Castanea mollissima Conifers in company with hibiscus and

in company with hibiscus and hollyhock

so that the whole fruit

Small red flowers open before the leaves in earliest spring

strawberry-like globes

draws hummingbirds and bees in numbers and gives the plant a long place in the affection of native-plant gardeners across the southern United States

Castanea mollissima Conifers in company with hibiscus andFew trees carry as much historical weight as the chestnuts, and Castanea mollissima carries it gracefully. This handsome, wide spreading Chinese native stepped into the void left by one of the great ecological tragedies of the twentieth century, the near total collapse of the American chestnut, and has been feeding people, wildlife, and the soil ever since. Come fall, the spiny husks crack open to reveal some of the largest, sweetest chestnuts a