Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County

Shrubs

Going Native with Flowering Shrubs

Forsythia and Asian azaleas are the first signs of spring in many of our yards, but you can light up your garden year-round if you plant flowering shrubs native to Western North Carolina! In addition to flowers, many native shrubs provide berries, good fall color, and/or winter interest.

Early Spring
For a native replacement for forsythia, try spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Although its yellow flowers in spring are subtler, spicebush has delicate red berries in summer and good fall color. Flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) is showier than most Asian azaleas with its bright orange flowers.

Spring
As spring progresses, sweet shrub/Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) will provide unusual red flowers and lovely fragrance. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) works best if you already have it on your site; beautiful flowers and evergreen foliage! Look for three species of native viburnums, which will not only bloom, but provide berries beloved by birds: Arrowwood (V. dentatum), Mapleleaf (V. acerifolium), and Possumhaw (V. nudum). Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is another spring staple, with delicate white blossoms. This is a good shrub for slopes because of its tendency to spread by suckers!

Summer
When your summer annuals are bursting with colorful blooms, there are several native shrubs that provide background greenery with distinctive white blooms. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) and Mountain Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra acuminata) will grow in full sun or shade, if planted in a moist location. Plant ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) in a range of light and moisture conditions; some introductions have colorful foliage, too. New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus), wants at least partial shade and will tolerate moist conditions, but also grows in drier areas. Many of these shrubs may naturally occur in your landscape if you do a little detective work! Rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) is a common native in our landscapes.

Fall
For fall, strawberry bush (Euonymus americanus) is a shrub whose tiny blooms you may not notice, but that has stand-out berries in fall. 

Strawberry bush_Euonymous americanus_Robert Mitchem_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Strawberry bush

Winter
Even in winter you’ll see interesting flowers appearing on hazelnut (Corylus americana). And winterberry (Ilex verticillata) will sport attractive red berries if the birds don’t find them first!

Article written by Debbie Green, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

Resources:
https://ncsu.edu/goingnative/howto/mapping/nplants/index.php

Act Now to Protect Rhododendrons from Stem Borers

Look for signs of stem borers on rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and blueberries
Adult borers—slender long-horned beetles—emerge from hibernation in the soil at the base of these shrubs, climb up stems, and lay eggs under the bark. On hatching, the young larvae bore into the stem and then turn downward, headed for the soil where they’ll spend the winter. Everything above the entry point on the stem will gradually wilt away.

In addition to rhododendrons, the stem borer, Oberea myops Haldeman, also attacks azaleas, mountain laurel, and blueberries. It is alternately called the rhododendron stem borer, azalea stem borer, or blueberry stem borer, depending on host plant affected.

Rhododendron stem cut away to chow tunnel of stem borer, Oberea myops Haldeman.
Rhododendron stem cut away to show tunnel of stem borer, Oberea myops Haldeman.

Symptoms
Symptoms to look for include a small hole in a stem and frass—fine sawdust-like pellets—on stems, leaves, or underneath the shrub. Look above where you see the frass and you’ll find the hole where the borer pushed these deposits out of the stem. Or, worst case, you’ll see a stem with drooping leaves. These are all signals that the borer is somewhere inside the stem below that hole. 

Solutions
From the hole, feel your way down the stem to the next joint, and with sharp pruners, cut off the section of the branch above that point. Make good, clean pruning cuts because in addition to searching for the insect, you are shaping the shrub.

Look at the cut stem. If there’s no hole in the center of the stem, you’ll know that the borer is still inside the stem above your cut. However, if there is a hole in the stem, the borer is deeper than your cut and you’ll need to repeat your pruning lower down. Dispose of the cut-off stem portions in a plant disposal or burn pile. 

Control and prevention
If you’ve had a history of borer problems on rhododendrons, azaleas, and mountain laurels, check your garden center for an insecticide labeled for borer control with a pyrethroid insecticide, such as permethrin or cyfluthrin. Apply after the new growth has hardened off about mid-May; apply again in early June. Be sure to read and follow the insecticide label for specific application instructions. For blueberries, pruning your plants every year in late winter is usually sufficient to control stem borers.

For more information, view the North Carolina State University Azalea Pest Management Calendar at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/calendars/note052.html and Pruning Blueberries at https://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pruning-Blueberrries-25JAN14.pdf?fwd=no. 

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

Plants with Winter Interest

In just a few months, we’ll be flocking to the nurseries and garden centers hunting for the perfect plant. We’ll look at flowering color and form, leaf texture and color, and hopefully consider sunlight and moisture requirements.

When searching for that perfect shrub or tree, remember where we live. Our deciduous trees and shrubs are without their leaves almost half of the year. To make the garden more interesting in those months, think about the plant structure, color and texture of the bark, and berries that will be a focal point in a dormant garden.

Now is a time to visit nurseries to see the plants without their foliage. Of course, their stock of plants is less during the non-growing season. There are many beautiful winter interest plants. Here are a few of my favorites.

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) has twisting contorted branches giving it a sculptural effect in the garden. Plant it where it can be admired and grow into a small tree or large shrub. It prefers full sun to a little shade. It also has yellow catkins that hang from the branches in late winter. Its summer leaves are coarse and dark green.

Red Stemmed Dogwood

Another plant is magnificent when planted as a mass. The red or yellow stemmed dogwood (cornus alba and cornus sericea) have brightly colored stems true to their name. In the summer they are just shrubby plants that reach 5 to 9 feet tall, but in the winter, the brightly colored stems stand out in a gray landscape. When planted in a group of one color, the effect is intensified.

Winterberry

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) a 6 to 15 foot tall shrub native to the eastern US, has bright red berries that hang on throughout the winter. That is if the bears or robins don’t eat them. A single male plant is needed among the females. Sun to part-shade and adaptability to many types of soil, including wet areas, make it suitable for many gardens.

There are also many different conifers that give interest and color in the winter garden. When winter is finally over and the urge to dig and plant returns, don’t forget those lovely plants with winter interest. You’ll be glad next winter.

By Lorraine Cipriano, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

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Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

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