Virginia Creeper

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Vining: 30-50′ tall (with support.)

Flowering: mid-late August

Fruiting: September

Birds: thrushes, woodpeckers, vireos, and warblers.

 

CAUTION: VIRGINIA CREEPER FRUITS ARE POISONOUS. The fruits can produce symptoms including: Nausea, abdominal pain, bloody vomiting and diarrhea, dilated pupils, headache, sweating, weak pulse, drowsiness, twitching of face.

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***Though considered poisonous, it is generally thought that it is not possible for a human to consume enough of the fruit to cause serious harm due to the bad flavor***

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Virginia creeper (also know as woodbine) is a deciduous, woody vine with a vigorous, tendril-climber that needs no support and typically grows 30-50′. Adheres to flat surfaces (e.g., brick, stone or wood walls) via adhesive disks at the tendril ends. Compound-palmate leaves emerge purplish in spring, mature to dull green in summer and change to purple to crimson-red in autumn. Fall color can be quite attractive. Clusters of small, greenish-white flowers appear in the upper leaf axils in late spring to early summer, but are generally hidden by the foliage. Flowers give way to dark blue to black berries in September–October, which are attractive to birds.

Viburnum (Arrowwood)

Viburnums are shrubs with attractive foliage, flowers and fruit. They are great ornamental landscape plants and wonderful natives. The fruit attracts most fruit-eating birds, including bluebirds, thrashers, waxwings, vireos, catbirds, robins and thrushes. They are virtually pest free and easy to grow.

FOR BIRDS: Cardinals, vireos, pheasants, robins, starlings, thrashers, thrushes, catbird, wild turkeys, waxwings, woodpeckers

Fruiting: Late Summer to mid autumn

Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) 10-12′ tall/wide, though often only attaining 5-7′ in partial shade. Native Americans used this plant for arrows, thus the name. It naturally grows in wooded swamps, marshes and moist woods. It has fragrant, white flower clusters in late spring, followed by blue-black fruits in late summer/early fall. The dark-green foliage turns reddish colors in the fall. It grows best in well-drained soils in full sun, but tolerates full shade, wet and acid soils.

Birds actively seek out the fruit and will strip the plant clean in late fall, although the fruit hangs on through the winter if the birds don’t find it.

‘Autumn Jazz‘ Viburnum is a cultivar selected from the species for its upright, vase shape and form. It blooms in late May to mid June with clusters of creamy white flowers, followed by clusters of blue-black fruit in late summer/early fall. Fall foliage color ranges from yellow to burgundy in late fall.

Birds are very attracted to the fruit and the shrub also provides good cover and nesting spots.

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Northern Burgundy: Arrowwood Viburnum ‘Northern Burgundy’. This cultivar has a uniform oval-rounded habit, attractive foliage, strong branching and wine-red to burgundy fall color. Creamy white flowers appear in early to mid-June, followed by ornamental clusters of blue-black fruit in autumn. Extremely wet sites should be avoided.

This viburnum grows 8′ to 10′ in height with an equal spread in 10 years.

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Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) 12-15′ tall/6-12′ wide. Easily grown in average, dry to medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade, Blackhaw viburnum tolerates drought very well. As a shrub, it typically grows 12-15′ tall with a spread of 6-12′, but as a tree may reach a height of 30′. Non-fragrant white flowers appear in spring, which  give way in autumn to blue-black, berry-like drupes which often persist into winter and are quite attractive to birds and wildlife.

Fruits are edible and may be eaten off the bush when ripe or used in jams and preserves. Common name refers to the purported similarity of this plant to hawthorns (sometimes commonly called red haws), though hawthorns are in a different family.

Sumac

Sumacs (Rhus spp.)

Size: 8-12′ tall with canopy spread up to 6′

Flowering:

Fruiting: late summer – early autumn

Birds: cardinals, eastern bluebirds, purple finches, and even wild turkeys

Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) 10-15′ tall/’ wide. Fragrant sumac is a rapid growing, a short-lived (20-30 years) shrub, which reproduces from seed or by shooting roots. Seed production is moderately abundant, and somewhat utilized but small birds such as chickadees and goldfinches in winter. It flourishes best in average to slightly dry soil conditions, excelling in lighter soils, which make it very useful for river or lake bank cover. Full sun to partial shade is preferred, and it may not do very well in full shade. Easily grown in average, dry to medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of wide range of soils except those that are poorly drained.

 

CAUTION: Sumacs can be aggressive spreading, and may not be ideal for small properties.

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) 9-15′ tall/ 15-20′ spread. Staghorn sumac is a large, open, spreading shrub that typically reaches 9-15′ tall. It spreads by root suckers to 15-20′ wide or more in a cluster. Female plants produce showy, pyramidal fruiting clusters, which ripen in autumn to a maroon-brown color. Fruit clusters persist through the winter, which is attractive to wildlife. Grow in average, dry to medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. It is tolerant of wide range of soils except those that are poorly drained.

 

 

 

 

 

Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) 10-15′ tall/6-10′ wide. Smooth sumac has a fruit existing in panicles. Fruits are dark red, round and hairy, 1/8 inch long. The panicles droop when mature; maturing September to October but persisting through winter when other fruits may be scarce. It does best with average moisture in full sun, but can tolerate heavier soils. Like Fragrant Sumac, Smooth Sumac is also a short-lived plant that is not tolerant of shade.