Well it's a good thing I took a photo two weeks ago of the gorgeous black berries of the Aronia melonacarpa 'Viking', or black chokeberry, because they are now completely gone. Though the berries are one of the black chokeberry's greatest attributes, they are fleeting. They are fleeting because as soon as they ripen up the birds swoop in and devour the pretty little things. So if you love to feed the birds, I recommend working this great native shrub into your garden. Not only does have fruit that provides beauty and food but it also has great red fall color (in spring and summer it maintains a nice glossy green foliage, blooms white in mid-late spring).
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Moving on to my next favorite shrub in my small garden is the Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'. It has been a beauty in the garden now for at least 3 weeks and it is still going. The fluffy, creamy white blooms have a chartreuse tint toward the point that really sets them apart from other H. paniculatas. This is a true winner in the August garden when other plants may be starting to decline. Here in a week or two, a pink tint will start to take over the blooms and they will have reached their parchment stage which means they will hold up better as cut flowers at that point (because they're a bit drier and won't be so moisture dependent).
Finally, I wanted to highlight a couple of perennials, both great for dry shade- Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern sea-oat grass) and Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride' (Autumn Bride coralbells). Chasmanthium has graceful arching seedheads that are beautiful. Warning: Chasmanthium is aggressive (good thing it's a native plant) but when you have dry shade, you can be happy that it is aggressive! Heuchera villosa 'Autumn' has been blooming now for a couple weeks and combines well with Chasmanthium in the dry shade garden. Both plants are winners in my opinion!
Photo below: Chasmanthium latifolium in the foreground, Heuchera villosa in the background, both growing happily under a mature maple tree, in very dry soil.
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