Monthly Archives: January 2012

Photo(s) of the Day – Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra) Native Evergreen Shrub

By ianhemingway on January 18, 2012

Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra)

Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra 'Nordic') Photoby: I. Hemingway

  • Type: Native Broadleaved Evergreen Shrub
  • Uses: Foundation plantings, massing, screening, evergreen accent in a mixed boarder, natural plantings, food and cover for wildlife, especially birds, wet and seashore locations. Spreads by underground stolons. Often forms colonies over time 
  • Size: 4′ to 10′ tall and wide, depending on cultivar, conditions and culture.
  • Growth rate: Slow, perhaps 6″ per year.
  • Light: Full sun to moderate shade.
  • Soil: Adaptable. Prefers moist, humussy, well-drained, acid soil, but will tolerate clay, wet, even boggy, or dry, sandy conditions. Is salt tolerant.

    Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra 'Nordic') Leaves Photoby: I. Hemingway

  • Flowers: Dioecious, greenish white, not showy, in spring.
  • Fruit: Small, black drupe ripens in the fall (female plants only), and persist well into winter. Not immensely ornamental. Fruit is favored by birds and other wildlife.
  • Leaf: Lusterous, medium to dark green, spineless, about 1.5″ long and .5″ wide. Fine textured in the landscape when compared to most evergreen hollies. Surprisingly winter sun and wind tolerant, but leaves will burn if the conditions are right. Young, drought stricken, exposed plants are often the first to burn. Inkberry may thin, resulting in the bottom half of the plant becoming bare over time, but this can be mitigated somewhat with proper pruning, and increased light. Shearing the top of the plant will exacerbate thinning below due to decreased light penetration.

    Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra 'Shamrock') Photoby: I. Hemingway

  • Bark: Smooth, light gray.
  • Cultivars: ‘Shamrock’: A popular compact selection that matures to 5′x5′. Bright green, new growth, shows well against the darker green, older leaves. Reported to hold it’s lower leaves better than the species.  ‘Compacta’: A female selection that produces abundant, black fruit. Rounded form, maturing to 4′ to 6′.  ‘Nordic’: A very cold hardy, pyramidal form, with dark green color that matures to 5′. ‘Ivory Queen’: A female form with white fruit, and dense, dark green, leathery foliage that matures to 8′ tall and 12′ wide. 

    Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra 'Nordic') Photoby: I. Hemingway

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Photo(s) of the Day-Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) aka Winged Euonymus-Invasive Species

By ianhemingway on January 11, 2012

Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) aka Winged Euonymus- Invasive Species.

Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) in early fall. Photo by: Ian Hemingway

  • Type: Invasive, deciduous shrub. Native to Eastern Asia including Japan, China, and Korea. Importation, sale, and distribution is prohibited in Massachusetts.
  • Uses: Commonly used for hedging, massing, and foundation plantings. Popular for its bright red (burning) fall color, red fruit, and nearly indestructible nature.
  • Size: Grows 8 to15 feet tall and wide. Compact variety matures to about 4′ by 4′.
  • Growth rate: Slow to moderate.

    Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) aka Winged Euonymus leaves in fall. Photo by: Ian Hemingway

  • Light:  Sun or shade adaptable. Able to survive, and produce seed, even when growing in the dense shade of wooded areas.
  • Soil: Adaptable.
  • Flowers: Greenish-white, inconspicuous, born in spring.
  • Fruit: Bright red capsule, forming in late summer, and ripening in fall. Often persists on the plant well into winter. Fruit is favored by birds, and is spread via droppings.
  • Leaf: Flat green in summer, bright red in fall, 2-3″ long by 1-1.5″ wide, elliptical with a pointed apex. 

    Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) aka Winged Euonymus "winged" stem. Photo by: Ian Hemingway

  • Bark: Gray or light brown with corky “wings” running along younger stems.
  • Cultivars: “Compacta” is a popular dwarf form.

Additional notes: Despite its popularity, Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus), and its cultivars, are illegal to import, sell, or distribute in Massachusetts. Birds eat the seeds, and distribute them widely. The plant multiplies, crowding out, and eventually overwhelming, important native species. Fortunately, there are some great native alternatives to Burning bush that provide food for birds, and show excellent fall color. These include: Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa), Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica), and Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica).

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