What’s in Bloom

This wisteria, native to Japan, is highly prized for its very long, fragrant racemes of flowers in late spring. The flowers do not all open at once, but begin to open at the base of the raceme and open progressively to the tip.

Mature at about three feet tall, this native shrub is deer resistant and has fragrant white, bottlebrush blooms in the early spring.  Dwarf fothergilla is relatively low maintenance and is hardy in zones 5 to 8.  It prefers full sun to light shade and moist, well-draining soil.  The shrub has beautiful fall foliage in shades ranging from yellow to dark red and is a good companion to dwarf conifers, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Commonly known as creeping phlox, this native wildflower can be identified as a low growing mat-like groundcover. These shade loving, spreading perennials are best used in woodlands, informal borders, or tucked into corners, paths, and rock walls. From late April to early June, the popular cultivar ‘Sherwood Purple’ bears highly fragrant purple-blue flowers on 6 inch tall stems. 

Rhododendron periclymenoides is a deciduous shrub that has pink funnel shaped flowers in late April to early May. This native azalea likes part shade and moist, well-drained soils. It can grow to be 10 feet at maturity and is a lovely addition to a woodland garden. 

A large shrub, reaching seven to ten feet in time, Enkianthus provides multiple points of interest. The overall habit consists of finely branched tiers providing a soft horizontal element to the landscape. Spring flowering, each branch carries a myriad pendant white flowers typical of an ericaceous plant. In autumn, the foliage is quick to change from a medium green to vibrant red and shades of purple. E. perulatus performs best in acidic soils with full sun to part shade, and is hardy to from zones 5 to 7. Also a great choice for its pest and disease resistance.

A beautiful spring Pennsylvania native, flowering dogwood is a medium-sized tree that blooms in late April to early May.  ′Appalachian Spring′ is slow growing but it flowers at a young age and is resistant to dogwood anthracnose, a fungal disease that causes cankers, which kill affected dogwoods.  Like other flowering dogwoods, it has red fruit, that attract birds, and reddish purple foliage in the fall providing another season of interest.