Trees & Plants in Vermont

Wintergreen

• Able to form small colonies from its underground, creeping stems, wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) grows to 6 inches tall as an evergreen shrub in Vermont. Wintergreen features dark green, shiny foliage that gives off a minty aroma when crushed. Wintergreen's flowers begin blooming in May and potentially bloom throughout summer, resulting in a red berry by fall. Wintergreen works as a ground cover in Vermont woodland gardens and naturalized sites. This shrub grows in full or partly shaded spots but produces the most flowers when in a sunny location, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Eastern Hemlock

• Cool, damp conditions promote the growth of the eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a Vermont evergreen that grows throughout the entire state. Eastern hemlock, capable of developing to heights between 40 and 70 feet on average, features flat, dark green needles and small, brown cones. Eastern hemlock grows poorly in dry, hot or windy sites. Use it in Vermont to create screens, or plant it as a specimen tree. Eastern hemlock cultivars come in many sizes, including dwarf forms such as Minuta, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database.

Bur Oak

• The leaves of the bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) grow to 10 inches in length, making them easy for you to rake in the autumn, when they come off this tree. The foliage turns yellowish-brown before coming down. The acorns of the bur oak, almost the size of golf balls, are the biggest of any native oak in America. Nearly completely covered by a spiny husk, the acorns provide food for birds and mammals. Bur oak grows to 80 feet, making it a shade tree for large, open landscapes in Vermont.

Bird's Foot Violet

• The bird's foot violet (Viola pedata) requires a sunny site, with good drainage and gravelly or sandy soil in which to develop. Bird's foot violet's foliage grows up to 2 inches long and divides in such a manner that it resembles the foot of a bird. The flowers of this 6-inch-tall perennial are combinations of blue and purple. Unlike many violets, the bird's foot variety only reproduces by seeds, making it less invasive. In Vermont, the bird's foot violet is useful as ground cover in rock gardens, along trails and paths and in wildflower gardens.