Leatherwood is apparently difficult to propagate, and so justifies a higher cost. Outback is a good reputable nursery, and with local provenance stock. Something you'll not get if you find a cheaper source mail order. You might look for it at nurseries in the MNLA listing. Logic might dictate that more nurseries would have it where it locally grows. Check out those in central and southeast Minnesota. As for it's growth rate, I am guessing about 6 inches a year, once it settles down.

Eastern Wahoo is native to southern Minnesota, and I have never heard of it being invasive here. Any native put into optimal conditions (which in the wild are usually non-existant) may actually go wild(I love puns). But I doubt this will. Most euonymus have roots that simply infest the soil, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were to sever larger roots from a mother plant you would produce independent offspring. Other than that I think you'd be fine.

If you might go for non-native shrub euonymus, look at my Happy Valentine's thread to see more.

Rick

Here is a link that might be useful: MNLA listing

Thank you, Rick for the wealth of information. Loved the photos of the euonymus. More complications, but welcome. Great plants to consider as I plan the next season's choices. The dirca is a must for shade. Karen

Persist in your search for leatherwood. If you get to Wisconsin (Milwaukee area), Johnson's Nursery in Menomonee Falls carries it but it is expensive. Native here in eastern Wisconsin, it blooms in very early spring, lighting up the forest floor with its tiny yellow flowers - something like the effect of fireflies. It grows in dense shade and seems to be disliked by deer!

I guess the deer thing is variable. The lady I got mine from has terrible problems with deer and leatherwood in a northern suburb of St. Paul.

"Lights up the forest floor" is a perfect description. Tiny yellow lights, and lots of them. Certainly not your average flower form.

Rick

In the heavily grazed Peninsula State Park (Door County, WI) - no hunting allowed - practically the only ground layer plant visible above the snow this winter as we cross country skied was leatherwood. Maybe the plants were so numerous that the deer couldn't keep up. I've noted the same situation in other locations.

Leatherwood is a great looking plant..I remember it growing wild in Stearns Co. (MN)in my Plant Tax class in college. I personally would be concerned about planting one in my yard as the plant may cause contact dermatitis (think poison ivy) and would just be a hazard to my skin. GOOD luck!

Matt

Hmm. Never heard of that. Well, I'm not allergic to poison ivy either(at least not when I was a kid). So there.

I've got one that's about 4' tall growing on the north side of the garage. I've come in contact with all parts of this plant many times and have never experienced an allergic reaction. I bought it last summer as a nice sized B&B in suburban Chicago for $45. I called the nursery yesterday to see if they have any left and was told it would probably be a few years before they have any for sale. Considering what they're getting at Outback, I wish I had bought all they had.

Bob

From what I've read, dirca is slightly toxic if eaten, and the bark is a skin irritant. Univ. of Nebraska website, I think. But, I've read firsthand accounts from people who work with it, collecting or propagating and they feel the risk is negligible. My favorite site, UConn, doesn't even mention the toxicity issues. From the input from this site, I think it's worth the try. Karen

My father always referred to it as whistlewood because they use d to make whistles out of the branches as kids - never said anything about blistered lips.

Very interesting, NEWgars. Did he make the whistles the same way as with willow (i.e. "pounding" the bark until it loosened from the innner wood)? Knowing how flexible the branches are, I wonder if the same quality is exhibited in the whistle too.
Rick

Yes, I recall him talking about the bark being loosened from the stem and sliding it. Can't tell you much more.