My Favorite Shrub- Black Aronia

Aronia melanocarpa elata- Glossy Black Chokeberry
Last year we put together an article 'Landscaping Not Just For the Birds', about landscaping with edible plants, and we were inspired to try some of the fruits we listed. The Black Aronia shrubs had a bumper crop of berries last fall, so we picked buckets of them, and experimented with wine, jam, cookies, and bread recipes. They are really quite good and freeze well.

Purplish black fruits have a dry flavor. The fruit clusters ripen in the fall and are best picked when fully black but before the first frost hits. They can be cleaned and used right away, but freezing the berries will release more juice. Aronia berries have a high concentration of anthocyanins and flavonoids, five to ten times higher than cranberry juice. They also contain beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants, polyphenols, minerals and vitamins.

• See page 4 of the article for Recipes to try with Black Aronia berries.

We currently grow Glossy Black Chokeberry and the Iroquois Beauty™ compact selection available in 2-3ft #5 containers. Click the button on the left for current availability and pricing.

Tuliptree- Liriodendron tulipifera

• Large fast growing Shade Tree
• Yellow-green flowers with orange accents in late spring to early summer
• Unique leaf shape, bright green in color, turning yellow in fall
• Ornamental fruit clusters persist through winter and are a food source for squirrels
• Few insect and disease problems

A magnificent specimen for large sites with some protection from exposure. Grows naturally with Sugar Maple, Beech, Yellow Birch, White Ash, Red Oak, American Linden, and Hemlock.

Tuliptree, as well as many other trees that are difficult to dig, respond well to growing in containers. We currently have available 1", 1.5" and 2" in #15 and #20 containers in our GO Trees Container Growing System.

Sustainable Landscaping Conference

TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY:
DESIGNING TOMORROW'S LANDSCAPE TODAY
A symposium sponsored by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) and by the Midwest Ecological Landscape Association (MELA).
Friday, October 26, 2007, 9am - 3pm
Northwest Community HospitalWellness Center
900 West Central Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
847-618-3500

Topics Include:

• Sustainability and the Green Industry
• The Ethics, Aesthetics & Psychology of Sustainable Design
• How Regional Identity Developed in Midwest Landscaping
• How Designers Can Help Achieve Healthier Soils
• Native Plants of Note to Designers
• More Sustainable Hardscape Materials & Tips