Cod nurseries, but because of those exploding seedpods, you may already have a volunteer witch hazel or two on your property. Lucky you!
December activity: As winter descends, it’s time to open (online) seed catalogs and dream of wildflowers. A wonderful source is the Wild Seed Project, based in Maine. Check out this page on its website for photos of over 60 wildflowers in bloom, plus a chart detailing their height, blooming season and preferred soil type and sun exposure. Because many wildflowers native to the northeast require cold conditions before their seeds will germinate, the holiday season is a good time to sow seeds in pots and set them outdoors with protective mesh. The seedlings can be transplanted to the garden In the late spring or early fall.