By Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer
The cold, short days of December are upon us. However, on the occasional sunny day, there is still plenty to observe at the Red Oak Rain Garden at this time of the year. The Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and female Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) shrubs are loaded with bright red berries that’ll hang on for the next few months. Several species of our native flowers, such as Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) and Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) have stunning seed heads that are visually interesting and are attracting birds that consume the seed. Remarkably, our Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) is still in bloom! Evergreen and semi-evergreen species such as Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) and Common Rush (Juncus effusus) are also of interest at this time of the year.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) 
RORG in early December 
The late blooms of Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) are frozen in time 
Seedheads of Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) 
Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) still blooming! 
Semi-evergreen foliage of Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) 
Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) 
Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) surrounded by Emory’s Sedge (Carex emoryi)
See our full November garden report here.
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