Summer may be all about the flowers, but berries are one of the delights of winter. The word comes from the old English berie, which originally meant grape, but came to mean any fleshy fruit with seeds.
Botanists consider Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) a shrub, but it can reach as tall as 40 feet with upright branches forming a rounded crown. Like the rose, this member of the Rosaceae family has thorns along its branches. They are thin, sharp, spine-like and an inch long or more.
The first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska City back in the 1870s. Now, the national holiday is held across the US the last Friday of April. Learn more about it's history, what trees are best for your backyard or farm, and how you might be able to find free ones to plant!