FAMILY: CaprifoliaceaeViburnum (Viburnum, Arrowwood, Nannyberry…)

Note: Photos presented here were taken in April along Connecticut Route 263, where what appears to be Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum (native to China and Japan) has naturalized into the shadowy deciduous forest margins seemingly a native species. Unable to locate native Viburnum, these photos are included in the absence of photos for the native species.

General Information

There are a number of Viburnum native to Connecticut. These deciduous shrubs are easy to grow and have clusters of white or cream flowers, colorful fruit, and attractive fall foliage. They make excellent residential landscape plants and all are great sources of wildlife food and habitat.

Plant Habit and Form

Most native Viburnum species range between 4 and 15 feet tall. They have irregular to rounded, upright to erect forms with rounded crowns.

Growing Requirements

Most native Viburnum species thrive in moist, well-drained soils in partial shade locations. Some species can tolerate dryer soil conditions as well as more open areas. They range in hardiness from zone 3 to 8.

Flowering and Fruiting

The small white or cream flowers of native Viburnum are arranged in rounded, convex or flattened clusters. Individual flowers are 1/4 to 1/2 inch long with clusters 4 to 6 inches across. The fruit, or drupes, matures from green to red to dark blue or black when ripe in early fall. The age of native Viburnums when they first produce fruit ranges widely from 2 to 3 years up to 8 to 10 years. Part of the ornamental value and wildlife attraction is due to fruit persisting into winter.

Pests and Diseases

Bacterial leaf spot, nematodes, mealy bug, and powdery mildew can be problematic for different species of native Viburnum.

ID Tips

Small, oval, blue-black drupes (fruit). Small white or cream flowers.

FAMILY: HamamelidaceaeFothergilla gardenii (Dwarf Fothergilla)

General Information

Dwarf Fothergilla is a deciduous, compact and slow growing, mound-shaped shrub native to the southeastern United States. The Dwarf Fothergilla is not native in Connecticut but was utilized in this discussion due to difficulty finding the native species in this area. It features showy, bottlebrush-like, creamy flowers in spring and has fabulous fall color as well. Its moderate size, showy flowers and fall foliage make it an excellent residential landscape planting.

Plant Habit and Form

Dwarf Fothergilla grows around 3 to 6 feet, and it’s about as wide as it is tall. It has a rounded to upright oval form and dense, suckering stems. It has alternate, elliptical-oval-obovate green leaves that are 2 to 4 inches long and display a range of beautiful fall color in shades of red, purple, orange and yellow.

Growing Requirements

Dwarf Fothergilla thrives in cool, moist, well-drained, acidic soils rich in organic matter. It flowers best in full sun and is hardy in zones 5 to 8.

Flowering and Fruiting

The ivory, spiked, bottlebrush-like flower clusters are 1 to 2 inches long. The flowers form on the terminal ends of branches and lack petals. They bloom in May. The green fruit that matures to black is inconspicuous and less than 1/2 an inch in size.

Pests and Diseases

Dwarf Fothergilla is not usually bothered by pests and diseases.

ID Tips

Distinctive flowers that are bottlebrush-shaped and ivory. Dense sucker stems. Colorful fall foliage.

FAMILY: RosaceaeAmelanchier x grandiflora (Apple Serviceberry)

General Information

A hybrid between Amelanchier canadensis and Amelanchier laevis, Apple Serviceberry is a multibranched shrub which can be trained into a small tree form with proper pruning. It has ornamental pink flowers in early spring that fade to white. It suckers less than other species is tolerant to a wide range of growing conditions.

Plant Habit and Form

Apple Serviceberry grows 15 to 25 feet tall by 15 to 20 feet wide. It has an upright, irregular but graceful vase-like form. It has alternate, 1- to 3-inch green leaves that are elliptical in shape with serrated margins. Its fall color is showy with leaf color ranging from yellow to orange to red.

Growing Requirements

Apple Serviceberry grows best in acidic, well-drained soils, but can tolerate clay and sandy soils too. The bush form grows in partial sun but the tree form prefers full sun. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8.

Flowering and Fruiting

Flowers form from pink buds in early spring and open to a very showy display of white. Small, sweet, edible fruits less than 1/2 an inch long follow the blooms and attract birds. They remain on the tree and turn magenta to purple.

Pests and Diseases

Leaf miners and pear sawflies cause damage to the leaves of Apple Serviceberry. Spider mites and aphids can be a concern as well as witches broom and fire blight.

ID Tips

Upright, irregular form up to 25 feet tall. Serrated, elliptical green leaves about 1 to 3 inches long that are yellow, orange and red in the fall. Showy white flowers that open tinged with pink. Magenta to purple berries.

FAMILY: CaprifoliaceaeLonicera japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle)

General Information

Japanese Honeysuckle is a twining, vigorous, deciduous vine that is considered an invasive plant in Connecticut due to escaping cultivation since its introduction in the mid-19th Century. It grows more than 30 feet in length in many locations and can kill shrubs and small trees by girdling -- cutting off the water and nutrient supplies -- or blocking out sunlight.

Plant Habit and Form

Japanese Honeysuckle is a climbing, twining vine and can also trail along the ground growing about 2 feet high. It has opposite leaves that are ovate and between 1 1/4 and 3 1/4 inches long. Dark green in summer, the leaves turn bronze or purple in autumn. It has evergreen tendencies in zones warmer than 6.

Growing Requirements

Adaptable to most soil conditions, Japanese Honeysuckle thrives in a wide variety of locations including fields, forests, wetlands, and on fencerows along roads and highways. It can tolerate both drought and wet soils. It is hardy in zones 4 to 10.

Flowering and Fruiting

Tubular flowers are borne in pairs generally in mid-June. They start out white and mature to yellow within a couple days. They are quite fragrant. Small blue-black berries about 1/4 inch long follow the blooms.

Pests and Diseases

Japanese Honeysuckle is rarely bothered by pests and diseases.

ID Tips

Twining, climbing vine or rampant ground cover. Fragrant two-lipped white flowers aging to yellow. Evergreen, semievergreen tendencies in warmer climates.

FAMILY: Celastraceae Euonymus alatus (Burning Bush)

General Information

Burning Bush is listed as an invasive species in Connecticut, although there are certain cultivars that have not been studied to determine if they are as invasive as the species form. It is native to Asia and was introduced to North America and Europe as an ornamental. It can slowly mature to 15 to 20 feet tall by 15 to 20 feet wide. This deciduous shrub has been over utilized in the landscape due to its showy, bright red display of color in fall.

Plant Habit and Form

Burning Bush is a tough shrub with a rounded, flat -topped form. It has opposite leaves that are 1 to 3 inches long with fine marginal serrations. Dark green in summer, the leaves turn a brilliant purplish red to scarlet in autumn. The branches have long, corky wings along the stems. The trunk is brown and slightly fissured.

Growing Requirements

Burning Bush prefers sites with moist, slightly acidic, well-drained soils in full sun. But it is adaptable to other conditions such as clay soils, shade, high heat, drought, and pollution. It can dominate understories in small ravines, shady valley slopes, north-facing hillsides, and tolerate elevated levels of methane in landfill sites. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8.

Flowering and Fruiting

Pale yellow-green, tiny inflorescences appear in late May and early June. They are usually inconspicuous, hidden in dense expanding foliage. The fruit, 1/2 inch long capsules, follow the blooms and contain 4 seeds within each capsule. They ripen in September but are concealed in the fall foliage.

Pests and Diseases

Euonymus scale can pose a problem for Burning Bush.

ID Tips

Opposite, elliptical, finely serrated leaves that are dark green in summer and scarlet in fall. Small, creamy, greenish yellow flowers in spring. Mounding, spreading, flat-topped habit.

FAMILY: Berberidaceae Berberis (Barberry)

General Information

Two species of Barberry are on the Connecticut Noxious Weeds List and are invasives: Berberis thunbergii (Japanese Barberry) and Berberis vulgaris (Common Barberry). Both are deciduous shrubs that bear small yellow flowers followed by bright red berries. Japanese Barberry is native to Asia and was introduced to North America as an ornamental in the mid-19th Century. It grows 2 to 8 feet tall. Common Barberry is native to central and southern Europe and can grow up to 13 feet tall. Japanese Barberry poses a greater threat and will be used for the remainder of this discussion.

Plant Habit and Form

Japanese Barberry is a dense shrub with brownish red, grooved stems with single spines located at each node. The bluish green to green leaves are small, oval shaped about 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long and turn bright reddish purple in fall. It has a mounding, dense habit.

Growing Requirements

Japanese Barberry grows in open fields, shaded woodlands and wetlands. It is shade tolerant and can form dense strands which displace native species. They are able to tolerate drought for short periods once established.

Flowering and Fruiting

Flowering occurs from mid-April to May. Pale yellow, pendulous 1/4-inch flowers hang in clusters along the stems. They are followed by bright red berries that persist into winter. These fruits are eaten and dispersed by birds, rapidly spreading them throughout the region in a variety of habitats.

Pests and Diseases

Pests and diseases are not typically a problem for Japanese Barberry.

ID Tips

Small, pale yellow, oval flowers hanging like teardrops from reddish brown stems in spring followed by bright red berries. Single thorns located at nodes. Mounding, deciduous shrub. Bright reddish purple fall color.

FAMILY: HydrangeaceaeHydrangea anomala petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea)

General Information

Climbing Hydrangea is a slow-growing, deciduous climbing vine with graceful lateral branches and dense, heart-shaped leaves. It is native to Japan and was introduced to North American in the mid 19th Century. It is not particularly tolerant of heat and humidity in the southeast and does best in zones 4 to 8 (9-10 in the west).

Plant Habit and Form

The main stems of Climbing Hydrangea climb vertically, as much as 30 feet, with horizontal side branching giving it a three-dimensional effect. If there is no structure to climb, the vine grows as a mounded 3- to 4-foot shrub. The bark on mature branches is an attractive, exfoliating reddish brown.

Growing Requirements

Climbing Hydrangea requires cool, moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter. It does not do well under hot, dry conditions. It prefers sun to partial sun and requires shade in the warmest limits of its range (zone 8 in the southeast and 9 to 10 in the west). Climbing Hydrangea is slow to get started but vigorous once it gets established.

Flowering and Fruiting

Climbing Hydrangea blooms in late spring to early summer with flattened clusters of white, fragrant lacecap flowers, about 6 to 10 inches wide -- smaller flowers in the center surrounded by a ring of showier flowers. Brown capsules follow flowering that persist in flat plane into the following season.

Pests and Diseases

Relatively free of pests except for occasional bouts with aphids.

ID Tips

Central main stems with lateral horizontal branches. Climbs by aerial rootlets. Heart-shaped, glossy dark green, dense leaves.