Options for Plantings
We have a variety of bare-root material available that is native to New York and more specially, Columbia County. Below are a list of a few species that can be used for specific locations, depending on your needs.
Privacy Screening/ Hedge Trees & Shrubs
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
- Seldom severely damaged by deer.
- Height 4’-6’
- Spacing 3’-6’
A small native shrub with a vase-like shape, Aronia melanocarpa spreads slowly to form a thicket, providing desirable shelter for a variety of birds.
Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
- Deer may browse, but rarely.
- Height 6'-10'
- Spread 5'-10'
Red leaves provide autumn color, and the show continues through winter when the dramatic red stems are a striking point of interest. Spreading by suckers to form thickets, making it an excellent shrub for privacy screening.
Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
- Usually avoided by deer.
- Height 5'-10'
- Spacing 5'-10'
Named for its unusual bark which peels in strips to reveal several layers of reddish to light brown inner bark, Ninebark is a popular 'winter interest' shrub. It’s a great hedge shrub - grows quickly and fills in fast, making it ideal for privacy.
Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)
- This plant is mildly resistant to damage by deer.
- Height 8'-12'
- Spacing 10'
The very-tart berries are excellent in jams. The arching stems along with a dense rounded form make it a popular landscape choice as a screening hedge. For a solid screen, plants should be spaced about four feet apart.
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
- Deer may browse the abundant foliage when no other food is available.
- Height 40'-50'
- Spacing 8'-20'
The tree has a pyramid shape with blue/ blue-green colored leaves that overlap, making an excellent dense cover.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
- May be browsed by deer in certain locales, but known to be rarely browsed by deer.
- Height 6’-8’
- Spacing 3’-5’
Excellent in the early-winter garden with a background of evergreens or snow. Typically used for borders, massing, and hedges.
Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)
- Rarely damaged by deer.
- Height 6’-10’
- Spacing 4’-6’
It is useful as a fast-growing screen and filler, for hedging and massing. Valued for its dense and fragrant foliage. Salt tolerance makes it appropriate for locations near roads that are salted in winter.
Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
- Occasionally eaten by deer.
- Height 20’-25’
- Spacing 5’-10’
Fragrant cream-colored flowers bloom in the spring, and develop into small dark red to black fruit. Chokecherry is used extensively in shelterbelts, windbreaks, wildlife habitat and mass plantings for erosion control.
Pictured above is Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) - A multi-season shrub we offer
Native Facultative Wetland (FACW) Species
American Larch (Larix laricina)
- 50-110’ in height
- Mostly confined to cold, wet swamps and bogs, farther northward inhabiting well-drained uplands and hillsides
- blueish green needles on these trees turn yellow and orange in autumn
River Birch (Betula nigra)
- 30-60’ in height
- Typically found along the banks of streams, ponds, and lakes, more rarely on drier sites
- An exceptional tree for the landscape because of its beauty, relative fast growth, sturdiness, and resistance to serious pests
Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)
- 60-80’ in height
- Preferring moist, fertile soils along stream borders, edges of swamps, and low, poorly drained pastures
- Excellent large shade tree
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
- 5-12’ in height
- Typically occurs on streambanks, moist woodlands, thickets, fence rows and roadsides
- Tiny lemon-scented white flowers appear in large flat-topped clusters in late spring
Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)
- 8-15’ in height
- Found in wet thickets and marshes
- Not a true cranberry, it is actually a member of the honeysuckle family
Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
- 5-8’ in height
- Typically occurs along streams, rocky banks, gravel bars and in moist thickets
- Effective as hedge, screen or for erosion control on banks
Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea /stolonifera)
- 6-10’ in height
- Found in moist, wet swamps and bogs
- Good for erosion control and slope stabilization.
Speckled Alder (Alnus incana sbsp. rugosa)
- 5-25’ in height
- Found along edges of flowing and stagnant water or in swamps or wet depressions
- An exceptional species for wetland restoration projects (also a nitrogen fixer)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
- 6-8’ in height
- Native to moist woodlands but will also grow well in sandy soils and tolerates moderate drought
- Noted for its very early, fragrant, yellow flowers, bright red berries, and excellent autumn color
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
- 6-8’ in height
- Occurs in wet woods and swamps
- Excellent in the early-winter garden with a background of evergreens or snow
Facultative wetland (FACW) plants usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands. Most of these species are commonly found near marshes, on stream banks, swamps, and edges of ponds. These plants predominantly occur with hydric soils, often in geomorphic settings where water saturates the soils or floods the soil surface at least seasonally.