An open meadow is transformed when the crabapples bloom.  

Malus ‘Prairifire’ (Crabapple) is a medium-sized flowering landscape tree with a rounded head for full sun, preferring moderately wet soil. (The trees in these photos are planted along the edge of a natural streambed running through a wide open meadow.) ‘Prairifire’ is one of the best crabapple trees for the southeast, resisting many of the usual problems that Malus is known for. The April flowers are followed by masses of small crabapple fruits that persist into fall, a favorite fruit for birds.  

Crabapples are effective in mass plantings, but because they are considered smaller landscape trees, they are also a good choice for patio trees, or specimens for the front yard. 

A chart from NCSU showing the best crabapple trees for the landscape can be found here. 

Strawberry Spinach for the urban kitchen garden. Botanical name: Chenopodium capitatum. Other common names:  Indian Paint and Beet Berry.   This Native American plant has been around for 400 years. The greens, very high in Vitamins C and A, have a nutty flavor and can be cooked like spinach. The red berries look more like raspberries than strawberries and have a subtle watermelon-like taste. They make a nice addition to an edible “floral confetti” (marigold petals, nasturtium, borage, etc.) for salads. Best grown in a full-sun container garden with regular watering for optimum performance. Expect the plant to grow about 2’ tall and wide, densely loaded with red berries by late summer. It is cold-hardy and heat-tolerant, but you will most likely have to grow it from seed, as it is rarely available at the nursery. In mild winter climates, it will self-sow easily, so keep it contained if you are concerned about a Strawberry Spinach invasion.  Before adding this plant to your diet, read about some of the precautions at Plants For a Future, here. 

Strawberry Spinach for the urban kitchen garden. Botanical name: Chenopodium capitatum. Other common names:  Indian Paint and Beet Berry.  

This Native American plant has been around for 400 years. The greens, very high in Vitamins C and A, have a nutty flavor and can be cooked like spinach. The red berries look more like raspberries than strawberries and have a subtle watermelon-like taste. They make a nice addition to an edible “floral confetti” (marigold petals, nasturtium, borage, etc.) for salads.

Best grown in a full-sun container garden with regular watering for optimum performance. Expect the plant to grow about 2’ tall and wide, densely loaded with red berries by late summer. It is cold-hardy and heat-tolerant, but you will most likely have to grow it from seed, as it is rarely available at the nursery. In mild winter climates, it will self-sow easily, so keep it contained if you are concerned about a Strawberry Spinach invasion. 

Before adding this plant to your diet, read about some of the precautions at Plants For a Future, here. 

Gentiana catesbaei (Elliot’s Gentian).  Native perennial to the north- and southeastern United States, preferring boggy soils in sunny locations. Clusters of tubular, blue, funnel-shaped flowers appear October through November. The plant was widely used by Catawba Native Americans for medicinal purposes. The genus name Gentiana is derived from Gentius, an ancient King of Illyria (region of Southern Europe, Balkan Peninsula, 168 BC) who first recognized the tonic properties of the plant, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Illustration: Jacob Bigelow, American Medical Botany (1817-20), engraving by Annin and Smith. 

Gentiana catesbaei (Elliot’s Gentian). 

Native perennial to the north- and southeastern United States, preferring boggy soils in sunny locations. Clusters of tubular, blue, funnel-shaped flowers appear October through November. The plant was widely used by Catawba Native Americans for medicinal purposes. The genus name Gentiana is derived from Gentius, an ancient King of Illyria (region of Southern Europe, Balkan Peninsula, 168 BC) who first recognized the tonic properties of the plant, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Illustration: Jacob Bigelow, American Medical Botany (1817-20), engraving by Annin and Smith. 

Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel). Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen (1887, Four Volumes) Native to the central and eastern United States.  Through the gray and somber wood Against the dusk of fir and pine  Last of their floral sisterhood  The hazel’s yellow blossoms shine. ~ John G. Whittier (1807-92, American Quaker Poet)  Read more about this beautiful native tree, here. 

Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel). Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen (1887, Four Volumes) Native to the central and eastern United States. 

Through the gray and somber wood

Against the dusk of fir and pine 

Last of their floral sisterhood 

The hazel’s yellow blossoms shine.

~ John G. Whittier (1807-92, American Quaker Poet) 

Read more about this beautiful native tree, here. 

Witch-hazel is a deciduous spring-flowering tree with fragrant fringe-like blossoms that appear on branches before the leaves emerge. Pictured: Hamamelis virginiana, a native to the eastern and central United States. This is another favorite under-story tree for the woodland garden, blooming mid-March here in Georgia, Zone 7B. 

The botanical name Hamamelis comes from two Greek words: one meaning “apple” (signifying a fruit), and the other meaning “at the same time.” Flowers on the witch hazel are produced “at the same time” the previous year’s fruit is maturing and scattering seeds from its branches. As to the common name (witch hazel), the word “witch” is a derivative of an Old English word “wych,” denoting the term “to bend” because the branches of the witch hazel are pliable. The plant is not related to the hazel nut tree at all, but the leaves do have a similar appearance, thus the common name “witch hazel.” 

Colonists and Native Americans used witch hazel for a number of maladies, particularly in the treatment of wounds, sore muscles, and abrasions. Today, plant extract from witch hazel leaves and bark is widely used in skin care products and is especially useful as an astringent. Cosmetically, it is used in the treatment acne, and medicinally for minor rashes, blisters and insect bites. Witch hazel is one of the few native medicinal plants approved by the FDA as a non-prescription ingredient in over-the-counter products. 

Botanical Illustration for the Witch Hazel: Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen. 

More information about Witch Hazel as a medicinal element, here.

Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ (Eastern Redbud) 

Arbor Day in the state of Georgia is the third Friday in February, the best time of year for tree-planting in this part of the country. (National Arbor Day is always the last Friday in April, which is too warm in Georgia, Zone 7B, for tree installations.) 

The redbud is one of those perfect native trees, as it has just about everything one could ask for in a landscape tree. It is best utilized as an understory specimen where it can be protected from late afternoon sun. Bright pink flower clusters appear along the branches, limbs, and trunk in early April before the leaves emerge. The trunk is an attractive maroon-chestnut color, and the leaves are heart-shaped with a burgundy-red glow (a perfect tree to discuss on Valentine’s Day). When the leaves catch sunlight, they become Mother Nature’s stained glass heart-charms. 

Another remarkable trait of the redbud tree, is that the flowers are edible. They have a slightly sour taste, and are very high in Vitamin C ~ a lovely addition to spring salads. NOTE: never eat edible flowers from any plant unless you are certain they have not been sprayed with pesticides.

Lastly, since President’s Day is just around the corner, it’s worth noting that George Washington reportedly transplanted redbud trees from the wild into his garden at Mt. Vernon, and Thomas Jefferson also mentions redbud trees in his gardens at Monticello. 

All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind. ~Abraham Lincoln. 

Chioanthus virginicus (Fringetree or Grancy Gray Beard) is a native to the Southeastern United States. The tree is a prolific bloomer, with fragrant, fringe-like flowers appearing in April on both male and female plants. It is best utilized as an understory tree, where it can be protected from harsh afternoon sun ~ it is the perfect specimen tree for a woodland garden. Trees tend to be multi-stemmed, with a broad rounded head. Suitable for wetland areas, stream banks, or creek beds.  Berries appear on female plants only, ripening in August and September. (A male plant must be in the vicinity for fruit to set.) The berries are eaten by bluebirds, thrashers, finches, and many others. Don’t forget: February is National Bird Feeding month! Arbor Day in Georgia is the 3rd Friday in February, an ideal time for tree installations. (National Arbor Day is the 3rd Friday in April, but it is too warm that time of year for tree planting in Georgia.)  What better way to celebrate Georgia Arbor Day, than by planting a tree native to the Southeast? This one is a show-stopper!

Chioanthus virginicus (Fringetree or Grancy Gray Beard) is a native to the Southeastern United States. The tree is a prolific bloomer, with fragrant, fringe-like flowers appearing in April on both male and female plants. It is best utilized as an understory tree, where it can be protected from harsh afternoon sun ~ it is the perfect specimen tree for a woodland garden. Trees tend to be multi-stemmed, with a broad rounded head. Suitable for wetland areas, stream banks, or creek beds. 

Berries appear on female plants only, ripening in August and September. (A male plant must be in the vicinity for fruit to set.) The berries are eaten by bluebirds, thrashers, finches, and many others. Don’t forget: February is National Bird Feeding month!

Berries, female plant, Chioanthus virginicus

Arbor Day in Georgia is the 3rd Friday in February, an ideal time for tree installations. (National Arbor Day is the 3rd Friday in April, but it is too warm that time of year for tree planting in Georgia.)  What better way to celebrate Georgia Arbor Day, than by planting a tree native to the Southeast? This one is a show-stopper!

February is National Bird Feeding Month

Which plants are useful for attracting birds? Listed below are my top ten favorite trees and shrubs that produce berries for birds ~ and because birds have color vision, choosing plants with red berries is like having “bird magnets” in the garden. REMEMBER: some berries that are edible for birds, can be toxic to humans. 

Above, left to right: Pyracantha; Crabapple ‘Indian Summer’; Crabapple ‘Prairie Fire’; American Beautyberry; European Cranberry Bush ‘Chicago Lustre’; Red Chokeberry; Linden Viburnum ‘Michael Dodge’; Linden Viburnum ‘Cardinal Candy’; Weeping Yaupon Holly; Hawthorn.

Pyracantha 

Red fruit appears in autumn, but persists through winter in milder climates, especially if trained against a wall as an espalier. Mockingbirds, cedar waxwings and cardinals feast on the pyracantha berries. This robust evergreen shrub is suitable for full sun.

Cotoneaster

These berries lure waxwings, thrushes, cardinals, finches, and blackbirds into the garden and provide a reliable source of food in late Autumn. Two Cotoneasters from the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit include: C. ‘Rothschildianus’ (white berries), and C. x waterer ‘John Waterer’ (masses of scarlet berries). The berries should not be ingested by humans. (Summer flowers also attract bees and provide a valuable source of nectar when other sources of food may be scarce.)

Crabapple (Malus ‘Indian Summer’ and ‘Prairie Fire’) 

Cedar waxwings, robins and woodpeckers love the berries on Crabapples. Some varieties, like ‘Prairiefire’ and ‘Indian Summer’ have persistent fruits, in that the berries will not drop once they have ripened, but remain on the branches for the birds to eat. 

Wax Myrtle, Southern Bay Berry (Myrica cerifera)

This shrub is best suited to a wildlife habitat. In harsh winters, the berries are an important source of food for mockingbirds, Carolina wrens, and cardinals, although more than 40 species of birds will eat the berries. Thousands of berries cover the branches in winter. The berries only form on female plants (just like hollies) and provide a good source of fat and fiber for birds. Wax Myrtles also provide shelter for birds.

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

A woodland garden shrub with purple berries that appear in clusters along the stems in late summer through fall. A favorite food for robins, mockingbirds, cardinals, finches and towhees. It makes a beautiful shady hedge when massed under trees, while also providing a good cover for birds.  

European Cranberry Bush (Viburnum opulus ‘Chicago Lustre’ - pictured)

An attractive, deciduous woodland garden shrub, particularly suitable to hot, humid climates. After flowering, this shrub is massed with blue berries that are quickly consumed by birds, including bullfinches and mistle thrushes.

Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) 

Cedar waxwings, brown thrashers and chickadees are fond of the berries produced on this deciduous shrub which grows well in the woodland garden, under cover of other hardwood trees. Drought resistant once established, this large shrub has the added bonus of spectacular fall leaf color. 

Weeping Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)

An upright, weeping evergreen tree, producing berries for a number of birds, including the norther flicker, cedar waxwing, eastern bluebird, robin, mockingbird, and many others. 

Linden Viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge’ and ‘Cardinal Candy’)

This large deciduous landscape shrub produces a plethora of berries for cedar waxwings, cardinals, eastern bluebirds, and more. Its broad structure also provides a protective shelter for birds. ‘Michael Dodge’ has bright orange berries, and ‘Cardinal Candy’ has bright red berries.

Hawthorn or Thornapple (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’) 

The fruit on this small ornamental tree resembles that of the crabapple. The winter berries attract birds including grosbeak, robin, waxwing and the purple finch.