December 9th, 2009
What’s So Botanical?…Wintershow!
Part II: Ornamental native plants
Holidays are all about traditions, and plants play a big role in winter celebrations for many cultures. Holly, mistletoe and evergreens have brightened the season for Europeans since before recorded history. Did you know there were American species of holly and mistletoe? Five WinterShow holiday vignettes show off some Ohio native plants with their own special winter beauty.
There’s a wealth of native plants ideally suited for dressing up a wintry landscape. Most of them carry the added benefits of plants native to the Northeast Ohio environment. Berries are food for wild birds, while evergreen foliage gives them shelter. Plants from this area are naturally adapted to our soil types and climate conditions. Come to the Garden to see these plants and more, in the Wintershow exhibits and thriving in outdoor garden landscapes.
Glossy dark green leaves and festive red berries of American holly (Ilex opaca) look just like the ones that adorned the midwinter festivities of ancient Romans and equally ancient Druids. But our species is native to moist woods in the New World, including Ohio. Hardy, evergreen American Holly thrives in acid soils. Equally beautiful decking the landscape or decking the halls. Planted in the Japanese Garden.
The deep green fronds of Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) decorate the winter woods throughout most of Ohio. Evergreen, hardy, and tolerant of dry, shady sites, they are an easy groundcover for the landscape. Deer tend to leave them alone. Each one of the tiny leaflets (pinnae) looks like a miniature green boot. Santa’s, perhaps? Growing in the Woodland Garden.
Delicious-scented smokeless candles are made from the waxy coat of these little silver berries. Even the leaves smell great! Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) is native to coastal regions around the Great lakes, and it will thrive in exposed, salt-plagued locations in your yard. Western Reserve Herb Society Herb Garden
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