Native Shrubs

Aesculus flava (octandra)- Yellow Buckeye
Ht. 40-80’; Part sun to sun; Moist, deep soil
Native to rich, moist woods and bottoms. The flowers are yellowish or yellow white suffused with red and blooms in Spring. Yellow Buckeye is the largest species of Aesculus. The bark peals off in irregular, curling strips.

 

Aesculus parviflora-Bottlebrush Buckeye
Ht. 4-8’; Part sun/sun; Moist soil preference
Native to rich woods. White blooms in early summer. Buckeyes need a fairly rich and moist but well-drained soil to thrive. Used as a specimen plant.

 

Aesculus pavia-Red Buckeye
Ht. 10-25’; Part Sun/Sun; Moist Soil; Native
Red Buckeye is native to fertile woodlands and margins and has bright to pinkish red blooms in Spring. It is a good understory tree with one or two trunks and a crown that is narrower than tall. It is a fairly slow grower but worth the wait.

 

Amelanchier grandiflora -Apple Serviceberry
Ht. 20-25’; Sun/Partial Shade; Regular to Moderate Water
Drooping clusters of white flowers opening from pinkish buds in spring just before or during leaf-out. These are followed by edible blueberry-flavored fruits excellent in pies. Especially good in woodland gardens. Noninvasive roots and light shade make these good trees to garden under.

 

Amelanchier canadensis-Serviceberry, Shadbush
Ht. 1-20’; Sun; Dry, well drained soil; Native
Native swamps and low woods. White flowers bloom in early spring. Makes an attractive smaller tree, taller than wide when some of the smaller stems are removed. Bark is uniformly smooth and cool gray and the fruits are small, dark purple, and edible. Used near foundations or in mixed borders where height is desired.

 

Arctostaphylos uva-ursil-Bearberry
Ht. 3-8”; Part sun/sun; Sandy, acidic, well drained soil; Never fertilize
This is a good groundcover. Uva-ursi means literally berry of bear. It forms fast-creeping mats of glossy leaves that are deep green in summer and bronze-red in winter. Bearberry will survive heat and humidity provided there is good drainage.The flowers are light pink and bloom in Spring. The fruits are large, 3/8”, bright to dark red. The fruit is eaten mainly by mammals. Bearberry is a food plant for the larvae of the northern zigzag fritillary(Boloria freija) and hoary and brown elfins(Callophrys polios and C. augustus).Pick berries that are fully red and enjoy fresh or dried. They are drought, wind and salt tolerant once established.

 

Aronia arbutifolia -Red Chokeberry
Ht. 5-10'; Width 4-8'; Sun/ Part Sun; Likes wet to dry soil
Red chokeberry is the most ornamental Aronia species, boasting bright red fruits that slowly shrivel like maroon raisins in winter, and a striking brilliant scarlet to pinkish orange fall color. Native to swamps and bogs, also drier thickets.

 

Calycanthus floridus-Sweetshrub
Ht. 4-10’; Light shade to Shade; Moist to dry soil
Native to deciduous woodlands, streamsides and bottomlands. Blooms are maroon or yellowish in late Spring to Summer. May bloom periodically after into Fall. This shrub is a relative of the Magnolia. It is very fragrant. It can be used in massings, naturalizing and in mixed borders. The blooms are 1”in diameter and resemble a Magnolia or Water Lily.

 

Cephalanthus occidentalis-Buttonbush
Ht. 3-8’; Sun to light shade; Moist to wet soil
Native to swamps and stream sides, often emergent in shallow water. Creamy white blooms in summer. Used to naturalize on banks and in shallow water. It is a great nectar plant that can be included in butterfly gardens.

 

Clethra alnifolia-Summersweet
Ht. 2-4'; width 2-4'; Sun/Light Shade; Native to Eastern U.S.
This compact form of Clethra is an easy plant for all but droughty areas of the garden. It grows almost like a perennial in the way it quickly establishes and begins to bloom. Ivory white fragrant flowers bloom in summer.

 

Cornus sericea-Red Osier Dogwood
Ht. 3-10’; Sun/Light Shade; Wet to moderately dry; Native
Native to swamps, streambanks and thickets. The flowers are creamy white and bloom in spring. In the wild, Red Osier is a suckering, layering tangle of caney branches that form dense thickets in wet soils. It has white fruits and twigs that are greenish in summer but develop a dark red, maroon, or blood red color, which can be stunning poking through the snow.

 

Corylus Americana-American Hazelnut
Ht; 5-12'; width 4-8'; Part sun/shade
Hazelnut is one of the first plants to bloom in spring. Pairs or triplets of male catkins on the twigs in autumn elongate into dripping, yellowy locks as the frost leaves the ground in spring. Hazelnuts establish themselves in a wide range of soils, tolerating considerable dryness in summer but nver wet feet. Can be grown as an understory shrub, though fruiting will diminish in shade.

 

Hamamelis virginiana-Witch-hazel
Ht. 8-20’; Sun/Shade; Moist to moderately dry; Native
Native to wood slopes; floodplains, damp woods and thickets. Golden yellow flowers bloom in fall. It is a fast growing when young with a slight zigzag pattern to the twigs as the leaves come out. It is an easy and adaptable plant.

 

Ilex glabra- Inkberry Holly
Ht. 3-6’; Sun/Part Sun; Wet to moderately dry soil; Native
Native to wooded swamps, low woods and thickets. Blooms in late spring. Inkberry is adaptable with deep evergreen foliage that shines even in winter. The fruits are black, but they are a plum purple as they begin to ripen. Good fruit will set when the male plant is up to 50’ away.

 

Ilex opaca-American Holly
Ht. 15-40’; Sun to light shade; Moist, acidic soil; Native; Deer resistant
Ilex has a greenish white bloom in Spring. It is native to woods and hedgerows along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Maryland. It color is army green in summer, and flushed yellow in winter. It is a beautiful small tree with a juniper-like pyramidal habit. Fruits are important Winter and Spring forage for birds.

 

Ilex verticillata -Winterberry
Ht. 6-10'; Width 6-10'; Sun/Part Shade; Native
Native to wet woods swamps and thickets. Greenish-white, blooms in spring. The hardiest of the native species. Normally found in wetlands, often where water stands in spring, but it has proved fairly adaptable in landscape situations provided the soil is not droughty. Requires cross-pollination.

 

Itea virginiana-Virginia Sweetspire
Ht. 3-6', width 3-10' Native; Sun to light shade; Butterflies
Sweetspire is an exceptional nectar plant that has white blooms in early summer. Later in the season, the deciduous leaves turn red, orange and maroon before dropping. It can be readily transplanted from containers in spring or fall. It does best in a moist, moderately fertile soil with at least 4-6 hours of sun, but it will grow in dry or wet soils and in light shade, albeit more slowly.

 

Kalmia angustifolia-Sheep Laurel
Ht. 16-38”; Sun to light shade; Acidic, boggy to sandy-dry
This shrub is native to thickets, bogs, open woodlands and sand barrens. The flowers are typically hot-pink or red-pink and blooms in late spring to summer. It is a very adaptable shrub that grows in a variety of soil and moisture conditions. It can be used in difficult to grow places such as dry banks and upland woods. It is less showy than the K. latifolia.

 

Kalmia latifolia- Moutain Laurel
Ht. 4-15’; Sun to light shade; Moist to dry soil; acidic
Kalmia is native to rocky woods, cliffs. The buds are pink with flowers that can be white or light pink. It forms a large rounded shrub supported by several trunks. The leaves are typically 2-3 inches long and tend to be a rich glossy green, even in winter. Requires a strongly acidic soil and a moist humid climate to survive. It can be used as specimen plant, screening and/or bog areas.

 

Leucothoe axillaris-Coast leucothoe
Ht. 3-4’; Part sun to shade; Moist to moderately dry, acidic soil
The blooms are creamy white in Spring. These plants will grow well where rhodendron thrive: in moist, acidic soils in shaded, deciduous woodlands. It makes a good filler plant on slopes and under tall trees and shrubs. They will grow in dry conditions, but they will not look as good. It is typically used as a tall groundcover, massing or in screenings.

 

Lindera benzoin-Spicebush
Ht 8-15’; Part sun to Shade; Moist to wet soil; acidic or slightly alkaline soil
Native to low woods, wooded swamps and pond shores. Yellow blooms in early spring. Good understory shrub that is deer resistant. It is used in hedgerows, naturalizing in the understory and pond shores. It is also a good early-season nectar source for birds.

 

Myrica pennsylvanica -Northern Bayberry
Ht 2-6'; Width 3-10'; Sun/Part Sun Native
Tolerates moist to dry soils; Dark red and green; blooms in spring to early summer. This plant is a good substitute for alien species such as Japanese barberry and winged euonymous. It will survive in a wide range of conditions including roadsides, dry slopes, and lightly shaded woodlands. Making bayberry candles is an enjoyable possibility.

 

Rhododendron atlanticum-Coast Azalea
Ht. 18-36”; Sun to part sun; Moist acidic soil; Native
This azalea is native to barrens and moist woods along the coastal plains. It is a smaller azalea that forms a dense, slowly expanding mound of narrow, blue-green leaves. This azalea has white blooms tinged with pink that will bloom in Spring and occasionally in Fall.

 

Rhododendron arborescens-Smooth Azalea
Ht. 5-10'; width 4-8'; White blooms in early summer
Smooth Azalea grows fairly fast into a rather large, rounded shrub with glossy, oval deciduous leaves and flowers that are pure white and with the odor of vanilla and jasmine. Likes moist, acidic soil.

 

Rhododendron periclymenoides-Pinxterbloom Axalea
Ht. 3-8'; width 3-5'; Sun/light shade; Pink blooms in spring
Pinxter grows abundantly in wooded areas of the east coast. It has a faint, honeysuckle fragrance; small, light green, oval, round-tipped leaves and a spreading habit. Likes moist, acidic soil.

 

Rhododendron viscosum-Swamp Azalea
Ht. 4-10’; Sun to light shade; Moist to wet acidic soil; Native
Swamp Azalea blooms in summer and has a white to pink flower. It is native to wooded swamps and open swamps and streamsides. It is a small-leaved plant, with blades variously glossy green. It is commonly used in specimen, shrub borders, foundations and naturalizing in a woodland understory.

 

Salix discolor-Pussy Willow
Ht. 6-15’; Sun/Part Sun; Moist to Wet; Native
Native to swamps and other wet, open ground.
This is a common wetland shrub or occasionally a small, multitrunked tree with oval two inch long leaves. They are fast growers and easy to propagate. A cut dormant stem sunk in the ground will often take root. Used in watercourse bank stabilization, screening and some rock gardens.

 

Sambucus Canadensis-Common Elderberry
Ht. 5-10'; width 3-8'; Sun/Light Shade; Moist to wet
Blooms in early summer. Common elderberry is an agreeable informal shrub with pinnate leaves composed typically of three pairs of oval leaflet and one terminal leaflet. Thrives anywhere the soil is not dry and the leaves get a few hours of sun. Can be cut just like a perennial and still bloom well in season. Isolated specimens set good quantities of fruit, so cross pollination is not needed.

 

Sambucus pubens-Red-berried Elder
Ht. 4-10’; Sun to light shade; moist soils
This species of Sambucus is native to woodland and woodland edge, wet thickets, streamsides and roadsides. The flowers are creamy white and bloom in Spring. The berries are brilliant and remind you of a ripe tomato. The berries need to be cooked well to destroy the bitter aftertaste.

 

Spirea tomentosa-Steeplebush
Ht. 2-5’; Sun/Part Sun; Moist to moderately dry; Native
Steeplebush gets its name from the narrow, pointed pink flower clusters that adorn the stiff or arching canes in summer. Flowers are light to medium pink and blooms in mid-to late summer. Native to swamps, pond shores and wet meadows.

 

Symphoricarpos albus-Snowberry
Ht. 2-3’; Sun to light shade; Moist to dry soils.
The flowers are white flushed with pink and it blooms in late Spring to early Summer.
It is native to dry, rocky woods, outcrops, old fields and woodland margins. Snowberry adapts to a variety of soil conditions except swamps. Typically used in as a massing in difficult sites and for soil stabilization.

 

Symphoricarpos oriculata-Coralberry
Ht. 3-4’’; Sun to light shade; Moist to dry soils.
The flowers are white flushed with pink and it blooms in late Spring to early Summer. Expect the plant to become a dense mound of fine branches hung in fall with a tremendous load of 1⁄2” berries. The fruits remain a while, but eventually it serves as a good food source for birds. Typically used in as a massing in difficult sites and for soil stabilization.

 

Vaccinium angustifolia-Lowbush Blueberry
Ht. 8-24”; Sun to Light Shade; Well drained to moist soils; Native; Good for attracting wildlife. Blooms in Spring with white flowers with pink accents. It is native to upland woods, rocky outcrops and barrens. This blueberry is useful as a ground cover and produces fruit in clusters on leafless side branches. A common dry site species in the East with narrow 1” leaves on twiggy stems. It also has a brilliant red Fall color.

 

Vaccinium corymbosum-Highbush Blueberry
Ht. 3-10’; Sun; Wet to moderately dry soil; Native; Good for attracting wildlife
Like the Lowbush Blueberry, this shrub blooms in spring with white flowers with a bit of pink. It is most abundant in open or wooded swamps or bogs, old fields and watersides. The fruits are blue-black in color and the fruits are quite tart. Fall color is can range from crimson to burgundy. Mature plants have craggy, contorted stems that add winter interests.

 

Vaccinium crassifolium- Creeping Blueberry Well’s Delight
Ht. 10-20”; Sun to shade; Moist to well-drained or dry soil
The flowers are white and bloom in Spring. It is a mat-forming evergreen with 1/2” elliptical leaves. The foliage turns dark burgundy in the winter. It grows reasonably well in high pine shade and dry, well-drained acidic soils. This evergreen will grow in heavy shade, endure drought and temperatures below -20 degrees. The berries are blue but are not that tasty-good for birds though.

 

Vaccinium macrocarpon-, Cranberry, Ben Lear
Ht. 1-3”; Sun to part sun; Moist to wet acidic soils.
The flowers are pink marked with red and white and blooms in Spring. The berries are 3/4” and very tart. It will grow in any moist soil and makes a good groundcover. The fruits turn from green to red. A small 6 X 6 foot patch will yield a batch of jelly. May be evergreen depending on winter temperature. Although it is not necessary to grow them under water, they are suitable for wet or marginal areas, but will perform equall well in a prepared bed, water garden or even in a hanging basket.

 

Viburnum acerifolium-Mapleleaf Viburnum
Ht. 3-6’; Sun to Shade; Moist to dry soil
Flowers are creamy white and bloom in Spring. It is one of the few shrubs that survive in the understory of dry upland woods. In autumn, the fruits turn from green to deep blue-black while the foliage turns a burgundy color on top and purple-gray below.

 

Viburnum dentatum -Arrowood
Ht. 6-12'; width 4-10'; Sun/Part Sun; Native
Most viburnums are found in the wild in open wetlands and thickets, but they are adaptable to areas that are not excessively dry. Blooms in spring with creamy-white blooms. The plant is typically a vase-shaped to rounded shrub producing a number of fast-growing sprouts from its narrow base.

 

Viburnum prunifolium-Black Haw
Height 8-15’; Sun/Light Shade; Moist to dry; Native
Creamy white flowers bloom in spring. Black Haw forms a craggy, horizontal to broad oval canopy from a stubby trunk reinforced with vigorous suckers growing vertically from its nether regions. The edible olive-shaped fruits make a very good jelly. Native to woods, thickets and hedgerows.

 

Viburnum trilobum-Cranberry Bush
Ht. 5-15’; Sun to Part Sun; Moist to Wet; Native
Cranberrybush is a vase-shaped to mounded caney shrub with large, maple-shaped leaves and big dripping clusters of brilliant red fruits that develop in late summer. The tart berries are good in jellies and spreads. The blooms on this shrub are white lace capped flowers that appear in mid-Spring, followed by edible fruit in the Fall. This is a very fast growing shrubs producing suckers that will grow up to six feet or more per season and begin to branch and flower in their second year. It is native to damp thickets, low woods and swamps.

 

Xanthoriza simplicissima-Yellowroot
Ht. 12-18”; Sun to shade; Moist to dry soil
This shrub is native to rich woods. The flowers are a purple-bronze color and blooms in Spring. It is one of the most adaptable, care free native plants available, but it is little used. Foliage appears in early Spring. The leaves are particularly attractive. They produce spreading colonies prohibiting weed growth and is drought tolerant. It will work as a ground cover of sorts under other shrubs, like rhododendrons.