VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR PHOTOS AND INFORMATION ON EACH SPECIES: www.co.door.wi.gov

Soil and Water Conservation Dept.                421 Nebraska Street                     Sturgeon Bay, WI  54235

  Phone:  920-746-2214                                        E-mail: SWCD@co.door.wi.us                                FAX:  920-746-2369

INFORMATION ON TREES, SHRUBS AND WILDFLOWERS

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR PHOTOS AND INFORMATION ON EACH SPECIES: www.co.door.wi.gov

AMERICAN CHESTNUT – (Castanea dentata)   Deciduous tree with short-stemmed, prominently veined leaves that have coarse, bristly marginal teeth.  Small flowers appear after the leaves.  The tree can attain heights of 70 to 90 feet.  Habitat:  Sandy, well-drained soils with full or partial sun.  NOTE:  This species is not immune to the blight fungus (Endothia parasitica).  It is imperative that new groves be established around the country.  By offering the American chestnut our hope is to replenish some of the lost trees.

AMERICAN BITTERSWEET – (Celastris scandens)   Vigorous, deciduous, twining vine or vine-like shrub that engulfs every fence in sight. Bright-red berries in yellow or orange husks.  Flower and fruit are at ends of stems only.  In bloom: May–June; In fruit: September-December; Height: climbs up to 25-feet.   Habitat:  Fast growth rate.  Quite easy to grow as it withstands about any soil condition including those that are dry; full sun for best fruiting.

AMERICAN HAZELNUT OR FILBERT – (Corylus Americana)  Hazels, or filberts, are shrubs with hairy, ovate to elliptical leaves, 3-5 inches long and 2-4 inches wide, with heart-shaped base and coarse, doubly toothed margins.  Preformed staminate catkins resemble those of birches, but the buds are oval and the fruit is a nut surrounded by leafy bracts or enclosed by a leafy husk.  Habitat:  Prefers full sun or light shade.

ARROWWOOD VIBURNUM – (Viburnum dentatum)    A dense, round headed large shrub.  It has flat clusters of white flowers in mid May.  Foliage turns yellow to red-orange and purple in autumn.  Fruits turn dark blue in September and are quite attractive. The fruits are well liked by birds.  Can be used in the landscape in masses, hedges, or shrub borders.  Habitat:  Prefers a good loam soil with ample moisture. They do well in full sun or partial shade.

BLACK CHERRY - (Prunus Serotina) Aromatic tree with tall trunk, oblong crown, abundant small white flowers, and small black cherries; crushed foliage and bark have distinctive cherrylike odor and bitter taste.  Height: 50-60’.  Fruit: a cherry 3/8” in diameter; skin dark red turning blackish; slightly bitter, juicy, maturing in late summer.  Habitat:  Best growth on deep, moist, fertile soils but will also grow on rather dry, gravelly, or sandy soils.  It grows rapidly and transplants easily. 

BLACK WALNUT – (Juglans nigra) Reaching a mature height of 80-feet, this tree’s wood is highly prized for use in cabinets and other furniture pieces.   Although the nut is bitter, it has been used in many recipes with cookies, cakes, etc…  Needs a pollinator and starts to bear fruit in four to five years. Leaves are yellow-green but have no fall color.  Habitat:  Prefers deep rich moist soils and full sun.

CANADIAN HEMLOCK - (Tsuga canadensis) One of the most graceful conifers.  The foliage is deep green with two white bands on the underside of each needle.  Avoid sites exposed to winter winds.  This stately tree is a very hardy specimen and is easily transplanted in a variety of soils including alkaline soil. They stand shearing and pruning well and are excellent as hedges.   Habitat:  Grow in full sun or light shade on moist well drained soil. 

DWARF BUSHHONEYSUCKLE - (Diervilla ionicera) Do not be fooled by the name, Dwarf Bushhoneysuckle is not a honeysuckle.  Dwarf Bushhoneysuckle is a native low growing suckering shrub found along fields and fencerows in Door County.  Flowers are small and almost inconspicuous.  This shrub has a mounded form attaining a maximum height of three feet.  Habitat:  It is hardy and extremely tough growing, best in full sun or partial shade.  It is not invasive and is useful for spots where a low mounded shrub is needed and will hold slopes or banks. 

GLOSSY BLACK CHOKEBERRY – (Aronia melanocarpa) Glossy Black Chokeberry is a suckering shrub four to six feet tall and spread.  Flowers are white in clusters late spring production clusters of attractive glossy black berries.  Summer foliage is rich green turning a bright wine-red in fall. The berries are very attractive to wildlife. Habitat:  Prefer full sun to light shade and are adaptable to most soils doing best on moist well-drained sites.

NORTHERN WHITE CEDAR - (Thuja occidentalis)   Aromatic evergreen tree columnar in shape, often-branched trunk and narrow, flat spreading branches.  Mature height is 30-40 feet, with a spread of 8 – 12 feet.  Is an excellent border or hedge plant.  Habitat:  Best in full sun but will grow well in partial shade. Grows best in well-drained loamy soil but will tolerate wet soils.

PAGODA DOGWOOD - (Cornus alternifolia)   Pagoda dogwood grows 25 feet tall and spreads 40 feet. Growth is slow at first but becomes moderate with age. The fall color is deep red and the white flowers are produced in clusters in the spring. Pagoda dogwood transplants well when young.  Habitat:  This plant is shade-tolerant, but will look and perform better in sunlight. Give it slightly-acid well-drained soil and water young plants during dry spells.

WHITE SPRUCE - (Picea glauca)   A popular Christmas, ornamental or windbreak tree, growing to heights of 50-feet.  It is extremely hardy and will live where many other varieties could not survive.  It has bluish-green needles (usually one inch long), and short dense branches. Various kinds of wildlife browse spruce foliage in winter.  Habitat:  Thrives in full sun and well-drained or moist soil.

NATIVE SEED MIX & OTHER PRODUCTS    

Diverse - Sunny Mix - Designed for well-drained environments, offers a variety of 12 species of wildflowers, three grasses, one sedge and one legume.  The mix contains Lavender Hyssop, Butterfly weed, New England Aster, Drummond's Aster, Lance Leaved Coreopsis, Early Sunflower, Wild Bergamot, Evening Primrose, Wild Quinine, Yellow Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Hoary Vervain, Canada Wilde Rye, Side Oats Gram, June Grass, Copper-shouldered Oval Sedge, and Leadplant.  Mature plant height will range from three to five feet.

Moist Meadow Seed Mix – Designed for sites that are somewhat poorly drained, including sites with moderate water-holding capacity and reasonable fertility.  Great for establishing cover in low-lying areas or wetlands for waterfowl and other wildlife.  The mix contains ten species of wildflowers, one grass, two sedges, and one legume.  Included are: Marsh Milkweed, Spotted Joe Pye Weed, Boneset, Sneezeweed, Great Blue Lobelia, Wild Bergamot, Yellow Coneflower, Ohio Goldenrod, Arrow-Leaved Aster, Wild Quinne, Blue Joint Grass, Bristly Sedge, Porcupine Sedge and Leadplant.  Mature plant height range three to seven feet.

Woodland - Shady Mix – Designed for the areas that have dappled sun but not dense shade.  The mix contains ten species of wildflowers, two grasses, one sedge, and one legume.  Included are:  Purple Hyssop, Wild Columbine, Smooth Blue aster, Purple Joe Pye Weed, Woodland Sunflower, Early Sunflower, Wild Bergamot, Smooth Penstemon, Mountain Mint, Wild Quinne, Canada Wild Rye, Silky Wild Rye & Bottlebrush Grass, Copper-Shouldered Oval Sedge, and Leadplant.  Mature plant heights will range from three to five feet.

Tree Protector Tubes - Tree shelters prevent animal damage and serve as a miniature greenhouse, increasing the growth and vigor of the tree.  A mesh bird guard is attached to the top of the tree shelter to prevent songbirds from becoming trapped inside. The shelters can also be installed on trees planted in past years that have been browsed, giving the tree a new lease on life.

Soil and Water Conservation Dept.                   421 Nebraska Street                    Sturgeon Bay, WI  54235

Phone:  920-746-2214                                            Email: SWCD@co.door.wi.us                                   FAX:  920-746-2369