TREE DESCRIPTIONS - TREE GIVEAWAY NOV 2025
Blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium)
- Small, ornamental tree with attractive, dark-green foliage that becomes reddish-purple in fall .
- Small, creamy white flowers bloom in spring, attracting pollinators. Prune immediately after flowering, since the flower buds for the next year will start to develop in the summer.
- Typically reaches a height of 10-15’, occasionally reaching up to 20’. Spread of 6-12' at maturity.
- Prefers partial sun to partial shade and moist to dry well-drained soils. Adaptable to soil types and acidity. Drought tolerant and does well in urban conditions.
- Fruits are edible and may be eaten off the branch when ripe or used in jams and preserves.
Winterberry holly (ilex verticillata)
- Medium and slow growing, 3 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 12 feet wide.
- Red berries that mature in the fall and persist after leaves drop, providing winter interest and food for birds.
- Prefers moist, acidic soil with good drainage. It tolerates heat, drought, and soil compaction.
- Can thrive in full shade or full sun.
- Low maintenance good for borders, rain gardens of recreational areas.
sweetbay Magnolia (magnolia virginiana)
- Beautiful native plant
- Slow growing evergreen with fragrant white flowers
- Tolerates shade or sun but blooms best in the sun
- Tolerates wet soils but needs water to get established
- Typically takes years to reach 15 feet or more
- Not to be confused with Laurus nobilis or Bay Laurel, the source of culinary bay leaves
Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)
- Fragrant white flowers bloom in Spring, giving way to 1/4" purple berry-like fruit loved by birds and edible for humans. In fall the leaves turn showy red and orange.
- Small tree, usually growing to a height of 15–25' and a spread of 15–25' at maturity.
- Prefers part shade and moist, well-drained sandy loam but is adaptable to both wet and dry sites and various soil types.
- Somewhat tolerant of salt but not of urban conditions.
Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
- A fast-growing tree with bright green leaves that resemble tulip flowers in profile and turn golden yellow in fall.
- Greenish-yellow flowers are carried high in the tree.
- Stems are aromatic.
- Likes full sun. Grows to 70' to 90', 40' spread.
american fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)
- A slow-growing, large shrub or small, deciduous ornamental tree.
- Matures at 12 to 20 feet in height and 12 to 20 feet in width.
- Generous clusters of fragrant, fringed white blossoms, which appear in late spring after other spring-flowering trees have finished blooming.
- This plant grows best in full to part sun and average, well-drained soil.
american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
- Woody, deciduous, perennial shrub that produces showy purple fruits in the fall.
- Prefers full sun and is intolerant of deep shade. It will grow in all types of soil provided there is good drainage. Pruning is best done in late winter.
- Clusters of small flowers bloom on the stems during the late spring and early summer. Clusters of purplish to bluish berries develop August through October and encircle the stem.
- Berries are a good food source for songbirds and small mammals. The leaves, when crushed, produce a chemical that can repel mosquitos.