Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica)

I've seen lots of wild Northern Bayberry shrubs around the shore of central & southern Delaware. Many homeowners there that keep a natural beach landscape, keep the wild plants in their yard, along with Adams-needle Yuccas, Beach Plums, and Groundselbush. This species is native to the coastal area of New England, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia to just over the North Carolina border, and in southern Pennsylvania and near Lake Eire in northwest PA & northeast OH, growing in swamps, tidal marshlands, dunes, lakeshores, and banks of watercourses and ponds. It loves acid, sandy soil but does well also in heavy clay soils. It is sold by many conventional and native plant nurseries. Landscape designers use it in estates, parks, public places, campuses, shopping centers, office parks, and such. I only see very few in most homeowner yards, as they don't know it. The female plants bear the gray, waxy berries that are loved by birds. It does fix nitrogen to the soil. It grows about 1.5 feet/year and is easy to transplant. It does do some ground suckering from rhizomes. It is semi--evergreen and does not really get fall color. It looks like a broadleaf evergreen, and even though it is not, it blends well (is compatible with) with many broadleaf evergreens.

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