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Prairiefire Crabapple

Scientific Name: Malus ‘Prairiefire’

Height: 15-20 ft

Spread: 15-20 ft.

Bloom Time: May

Crown Density: Moderate

Native Range: Crabapple species are native to North America.

Ecological Value: Larval host for 311 species of caterpillars. Berries for birds and small mammals.

Human Value: Edible berries, especially for jam. Cross-pollinates espaliered apple trees.

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Carolina Silverbell

Scientific Name: Halesia carolina

Height: 30-40 ft

Spread: 25-35 ft

Bloom Time: April

Crown Density: Dense

Native Range: Southeast United States, New York

Ecological Value: Flowers for spring pollinators.

Human Value: Flowers and seed pods are edible.

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Redbud ‘Rising Sun’

Scientific Name: Cercis canadensis ‘JN2’ The Rising Sun

Height: 20-30 ft

Spread: 25-35 ft

Bloom Time: May

Crown Density: Moderate Density

Native Range: East Coast North America, Pennsylvania

Ecological Value: Larval host for several species of caterpillar including Henry’s Elfin butterlfly.

Human Value: Flowers can be eaten raw, cooked, or pickled. Ours have a pleasant, slightly sweet lemony flavor. Bean pods are also edible as are the seeds.

I bought our tree for $20.00 from the sale lot of Home Depot on a baking late July day in 2016. She has had a hard life, losing her leader on the way home in the car and having her tap root cut as I tried to loosen her strangling root ball. Since then, she has grown gamely while regularly dropping branches in our increasingly wild storms. Her self-pruning does not seem to have weakened her, but it has kept her nice and small for incorporation into our hedge.

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Chokeberry, Red

Scientific Name: Aronia arbutifolia

Height: 6-8 ft

Spread: 3-4 ft

Bloom Time: April

Crown Density: Low

Native Range: East Coast North America, Pennsylvania

Ecological Value: Larval host. Nectar. Berries

Human Value: Chokeberry is tart when eaten raw. Do not eat the seeds because they contains cyanide.

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Alleghany Serviceberry

Scientific Name: Amelanchier laevis

Height: 15-40 ft

Spread: 15-40 ft

Bloom Time: April-May

Crown Density: Dense

Native Range: East Coast North America, Pennsylvania

Ecological Value: Larval host plant. Berries

Human Value: Blueberry-like berries in early summer. Leaves and stems may be made into tea. Stems can be used for baskets.

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Dogwood, Flowering

Scientific Name: Silphium perfoliatum

Family: Aster family (Asteraceae)

Spread: 2-4 ft.

Bloom Time: June-August

Native Range: Eastern North America, Pennsylvania

Ecological Value: Nectar source for long tongued bees, wasps, butterflies, and occasional hummingbirds. Goldfinches also visit these plants

Human Value:

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Cup Plant


Scientific Name: Silphium perfoliatum

Family: Aster family (Asteraceae)

Spread: 2-4 ft.

Bloom Time: June-August

Native Range: Eastern North America, Pennsylvania

Ecological Value: Nectar source for long tongued bees, wasps, butterflies, and occasional hummingbirds. Goldfinches also visit these plants

Human Value:

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Mint, Mountain

Scientific Name: Pycnanthemum muticum

Family:

Height: 1-3 ft.

Spread: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Time: July – September

Native Range: North America

Ecological Value: Nectar. One of the two most popular nectar plants in our garden from July through October.

Human Value: Herb.