Pawpaw – Asimina triloba

This is your chance to plant a native fruit tree! If you have a moist area, say next to a stream or in a low spot, even better. Pawpaw is a medium-sized, multi-trunked tree reaching 30 to 40 feet and will spread as a colony to 30 feet wide. For best fruiting, make sure you have two different pawpaws. Flowers attract the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly in April, and when pollinated, fruits appear in September. Pick them quickly before the squirrels do! Fruits taste like ripe bananas and can be cooked with recipes calling for bananas.

Kentucky coffeetree – Gymnocladus dioicus

Take home a tree that is an iconic part of the Tyler property! Though genetically differant from our state champion Kentucky coffeetree, this beautiful tree is native to the Central and Eastern United States. Small, greenish-white flowers appear in May and June with a pleasant astringent scent. This hardy tree does well in poor soil, tolerates dry or moist conditions, and is unfazed by air pollution. This tree drops its leaves early in the fall and is one of the last trees to leaf out in the spring, however, its coarse bark and twisting branches create great winter interest in the garden. Wondering about the name? Kentucky coffeetree seeds are very toxic right off the tree – but Native Americans and Early American settlers roasted and ground the nuts to brew into a (caffeine-free) coffee-like beverage!

Sweetbay magnolia – Magnolia virginiana

We really can’t say enough good things about sweetbay magnolia. This gorgeous native magnolia grows throughout the Southeastern United States and would make a stunning addition to any home garden. A smaller stature tree, this magnolia can reach up to 60 feet in the south and more typically appears as a 15 – 20 foot multi-stemmed tree in our area. Large, fragrant white blossoms appear from May to June and perfume the garden with a sweet lemony scent that will drift through an open window on a warm early summer breeze. This hardy tree tolerates wet soil, heavy clay and air pollution and is even semi-evergreen in our area.

Elderberry Sambucus Canadensis

Yes, this is THAT elderberry! Make your own elderberry syrup right at home before the next cold and flu season. This tough-as-nails native shrub is great for erosion control, tolerates wet, clay soil, and is certain to thrive in your home garden. Large, fragrant white flowers appear in June and July, beckoning butterflies to your backyard. In late summer, the large purple berries (drupes) form that will have birds fluttering around these plants. If you can beat the birds to them, you can brew these berries into elderberry syrup! A very tolerant shrub, elderberry can be cut back in late winter to keep your shrub neat and tidy. This plant is an excellent spreader and will happily naturalize to fill whatever space you give it. Unwanted suckers can be pruned as needed.

Bald cypress – Taxodium distichum

A truly stunning specimen tree, the bald cypress is gorgeous in every season. In spring and summer, soft green leaflets sway in an open canopy invoking a coastal feel in the garden. Come autumn, those leaflets turn bronze and fall, revealing warm brown bark and knobbly knees that bring structural interest to the winter landscape. In addition, this hardy native tree tolerates wet clay soil and air pollution and is deer resistant to boot! If you’re lucky enough to have a pond or stream on your property, bald cypress can even grow in standing water, making it an excellent candidate for a pond garden.