Jenkins Arboretum, one of the region’s oldest remnants of the once continuous eastern forest, quietly resides in Devon, Pennsylvania for all to enjoy and admire. It nurtures a large collection of native deciduous azaleas, hybrid rhododendrons, perennial wildflowers and ferns.
In the Arboretum’s goal to educate the public on the advantages of using native plants in the landscape that thrive in southeastern Pennsylvania, Jenkins Arboretum has created its Green Ribbon Native Plant® Selections. Every spring, the Arboretum Horticulture Committee and staff select three native plants (a tree, shrub, and fern or wildflower) that are grown in the Arboretum which should work well in residential and commercial landscapes.
A native plant is defined as a species existing in eastern North America prior to European settlement. Native plants tend to be more hardy and resilient to environmental conditions since they have evolved and adapted to grow in the region. They are also aesthetically pleasing and offer great ecological value for a diversity of insects, birds, and animals in all landscapes.
American Holly, Ilex opaca
The American Holly provides not only food for our winter songbirds but for squirrel, chipmunk, red fox, raccoon, and eastern box turtle as well. It has a dark green leaf with red berrylike fruit or drupe which creates wonderful color though the winter, especially when the branches are allowed to drape to the ground. This evergreen belongs to the Holly family
( Aquifoliaceae) and is considered a small to large tree, growing to 60 feet.
An understory tree which can be cut back severely to suite anyone's vision, the American Holly grows well in shade, but more sun will enable it to become denser. This plant has something to offer throughout the year. The male plant has a dull greenish-white flower, but the female has a solitary flower with a pleasant fragrance. It blooms April to June. The drupe matures from September to November, persisting on the tree into winter.
The birds and animals repay this winter food source by spreading the seeds. Often used in Christmas decorating, note that the berries are poisonous to humans.
Winterberry Holly, Ilex verticillata
The Winterberry Holly is a versatile shrub which also provides color through the winter. One of the few deciduous plants of the Holly family (Aquifoliaceae), it produces red berries that give a bold, dramatic effect in winter against the bare stems. These berries are eaten by songbirds. Berries only form on female plants and luckily, bees bring pollen from male flowers if there are other hollies in the neighborhood. Otherwise, remember to plant a male.
Commonly found in wooded areas and swamps, this holly enjoys full sun to partial shade and moist, poorly drained soils. More berries will appear on the female plants when placed in sunny areas. It will grow to six to ten feet tall in an upright, spreading manner. This is a great plant for massing in native plantings, in wet soils, or prominently along borders where the berries can be viewed during the winter. Winterberry holly is easy to maintain and has few insect and disease problems.
Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides
Christmas fern, member of the Wood Fern family (Dryopteridaceae), is a lovely evergreen fern that provides beautiful deep green color even during the darkest days of winter. The fronds have been used for Christmas decorations in the past but it is the pinna on the frond that is shaped like a Christmas stocking thus giving this fern its name. Even its fiddleheads or crosiers are quite attractive as it unfurls against the green fronds of last year in April.
This 12 to 18 inch tall fern grows easily in a shady, stony area, but can tolerate considerable sunlight if soil is kept moist. It is great for woodland gardens, shady gardens, and massing along rocky slopes to discourage soil erosion. Christmas fern does not suffer from any serious insect or disease problems. It grows in asymmetrical clumps and is not invasive.
