Common name:Honeylocust
Botanical name:Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis

Honeylocust are prized for their fine-textured leaves that provide a pleasant, dappled shade. Generally with light green leaves; some cultivars have yellow spring growth. Open and spreading crown makes for a fine shade tree. Bark is a greyish-brown and furrowed. sizes range from 25 to 50 feet or more, with a spread generally less than the height. Golden yellow fall color and open winter silhouette provides attractive fall and winter appearance. Deciduous.

Common name:Snow-In-Summer
Botanical name:Cerastium tomentosum

Masses of snow white flowers cover this plant from late spring to early summer. Fine textured foliage is silvery grey. After flowering, shear back plant to encourage new foliage and for a tidy appearance. Over-head watering may cause the plant to "melt-out" in the center; over-watering, in general, causes the plant to die out over time. An attractive filler among other plants and rocks, and nice ground cover for areas that receive little foot traffic. Plant at edges of walks to soften paths. I saw a lovely planting where cerastium was used to represent water in a "dry creek" design-Brilliant. Grows 4 to 5 inches tall and 15 to 18 inches wide.

Common name:Green Ash
Botanical name:Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Green ash is a large deciduous tree with an upright, softly pyramidal, though somewhat irregular habit. Leaves are pinnately compound, slightly serrated an a lustrous medium to dark green. Fall color is yellow. Many selections are available in the retail trade. Grows about 50 to 60 feet tall and about half that in width.

Common name:Morning Light Maiden Grass
Botanical name:Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'

Morning Light maiden grass is a graceful clumping grass with an upright, arching habit. Its narrow green leaves are banded at the margins in white, giving it a silvery appearance. The clump grows 4 to 5 feet, and the flowers, usually appearing in the fall, stand at 5 to 6 feet. Flowers emerge reddish-bronze and fade to buff. Due to its white margins, Morning Light does better in part sun conditions, with some mid to late day shade. Lovely as an accent or massed with other grasses and shrubs.

Common name:Pissard Purple-leaf Plum
Botanical name:Prunus cerasifera 'Atropurpurea'

This is a small, deciduous, shrubby tree, growing about 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. It tends to be low-branched and it is best used where this feature is an asset, not a detriment. Spring flowers are white to pinkish-white, and appear before leaves emerge. Leavesa are reddish-purple on emerging, becoming more of a bronzy-red to brown-red as they mature. Small reddish-purple fruit ripen during summer months.

Common name:Fountain Grass
Botanical name:Pennisetum alopecuroides

Fountain grass is a group of warm-season, clumping grasses with graceful forms and early plumes. Foliage is fine-textured and green, with the leaves 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and up to 30 or so inches long. The form is dense, upright, and mounded, growing from 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, and a little taller while in bloom. Fountain grass tend to bloom before Miscanthus and Panicums, usually by mid-July. Flowers are fox-tail-like and plump, and range in colors from white, cream, pinks, to nearly black. Flowers tend to shatter, but foliage persists into winter.