Four Plants for a Northeast Garden Shopping List
Horticulturist Joann Vieira recommends four standout plants, including Japanese spicebush and 'Gold Bullion' hellebore, for Northeast gardens, detailing
A horticulture director has shared four plant recommendations for gardeners in the Northeast. Joann Vieira, the director of public gardens and horticulture at The Trustees of Reservations in Massachusetts, selected these plants for their color, fragrance, and adaptability.
Japanese Spicebush
Japanese spicebush (Lindera obtusiloba) produces an early spring spectacle. Its round buds burst into fragrant yellow pom-poms before the leaves emerge. This flowering precedes forsythia and overlaps with edgeworthia, providing welcome color. The leaves later grow four to six inches long. Female plants bear small fruits that turn from red to black in late summer if a male plant is nearby. In autumn, the foliage turns a bright yellow mixed with peach and pink.
The plant thrives in Zones 6 to 9. It requires fertile, moist, and well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade.
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Lindera obtusiloba |
| Hardiness Zones | 6-9 |
| Mature Size | 10 to 15 feet tall and wide |
| Conditions | Full sun to partial shade; fertile, moist, well-drained soil |
| Native Range | Eastern and southern Asia |
'April Mist' Rhododendron
'April Mist' is a rare, early-blooming rhododendron hybrid. It was bred by Dr. Gustav Mehlquist. The one-and-a-half-inch wide flowers are a lavender shade and sit above small evergreen leaves. Vieira recalls seeing it in full bloom at a Connecticut nursery. She did not purchase it, but the image stayed with her. The shrub grows slowly, eventually reaching three to five feet tall and wide. It is suited for Zones 5 to 8 and prefers partial shade with fertile, evenly moist soil.
'Hussii' Canadian Hemlock
This dwarf conifer cultivar was discovered by plantsman John Francis Huss around 1900. 'Hussii' Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis 'Hussii') is noted for its slow, tufted growth. Vieira has admired mature specimens over sixty years old in Massachusetts. It grows only about five feet tall in a decade. After forty years, it may reach twenty feet. Its short needles are held tightly on ascending stems. The plant is dense when young but becomes more open with age. It is sometimes used for bonsai or in rock gardens. A key advantage is its tolerance for shade, where growth slows further.
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Tsuga canadensis 'Hussii' |
| Hardiness Zones | 3-8 |
| Mature Size | 20 to 40 feet tall, 15 to 30 feet wide |
| Conditions | Partial to full shade; fertile, evenly moist, well-drained soil |
| Native Range | Eastern North America |
'Gold Bullion' Stinking Hellebore
'Gold Bullion' stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus 'Gold Bullion') is prized for its golden foliage in shady spots. Vieira says it has been on her shopping list but can be hard to find. It is easy to grow in partial shade or dappled sun with well-drained, organic soil. Established plants tolerate drought. Bell-like, pale green flowers with a hint of chartreuse appear in very early spring. Blooms and stems are highlighted with ruby red. New leaves are intensely yellow, fading to light green over the season. If seeds are allowed to ripen, seedlings may come true to form.
The plant is suitable for Zones 5a to 9b.
