Page 20 - Robeson Living Winter 2021

useful in wetlands or restoration gardens, in wet or shady sites, and swamp margins. It will not do well in locations not pro-
or on a bank for erosion control. It does best when initially tected from cold winter winds and winter sun. Part afternoon
grown with constant moisture, but once established in the land- shade is best in hot summer climates. Too much shade will
scape it will grow in a wide range of soil conditions ranging cause the plant foliage to lose density. Uses for this large tree
from wet swampy areas to dry xeric uplands. This shrub is tol- that may have limbs all the way to the ground include privacy
erant of high winds, waterlogged soils, shade and sterile soil, screens and specimen plantings. It doesn’t make a good plant
salt spray, and may be grown in seaside areas. Saline and urban for small yards, but can be a beautiful plant when given space
tolerance make it appropriate for confinement within pavement to grow. This plant provides nectar for pollinators. It is a larval
and locations near roads that are salted in winter. This plant is host plant for Henry’s Elfin larvae which appear from February
subject to leaf drop during acclimatization or after extremely to May and have one flight. Adult Henry’s Elfin butterflies feed
cold temperatures. It is a good selection for stream or pond on flower nectar. Its fruits are eaten by songbirds, wild turkeys,
margins where periodic flooding or drought may occur, and is quail, white-tailed deer, squirrels, and other small mammals.
also attractive as a small tree with lower limbs removed. Honeybees are attracted to its tiny white flowers. This tree also
provides cover during the winter.
Wax Myrtle provides excellent winter and extreme weather
cover. It is a host plant for the Red-Banded Hairstreak but-
terfly. Flowers provide an excellent source of nectar for honey-
bees and butterflies. The fruits are eaten by birds, especially the
Yellow-Rumped Warbler (which are very efficient at digesting
the waxy fruits) in the fall and winter.

Eastern Red cedar is an evergreen tree that may grow 30 to 40 Sugarberry
feet tall. The bark is red-brown in color, exfoliating in long, fi-
brous strips, often ashy gray where exposed. Small, light blue-
green clusters of flowers mature in late winter or early spring. Sugarberry, although not well known, is a deciduous tree native
The tree produces a nearly spherical blue fruit that matures in to North America and is found in the coastal and eastern Pied-
the fall on female trees. Eastern Redcedar is easily grown in mont areas of N.C., often along stream banks. It can grow 50-
average, dry to moist, well-drained soils in full sun. It will 70 feet tall with a somewhat narrower spread. It is fast growing
tolerate a wide range of soils and growing conditions, from with a rounded vase crown and makes a good shade tree, as it
swamps to dry rocky glades. It can even grow on seemingly is resistant to urban pollution. The fruits mature to red or purple
barren soils that few other plants can tolerate. It prefers moist and are eaten by many birds and mammals. In zones 8 and un-
soils but is intolerant of constantly wet soils. It only tolerates der, it can have attractive yellow fall color. The unusual warty
the shade when it is extremely young. It has the best drought bark and fruits provide some winter interest. This tree prefers
resistance of any conifer native to the eastern U.S. This tree moist and well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. It will
is an easy-to-transplant, tough, dependable tree, but consid- tolerate salt, periodic flooding and drought once established. It
ered weedy by many gardeners. It is highly salt tolerant. This is tolerant of soil compaction, making it useful in parking lot is-
colorful tree needs airy space to grow. It makes an excellent lands and medians, in addition to being used as a shade tree for
specimen and does well in a grouping or as a screen. It is your home or naturalized area. Sugarberry can be pruned and
sometimes grown for Christmas trees, especially in warmer ar- kept at shrub size by cutting them to the ground every 2-3 years.
eas of N.C. The Eastern Red cedar provides winter cover. This It is a larval host plant for several butterflies, including Ameri-
plant supports Juniper Hairstreak larvae. Songbirds and small can Snout, Mourning Cloak, Hackberry Emperor and Tawny
mammals eat the berries. Emperor, and Question Mark Butterfly. Fruits mature to deep
purple with one round brown seed within. Fleshy parts of the
American Holly is an evergreen tree that may grow 40-60 feet fruit are edible and sweet, displaying from August to October.
tall. The bark is gray-white in color and may be splotched or Many bird species and small mammals eat the fruit.
warty. Small, dull green-white, solitary flowers mature in late
spring. Female specimens produce a bright red or orange fruit With careful and thoughtful plant selection, we can allow our
which matures in the fall and persists into the winter. American landscape to function and support our surrounding ecosystem,
Holly has generated numerous cultivars of various sizes and providing shelter and food sources for butterflies their larvae,
shapes. It is easily grown in average, consistently moist, acid- birds, and small mammals. More information can be found at
ic, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. The leaves are NC Cooperative Extension’s Plant Toolbox by visiting https://
typically yellow in alkaline soils and have a dusty, dirty look to plants.ces.ncsu.edu/, and is the source of all plant descriptions.
them. It will tolerate a broad range of soil conditions and is pol-
lution tolerant, but will not tolerate flooding or soils saturated For more information, contact Mack Johnson, Extension Horti-
with moisture. For optimum growth avoid poorly drained soils. cultural Agent, at 910-671-3276, by Email at Mack_Johnson@
Its best growth in the wild usually occurs in rich bottomlands nscu.edu, or visit our website at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/.

Page 20 Robeson Living ~ Winter 2021