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Ginny Messina's avatar

Thank you for this! I'm relatively new to native plants (4 years into planting a wildlife garden after many decades of gardening with non-natives) and am starting to make an effort to work more shrubs into my landscape. I have ninebark (I'm in love with this plant!), blueberry, a shrubby native honeysuckle (can't remember the name) viburnum, winterberry, lots of hydrangea. I'm aiming for more late season berry-bearers for the wild neighbors (we have a long winter in western Massachusetts).

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Vanessa Goold's avatar

Oh how lovely that sounds, Ginny! Best of luck with your native gardening - keep us posted on how it progresses!

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gardening_kristi's avatar

I currently have Oakleaf Hydrangea, Blueberries, and Winterberry. I have aspirations to add Spicebush.

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Vanessa Goold's avatar

How fun! Thanks for sharing, Kristi. I'll bet you have wildlife visiting across the seasons with that combination!

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Susan Bittermann's avatar

Excellent information and recommendations! Keep up the good work!

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Vanessa Goold's avatar

Thank you! 🥰

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Nathaniel Bowler's avatar

I love this!! Black chokeberry has been the real standout in our young garden. It had one berry when we planted in the fall. Now there are about 8 clusters that the House Finches and Robins have started to pick at.

High hopes next year for nannyberry and serviceberry. Neither bloomed this year.

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Vanessa Goold's avatar

That's great to hear.

Keep hope alive for the others. Next year maybe they will LEAP!

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