Printer Friendly Version - How To Shop October Plant Sales

Do you love a good plant sale? October is a great month for bargain shopping, but which plants should you buy?

These days, lots of people are looking for native plants that support pollinators and birds. In many cases, they also want those plants to be deer-resistant and tolerant to the summer droughts that are an almost-annual shoreline event.

I would like to nominate some selections that meet all three criteria—bird-and-insect-friendly, deer-resistant, and drought-tolerant. In my view, these are the best natural bargains you can buy. They are listed below in alphabetical order by common name. If you feel inspired to look further, use the “plant finder” websites listed at the end of this article. Each of these contributed to the research for this article.

Keep in mind that all new plants, even very drought-tolerant ones, require steady moisture during the first year. And remember that deer-resistant doesn’t mean deer-proof. Young plants are more susceptible to deer than established plants.

Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) is a southern New England native with scented green-gray leaves and blue-gray berries. The berries provide bird food, and the plant is a butterfly host. You’ll need both male and female plants to get the berries, so plant more than one. Bayberry doesn’t provide showy flowers, but I’ve seen it grow four to eight feet tall on sunny, dry slopes, stabilizing soil and growing where little else can.

Beach plum (Prunus maritima) excels in dry, sunny, sandy conditions and puts on a magnificent flower show in April and May. A true plum, its fruits are edible and worthy of the jelly jar—but you’ll have to beat the birds. Beach plum is sometimes classified as a small tree, but other writers call it a shrub. It is deciduous and grows about eight feet tall and 10 feet wide.

Inkberry (Ilex glabra) wins my gratitude for the way it nurtures overwintering chickadees. I have three straight-species specimens outside my living room window, where we watch little birds shelter in the evergreen branches throughout the coldest times. Numerous other winter birds eat the abundant blue-black berries. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the plant is a caterpillar host for 41 species of moths and butterflies in our area. (nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/) Be sure to install a few to increase the likelihood you’ll get both male and female plants. The species grows six to nine feet tall, but there are many shorter cultivars in the nursery trade.

Junipers form one of the most widely dispersed plant groups on the planet. Three groups are native to our region: common juniper, Juniperus communis; eastern redcedar, J. virginiana; and creeping juniper, J. horizontalis. Luckily, all three meet the criteria for inclusion in this list. Collectively, they support more than 40 species of caterpillars and nearly 20 bird species eat the berries. All are readily available in the garden trade. Both common junipers and creeping junipers have low-growing forms, while eastern red cedar is usually upright and taller.

Potentilla, also called cinquefoil, is a deciduous shrub that measures under four feet, and sports abundant yellow flowers in July. It does best in full sun, doesn’t need a lot of water, and seems indifferent to soil types. The plant hosts 12 butterflies and moths in our area. Botanical name: Potentilla fruticosa.

Serviceberries abound in our regional roadsides and woods—and they’re also well-behaved landscape plants. All produce pleasantly scented blossoms in April and May, as well as lots of edible dark red berries in summer. Serviceberries live in full sun to part shade. Once established, they are very drought tolerant, but I’ve found they need some extra moisture in the early years. Apple serviceberry is one of the most popular forms in the nursery trade, growing 8 feet to 12 feet. It’s a cross between two native parent species, Amelanchier laevis and A. arborea. You can also find those species individually, as well as Amelanchier canadensis.

Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina) is not a fern but a very tough shrub. The fern-like leaves are sweetly scented when crushed. It hosts more than 60 species of butterflies and caterpillars in our region. This plant doesn’t offer showy flowers, but it spreads its suckering roots in the toughest hot, sunny, dry, rocky, or sandy conditions. It also grows in lightly shady areas. It grows about four feet tall.

Sweetpepper bush (Clethra alnifolia), also called Summersweet, offers an appealing scent and showy flowers in July and August. It is a crowd-pleaser for pollinators. Its golden autumn leaves don’t drop until December. I think I’ve only purchased one for my home grounds, but I have quite a few these days because they naturally multiply both by roots and seed. The straight species grows to about six feet. This popular plant has many shorter cultivars, too, but keep in mind that cultivars often have less pollinator value than the species.

Viburnums are fabulous wildlife plants, supporting well over 100 butterfly and moth caterpillars in our area. They also produce nutritious bird food. Yet viburnums vary in both in their deer resistance and drought tolerance, but two meet the criteria for this list. Withe-rod viburnum, also called possumhaw, (Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides) seems to fly under Bambi’s radar. So does the better-known arrowwood viburnum, a.k.a. southern viburnum, (V. dentatum). Both are reliable, ornamental, and great for pollinator and bird support. Both these deciduous shrubs both can grow ten to twelve feet tall or more. They both do well in part shade.

Bush honeysuckle, Diervilla lonicera;
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica;
huckleberry, Gaylussacia baccata;
mountain pieris, Pieris floribunda;
Leucothoe, coastal, Leucothoe axillaris;
Leucothoe, doghobble, Leucothoe fontanesiana;
New Jersey tea, Ceanothus americanus;
sand cherry, Prunus pumila;
steeplebush, Spiraea tomentosa;
white spiraea, Spiraea latifolia var. alba.

And here are some valuable websites for native plant research if you want to find out more

National Wildlife Federation: NWF.org/NativePlantFinder
Native Plant Trust: Plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/Plant-Search
Audubon: Audubon.org/native-plants/
Valuable website for deer resistance ratings: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/

Kathy Connolly writes and speaks on landscape ecology, landscape design, and horticulture. Email: Kathy@SpeakingofLandscapes.com.

A winter robin perches on inkberry, a native, deer-resistant plant in the holly family that offers nutritious berries for robins, chickadees, and many other birds. In the background is bright red winterberry and another holly. Photo courtesy of Kathy Connolly

Apple serviceberry provides April forage for bees, is a valuable caterpillar host, and provides fruit for birds. It is also very deer resistant and drought tolerant. This popular cross between two native serviceberries grows to about twelve feet. It has beautiful autumn leaves. Between the two trees, common juniper provides groundcover. Common juniper is deer-and-drought tolerant native plant. Photo courtesy of Kathy Connolly

Beach plum is a small tree or large shrub depending on your perspective. Either way, it is an attractive native plant that supports birds and hundreds of pollinator species, but it resists deer and can handle deep droughts. Photo courtesy of Kathy Connolly