Sherwood Forest Garden Club Meeting
01/25/2002

Natives for Garden and Vase

To see the complete list of native plants provided by the speaker, click here.

Sandra described the winter interest arrangement shown below.

Alder - Provides good winter interest through both its female cones and its elongated male cones. Grows 8-10' and likes low lying wet areas. Blueberries - The wonderful striated bark makes this plant an interesting choice. Yaupon Holly - This holly provides the greenery along with colorful berries. Cranberry - This plant shifts to burgundy in the winter. It does not need to be grown in a bog. This is done just to make the cranberries easier to harvest by flooding the bog. However, cranberries make a good ground cover in normal garden soil. Plant in full sun to partial shade. Horsetail (Scouring Rush) - Buy tis in a pot and bury the pot when you plant it to prevent running.

Sandra's slide presentation highlighted the native plants described below. She also provided a list of native trees, shrubs and perrenials.

• Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) - Look for this along the Chattahoochee. It likes cool evenings so can be difficult to grow inside the city; it does better in the mountains. Plant it like a rhododendron or azalea; i.e., plant high, mulch and keep evenly watered to get it established.

• Inkberry Shamrock (Ilex glabra) - See this at the Atlanta Botanical Garden walkway from the parking lot. This evergreen sports black berries and takes shearing well. It likes wet to normal garden soil.

• Florida Anise Hally's Comet(Illicum floridanum) - Can be used as an espalier or a regular shrub. Does well in deep shade. Red flowers in the spring with decorative capsules after the flowers fade. Fragrance was likened to a "wet dog". So may want to plant away from the patio.

• Florida Leucotheoe (Agarista populifolia) - Great screening shrub. See it near the piper statue at the ABG. It sports light green foliage with graceful, arching burgundy stems.

• Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) - Can be limbed up to create a tree-form up to 15' tall with translucent berries; a good patio tree. Female needed for berries with a male for fertilization; however, so many neighborhoods have these that a male is likely to be around somewhere.

• America Holly (Ilex opaca) - Also a good patio tree, but grows up to 25 ' tall.

• Waxmyrtle (Myrica cerifera) - Both male and female varieties; blue colored berries. Leaves are fragrant when crushed and are used for bayberry candles.

• Native Azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) - Can achieve blooms from March through July by appropriately selecting the variety. The white, light pink, and rose colored are fragrant while the orange and red varieties are not. The Rhododendron prunefolium is the Callaway Garden signature plant.

• Buckeye (Aesculus) - Branches provide "oriental scaffolding" which looks great in flower arrangements. It has a single stem with multiple leaves and tubular flowers. It grows up to 8' high and attracts butterflies. Harvest and plant the seed in September.

• Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) - Buy a single plant and it will expand to fill an area. Both fragrant and non-fragrant varieties. Normally red flowers, but there is also a larger variety with yellow flowers (Athens) discovered by Michael Dirr of UGA. Can be pruned back to 3 or 4 feet. Fall color is a buttery yellow and its twiggy internal structure provides winter interest.

• Fothergillia (Fothergillia spp.) - Mount Airy is a popular variety. The flowers look like bottle brushes; beautiful fall color. Likes part shade to full sun.

• Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) - Tasty fruit in the summer plus beautiful fall color and winter interest.

• Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) - Grow naturally in boulder fields and need less water and can tolerate more sun than the big leaf hydrangeas. Exfoliating bark and retention of leaves and dried flowers provides good winter interest. Fall color is a brilliant red. These plants bloom on old wood and are happiest when not pruned. Several popular varieties include:
  • Snowflake - Double flower heads with long panicles. Inner and out flowers mature at different rates. Dried flowers hang on through winter to protect the new buds.
  • Alice - Large, 10-12' tall.
  • Snow Queen - Upright flower heads and crimson fall color.
  • Pee Wee - Smaller (3') and more compact.

• Sweetspire (Itea virginica) - Henry's Garnet is a popular variety with long white panicles in June and good "red" fall color. It tends to form patches and works well in wet sites.

• Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) - Hummingbird is a popular variety. It likes wet sites but also does well in average garden soil. It blooms in July and attracts a lot of different pollinators.

• Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) - This is a big shrub with glorious berries (white and purple varieties) that form at the leaf nodes.Leaves turn bright yellow. Likes part shade to full sun and can tolerate fairly wet to dry conditions.

• Sumac (Rhus spp.) - Note that the poisonous variety does not grow in our area. Red, fruiting heads which can be dried. These can also be stirred into a drink and taste like lemonade. Be sure to strain out the bugs and debris.

• Devil's Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa) - Features large, fluffy, expanding flower heads and blue-black berries. It attracts butterflies and birds. It is very drought tolerant and an aggressive grower. Need to mow the suckers to keep it contained.

• Witherod (Viburnum cassinoides) - Flowers which color from green to pink and blue to black berries on green wiry stems. Seeds mature in September. Birds like this plant. Part shade to full sun.

• Holly (Ilex) - Similar to crabapple trees in the Northeast. Sizes ranging from dwarf to tall; it can tolerate both wet and dry conditions.

• Dogwoods (Cornus florida) - These form buds in August and September.

• Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) - These bloom first in the spring so it is nice to intermingle with dogwoods. Some new varieties with a burgundy color.

• Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) - Honey scented white flowers and then sweet berries; multiple stems. Two popular varieties are Autumn Brilliance and Princess Diane.

• Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) - This is a small, rounded, shrubby tree with fringe flowers and fruits. The male variety has more showy flowers, but the female has the fruits.

• Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) - Blooms in July; flowers hang down like fingers and turn bright red in the fall.

• American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) - This is a "climax" tree which means that it starts growing up after all of the other trees have established themselves. It is frequently double-trunked. It holds its leaves into the winter and the new leaves push off the old leaves. The new leaf sheaves are copper colored and the stems are light gray.

• Magnolias (Magnolia spp.) - There are both deciduous and non-deciduous varieties. The leaf sheaves and the leaf scares add interest to the straight stems. The deciduous variety has large, thin leaves.

Business Meeting

1. Grace Quinn: Minutes from the last meeting.

2. Peggy Becker: Treasurer's report.

3. Dru Fender: Inspiration (impromptu). (Note: This week is International Friendship Week.)

4. Anza Robinson: Horticultural hints:
   • Plant amaryllis bulbs outside.
   • Use 2 cotton socks to clean your houseplants.
   • According to NASA, you should have 1 house plant for every 100 sq. feet to clean the air.
   • Be sure to pull out the section on pruning from last night's AJC; it can also be ordered.
   • Jade plant - You can put the leaves in a clay saucer containing sand and they will sprout. It is also OK to severely prune back this plant and it will grow back fuller.
   • Bamboo - where to get it? Target stores; oriental markets; e.g., along Buford highway.
   • Southeastern Garden Show starts in February.
   • Another Garden show at the Cobb Galleria from January 31 to February 2.
   • Neighborhood beech tree measured for size as part of the "Big Tree Contest". See the notes from last month's meeting for more information.

5. Laurie Schwarz - New business items:
   • Southeastern Flow show needs help on a couple of entries -- "Welcome to a special place (doorway)" and "Favorite outdoor place (gazebo)". It was decided that more time is needed and that participation should be reconsidered next year. However, garden club members might still volunteer in other ways for this year. This show will be held February 20-24 at the Atlanta Exposition Center (Exit 55 off of I285).
   • Planning is starting on the Sherwood Forest Garden and Home (?) Tour. The first organizational meeting will be Monday, January 28 at Polly's house.
   • Atlanta Botanical Garden has some interesting seminars:
     • Pruning
     • Made in the Shade

6. Various Committee reports were presented including the neighborhood update. A card was passed around for Lilly Downing who had a stroke. You can send cards to her at:

   Atria Room 210 9 Sherwood Lane, SE Marietta, GA 30067

7. Marylou Foley described the scrap books of prior meetings which were available at a table in the back. Different scrap books will be made available at future meetings.

8. Gail Kerlansky - Membership
   • Membership information is being sent out along with an announcement of the February meeting.
   • Hats Off to Spring - Theme of the February 22 meeting at Ansley Golf Course. Wear a hat either beautiful or funny. The program is still under development. The cost is $20 and can be paid at the meeting.

9. Flower arrangements for the January meeting were provided by Polly and Susan.

10. Door prizes were then awarded before adjourning for lunch.

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