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SPRING

THE MIDWEST’S LONG, cold winters inspire dreams of flowering shrubs and trees, musical birds, and colorful butterflies. Serviceberries, cherries and plums, and crab apples and roses are prized by homeowners and landscapers for their fragrance and beauty. In centuries past, Native American foragers esteemed these species for their fruits. They were eaten fresh or dried, in soups and stews, but the most common use was to add them to pemmican, an ancient mixture of pounded dried meat and fat. Archaeologists have discovered the pits from chokecherry, serviceberry, and American plum at prehistoric prairie Indian sites.¹ Early explorers, travelers, military expeditions, and settlers also enjoyed eating the wild fruits.

Nature captivated 1830s Illinois pioneer Eliza W. Farnham. “It is always pleasant to resume communication with the world around, when the icy fetters of winter are cast off. . . . The spring of ’37 opened with delicious beauty on the prairie land!” She appreciated “a floral hedge six or eight feet in height” farmers planted. She felt “a thrill of gratitude” toward men she saw planting a tree. “Though set on private property,” a tree “is a public blessing. . . . Its beauty may be seen, its glory appreciated by all. And the rapid growth which the locust, cotton-wood, aspen, and some other species have in the strong soil leaves no excuse for living long in a treeless and birdless home. Oh, I love nature. Living much with nature, makes me wiser, better, purer, and therefore, happier!”²

Walking through the woods in the spring of 1900, naturalist and writer Alice Lounsberry was struck by “the music passing through the tree-tops and quivering in the insects’ wings, and . . . the subtle unfoldings of spring. There is no passing it by; it is one of the spirits of nature that the dullest eye must see and admire. . . . It is then that the knowing ones sigh as with relief and feel grateful that the spring is indeed on its way. The winter has passed.”³

Most home landscapes are dominated by lawn and by Eurasian ornamentals, some of which Lounsberry identified as they were becoming popular. Most “native” plants are cultivars (nativars) of a native.⁴ Gardeners occasionally remember once-abundant birds, butterflies, and fireflies, but rarely connect their declines to plant choices and landscaping practices that ignore the needs of wildlife. Human recognition of the mutualistic interactions between native plants and native wildlife is essential when we consider spring cleanup. Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) need native host plants as places to lay eggs and as food for their caterpillars. Nesting birds need Lepidoptera caterpillars to feed their nestlings. A decline or absence of native host plants results in a decline or absence of caterpillars, butterflies, and birds. Red admiral (p. 192), green comma (p. 103), mourning cloak (p. 62), and question mark (p. 176) butterflies spend winters in bark and crevices in trees, woodpiles, snags, and logs. Eastern tailed-blue, frosted elfin (p. 329), gray hairstreak, Ozark swallowtail, and black swallowtail butterflies spend winters on or near their herbaceous host plants.⁵ Leaf litter holds dormant insects, snails, bugs, and worms that support robins, native sparrows, brown thrashers, other hungry spring migrating birds and firefly/lightning bug larvae (glow worms). Spring cleanups that eliminate leaf litter unwittingly create firefly-free zones, depriving people of a magical aspect of summer evenings. Wholesale disposal of woody material, standing native flowers and grasses, and every errant leaf has the unintended consequence of a diminished future with fewer butterflies and birds. Spring is a good time to rethink routine gardening practices that prevent much of our desirable wildlife from surviving. Choosing native woody and herbaceous host plants, forgoing pesticides, and conducting suitably restrained cleanups are sustainable techniques for the many homeowners and gardeners who love birds, butterflies, and fireflies and want to help them prosper.

Native trees and shrubs furnish wildlife with the essential elements of life, including food, shelter, and the ability to reproduce. Although many trees and shrubs introduced from Asia and Europe are beautiful, they can never match the combination of beauty and benefits to birds and butterflies that the native species provide. Eurasian shrubs and trees spent thousands of years developing in parallel with the needs of European and Asian wildlife. In contrast, midwestern shrubs and trees spent thousands of years developing simultaneously with the needs of midwestern wildlife. This shared midwestern developmental history enables true midwestern shrubs and trees to provide midwestern butterflies, bees, fireflies, and birds with the food, shelter, and reproduction sites they need to in order to succeed.

When it comes to planting, spring is a window of opportunity. Will my new tree be one that everyone else has? Will my new shrub be the latest fad, trend, decorative novelty, or whatever happens to fit in with some landscaper’s agenda? Or will I choose native shrubs and trees that thrive in the Midwest, provide fragrance and beauty, and also provide a future for midwestern bees, butterflies, fireflies, and birds? In the Spring chapter, we present a wide array of native woody alternatives, both shrubs and trees, to today’s popular introductions.

Spring Shrubs

Nonnative:

ABELIA, FRAGRANT ABELIA, KOREAN ABELIA. Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae). Genus: Abelia (A. mosanensis). Origin: Korea. Height/Spread: 4–6 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Twiggy shrub; fragrant, pinkish-white flowers in spring. Cultivation: Full sun to part shade, well-drained soil, winter shelter. Zones: 5–9.

Abelia (Abelia mosanensis)

Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Aronia, Photinia, Pyrus. Confusion Note: It is easy to confuse chokeberry and chokecherry (p. 83). Chokeberry Ornamental Attributes: Showy, adaptable, trouble-free chokeberries provide all-season beauty. Clusters of long-lasting fragrant white, red anther-centered, five-petaled flowers in late April and May; shiny green leaves with brilliant fall color; colorful fruits that persist through winter; multiple stems. Cultivation: Sun or partial sun. “Chokeberries flower prolifically, especially when grown in full sun. In this setting, they usually produce a large quantity of fruit and develop beautiful fall color,” write Weeks and Weeks.⁶ Wet to dry soils, best in between; thrive in slightly acid soils. Do well in soggy, marshy soils with poor drainage. Adaptable and low maintenance. Most attractive, and best for wildlife massed and in colonies; good for shrub borders and rain gardens; BLACK CHOKEBERRY (A., P. melanocarpa). Height/Spread: 3–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers, spectacular glossy red-orange fall color, edible black fruits on red pedicels, exfoliating bark. “The aesthetically pleasing Aronia melanocarpa is being heralded throughout the Midwest for its year-round interest,” according to the Chicago Botanic Garden.⁷ Note: Endangered in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–8; RED CHOKEBERRY (A. arbutifolia, syn. Aronia prunifolia, Photinia pyrifolia).⁸ Height: 5–7 feet. Spread: 3–5 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers. “The leaves of red chokeberry turn fire engine-red with the onset of cool, autumn weather,” Terry L. Ettinger notes. “In fact, they easily rival the insanely popular—and therefore way over-planted—burning bush for outstanding fall foliage color!”⁹ Glossy bright red berries. Zones: 4–9; PURPLE CHOKEBERRY (A. floribunda, Photinia floribunda, Pyrus floribunda). Height/Spread: 3–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers, purple fruit, deep red fall foliage. Range Note: Hybridization by red and black chokeberry due to overlapping ranges created the purple chokeberry that some taxonomists consider a distinct third species.¹⁰ Zones: 4–7. Chokeberry Nature Note: Nectar and pollen attract the small native bees that are their primary pollinators and other small insects that draw in nesting birds seeking food for their babies. Chokeberries host 29 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), including red admiral (p. 192), striped hairstreak (p. 18), and coral hairstreak (p. 18), whose caterpillars serve as food for birds and their nestlings. At least 21 species of overwintering and early-arriving migrating birds use the persistent berries as emergency food, including American robin (p. 62), cedar waxwing (p. 36), eastern meadowlark, black-capped chickadee (p. 322), and northern cardinal (p. 61). The shrubs’ multistemmed habit provides many birds with nesting habitat, and protective cover to ground-feeding birds, including eastern towhee (p. 235), wood thrush (p. 175), brown thrasher (p. 219), and northern flicker (p. 99).

Black chokeberry (Photinia melanocarpa) Also see pp. 264, 337

Red chokeberry (Photinia pyrifolia) Also see p. 338

More Native Alternatives:

ELDERBERRY SPP., p. 29; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NINEBARK, p. 44; RHODODENDRON, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; ROSE SPP., p. 60; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20.

See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143.

Red chokeberry flowers (Photinia pyrifolia) Also see p. 270

Nonnative:

ALDER SPP. See Winter Trees, p. 316.

Beautybush (Kolkwitzia amabilis)

Nonnative:

AUTUMN OLIVE & RUSSIAN OLIVE. See Fall Shrubs, p. 229.

Nonnative:

AZALEA. See RHODODENDRON, p. 56.

Nonnative:

BEAUTYBUSH. Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae). Genus: Kolkwitzia (K. amabilis). Origin: China. Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Short-lived, pink flowers in late spring are its feature of interest. Its arching, leggy, weedy-looking branches frequently die and need pruning; poor to no fall color. Cultivation: Full sun, moist well-drained soil, regular watering, high-maintenance pruning. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 5–8.

Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN BLADDERNUT, p. 41; AMERICAN SMOKETREE, p. 65; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; ELDERBERRY SPP., p. 29; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NINEBARK, p. 44; SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, p. 46.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; FRINGE TREE, p. 105; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.

Nonnative:

BLADDERNUT, WHITE BLADDERNUT, EUROPEAN BLADDERNUT. Family: Bladdernut (Staphyleaceae). Genus: Staphylea (S. pinnata). Origin: Europe, Asia Minor. Height/Spread: 10–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant flowers in May to June, bladder-like seeds. Cultivation: Full to part sun, well-drained soil. Naturalizes. Zones: 6–8.

Bladdernut (Staphylea pinnata)

Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN BLADDERNUT, p. 41; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; FRINGE TREE, p. 105; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77; SNOWBELL, p. 116.

Nonnative:

Flowering almond (Prunus glandulosa)

CHERRY, PLUM, ALMOND. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Prunus. Problem Note: Compared to other ornamentals, Prunus species live short lives (15–20 years). Only members of the genus Prunus, including cherries, plums, almonds, apricots, and peaches, are afflicted by the fungus called black knot; it occurs on Japanese, European, and American species. Applications of costly fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides containing permethin aimed at the numerous insect pests, root rot, and the bacterial and fungal diseases that plague the ornamental species pose dangers to adults and children, as well as to butterflies, bees, and birds. The early blooms are susceptible to frost damage. Cultivation: Sun, regular pruning, watering, fertilizing, lack of crowding. Moist, well-drained acid to near neutral soils. Cultivar Note: Suckers from roots of purple-leaved grafted cultivars will be green, not purple; FLOWERING ALMOND, CHINESE PLUM (P. glandulosa). Origin: China, Japan. Height/Spread: 4–5 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pink/white flowers in April, no fall color, unkempt appearance. “It has a suckering tendency and will sneak around the garden and the neighborhood, appearing in places it was never planted,” writes Michael A. Dirr.¹¹ The life span of P. glandulosa ‘Sinensis’, the dwarf flowering almond cultivar, is less than 10 years. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states and Canada. Zones: 4–8; FLOWERING PLUM, FLOWERING ALMOND (Amygdalus triloba, syn. P. triloba). Height/Spread: 10–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Multistemmed shrub/tree, pink flowers. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 3–7; NANKING CHERRY, DOWNY CHERRY (Cerasus tomentosa, syn. P. tomentosa). Origin: China, Tibet. Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Inconspicuous white/light pink flowers in April. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states and Canada. Zones: 2–7; PURPLELEAF CHERRY, PURPLE-LEAF SANDCHERRY (Prunus × cistena). Hybrid of P. pumila and P. cerasifera ‘Atropurpurea’. Origin: Asia and North America. Height/Spread: 8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pink flowers in mid- to late spring, sap-oozing stems, red-purple summer leaves. When top grafted on root stock with green leaves to form a small accent tree, suckers will produce green leaves. Life Span: 10–15 years; can die one branch at a time. Zones: 4–8.

Also see Spring Trees for CHERRY, PLUM, p. 81.

Native Alternatives:

SAND CHERRY, GREAT LAKES SANDCHERRY. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Prunus (P. pumila var. pumila). Height/Spread: 3 feet. Note: Threatened in Arkansas, presumed extirpated in Ohio; CREEPING SAND CHERRY, EASTERN SAND CHERRY (P. pumila var. depressa). Height: 3–8 inches. Ornamental Attributes: Red-throated white flowers from April to June, large black cherries on bright red pedicels, deep red fall leaves. “It is almost a harbinger of spring . . . it is a beautiful sight to see when in flower described as having ‘clouds of flowers.’ Unfortunately, most nurseries sell only exotic varieties of Prunus, though none are more hardy or more beautiful than our natives,” note Weeks, Weeks, and Parker.¹² Both make excellent groundcovers. Cultivation: Full sun, shade intolerant. Moist to dry, well-drained soil. Grow largest in moist, fertile soil.

Sand cherry (Prunus pumila var. pumila)

Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus)

Coral hairstreak butterfly (Satyrium titus)

Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

Columbia silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia)

Red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis)

Striped hairstreak butterfly (Satyrium liparops)

Prunus Nature Note: Native cherries and plums host 456 Lepidoptera species, a number surpassed only by our native oaks. These butterflies and moths include spring azure (p. 95), Henry’s elfin (p. 93), viceroy (p. 54), eastern tiger swallowtail, coral hairstreak, striped hairstreak, red-spotted purple, promethea moth, cecropia moth, Columbia silkmoth and other giant silk moths, white-lined sphinx moth (p. 108), hummingbird clearwing moth (p. 72), banded tussock moth, and band-edged prominent moth. Birds eat the nutritious caterpillars and feed them to their nestlings. Ants, attracted to cherries’ extrafloral nectaries (small glands on the stalks), protect the leaves from some leaf-chewing insects. Ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91), bumblebees (p. 61), honeybees, bee-mimicking flies, flower beetles, various small pollinating insects, and skipper and other adult butterflies visit for the early pollen and nectar. Birds eat the insects and feed them to their offspring. The plentiful fruits help sustain more than 84 species of birds, including northern cardinal (p. 61), gray catbird (p. 79), eastern kingbird (p. 55), American robin (p. 62), cedar waxwing (p. 36), red-headed woodpecker (p. 212), northern flicker (p. 99), northern mockingbird (p. 256), rose-breasted grosbeak (p. 200), white-throated sparrow (p. 108), Baltimore oriole (p. 167), eastern bluebird (p. 61), brown thrasher (p. 219), wood thrush (p. 175), vireos, and scarlet tanager; and mammals, including chipmunks (p. 94), squirrels, and foxes. The ornate box turtle, found in open sandy habitats, also eats them. Some mammals and shrub- and ground-nesting birds use the plants as cover. Zones: 3–6.

Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

See Spring Trees for Prunus spp.: AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; BLACK CHERRY, p. 82; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; PIN CHERRY, p. 83.

More Native Alternatives:

SWEETSHRUB, EASTERN SWEETSHRUB, CAROLINA ALLSPICE. Family: Strawberry-shrub (Calycanthaceae). Genus: Calycanthus (C. floridus var. glaucus). Height/Spread: 4–8 feet. Taller in shaded areas. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, long-lasting individual dark red or maroon flowers that ladies once tucked into their blouses to perfume themselves. Glossy, aromatic dark green foliage turns golden yellow in fall. Urn-shaped seed capsules persist through the winter. All parts of the plant, including the multiple stems, are fragrant. “If only for the purplish-red, pleasantly-scented flowers, this North American shrub is worthy of extensive culture. The hardiness, accommodating nature, and delicious perfume of its brightly-coloured flowers render this shrub one of the choicest subjects,” wrote the English gardener, A. D. Webster, in 1893.¹³ Cultivation: Easily grown. Full to part sun, moist to dry well-drained soil. Low maintenance, drought resistant, no known pests or diseases. Note: Endangered or presumed extirpated in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Birds seek its pollinating beetles to feed their babies. Sweetshrub hosts 2 Lepidoptera species. Birds and their nestlings eat the caterpillars. Historical Note: Calycanthus is one of many in the ancient line of beetle-pollinated magnolia relatives.¹⁴ Zones: (4) 5–9.

Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)

SERVICEBERRY, JUNEBERRY, SHADBUSH. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Amelanchier. Genus Note: Serviceberries freely hybridize, making it difficult to identify specimens. Ornamental Attributes: “Serviceberries are like harbingers of spring—their early, attractive, white flowers are a vision of spring for winter-weary eyes,” write Weeks and Weeks. Showy, fragrant clusters of five-petaled white (sometimes pink-tinged) flowers in April or May bloom at the same time as the invasive Bradford pear. True to their name, the showy, sweet, edible purplish-black, blueberry-like fruits always ripen in June. The pretty green summer leaves turn showy orange, red, yellow in fall at exactly the same time as the leaves of the invasive nonnative burning bush turn pinkish or red. The gracefully shaped shrubs and trees have silver-gray bark providing winter interest. The shrubs create nice groundcovers and hedges. Cultivation: Easily grown. Sun best for fruit and fall color. Wide range of moist, well-drained soils. Mulching is a good idea. Frost hardy, salt and black walnut tree toxicity tolerant. Self-pollinating flowers; RUNNING SERVICEBERRY, RUNNING JUNEBERRY, DWARF SERVICEBERRY, THICKET SERVICEBERRY (A. stolonifera, A. spicata). Height: 1–6 feet. Spread: 3–10 feet; LOW SERVICEBERRY, LOW JUNEBERRY (A. humilis). Height/Spread: 2–3 feet. Note: Endangered in parts of the Midwest; ROUNDLEAF SERVICEBERRY (A. sanguinea var. sanguinea). Height/Spread: 3–8 feet. Note: Threatened or endangered in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: The berries are high in carbohydrates and protein and ripen early in the growing season when fruit availability is scarce. They are top favorites for more than 40 species of birds, including cedar waxwing (p. 36), American robin (p. 62), northern cardinal (p. 61), Baltimore oriole (p. 167), brown thrasher (p. 219), eastern bluebird (p. 61), northern mockingbird (p. 256), wood thrush (p. 175), rose-breasted grosbeak (p. 200), red-bellied woodpecker (p. 55), tufted titmouse (p. 169), scarlet tanager, pileated woodpecker, and gray catbird (p. 79), as well as chipmunks (p. 94) and squirrels. “Because they blossom as early as mid-April, serviceberries supply nectar for emerging insects when little else is available,” writes naturalist and author Mariette Nowak.¹⁵ Birds eat the insects and feed them to their nestlings. Serviceberries host 124 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies/moths), including the red-spotted purple (p. 18), striped hairstreak (p. 18), eastern tiger swallowtail (p. 18), and viceroy (p. 54). Ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91) and adult butterflies, such as spring azure (p. 95), visit for nectar. Serviceberry has special value to important pollinators, including native bees. Zones: 4–8.

Serviceberry spp. (Amelanchier) Also see pp. 77, 271

See Spring Trees for more SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.

More Native Alternatives:

BLUEBERRY SPP., p. 27; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NATIVE HONEYSUCKLE ALTERNATIVES, p. 38; RED BUCKEYE, p. 33; RHODODENDRON, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69; WAFER ASH, p. 45.

See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143; ST. JOHN’S WORT SPP., p. 145.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CRAB APPLE SPP., p. 89; FRINGE TREE, p. 105; REDBUD, p. 92.

Nonnative:

CHINESE FRINGE TREE. See Spring Trees for FRINGE TREE, p. 103.

Nonnative:

CORNELIAN CHERRY, CORNELIAN CHERRY DOGWOOD. Family: Dogwood (Cornaceae). Genus: Cornus (C. mas). Origin: Europe, Asia. Height/Spread: 15–20 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pale yellow flowers in April. Red fall fruits; reddish fall leaves. Cultivation: Full sun, moist well-drained soil. Dense shade beneath mature specimens prevents growth of other plants. Zones: 4–7.

Cornelian cherry flowers (Cornus mas)

Native Alternatives:

SPICEBUSH, NORTHERN SPICEBUSH, COMMON SPICEBUSH, ALLSPICE BUSH, FORSYTHIA OF THE WILDS. Family: Laurel (Lauraceae). Genus: Lindera (L. benzoin). Height/Spread: 6–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: The tiny, bright yellow, very fragrant flowers bloom March to April. “In the North this plant is thought of as the ‘forsythia of the wilds’ as its early spring flowering gives a subtle yellow tinge to many lowland woods where it is common,” notes the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.¹⁶ “The combination of the yellow foliage and red berries really makes this shrub pop in the fall,” writes Jason Sheets.¹⁷ Cultivation: Fast-growing, moist woods, understory shrub. Partial sun to light shade; best in rich moist soil, takes wet to moderately dry soil. Needs male plant for berries on female plants. Deer resistant; tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Nature Note: Preferred host of spicebush swallowtail butterfly; also hosts an additional 10 species of Lepidoptera, including the eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly (p. 18), giant leopard moth, and promethea silkmoth. Birds and their nestlings eat the caterpillars. Mammals seek the July to October fruits, as do 17 bird species, including eastern kingbird (p. 55), wood thrush (p. 175), northern mockingbird (p. 256), great crested flycatcher, red-eyed vireo (p. 112), gray catbird (p. 79), American robin (p. 62), and white-throated sparrow (p. 108). The nutritious high-fat, protein-rich fruits enable migrating warblers to store a special, high-energy fat in their bodies to survive what might be several weeks without eating. The flowers attract small native bees, flies, and other tiny insects that warblers and other nesting birds feed to their young. Wood thrush (p. 175) and other mid-canopy species nest in the larger shrubs. Zones: 4–9.

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas)

Spicebush swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus)

Promethea silkworm caterpillar (Callosamia promethea)

Spicebush flowers (Lindera benzoin)

For more yellow-flowering spring shrubs, see GOLDEN CURRANT, p. 35; NATIVE HONEYSUCKLE ALTERNATIVES, p. 38; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; ROUGHLEAF DOGWOOD, p. 49.

See Summer Shrubs for AMERICAN BLACK CURRANT, p. 138, BUTTERFLY SHRUB, p. 129.

See Fall Shrubs for LEATHERWOOD, p. 232, SILVER BUFFALOBERRY, p. 229.

See Spring Trees for SASSAFRAS (SHRUB FORM), p. 99.

More Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 63; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69.

See Winter Shrubs for DWARF CHINKAPIN OAK, p. 311.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHERRY SPP., p. 82; COPENHAGEN HAWTHORN and other native hawthorns, p. 106; FLOWERING DOGWOOD, p. 94; SERVICEBERRY, p. 77.

Nonnative:

DAPHNE, MEZEREUM, SPURGE OLIVE, FEBRUARY DAPHNE. Family: Mezereum (Thymelaeaceae). Genus: Daphne (D. mezereum). Origin: Europe. Height/Spread: 3–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Short-lived plant with fragrant pink flowers in April to May. Cultivation: Part to full sun, well-drained dry, sandy soil. Problems: All daphne species, hybrids, and cultivars are highly poisonous if eaten and are known to inexplicably die; susceptible to disease, frost, and snow damage. Salt intolerant. Ecological Threat: Invasive in midwestern states. Zones: 5–8.

Daphne (Daphne mezereum)

Native Alternatives:

BLACK HUCKLEBERRY, p. 28; BLUEBERRY SPP., p. 27; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; CURRANT SPP., p. 35; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; RHODODENDRUM, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; SAND CHERRY, p. 17; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; SPICEBUSH, p. 22; SWEETSHRUB, p. 19.

See Summer Shrubs for FALSE INDIGO BUSH, p. 132; LEADPLANT, p. 133; NEW JERSEY TEA, p. 134.

See Fall Shrubs for LEATHERWOOD, p. 232.

See Spring Trees for FRINGE TREE, p. 105; SNOWBELL, p. 116.

Nonnative:

DEUTZIA. Family: Hydrangea (Hydrangeaceae). Genus: Deutzia; SLENDER DEUTZIA, SLENDER PRIDE OF ROCHESTER (D. gracilis); FUZZY PRIDE-OF-ROCHESTER (D. scabra). Origin: Japan. Height/Spread: 2–5 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Short-lived stems hold white flowers in April to May. Cultivation: Sun best for flowers; rich, moist well-drained soil; naturalizes, requires annual pruning, thinning. Ecological Threat: D. scabra is invasive and naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 5–8.

Slender deutzia (Deutzia gracilis)

Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)

Dwarf fothergilla flowers (Fothergilla gardenii)

Native Alternatives:

FOTHERGILLA, DWARF FOTHERGILLA, DWARF WITCHALDER. Family: Witch hazel (Hamamelidaceae). Genus: Fothergilla (F. gardenii). Height/Spread: 2–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, creamy-white tinged with green, early spring bottlebrush-like flowers. Each glaucous blue-green leaf spends a long time displaying its brilliant orange, yellow, and red fall colors. Twiggy, zigzag stems on this multistemmed shrub provide winter interest. Neat mounded appearance, praised as never needing pruning. “This is the perfect shrub for small gardens, particularly—though not exclusively—those that are naturally moist,” writes Patricia A. Taylor.¹⁸ Cultivation: Sun best for color, but tolerates light shade; moist to moderately wet, well-drained, organically rich, moist acidic soil. Avoid dry sites. Low maintenance. A southeastern native, fothergilla is recommended for the Midwest by the Morton Arboretum on the basis of ornamental value, proven hardiness, availability, and freedom from serious problems. Note: Threatened or endangered in parts of its native range. Zones: (4) 5–9; LARGE FOTHERGILLA, MOUNTAIN WITCHALDER (F. major). Height/Spread: 6–12 feet. Showier flowers, hardier and more drought tolerant than the dwarf species. Zones: 4–8. Both Species: Tremendously disease and insect resistant. “Classic, multi-season shrubs, fothergillas are tidy, exceptionally low-maintenance plants with fragrant white spring flowers and spectacularly colored fall foliage. Gardeners who find it difficult to select just one should consider the possibility of having both these shrubs in their gardens,” writes Taylor.¹⁹ Nature Note: Rich sources of nectar for bees, butterflies, and other insect pollinators that nesting birds feed to baby birds. Birds and mammals eat the inconspicuous black fruits.

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

BLUEBERRY. Family: Heath (Ericaceae). Genus: Vaccinium; HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY (V. corymbosum). Height/Spread: 4–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Drooping clusters of white to pink-tinted bell-shaped flowers followed by edible, blue fruit. Green, or often red twigs. Reddish-green spring leaves turn blue-green in summer and fiery red, yellow, orange, and purple in fall. As it ages, this multistemmed shrub assumes an attractive gnarled shape, providing winter interest. “For pure ornamental value, the blueberry bush is hard to beat,” writes the Chicago Botanic Garden.²⁰ “A good substitute for burning bush,” writes Penelope O’Sullivan.²¹ Cultivation: Full sun, moist to dry, acidic soil. Recycled Christmas tree branches make excellent acidic mulch. Note: Endangered in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–8; LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY (V. angustifolium). Height: 6 inches–2 feet. Note: Threatened in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–6; CRANBERRY (V. macrocarpon). Height: Less than 1-foot-tall mat. Ornamental Attributes: Flowers create pink hazes over bogs. Edible, red fruit. Leathery evergreen leaves turn a variety of fall colors. Use as groundcover. Cultivation: Sun best for fruit; wet to moist acidic soil. Note: Endangered in Illinois, threatened in Tennessee. Zones: 2–6; MOUNTAIN CRANBERRY, LINGONBERRY (V. vitis-idaea). Ornamental Attributes: Mat-forming groundcover. Note: Endangered in Michigan and Wisconsin. Zones: 3–6; BLACK HUCKLEBERRY, DANGLEBERRY. Genus: Gaylussacia (G. baccata). Height: 2 feet. Spread: 2–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Urn-shaped blueberry-like spring flowers, edible black fruit, red fall color. Cultivation: Sun, part shade, moist or dry well-drained soil. Note: Threatened in Iowa. Zones: 4–8. Heath Family Nature Note: Blueberries and cranberries (Vaccinium genus) host 294 species of butterflies and moths, including brown elfin, spring azure (p. 95), summer azure (p. 128), azalea sphinx, Edwards’ hairstreak (p. 210), and striped hairstreak (p. 18). HUCKLEBERRY (Gaylussacia genus) hosts 44 species of butterflies and moths. Including heath family plants in addition to “rosids,” a group that includes trees and shrubs like oaks, willows, beeches, maples, and elms, helps increase Lepidoptera (butterfly/moth) diversity because these plants host different insects such as the slender clearwing moth, that only lays her eggs on plants in the heath family. The plants provide shelter to many animals. Blue jay (p. 79), red-winged blackbird (p. 55), black-capped chickadee (p. 322), scarlet tanager, gray catbird (p. 79), eastern towhee (p. 235), red-headed and red-bellied woodpeckers (pp. 212, 55), house wren, and warblers seek the midsummer berries and use the stems to create nests.

House wren (Troglodytes aedon)

For more heath family plants see BEARBERRY, p. 156; DEERBERRY, p. 138; SOURWOOD, p. 186.

More Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; SAND CHERRY, p. 17; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69; WAFER ASH, p. 45.

See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143; NEW JERSEY TEA, p. 134.

See Fall Shrubs for SUMAC SPP., p. 242.

Nonnative:

DOGWOOD. See Winter Shrubs, p. 309.

Native Alternatives:

DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48.

See Winter Shrubs for REDOSIER DOGWOOD, p. 310.

European elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Nonnative:

ELDERBERRY, EUROPEAN ELDERBERRY, BLACK ELDERBERRY. Family: Elderberry (Adoxaceae). Genus: Sambucus (S. nigra). Origin: Europe. Height: 10–20 feet. Spread: 8–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Showy flat white, ill-smelling flowers in late spring to early summer; dark purple, edible berries. Cultivation: Full sun best, moderately moist soil. Zones: 5–7.

Native Alternatives:

American black elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) Also see p. 267

ELDERBERRY. Family: Elderberry (Adoxaceae). Genus: Sambucus; AMERICAN BLACK ELDERBERRY (Sambucus nigra L. subsp. canadensis). Height/Spread: 8–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Showy, flat, white long-blooming flower heads in June and July; showy, glistening clusters of edible dark purple fruits held on magenta pedicels in August to September; yellow fall leaves. The flowers have “a pure sweet scent. . . . We like the contrast of lacy flower heads against tropical green foliage . . . in most gardens of fragrance,” wrote Wilson and Bell.²² Cultivation: Adaptable, low maintenance, easy-to-grow shrub. Full sun best; takes shade. Best in moderately moist, well-drained soils; tolerates dry conditions. Suckers create thickets. To encourage vigorous regrowth, cut to the ground in March. Food Note: Quintessential American plant produces fruits and flowers used for centuries to make wine, jam, jelly, preserves, pies, and juice. Nature Note: Little carpenter and mason bees hollow out stems, creating nesting material and locations. They cause little damage and create future pollinators. Shrub may be used for conservation biological control. Fruits are rich in carbohydrates and protein and provide important food for migrating birds. Provides cover, nesting sites, and habitat for local and migrating birds and other wildlife. Supports bees, butterflies, and other pollinators; pollen is a honeybee favorite. Eastern chipmunk (p. 94), red squirrel, Franklin’s ground squirrel, woodchuck, foxes, and rabbits and more than 120 species of birds seek the mid- to late summer fruits, including red-bellied woodpecker (p. 55), red-headed woodpecker (p. 212), pileated woodpecker, American crow (p. 244), scarlet tanager, gray catbird (p. 79), red-breasted nuthatch (p. 322), white-breasted nuthatch, American robin (p. 62), golden and ruby-crowned kinglets (p. 233), eastern bluebird (p. 61), wood thrush (p. 175), cedar waxwing (p. 36), brown thrasher (p. 219), red-eyed vireo (p. 112), and northern cardinal (p. 61). “Common Elderberry is an attractive shrub, but often ignored because of its ubiquitous occurrence. In fact, people often destroy this shrub along fences or waterways in residential areas, notwithstanding its outstanding value to wildlife, particularly to songbirds,” writes John Hilty.²³ Zones: 3–8; RED ELDERBERRY, SCARLET ELDER (S. racemosa). Height/Spread: 10–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Common to the more northerly regions of the Midwest, cones of soft white flowers resemble white lilac flowers. Eye-popping, slightly toxic red summer berries; yellow fall leaves. Stems, bark, leaves, and roots contain cyanide-producing toxins, so most mammalian herbivores avoid the shrub. Cultivation: Full sun best, moderately moist soil. Can grow almost anywhere. Note: Threatened in Illinois. Zones: 4–6; Elderberry Note: Tolerate black walnut tree toxicity. Elderberry Host Plant Note: Native elderberries host 42 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies/moths), including Henry’s elfin (p. 93). Birds eat and feed the caterpillars to their nestlings.

White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

More Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; CURRANT SPP., p. 35; NINEBARK, p. 44.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; AMERICAN SNOWBELL, p. 116; CHERRY SPP., p. 82; SERVICEBERRY SPP., pp. 20, 77.

Nonnative:

FLOWERING QUINCE. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Chaenomeles; COMMON FLOWERING QUINCE (C. speciosa). Origin: China; JAPANESE FLOWERING QUINCE (C. japonica). Origin: Japan. Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Spiny, stubby shrubs; red, sometimes white or pink flowers in March to April bloom for a short time. No fall color. “Not pretty except in bloom, this ungainly, deciduous shrub brings little to most home landscapes,” writes Penelope O’Sullivan.²⁴ Cultivation: Full sun best, moist well-drained soil, naturalizes. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 5–8.

Japanese flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica)

Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia var. pavia)

Native Alternatives:

RED BUCKEYE. Family: Soapberry (Sapindaceae). Genus: Aesculus (A. pavia var. pavia). Large shrub/small tree. “Though buckeyes are the smaller, shrub members of the horse chestnut (Aesculus) genus, they are rather massive when compared with other shrubs,” writes Penelope O’Sullivan, and “wonderfully pest free.”²⁵ Height/Spread: 6–15 feet; can grow taller. Ornamental Attributes: Large, brilliant red flowers bloom for several weeks from mid-spring to early summer, attracting ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91). Specimens that have grown in full sun and have a dense crown have a blooming period that is “almost theatrical in brilliance.” With flower panicles that are among “the most beautiful of any temperate-zone species” and its distinctive buckeye foliage (opposite, compound) appearing early, red buckeye is “among our most welcome harbingers of spring,” write Sternberg and Wilson.²⁶ Coarse, open structure (especially when the branches are permitted to fully develop to the ground), and light brown, flaky bark offer winter interest; seeds are encased in smooth orange-brown husks. One of Christopher J. Starbuck’s “Uncommon Trees for Specimen Planting.” Cultivation: Full sun best, takes part sun; moist well-drained soil. Native American Note: Toxic seeds used to drug fish, making them easier to catch. Note: Threatened in parts of North America, including Kentucky. Nature Note: See YELLOW BUCKEYE, p. 98. Zones: 4–8.

Red buckeye flowers (Aesculus pavia var. pavia)

Common buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia)

More Native Buckeye Alternatives:

See Summer Shrubs for BOTTLEBRUSH BUCKEYE, p. 130.

See Summer Trees for OHIO BUCKEYE, p. 184.

More Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NORTHERN BUSH HONEYSUCKLE, p. 38; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; RED CURRANT, p. 35; RHODODENDRON, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; ROSE SPP., p. 60; SAND CHERRY, p. 17; SWEETSHRUB, p. 19.

See Fall Shrubs for AMERICAN BARBERRY, p. 233; LEATHERWOOD, p. 232.

See Spring Trees for FRINGE TREE, p. 105; REDBUD, p. 92..

Forsythia flowers (Forsythia)

Nonnative:

FORSYTHIA. Family: Olive (Oleaceae). Genus: Forsythia. Origin: Asia. Height/Spread: 4–9 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Yellow flowers in April to May that rarely receive visits from birds or butterflies. Following bloom, forsythia shrubs have neither fall color nor other ornamental value. “Forsythia is a suburban landscape cliché,” writes Penelope O’Sullivan, noting it is “a fast-growing, multi-stemmed shrub that spreads by suckers into a huge tangled mass.”²⁷ “Oddly, or perhaps understandably, gardeners have a love/hate relationship with the Forsythia. For two weeks every year it is the darling wherever it grows. Then it is rather boring for 50 weeks,” writes Green Deane.²⁸ Cultivation: Full sun, well-drained soil, pruning. Cold temperatures and late freezes cause flower bud damage. Ecological Threat: Naturalized throughout the Midwest; SHOWY FORSYTHIA (F. × intermedia). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in the Midwest; WEEPING FORSYTHIA (F. suspensa). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in the Midwest; GREENSTEM FORSYTHIA (F. viridissima). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in the Midwest; Zones: 5–8.

Forsythia (Forsythia)

Clove currant (Ribes odoratum)

Native Alternatives:

CURRANT. Family: Currant (Grossulariaceae). Genus: Ribes (includes currants and gooseberries). Note: Currants have no spines or thorny prickles; gooseberries have at least some. GOLDEN CURRANT, BUFFALO CURRANT, CLOVE CURRANT, MISSOURI CURRANT (R. aureum var. villosum, syn. R. odoratum). Height/Spread: 3–6 feet. Ornamental Attributes: A thornless shrub with conspicuous clusters of tubular, clove-scented, edible, golden-yellow, red-centered flowers that bloom for weeks from March to June. Lobed blue-green leaves turn yellow or red in late summer; edible black fruits. “Before I even noticed the screaming yellow flowers, I followed my nose.”²⁹ “By mid-April the too-little appreciated clove currant of the Midwest, Ribes odoratum, is as showy as forsythia but with the scent of a thousand pinks,” wrote Wilson and Bell, experts in fragrant plants.³⁰ Cultivation: Best in full sun, tolerates light shade. Adaptable plants grows in moist to moderately dry (in summer) soil. Two or more plants provide cross-pollination and better fruiting. Any suckers can be easily removed. Zones: 4–8; RED CURRANT (R. triste). Height: 3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Profuse clusters of red, pink, purple spring flowers followed by clusters of hard, bright red berries. Cultivation: Full sun, moist to wet soil. Note: Endangered or threatened in parts of the east coast and the Midwest. Some states ban some Ribes species, so check state law before planting,³¹ and avoid planting currants in locations where white pines are growing. Confusion Note: Red currant is not the cultivated European red currant (R. rubrum). Food Note: Golden and red currants are used in jams and jellies. Currant/Gooseberry Nature Note: The Midwest is home to many native species of currant and gooseberry. Nectar and pollen attract butterflies, ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91), hummingbird moths (p. 72), beneficial wasps, and other insects. The plants attract and have special value to native bees, including their most effective pollinators, long-tongued bees. Low-dwelling bird species use them for shelter and nest sites. Currants and gooseberries host 99 species of moths and butterflies, including green comma (p. 103) and gray comma butterflies and the orange-barred carpet moth. Birds eat and feed the caterpillars to their offspring. At least 16 species of birds³² eagerly seek the midsummer fruits, including cedar waxwings, which—having waited until late in the season to nest—feed their nestlings mostly insects at first, but soon add fruits. Brown thrasher (p. 219), American robin (p. 62), northern cardinal (p. 61), blue jay (p. 79), ruffed grouse, mourning dove, and bobwhite quail also eat the fruits, as do red fox, eastern chipmunk (p. 94), other small mammals, and people. Zones: 3–8.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus)

Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus)

More Yellow-Flowering Native Alternatives:

NATIVE HONEYSUCKLE ALTERNATIVES, p. 38; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; ROUGHLEAF DOGWOOD, p. 49; SPICEBUSH (FORSYTHIA OF THE WILDS), p. 22.

More Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; SERVICEBERRY SPP., pp. 20, 77; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69.

See Summer Shrubs for AMERICAN BLACK CURRANT, p. 138 (and GOOSEBERRIES and DEERBERRY, p. 138); BUTTERFLY SHRUB, p. 129; ST. JOHN’S WORT, p. 145.

See Fall Shrubs for LEATHERWOOD, p. 232; SILVER BUFFALOBERRY, p. 229.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; SASSAFRAS (SHRUB FORM), p. 99.

Nonnative:

FILBERT. See Spring Trees, p. 102.

Nonnative:

FRINGE TREE. See Spring Trees, p. 103.

Nonnative:

HONEYSUCKLE, ASIAN BUSH HONEYSUCKLES. Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae). Genus: Lonicera. Origin: Asia; AMUR HONEYSUCKLE (L. maackii); DWARF HONEYSUCKLE, EUROPEAN FLY HONEYSUCKLE (L. xylosteum); FLY HONEYSUCKLE (L. × xylosteoides, tatarica × xylosteum); HONEYSUCKLE (L. × minutiflora); HONEYSUCKLE (L. × notha); MANCHURIAN HONEYSUCKLE (L. ruprechtiana); MORROW’S HONEYSUCKLE (L. morrowii); SHOWY FLY HONEYSUCKLE, BELL’S HONEYSUCKLE (L. × bella, morrowii × tatarica) (hybrid of L. tatarica and L. morrowii); STANDISH’S HONEYSUCKLE (L. standishii); SWEET BREATH OF SPRING, WINTER HONEYSUCKLE, FRAGRANT HONEYSUCKLE (L. fragrantissima); TATARIAN HONEYSUCKLE (L. tatarica), and its well-known cultivar: ‘ARNOLD’S RED’ (L. tatarica ‘Arnold’s Red’). Height/Spread: 5–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White, pink, or yellow flowers in spring; red, yellow, or orange berries in fall; weedy branches; suffer from honeysuckle witches broom aphids, causing unattractive branching. Cultivation: Full sun, medium soil. Shade out and inhibit native plant germination; difficult to eradicate. Zones: 3–7. Differentiation Note: Nonnative honeysuckle twigs have hollow stems; natives have solid stems. Honeysuckle Ecological Threat: Invasive in midwestern, eastern, and southern states. Birds experience higher nest predation due to branch structure when nesting in nonnative species, such as buckthorn, multiflora rose, and honeysuckle, than in comparable native shrubs, an adverse environmental consequence that—in addition to these plants’ invasiveness—outweighs their ornamental or privacy benefits.³³ Note: Some nurseries still sell honeysuckles for ornamental purposes and some states still offer them for conservation programs. Cultivar Note: Cultivars of nonnative invasive species are also invasive. Invasive honeysuckles and their cultivars should be removed as soon as possible.³⁴

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)

Northern bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)

Native Honeysuckle Alternatives:

NORTHERN BUSH HONEYSUCKLE, LOW BUSH HONEYSUCKLE, DWARF BUSH HONEYSUCKLE. Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae). Genus: Diervilla (D. lonicera). Height: 3–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, showy, tube-like bright yellow to orange or red flowers in June to August. Exfoliating bark—orange inner bark, bright yellow, orange or red fall leaves. Cultivation: Sun to shade, dry/moist well-drained soil. Drought tolerant. Note: Rare in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–6; AMERICAN FLY HONEYSUCKLE. Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae). Genus: Lonicera (L. canadensis). Height/Spread: 3–7 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant yellow, red-tinged flowers in early April to May are harbingers of spring. Elongated red-orange berries in mid- to late summer. Cultivation: Easy to grow; full sun to part shade; variety of soil types. Note: Extirpated in part of the Midwest; MOUNTAIN FLY HONEYSUCKLE (L. villosa). Height/Spread: 2–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant white-yellow/chartreuse flowers in May, edible dark blue fruit in June to July mistaken for blueberries. Thick, blue-green leaves. Cultivation: Sun/part shade/shade, medium-moist soil. Fly Honeysuckle Note: Extirpated or presumed extirpated in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–8; TWINBERRY HONEYSUCKLE, BLACK TWINBERRY (L. involucrata). Height/Spread: 4–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Attention-grabbing, axillary pairs of fragrant, yellow tubular flowers from June to July. Showy red-bract-cupped “twin” black berries. Shiny green leaves turn yellow in fall. Cultivation: Sun best, prefers moist soil; succeeds in any fertile soil. Note: Threatened or endangered in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Native honeysuckles (Lonicera) host 37 species of butterflies and moths, including spring azure (p. 95), fawn and Kalm’s sphinx moths, and snowberry clearwing moth. Birds and their nestlings eat the caterpillars. Pollinators, including ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91), visit the flowers for nectar; the plants have special value to bumblebees and other native bees. American robin (p. 62), northern cardinal (p. 61), wood thrush (p. 175), wild turkey (p. 244), and small mammals seek the fruits. Native honeysuckles provide nesting cover for birds and tolerate black walnut tree toxicity. Zones: 4–10.

American fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)

Twinberry honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata)

More Native Alternatives:

BLUEBERRY SPP., p. 27; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; CURRANT SPP., p. 35; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; ELDERBERRY SPP., p. 29; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NINEBARK, p. 44; SERVICEBERRY SPP., pp. 20, 77; SPICEBUSH, p. 22; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69.

See Summer Shrubs for CURRANT SPP., p. 35; DEERBERRY, p. 138; HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143; ST. JOHN’S WORT, p. 145.

See Spring Trees for SNOWBELL, p. 116.

Note: For a good alternative to invasive nonnative honeysuckles, choose any native midwestern shrub.

Nonnative:

HYDRANGEA. See Summer Shrubs, p. 142.

Jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens)

Nonnative:

JETBEAD, BLACK JETBEAD. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Rhodotypos (R. scandens). Origin: China, Korea, Japan. Height: 3–6 feet. Spread: 4–9 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers in May to June, black fruits. No fall color. Cultivation: Full sun to part shade, medium soil. Ecological Threat: Invasive in midwestern states. Zones: 4–8.

Native Alternatives:

BLACK CHOKEBERRY, p. 13; BLACK HUCKLEBERRY, p. 28; CURRANT SPP., p. 35; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NINEBARK, p. 44; SERVICEBERRY SPP., pp. 20, 77; TWINBERRY HONEYSUCKLE, p. 38; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69.

See Summer Shrubs for AMERICAN BLACK CURRANT, p. 138; HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143; NEW JERSEY TEA, p. 134.

See Fall Shrubs for AMERICAN BARBERRY, p. 233; AMERICAN BEAUTYBERRY, p. 235.

See Spring Trees for FRINGE TREE, p. 105.

Japanese kerria, Japanese rose (Kerria japonica)

Nonnative:

KERRIA, JAPANESE KERRIA, JAPANESE ROSE. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Kerria (K. japonica). Origin: Japan. Height/Spread: 5–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Yellow flowers in April to May. Green, weedy stems die back and sucker; requires pruning. Cultivation: Sun; part shade prevents fading flowers; medium soil. Ecological Threat: Invasive in some midwestern states. Zones: 5–9.

Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN BLADDERNUT. Family: Bladdernut (Staphyleaceae). Genus: Staphylea (S. trifolia). Height: 8–12 feet. Spread: 6–10 feet, may grow taller; shrub or small tree. Ornamental Attributes: Bladdernut “is a consummate Midwestern plant. . . . It has beautiful chains of creamy flowers in early spring, unusual, persistent pods and yellow fall color. Its twigs are deep green and especially attractive in the winter months,” note Weeks and Weeks.³⁵ Unusual three-chambered bladder-like seedpods resemble Chinese lanterns and persist into the winter months. Greenish bark is textured with white cracks. Cultivation: Native to moist, deep woods, the plant prefers shade, moist well-drained sandy or silty loams. Insect and disease resistant. Suckering forms thickets. Good for shady woodlands. Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Nature Note: Provides wildlife with protective cover and northern cardinal (p. 61), gray catbird (p. 79), and wood thrush (p. 175) with nesting sites. Hosts 2 species of butterflies and moths. Birds eat the caterpillars and feed them to nestlings. Zones: 3–9.

More Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN FLY HONEYSUCKLE, p. 38; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; GOLDEN CURRANT, p. 35; NINEBARK, p. 44; RHODODENDRON, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; ROSE SPP., p. 60; SPICEBUSH, p. 22; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69.

American bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia)

See Summer Shrubs for AMERICAN BLACK CURRANT, GOOSEBERRIES, DEERBERRY, p. 138; BUTTERFLY SHRUB, p. 129; HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143.

See Fall Shrubs for AMERICAN BARBERRY, p. 233; LEATHERWOOD, p. 232; SILVER BUFFALOBERRY, p. 229; SUMAC SPP., p. 242.

See Spring Trees for SNOWBELL, p. 116.

Nonnative:

LILAC, COMMON LILAC. Family: Olive (Oleaceae). Genus: Syringa (S. vulgaris). Origin: Europe. Height/Spread: 8–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Clusters of often fragrant white, purple, or lavender flowers in April to May. Cultivation: Full sun, medium soil; pruning. “Lilacs are not a particularly attractive plant except in the spring when they are blooming,” writes Melissa Howard.³⁶ Leggy, no fall color. Ecological Threat: Naturalized and potentially invasive in midwestern states; JAPANESE LILAC (S. villosa). Origin: China. Height/Spread: 12–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Briefly blooming flowers in May to June; MEYER LILAC, DWARF KOREAN LILAC (S. meyeri). Origin: China, Japan. Height: 4–8 feet. Spread: 6–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Flowers in May; PERSIAN LILAC (S. × persica); LITTLELEAF LILAC (S. pubescens subsp. microphylla). Zones: 3–7.

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens)

Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN WISTERIA. Family: Pea (Fabaceae). Genus: Wisteria (W. frutescens). Height: 15–30 feet. Spread: 4–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Woody vine; can be trained as a shrub. Large, showy clusters of lilac or purple flowers bloom on new wood in waves for two to four weeks in April and May and “evoke the same romantic feeling as the Asian types.”³⁷ Cultivation: Full sun, part sun, moist to medium neutral to slightly acid sandy, clay, or loam well-drained soils. Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Well behaved; provide the trunk with good support. Nature Note: Attracts hummingbirds (p. 91) and butterflies; hosts 19 species of butterflies and moths, including longtailed skippers, silver-spotted skippers, and the marine blue butterfly. Note: Rare or threatened in parts of the Midwest. Zones: (4) 5–9. Confusion Note: Native wisteria is neither CHINESE WISTERIA (W. sinensis) nor JAPANESE WISTERIA (W. floribunda); both invasive plants from Asia are “moderately well behaved” in cool climates “especially if you have a staff of gardeners to pull them off the window screens and telephone wires,” observes William Cullina.³⁸

Marine blue butterfly (Leptotes marina)

Ninebark shrub (Physocarpus opulifolius) Also see p. 268

NINEBARK, ATLANTIC NINEBARK. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Physocarpus (P. opulifolius). Height/Spread: 5–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Long-lasting, showy white flowers with purple stamens in May to June; long-lasting papery bladder-like red fruit; leaves turn brilliant red, orange, or yellow in fall; exfoliating bark provides winter interest. “Domed clusters of creamy-white flowers smother the even, rounded crowns of ninebark in late spring and early summer,” writes C. Colston Burrell.³⁹ Cultivation: Tough, adaptable to almost all conditions, easy to grow. Full sun to light shade. Dry to moist soil. Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Nature Note: Preferred site for many shrub-nesting songbirds. Used for cover, but not food, by deer and rabbits. Nectar and pollen support bees, butterflies, wasps, and the small flies sought by nesting birds. Birds eat the fruits. Ninebark hosts the specialist ninebark calligraphy beetle and 41 species of butterflies and moths, including the dark spotted palthis moth, whose disguise is to look like a leaf. Cultivar/Nativar Note: Although the naturally green-leaved species hosts the specialist ninebark calligraphy beetle,⁴⁰ the resulting damage is so minimal, experts describe the species as “largely left alone by animal pests.”⁴¹ Ninebark cultivars/nativars selected for dark (i.e., purple) foliage all year round instead of the normal green have changed leaf chemistry that makes the leaves indigestible to the ninebark’s specialist beetle.⁴² Its absence deprives birds of natural food for themselves and their nestlings. Dark-leaved cultivars like ‘Mondo’ Diablo are marketed as “pest-resistant”⁴³ and having “improved disease resistance,” but complaints include fuzzy white coatings, mold, or powdery mildew infecting and killing whole branches.⁴⁴ Zones: 3–8.

Ninebark flowers (Physocarpus opulifolius)

Giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)

WAFER ASH, HOPTREE. Family: Citrus (Rutaceae). Genus: Ptelea (P. trifoliata). Height/Spread: 10–20 feet. Multistemmed shrub or small tree. Ornamental Attributes: Pretty clusters of fragrant small greenish-white flowers in April; dark green trifoliate leaves turn yellow in fall; showy flat, wafer-like winged fruits provide winter interest, as does the slender crooked trunk with interwoven, ascending branches. Good as a specimen or screen. Cultivation: Sun, light shade; moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Hardy and easy-care. Wafer ash does not belong to the ash family, so isn’t subject to their destruction by emerald ash borers. Its fruits resemble elm seeds, but it is not an elm, so not subject to Dutch elm disease. Nature Note: Wafer ash hosts 6 species of butterflies and moths. Along with pricklyash (Summer Shrubs, p. 124), wafer ash hosts the giant swallowtail butterfly. The moths it hosts include the brown-bordered ermine. The two-marked treehopper, whose frothy white egg masses are visible in winter, also relies on the wafer ash. Pollinators include small bees, wasps, flies, and ants that feed primarily on nectar. Songbirds use it for nesting. Note: One of Christopher Starbuck’s selections for uncommon trees for specimen planting. Zones: 3–8.

More Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN BLADDERNUT, p. 41; AMERICAN SMOKETREE, p. 65; BLUEBERRY SPP., p. 27; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; ELDERBERRY SPP., p. 29; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; GOLDEN CURRANT, p. 35; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75, RHODODENDRON, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, p. 46; SPICEBUSH, p. 22.

See Summer Shrubs for BUTTONBUSH, p. 131; HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143; NEW JERSEY TEA (WILD LILAC), p. 134.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; FRINGE TREE, p. 105; SASSAFRAS (SHRUB FORM), p. 99; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; YELLOWWOOD, p. 96.

Sweet mockorange (Philadelphus coronarius)

Nonnative:

MAGNOLIA. See Spring Trees, p. 109.

Nonnative:

MOCKORANGE, SWEET MOCKORANGE. Family: Hydrangea (Hydrangeaceae). Genus: Philadelphus (P. coronarius). Origin: Europe. Height/Spread: 8–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers in late spring to early summer, sometimes fragrant. Lanky plants with nondescript foliage. “To avoid disappointment it is well for the fragrant-minded to realize that many Philadelphus have no perfume, ‘scentless, or souless . . . beautiful and dumb’ in Mrs. [Louise Beebe] Wilder’s words,” wrote Wilson and Bell.⁴⁵ No fall color. Cultivation: Full sun to light shade, medium soil. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 5–8.

Native Alternative:

SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, APPALACHIAN MOCK-ORANGE. Family: Hydrangea (Hydrangeaceae). Genus: Philadelphus (P. inodorus, P. grandiflorus). Height: 6–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, sweet citrus blossom–scented showy clusters of large bright white flowers decorate this erroneously named shrub in May to June. Its arching branches and exfoliating orange bark provide winter interest. Cultivation: Sun, or at least part sun, and moist soils best. Drought tolerant. Note: Threatened in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Special value to native bees; hosts 4 species of butterflies and moths. Zones: 5–8.

More Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN BLADDERNUT, p. 41; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; FOTHERGILLIA, p. 27; GOLDEN CURRANT, p. 35; NINEBARK, p. 44; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; SPICEBUSH, p. 22; WAFER ASH, p. 45.

See Spring Trees for CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; FRINGE TREE, p. 105; SASSAFRAS (SHRUB FORM), p. 99; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; SNOWBELL, p. 116.

Scentless mock orange (Philadelphus inodorus)

Oriental photinia (Photinia villosa)

Nonnative:

ORIENTAL PHOTINIA. Family: Rose. Genus: Photinia (P. villosa). Origin: Japan, Korea, China. Height/Spread: 10–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers in May to June, red fall fruit. Cultivation: Sun or part sun; prolific seed producer, creates thickets. Zones: 4–8.

Native Alternatives:

NINEBARK, p. 44; RED CHOKEBERRY, p. 13; SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, p. 46; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; SPICEBUSH, p. 22.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.

Nonnative:

PRIVET, PRIVET HEDGE. Family: Olive (Oleaceae). Genus: Ligustrum. Note: Several privet species occur and they are very hard to distinguish. Cultivar Note: Ornamentally, privet cultivars (ex: variegated) often revert to their original green; AMUR PRIVET (L. obtusifolium subsp. suave, syn. L. amurense). Origin: China. Height: 12–15 feet. Spread: 8–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: A not particularly attractive shrub used for hedges, whose insignificant white flowers are often pruned to oblivion; black berry-like fruits; some find its fragrance objectionable; produces suckers. “In the Midwest, this species is as common as grass,” writes Michael Dirr, recalling city blocks “where virtually every house had a hedge in front and in back and shared one on either side with the neighbor.”⁴⁶ Cultivation: Full sun to part shade, most soil types, regular pruning. Zones: 3–7; BORDER PRIVET, REGAL PRIVET, BLUNT-LEAVED PRIVET (L. obtusifolium). Origin: Japan, Korea, China. Ornamental Attributes: Resembles Amur privet. Zones: 3–7; CALIFORNIA PRIVET (L. ovalifolium). Origin: Japan. Zones: 7–10; CHINESE PRIVET (L. sinense). Zones: 6–9; EUROPEAN PRIVET, COMMON PRIVET (L. vulgare). Origin: Europe/Africa. Zones: 4–7; JAPANESE PRIVET (L. japonica). Origin: Japan. Zones: 7–10; Privet Ecological Threat: Amur, border, European, and Japanese privet are invasive in parts of the Midwest. In Indiana, California privet is ranked a “caution” invasive species. Privets are prolific producers of seed, and birds spread them far from the original plantings. All privet species are a major threat to all natural landscapes.⁴⁷ Neither the species nor their cultivars should be planted. Contrary to nursery representations, cultivars of invasive nonnative plants that are sold as not invasive and “safe to natural areas” do produce viable seeds and the seedlings—like their parents—naturalize or are invasive.⁴⁸

European privet (Ligustrum vulgare)

Native Alternatives:

DOGWOOD. Family: Dogwood (Cornaceae). Genus: Cornus. Cultivation Note: Can grow dogwoods as shrubs, hedges, trees, clumps, or thickets. Dogwoods commonly grow as understory shrubs or trees in naturally moist, fertile soils high in organic matter, and never in poorly drained locations or hot dry areas; however, they are adaptable to several types of soils. Their primary demands are good soil drainage and protection from drought, including deep watering during summer droughts. They do best when planted in association with larger trees that provide light or moderate shade, though some species do best in sun; ALTERNATELEAF DOGWOOD, PAGODA DOGWOOD (C. alternifolia). Height: 15–25 feet. Spread: 20–30 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, yellow- or creamy-white flowers in May to early June. Green fruits turn pink or red, then blue-black held in red pedicels in June or July, often with all the colors present at the same time. Fall leaves are deep reddish-purple. Tiers of horizontal branches tapering toward the top explain the common name, pagoda dogwood. This is “a highly prized ornamental tree,” writes C. Colston Burrell.⁴⁹ “The shrub has year-round appeal. Everything about it is pretty and there is something unique for every season,” write Weeks and Weeks.⁵⁰ Cultivation: For tree size, needs full or partial sun in moist soil. Remains a shrub in shade. To restrain golden canker disease, needs open sunny location, plenty of space, mulch over root system but away from the trunks, prune out affected branches, and, importantly, water deeply during summer droughts. Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Zones: 3–7; GRAY DOGWOOD, SWAMP DOGWOOD, RED-PANICLED DOGWOOD (C. racemosa). Height: Often 4–5 feet; sometimes attains 16 feet. Spread: 10–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Clusters of creamy-white flowers in late spring. White fruits held on bright red panicles that ripen July through October attract migrating and overwintering songbirds due to their high fat content. Leaves turn purple in fall. Red stems create red hazes. Cultivation: Tolerates alkaline soil. Fairly drought resistant. This tough shrub annoys prairie restorers, but it is a superb addition to other landscapes. Zones: 4–8; REDOSIER DOGWOOD, see Winter Shrubs, p. 310; ROUGHLEAF DOGWOOD, DRUMMOND’S DOGWOOD (C. drummondii, C. asperifolia). Height: To 16 feet. Spread: 10–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Large showy clusters of creamy-yellow flowers in April to June; red twigs; white fall fruits on orange-red pedicels accompany the deep red or purplish fall leaves. Once prairie fires restrained these woody plants in the prairie belt, “but because prairie fires are increasingly rare, roughleaf dogwoods can rise above their shrubby nature to become attractive small trees,” write Sternberg and Wilson.⁵¹ Cultivation: Full sun to shade; dry to moist soil; adapts to most conditions. Zones: 4–9; SILKY DOGWOOD, BLUE-FRUITED DOGWOOD (C. amomum subsp. obliqua). Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Four-season interest includes showy, fragrant clusters of white flowers in May to June, gorgeously colored blue fruits displayed on bright red pedicels in August and September, reddish-purple fall leaves, and red twigs and stems resembling redosier dogwood that stand out in winter. Good in shrub borders, massing and naturalizing. Cultivation: Sun, but tolerates some shade and wet soil, where it forms thickets. Tolerates air pollution and black walnut tree toxicity. Note: Endangered in part of the Midwest. Zones: 4–8; SWAMP DOGWOOD, STIFF DOGWOOD (C. foemina). Height: 12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant flowers. It is one of the blue-fruited species of its genus. Cultivation: Full or partial sun, wet to moist conditions containing significant organic matter. Zones: 5–9; ROUNDLEAF DOGWOOD (C. rugosa). Height: 3–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Conspicuous white or blue fruits mid-August to late September. Cultivation: Shade, part shade. Dry soils and well-drained sandy loam soils. Note: Rare in part of the Midwest. Zones: 3–5. Dogwood Nature Note: Dogwood hosts 118 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies/moths), including the spring azure (p. 95) and summer azure (p. 128), giant silkmoths, polyphemus moth (p. 211), dogwood thyativid, and unicorn caterpillar moth. Birds eat the caterpillars and feed them to their offspring. The rare oligolectic bee, Andrena fragilis, prefers flowers in the genus Cornus. Dogwoods can be used as part of conservation biological control. Butterflies, wasps, flies, hummingbirds (p. 91), and other beneficial pollinators visit dogwood flowers; warblers and other nesting birds seek the small insects to feed their nestlings; dogwoods have special value to native bees. The specialist dogwood calligraphy beetle eats dogwood foliage; birds eat the beetles. The summer and fall fruits’ (drupes) higher-than-average fat and calorie content causes them to be preferred foods for mammals and huge numbers of songbirds. High-fat berries are an important food source for wintering and migratory birds, which primarily use fat to fuel their migration. A study found fall migrating frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds have a preference for native dogwood fruits.⁵² More than 98 bird species eat dogwood fruits, including American robin (p. 62), gray catbird (p. 79), yellow-shafted flicker, scarlet tanager, cedar waxwing (p. 36), eastern bluebird (p. 61), northern cardinal (p. 61), northern flicker (p. 99), downy woodpecker, long-tailed chat, eastern kingbird (p. 55), purple finch (p. 145), crested flycatcher, rose-breasted grosbeak (p. 200), evening grosbeak (p. 162), northern mockingbird (p. 256), brown thrasher (p. 219), wood thrush (p. 175), American crow (p. 244), Baltimore oriole (p. 167), vireos, yellow-bellied sapsucker (p. 79), tree swallow (p. 55), greater prairie chicken, bobwhite quail (p. 36), ruffed grouse (p. 36), red-bellied woodpecker (p. 55), red-headed woodpecker (p. 212), pileated woodpecker, wood duck (p. 162), wild turkey (p. 244), tufted titmouse (p. 169), song sparrow (p. 307), and chipping sparrow. Birds and other wildlife use dogwoods for shelter and nesting. Turtles in wetland areas eat the fallen leaves, fruit, and seeds. Mammals eating the fruit and foliage include black bear, beaver, cottontail rabbit, raccoon, squirrels, chipmunk, deer, and moose. The shrubs, especially when massed, provide excellent nesting habitat for songbirds. “These trees and shrubs are some of our most valuable plants for wildlife,” write Sternberg and Wilson.⁵³ Also see Winter Shrubs for REDOSIER DOGWOOD, p. 310.

Gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) Also see p. 268

Roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii)

Andrena spp.

Also see Spring Trees for FLOWERING DOGWOOD, p. 94.

Chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina)

More Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN CRANBERRYBUSH, BLACKHAW & OTHER NATIVE VIBURNUMS, p. 69; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; CURRANT SPP., p. 35; ELDERBERRY SPP., p. 29; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NINEBARK, p. 44; PUSSY WILLOW, p. 53; SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, p. 46; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; SPICEBUSH, p. 22; WAFER ASH, p. 45.

See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143.

See Fall Shrubs for BAYBERRY, p. 232; POSSUMHAW, p. 237; SUMAC SPP., p. 242.

See Winter Shrubs for AMERICAN HOLLY, p. 313; REDOSIER DOGWOOD, p. 310.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN HAZELNUT, p. 102; FRINGE TREE, p. 105; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.

See Fall Trees for OSAGE ORANGE, p. 259.

See Winter Trees for AMERICAN ARBORVITAE, p. 319; AMERICAN YEW, p. 314; RED CEDAR, p. 323.

Note: For a good alternative to privet, choose any native midwestern shrub.

Nonnative:

PUSSY WILLOW, GOAT WILLOW. Family: Willow (Salicaceae). Genus: Salix (S. caprea). Origin: Eurasia. Height: 12–20 feet. Spread: 6–9 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Small tree/shrub, catkins in March to April. Cultivation: Full sun best. Wet to moist soil; disease problems, naturalizes. Ecological Threat: Invasive in the eastern United States, parts of the Midwest, and Canada. Zones: 5–8; LARGE GRAY WILLOW (S. cinerea). Origin: Europe. Ecological Threat: Invasive in midwestern states. Zones: 4–8; LAUREL WILLOW (S. pentandra). Origin: Europe. Ornamental Attributes: Large shrub/small tree. Ecological Threat: Invasive in midwestern states.

For more willows, see Spring Trees, p. 117.

Pussy willow, goat willow (Salix caprea)

Pussy willow (Salix discolor)

Native Alternatives:

PUSSY WILLOW. Family: Willow (Salicaceae). Genus: Salix (S. discolor). Height: 6–20 feet. Spread: 4–12 feet. Small tree/shrub. Ornamental Attributes: All willow species have alternate, usually narrow leaves and catkins, male and female on separate trees. Pussy willow’s catkins appear each year in March to April; the pretty, velvety, silvery-gray male catkins fancifully resemble kittens climbing a twig. Female buds and flowers also conspicuously bloom on bare stems before leaves appear. Cultivation: Easy to grow and propagate. Full sun best, wet to moist soil, tolerates drier soil. Zones: 4–8; MEADOW WILLOW (S. petriolaris). Height/Spread: 10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Low-growing clumped shrub with slender, upraised stems. Cultivation: Full sun, well-drained soil, tolerates many soil types. Zones: 3–8; MISSOURI RIVER WILLOW (S. eriocephala). Height: To 20 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Narrow shrub or small tree with multiple trunks, dark-gray scaly bark, thick lance-shaped leaves, and densely silky catkins. Cultivation: Sun, moist, wet, sandy soil. Zones: 5–9; PRAIRIE WILLOW (S. humilis var. humilis; var. tristis). Height/Spread: 2–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Gray-green to blue-green “extremely pretty foliage;”⁵⁴ yellow, green, or purple catkins emerge before the leaves in March to May; wandlike yellow-brown to red stems attractive in winter. Cultivation: Sun, dry to wet soil; tolerates salt and many soil types. Reproduces by reseeding. Zones: 3–7; SANDBAR WILLOW (S. interior). Height: 6–7, sometimes 20 feet. Small tree or thicket. Zones: 2–7; SILKY WILLOW (S. sericea). Height: 6–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Nonsuckering willow that “remains always a shrub.”⁵⁵ Pussy-willow-like catkins; silvery leaves turn yellow in fall. Cultivation: Sun to light shade, moist to wet well-drained soil. Note: Endangered in Arkansas. Zones: 4–8. Willow Ornamental Note: “Of inestimable value to the opening season are the willows, for very early they put on their spring dress of silver sheen and thrust out buds of green, or combinations of colour almost too subtle to be accurately described,” wrote Alice Lounsberry in 1901.⁵⁶ Willow Cultivation Note: Native willows tolerate black walnut tree toxicity. Willow Nature Note: “Willows do not spread their pollen via the wind. Instead, they rely on insects for pollination, despite having less than gaudy flowers. What they lack in visual cues, they clearly make up for in olfactory ones, producing large amounts of strongly scented nectar. Pollinators find willows to be superior food sources. Bees and flies are readily drawn to pussy willows in full bloom. One of the advantages of flowering early in spring is that there is very little competition for pollinators. The willows gain the full attention of the many bees and flies that also awaken early in the spring and are desperate for food,” writes Johnny Caryopsis.⁵⁷ A few oligolectic or specialist bees, such as several Andrenid bees, use willow pollen almost exclusively. Pollination ecologists recognize willows as having special value to native and honeybees, meaning they attract them in large numbers. Willows host insects like wood-boring beetles; hungry woodpeckers eat the larvae during the winter. Native willows host 455 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), productivity exceeded only by oak (Quercus) and plum/cherry (Prunus). “If you have appropriate habitat, by all means use them liberally, for they support several of our showiest butterflies,” writes Douglas Tallamy. If you want beautiful butterflies and moths, plant the species they eat as larvae. If you want mourning cloaks, viceroys, or io moths, plant “any of our many native willows—and you will have them.”⁵⁸ Willows also host green comma (p. 103), white admiral, red-spotted purple (p. 18), eastern tiger swallowtail (p. 18), mourning cloak (p. 62), luna moth, cecropia moth (p. 18), and sphinx moths (p. 108). Also hosted by native willows are Compton tortoiseshell, northern finned prominent, and several hairstreak species such as Acadian hairstreak and striped hairstreak (p. 18). The viceroy butterfly, which resembles the monarch butterfly (p. 124), “is always found close to stands of willow and poplar, which are its larval host plants,” writes David K. Parshall.⁵⁹ Snapping turtles and wood turtles eat fallen willow leaves. When planted along water, willows provide habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms. Nesting birds, including yellow warbler (p. 89), white-throated sparrow (p. 108), black-capped chickadee (p. 322), golden and ruby-crowned kinglets (p. 233), American redstart (p. 89), and ruby-throated hummingbird (p. 91), dine on and feed their babies caterpillars and the small insects attracted to the willows’ sugar-rich nectar. Northern harrier, yellow warbler (p. 89), American goldfinch (p. 145), gray catbird (p. 79), and willow flycatcher often construct their nests in willow thickets. Birds including ruffed grouse (p. 36) and ducks such as northern pintail, mallard, and wood duck (p. 162) eat willow seeds, buds, and/or catkins as emergency spring food, as do red-breasted nuthatch (p. 322), black-capped chickadee (p. 322), dark-eyed junco (p. 322), common redpoll (p. 54), fox sparrow (p. 322), pine siskin (p. 54), tree swallow, woodpeckers (pp. 55, 212), and hawks. Birds like the gray catbird (p. 79), rusty grackle, yellow warbler (p. 89), red-winged blackbird, warbling vireo, eastern kingbird, and herons nest in willows. Downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, prothonotary warblers, and tree swallows nest in shoreline willow snags. The yellow-bellied sapsucker (p. 79) drills into black willows for sap.

See Spring Trees for more native WILLOWS, p. 118.

Acadian hairstreak butterfly (Satyrium acadica)

Luna moth (Actias luna)

Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus)

Pine siskin (Carduelis pinus)

Common redpoll (Acanthis flammea)

Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Sparrow hawk aka American kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

Red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

More Native Alternatives:

OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75.

See Fall Shrubs for SILVERBERRY, p. 229.

See Winter Shrubs for DWARF CHINKAPIN OAK, p. 311.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN HAZELNUT, p. 102.

See Winter Trees for ALDER SPP., p. 316.

Korean rhododendron (Rhododendron mucronulatum)

Nonnative:

RHODODENDRON, AZALEA. Family: Heath (Ericaceae). Genus: Rhododendron. Origin: Japan, China, Korea, Europe; KOREAN RHODODENDRON (R. mucronulatum). Height/Spread: 4–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Reddish-purple flowers in mid-spring. Zones: 5–7; JAPANESE AZALEA (R. japonicum). Zones: 5–8; KOREAN AZALEA (R. yedoense). Zones: 4–9; YELLOW AZALEA (R. luteum). Zones: 6–9; HONEYSUCKLE AZALEA (R. ponticum). Zones: 6–9; TREE RHODODENDRON (R. arboreum). Origin: Himalayas. Ornamental Attributes: Red flowers. Cultivation: Part to full shade. Some need sun. Moist, well-drained, acidic soil, fertilization, soil acidification, mulching, pruning, sheltered location, burlap screen, refraining from digging around shallow roots. In the United Kingdom, tree rhododendron is replacing the native woodland understory. Genus Note: Susceptibility to sun scorch, insect and disease pests, and leaf and flower frost damage applies to deciduous and evergreen rhododendrons/azaleas, including the species, hybrids, and cultivars. Poison Note: Rhododendron parts, including nectar, are poisonous, as is their honey, noted Aristotle and other observers from ancient days. Ecological Threat: Nectar produced by some species kills some species of bees.

Native Alternatives:

RHODODENDRON, AZALEA. Family: Heath (Ericaceae). Genus: Rhododendron. Genus Note: The Rhododendron genus includes rhododendrons and azaleas. Generally, rhododendrons are evergreen, while azaleas are deciduous. Cultivation: Rhododendrons perform best in partially shaded sites. Azaleas flower best with a few sunny hours. Both need the well-drained, organic-rich, acidic soil of their origins. To ensure a chosen plant suits the desired location, check with the purveyor. After planting, mulch to retain soil moisture. Species and Range Note: Like all plants, native azaleas generally grow best in the climates in which they naturally evolved. Species native to the northeast include rhodora. Species native to the Midwest include early azalea (roseshell azaela), rosebay rhododendron, Pinxterbloom azalea (pink azaela), and flame azalea.⁶⁰ According to Douglas Tallamy, the very showy azaleas that evolved in and around the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and southwestern Virginia are an example of “cases where a plant can be moved outside its native range and still perform some or even most of its evolutionary roles within its new ecosystem. . . . This can happen because traits such as leaf chemistry, shape, and toughness can be so similar among congeners that adaptations enabling an insect to grow and reproduce on one member of the genus predispose that insect to using other members of the genus,” he notes. “They can remain a functioning part of the ecosystem to which they are moved because insects adapted to local azalea species such as the Pinxterbloom azalea . . . should have no trouble using the southern species as a resource.”⁶¹ CATAWBA RHODODENDRON (R. catawbiense). Height/Spread: 6–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Evergreen shrub; clusters of large, rose or purple-lilac, funnel-shaped flowers late in spring. Hardy and easy to grow. “These evergreens [Rosebay and Catawba rhododendrons] are among the most spectacular of all flowering plants, native or exotic,” write Sternberg and Wilson.⁶² Natural hybrids between R. catawbiense and R. maximum occur in the wild where their ranges overlap. Zones: 4–7; EARLY AZALEA, ROSESHELL AZALEA (R. prinophyllum; syn. R. roseum). Height/Spread: 4–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Large, clove-scented, showy, pink flowers in April to May. Bright green leaves are woolly beneath and turn bronze in fall. Dense and rounded in full sun. Zones: 3–8; FLAME AZALEA (R. calendulaceum). Height/Spread: 4–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Spectacular large showy clusters of orange/apricot, yellow/gold, or brilliant scarlet long-lasting (even in sun) flowers for two weeks from mid-May to mid-June. Fall leaves are yellow-red to bronze. “This is certainly the most gay and brilliant shrub yet known,” wrote eighteenth-century naturalist William Bartram.⁶³ Note: Endangered in Ohio. Zones: 4–8; MOUNTAIN AZALEA, PIEDMONT AZALEA (R. canescens). Height/Spread: 4–5 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant pink or occasionally white flowers in April. “This small shrub is perfect for gardeners with bitterly cold winters,” writes Patricia A. Taylor. “Its rose purple flowers reliably burst forth every spring, almost seeming to defy snows and frosts.”⁶⁴ Note: Endangered in Kentucky. Zones: 5–9; PINK AZALEA, PINXTERBLOOM AZALEA (R. periclymenoides, syn. R. nudiflorum). Height: 4–7 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Light to dark pink fragrant flowers in April to May, yellow fall foliage. Note: Threatened in Ohio. Zones: 4–8; PINKSHELL AZALEA (R. vaseyi). Height: 10–15 feet. Spread: 3–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Eye-popping white to delicate pink flowers in late April, striking red fall foliage. Note: Very shade tolerant. Endemic to North Carolina. Endangered by development of its mountain habitats and over-collecting by horticulturalists. Zones: 5–7; RHODORA (R. canadense). Height/Spread: 2–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Bright purple blooms in early spring. Cold hardy species native to Canada south to Pennsylvania. Zones: 3–6; ROSEBAY RHODODENDRON, AMERICAN RHODODENDRON, GREAT LAUREL, WHITE LAUREL (R. maximum). Height/Spread: 4–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Showy, large white, pink, or purple flowers bloom June and July when few shade plants are flowering. “This old-fashioned favorite should be a staple in deep shade gardens.”⁶⁵ Waxy, dark blue-green, leathery leaves on very cold-hardy plant that becomes a massive rounded shrub. Note: Threatened in Ohio. Zones: 3–7; SMOOTH AZALEA, SWEET AZALEA (R. arborescens). Height/Spread: 4–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Exceptionally hardy plant with clusters of very fragrant white or rose-tinged flowers perfuming a wide area in late spring to summer. Glossy orange-red fall leaves. Usually remains bush-like but can become tree-like with age. Readily crosses with other deciduous azaleas, so many plants labeled as true species are in fact natural hybrids. Native from New York to Alabama. Zones: 4–7; SWAMP AZALEA (R. viscosum). Height: 5 feet. Spread: 12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Its very fragrant white to pink-flushed flowers bloom May to June; fall color is flame red to orange-maroon. Cultivation: Full sun, damp soil. A wetland shrub; does well in poorly drained areas. Note: Grows from Maine to Florida, and westward to Texas. Zones: 3–8; MOUNTAIN LAUREL. Family: Heath (Ericaceae). Genus: Kalmia (K. latifolia). Height/Spread: 5–15 feet. Large shrub, small tree. Ornamental Attributes: White or light pink flowers in May to July, contorted stems, twisted trunk. Writing about the Midwest, Weeks and Weeks note that “this is one of the most spectacular native shrubs.”⁶⁶ Can use as a hedge. Nature Note: The native species have special value to native bees, including bumblebees (p. 61) and solitary native bees. The Cornell azalea bee is always found near azaleas; azalea pollen is its favorite food. Tiny insects and ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91) visiting for nectar pollinate the flowers. Nesting birds, including hummingbirds, seek the tiny insects to eat and feed to their baby birds. Foliage provides wildlife and birds with shelter and nesting places. Native rhododendrons and azaleas host 51 species of butterflies and moths, including the gray comma butterfly, azalea sphinx, and the slender clearwing moth, which lays her eggs only on heath family plants. Zones: 5–9.

Flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

For more heath family plants see BEARBERRY, p. 156; BLUEBERRY, p. 27; CRANBERRY, p. 28; DEERBERRY, p. 138; HUCKLEBERRY, p. 28; SOURWOOD TREE, p. 186.

Orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria)

Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

Another Native Alternative:

RED BUCKEYE, p. 33.

Nonnative:

ROSE. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Rosa. Origin: Europe, Asia. Ornamental Attributes: Pink flowers. Erect, climbing, or trailing woody species, varieties, and cultivars, often with suckers and sharp prickles, produce sometimes fragrant flowers in a variety of shapes and colors. “Distinguishing different species of roses (whether native or exotic) can be difficult,” notes John Hilty.⁶⁷ Cultivation: Sun, well-drained soil. High maintenance: mounding, protection from freeze-thaw cycles, spraying, fertilizing, watering, pruning. Pesticides to fight black spot and other diseases also kill butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. Cultivars sold as disease “resistant” are resistant to some, but not all diseases. All cultivated roses (shrub type, hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora, and miniature roses), including landscape roses in the popular Drift, Oso Easy, Flower Carpet, and Knock Out series, are considered susceptible to the highly contagious Rose Rosette Disease (RRD), which can destroy entire beds of roses. The increased use in residential and commercial landscapes of mass plantings of cultivated shrub roses is causing RRD to widely expand. In contrast, many native wild rose species have been reported as resistant to RRD.⁶⁸ CABBAGE ROSE, PROVENCE ROSE (R. centifolia). Zones: 5–8; COMMON BRIAR, DOG ROSE (R. canina). Zones: 6–9; DAMASK ROSE (R. × damascena [gallica × moschata]). Zones: 4–9; FRENCH ROSE (R. gallica). Zones: 4–8; JAPANESE ROSE, RUGOSE ROSE (R. rugosa). Zones: 4–8; MEMORIAL ROSE (R. wichuraiana). Zones: 3–8; MULITIFLORA ROSE, JAPANESE ROSE (R. multiflora). Zones: 3–8; REDLEAF ROSE (R. ferruginea, syn. R. rubrifolia). Zones: 2–8; SCOTCH ROSE (R spinosissima). Zones: 4–8; SWEETBRIAR ROSE (R. rubiginosa). Zones: 4–9. Ecological Threat: These nonnative roses are naturalized or invasive in midwestern states. Nonnative roses sometimes hybridize with native roses, raising the possibility of altering the gene pool of the native species.

Nearly Wild rose (Rosa x ‘Nearly Wild’)

Native Alternatives:

PRAIRIE ROSE, SUNSHINE ROSE, PRAIRIE WILD ROSE, ARKANSAS ROSE. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Rosa (R. arkansana and R. arkansana suffulta). Height: 1–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant crimson to pink or sometimes bicolored yellow-centered flowers with golden stamens June to August. “An almost ever-present feature of native prairies.”⁶⁹ Cultivation: Full to part sun, dry or medium soil. Drought tolerant. Prairie icon John Weaver measured a taproot that descended more than 21 feet.⁷⁰ Historical Note: In 1820, Dr. Edwin James of the Long Expedition recorded “a large flowering rose . . . diffusing a most grateful fragrance.” Note: Extirpated in Ohio. Zones: 4–7; CLIMBING ROSE, CLIMBING PRAIRIE ROSE, ILLINOIS ROSE, MICHIGAN ROSE, PRAIRIE ROSE (R. setigera). Height: 6–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant deep pink flowers bloom for a month in May to July creating a wonderful multihued effect as they gradually fade to near white. Fall colors are a combination of bronze-purple, orange, and yellow. A thornless rose, with occasional prickles, it is perfect for a location where it can ramble or climb. Cultivation: Sun, part shade; dry to medium soil. Resists drought. A hardy rose, unlike most introduced climbing roses. Zones: 4–8.

Prairie rose (Rosa arkansana) Also see pp. 269, 339

More Native Roses:

PASTURE ROSE, CAROLINA ROSE, LOW ROSE (R. carolina). Height/Spread: 2–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant pink flowers, red, orange, or purple fall foliage. Zones: 4–9; PRICKLY ROSE (R. acicularis). Height/Spread: 4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pink, sometimes white flowers. Note: Endangered in Illinois and Iowa. Zones: Hardy to Zone 3; SMOOTH ROSE, EARLY WILD ROSE, MEADOW ROSE (R. blanda). Height/Spread: 2–5 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pink flowers in late May to June; thornless or nearly thornless stems. Note: Threatened in Ohio. Zones: 2–6; SWAMP ROSE (R. palustris). Height/Spread: 5–8 feet. Cultivation: Moist to wet soil. Zones: 4–9; VIRGINIA ROSE (R. virginiana). Height/Spread: 3–6 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Yellow, purple, or pink flowers “open a few at a time and can scent a room if brought indoors.”⁷¹ Yellow to red fall color; reddish canes. Zones: 3–7; WOODS’ ROSE (R. woodsii var. woodsii). Height/Spread: 5 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pink flowers, spectacular yellow, red, and orange fall color. Zones: Hardy to Zone 4. Native American Rose Note: The beautiful rose hips (fruit) produced by all native roses provided emergency food in drought and winter. Native Rose Note: Our naturally beautiful, fragrant native roses are naturally resistant to the foliar or leaf diseases that plague most horticultural roses, including Rose Rosette Disease (RRD). The virtually maintenance-free natives need neither pesticides nor fertilizers. Native Rose Fragrance Note: “Every year we rediscover them, amazed that these simple flowers contain so much scent,” wrote Wilson and Bell.⁷² Rose Nature Note: Roses provide pollinators with a lot of pollen, but not much nectar. Wild roses have special value to bumble bees, their most important pollinators, but green metallic and other bees, flies, and various beetles visit the flowers. Wild rose shrubs provide native bees with nesting materials and structure. An oligolectic bee, Synhalonia rosae, is a specialist pollinator of Rosa spp. At least 38 species of birds rely on rose hips for emergency winter food, including northern cardinal, eastern bluebird, wood thrush (p. 175), brown thrasher (p. 219), rose-breasted grosbeak (p. 200), cedar waxwing (p. 36), purple finch (p. 145), bobwhite quail (p. 36), and American robin. Birds easily swallow the small native rose hips. Chipmunks (p. 94), other small mammals, gray catbird (p. 79), and other birds use roses for cover and nesting sites. Native roses host 139 species of moths and butterflies, including mourning cloak butterflies.

Bumblebee (Bombus spp.)

Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa)

American robin (Turdus migratorius)

More Rose Family Native Alternatives:

PURPLEFLOWERING RASPBERRY. Genus: Rubus (R. odoratus var. odoratus). Height: 3–6 feet. Spread: 6–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Ornamental raspberry; eye-catching, showy, long-blooming, fragrant, rose-purple, rose-like flowers in June to August; large maple-shaped leaves; thornless, arching stems; creates striking colonies; mid- to late summer fuzzy red raspberries; pale yellow fall color; exfoliating bark. Cultivation: Sun/light shade, well-drained soil. Low maintenance. Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Note: Threatened or endangered in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–8; THIMBLEBERRY (R. parviflorus var. parviflorus). Height: 1.5–5 feet. Ornamental Attributes: A flowering raspberry with clusters of large white (sometimes pink-tinged) flowers in May to June; red raspberries. Zones: 3–9.

Rubus Nature Note: See Summer Shrubs for BRAMBLE, p. 139.

Purpleflowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus var. odoratus)

Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Nonnative:

SCOTCH BROOM, EUROPEAN BROOM, ENGLISH BROOM. Family: Pea (Fabaceae). Genus: Cytisus (C. scoparius). Origin: Europe, North Africa. Height: 3–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Yellow flowers March to June. Cultivation: Sun. Spreads by prodigious production of long-lived seeds. Environmental Threat: Invasive in parts of the Midwest and Canada. Designated a noxious weed by some states. Zones: 6–10.

Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; GOLDEN CURRANT, p. 35; NATIVE HONEYSUCKLE ALTERNATIVES, p. 38; NINEBARK, p. 44; SPICEBUSH (FORSYTHIA OF THE WILDS), p. 22.

See Summer Shrubs for BUTTERFLY SHRUB, p. 129; PRICKLYASH, p. 124.

See Fall Shrubs for LEATHERWOOD, p. 232; SILVERBERRY, p. 229.

Siberian peashrub (Caragana arborescens)

Nonnative:

SIBERIAN PEASHRUB. Family: Pea (Fabaceae). Genus: Caragana (C. arborescens). Origin: Siberia. Height: 10–15 feet. Spread: 8–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Thorny plant with yellow pea-like flowers in late May and alternate, compound leaves. “No beauty by most standards.”⁷³ Cultivation: Full sun, most soils, pruning. Naturalizes by flinging seeds several feet away. Ecological Threat: Invasive in the Midwest. Zones: 2–7.

Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; FOTHERGILLA, p. 27; GOLDEN CURRANT, p. 35; NATIVE HONEYSUCKLE ALTERNATIVES, p. 38; NINEBARK, p. 44; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; SPICEBUSH (FORSYTHIA OF THE WILDS), p. 22; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69.

See Summer Shrubs for AMERICAN BLACK CURRANT, p. 138; PRICKLYASH, p. 124; ST. JOHN’S WORT, p. 145.

See Fall Shrubs for LEATHERWOOD, p. 232; SILVER BUFFALOBERRY, p. 229.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; SASSAFRAS (SHRUB FORM), p. 99; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.

Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria)

Nonnative:

SMOKETREE, EUROPEAN SMOKETREE. Family: Sumac (Anacardiaceae). Genus: Cotinus (C. coggygria). Origin: Europe, China. Height/Spread: 10–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Yellow flowers, pedicels with pink-purplish hairs give smoke-like appearance; highly unreliable fall color. Cultivation: Full sun, well-drained soil. Pruning prevents flowering. “Its cultivars are very common in the landscape trade. Some of them maintain a raucous purple leaf color throughout the growing season.”⁷⁴ The purple-leafed cultivars are susceptible to mildew.⁷⁵ Dioecious: male plant needed for females to produce fruit. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 5–8.

Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN SMOKETREE, SMOKETREE, SMOKE BUSH. Family: Sumac (Anacardiaceae). Genus: Cotinus (C. obovatus). Height/Spread: 10–30 feet. Large shrub or small tree. Ornamental Attributes: 6–10-inch clusters of red or purple flowers with pink-purplish hairs form ethereal clouds of pink and purple in spring, providing a smoke-like appearance. Silky pink spring leaves turn blue-green then flaming orange, red, yellow, or reddish purple in fall. Gnarled limbs and dark flaking bark provide winter interest. “This small tree has so much to offer us, it is a mystery to me why it is virtually unknown in gardens,” writes William Cullina.⁷⁶ “Enough cannot be said about the fall color—it must be seen to be believed,” write Gilman and Watson.⁷⁷ Cultivation: Full sun best. Wide range of soils; prefers well-drained, alkaline, rocky, and somewhat infertile loams; does well in somewhat acidic soil. Tolerates long droughts, urban conditions. Disease resistant. Rich soil and too much water create a weak plant. “Basically this tree can be planted and forgotten. Once established, it thrives on neglect.”⁷⁸ Needs a male to enable females to produce flowers and fruits. Despite its rarity, the American smoketree is tough and easy to grow, writes Billy Bruce Winkles.⁷⁹ Nature Note: Visited by bees and butterflies, but few other insects; usually avoided by deer. Finches eat the female tree’s small seeds. Though native to parts of the southern Midwest, it is designated a “tree for 2050” by the Chicago Botanic Garden. Zones: 4–8.

American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus)

More Native Alternatives:

See Spring Trees for CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83.

Bridalwreath spirea (Spiraea prunifolia)

Nonnative:

SPIREA, BRIDALWREATH SPIREA. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Spiraea (S. prunifolia). Origin: Japan, China, Korea. Height: 4–9 feet. Spread: 6–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers in spring. Cultivation: Sun. Well-drained, preferably acid soil. Zones: 4–8; SPIRAEA VANHOUTTEI, VAN HOUTTE SPIREA (Spiraea × vanhouttei). Origin: China. Height: 10 feet. Spread: 20 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White spring flowers. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in much of the Midwest. Zones: 3–9.

See Summer Shrubs for BUMALD SPIREA, p. 126; JAPANESE SPIREA, p. 126.

Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; NINEBARK, p. 44; SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, p. 46; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; WAFER ASH, p. 45.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; AMERICAN SNOWBELL, p. 116; FRINGE TREE, p. 105.

European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus)

Nonnative:

VIBURNUM. Family: Elderberry (Adoxaceae). Genus: Viburnum. EUROPEAN CRANBERRY BUSH, EUROPEAN HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY, COMMON SNOWBALL VIBURNUM, CRANBERRY VIBURNUM, GUELDER ROSE (V. opulus; V. opulus subsp. opulus, syn. V. opulus var. opulus). Origin: Eurasia. Height/Spread: 8–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Large flat-topped clusters of white flowers in May. Its red fruit remind some people of cranberries; unreliable reddish-purple fall color. Identification Note: Viburnums are difficult to distinguish from each other. The glands of the leaf petioles of the European’s are cup-shaped while the glands of the American’s [see native alternatives] are columnar in shape and the fruit is “considerably more palatable.”⁸⁰ Cultivation: Full sun best; moist to medium soil; naturalizes; susceptible to disfiguring aphids. Ecological Threat: Invasive in midwestern states. It interbreeds with the native highbush cranberry, creating hybrids that alter the gene pool of the native species. Cultivar Note: The invasive European cranberry bush has many hybrids and cultivars; they are also invasive.⁸¹ Zones: 3–8; BUDDLEJALEAF VIBURNUM (V. buddleifolium). Height: 8–10 feet. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in Ohio. Zones: 6–9; JAPANESE SNOWBALL VIBURNUM, DOUBLEFILE VIBURNUM (V. plicatum). Origin: China, Japan. Height/Spread: 13 feet. Looks like the native mapleleaf and possumhaw viburnums. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zone: 5; KOREAN SPICE VIBURNUM (V. carlesii). Origin: Korea, Japan. Height/Spread: 4–6 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant semisnowball-like flowers in April to May. Unspectacular fall color. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in Ohio. Zones: 5–7; LANTANAPHYLLUM VIBURNUM (Viburnum × rhytidophylloides): Has its own hybrids and cultivars. Ecological Threat: Invasive in Ohio. Zones: 5–8; LEATHERLEAF ARROWWOOD (V. rhytidophyllum). Origin: China. Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Cultivation: Best in protected location. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 5–8; SIEBOLD’S ARROWWOOD (V. sieboldii). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 4–8; WAYFARING TREE (V. lantana). Origin: Europe, Asia. Height/Spread: 10–5 feet. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 4–8.

Native Alternatives:

VIBURNUM. Family: Elderberry (Adoxaceae). Genus: Viburnum. Viburnum Ornamental Attributes: “Viburnums are treasured for their long season of interest: spring flowers, summer berries and colorful fall foliage.”⁸² The native species have dramatic branching structures, are adaptable, easily grown, and easily pruned to create dense hedges, and are “well-known for their splendid fall color, most of which are some shade of red.”⁸³ For reliable heavy fruiting, plant at least 2 plants of the same species near each other. AMERICAN CRANBERRYBUSH, HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY (V. opulus var. americanum; V. trilobum). Height/Spread: 8–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Large showy white sterile flowers surround tiny white fertile flowers; maple-shaped leaves turn scarlet in fall; red fruit ripens in September and persists through February. Cultivation: Sun, part shade; dry, medium, moist, or wet soil; disease and pest resistant. Neither spreads nor creates thickets; easily pruned to create a dense hedge. Note: Endangered or threatened in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 2–7; ARROWWOOD VIBURNUM, SOUTHERN ARROWWOOD (V. dentatum var. dentatum). Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Occasionally grows 20–25 feet as a small tree. Ornamental Attributes: White lace cap flowers, clusters of late August- to November-ripening blue-black fruit whose easy-to-eat small size and high fat content make them a preferred migrating and songbird food; brilliant red fall color. Cultivation: Sun best for flowers, takes part shade, most soils. Tolerant of black walnut tree toxicity. Note: Endangered, threatened, or rare in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 2–7; BLACKHAW (V. prunifolium). Height: 12–15 feet. Spread: 8–12 feet. Large shrub or small tree with horizontal branching. “Blackhaw is probably the most common viburnum in the Midwest.”⁸⁴ Ornamental Attributes: Clusters of white flowers. “Rather a constant and pretty bloomer from April until June . . . the bluish-black drupes are covered with a bloom, and are agreeably sweet and good to eat. In the autumn the foliage turns to orange and purple” ⁸⁵ (see p. 265). “This is another beautiful native that has aesthetic value year-round.”⁸⁶ “Exceptionally ornamental but also easy care.”⁸⁷ Recommended by Christopher Starbuck as an uncommon tree for specimen planting. Cultivation: Full sun best for flowers; takes deep shade. Moist to dry; tolerates wet soil, takes poor soil; drought resistant and tolerant of black walnut tree toxicity. Historical Note: In 1739, Peter Collinson thanked John Bartram for sending him a blackhaw. In 1771, Thomas Jefferson planted a blackhaw at Monticello. Zones: 3–9; DOWNY ARROWWOOD (V. rafinesqueanum). Height/Spread: 4–6 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers in May to June. Bright red to burgundy fall color. “From the reddish-tinted new leaves in the spring, to the beautiful fall color that can begin in August while the black fruits are present, this is a species worthy of recognition,” write Weeks and Weeks.⁸⁸ Cultivation: Full sun to shade, well-drained soil, tolerates drought. Note: Threatened in Kentucky. Zones: 2–7; MAPLELEAF VIBURNUM (V. acerifolium). Height: 4–6 feet. Spread: 3–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pink buds become flat white flowers in May. Spring leaves have a reddish blush. In fall, the maple leaf–shaped green leaves turn pink to dark burgundy, contrasting with the shiny black fruit. “Mapleleaf viburnum is one of our more common viburnums that is underrated as an ornamental,” write Weeks and Weeks.⁸⁹ Cultivation: Shade or half-day sun; an understory shrub of well-drained to dry soils. Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Zones: 4–8; NANNYBERRY (V. lentago). Height: 15–20 feet. Spread: 10–15 feet. Understory shrub or small tree of moist woods. Ornamental Attributes: Dense clusters of showy white flowers in May; drooping clusters of large black fruits in fall persist into winter; orange pedicels; known for its exceptional maroon fall color. Cultivation: Full sun to part shade, medium soil. Zones: 2–7; POSSUMHAW, POSSUMHAW VIBURNUM (V. nudum var. nudum). Confusion Note: Possumhaw is also the common name for POSSUMHAW HOLLY (Ilex decidua); see Fall Shrubs, p. 237. Height/Spread: 5–12 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Showy white flowers. Fruits turn multiple colors before becoming showy blue or blue-black. Smooth, lustrous, lightly leathery foliage consistently turns purple and red. Cultivation: Prefers more sun than shade, moderately fertile, well-drained moist soil. Note: Endangered in Kentucky. Zones: 5–9; RUSTY BLACKHAW, SOUTHERN BLACKHAW, BLUE HAW (V. rufidulum). Height: 15–25 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Dark, rusty-colored buds, very large white flower clusters, brilliant red fall color, dark blocky bark. “Simply gorgeous any time of the year.”⁹⁰ Tolerates black walnut tree toxicity. Zones: 5–8; SQUASHBERRY, MOOSEWOOD VIBURNUM, LOWBUSH CRANBERRY (V. edule). Height: 2–7 feet. Ornamental Attributes: A northern shrub with showy flowers; yellow fruit turns red or orange in late fall and makes good jam. Note: Threatened or endangered in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–5; WITHEROD (V. nudum var. cassinoides). Height: 5–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Domed clusters of creamy-white flowers in June; colors of serially ripening fruits range from pink, yellow, red, and powdery blue to black. Long-lasting fall color ranges from orange to purple; exfoliating bark. Cultivation: Full sun to part shade; wet, acidic soil; also found in drier sites. Note: Endangered in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–9. Viburnum Nature Note: Native viburnum flowers attract pollinators such as the red-spotted purple (p. 18) and other butterflies, Peck’s skipper (p. 135) and other skipper butterflies, hummingbird moths (p. 72), bees, dance flies, wasps, ants, and beetles; have special value to native bees and can be used as part of conservation biological control. Viburnums host 104 Lepidoptera species (butterflies/moths), including Baltimore checkerspot, Henry’s elfin (p. 93), spring azure (p. 95), and sphinx moths, hummingbird clearwing moth (p. 72), and the rose hooktip moth, a New World viburnum specialist. Baltimore butterfly caterpillars sometimes move off their host plants (false foxglove species) to feed on viburnum leaves. Butterfly and moth caterpillars are important food for birds and their offspring. Native viburnum species fruits attract at least 35 bird species, including many warblers, flycatchers, vireos, eastern bluebird (p. 61), wood thrush (p. 175), American robin (p. 62), northern mockingbird (p. 256), gray catbird (p. 79), cedar waxwing (p. 36), northern cardinal (p. 61), blue jay (p. 79), common redpoll (p. 54), and grosbeaks (pp. 162, 200). Fruit with high fat and carbohydrate content is crucial to birds battling cold temperatures where insects are not available and to migratory birds, which need sustenance for their long flights. At the top of the bird berry menu is northern bayberry (see Fall Shrubs, p. 232), with slightly over 50 percent fat; arrowwood viburnum (V. dentatum) is second, with 41.3 percent fat content. (The vine Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) has 23.6 percent fat content.)⁹¹ Mapleleaf viburnum berries’ high sugar content makes them winter persistent and thus a very important food source for a wide variety of birds in the winter.⁹² Small mammals and Bell’s vireo and other birds seek the shrubs for cover and nesting.

American cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) Also see p. 262

American cranberrybush flowers (Viburnum opulus var. americanum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum var. dentatum) Also see p. 263

Downy Arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesqueanum)

Possumhaw (Viburnum nudum var. nudum)

Hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe)

Rose hooktip moth (Oreta rosea)

More Native Alternatives:

AMERICAN SMOKE TREE, p. 65; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; ELDERBERRY SPP., p. 29; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; SPICEBUSH, p. 22.

See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143.

See Spring Trees for CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.

Weigela (Weigela floribunda)

Nonnative:

WINTER HAZEL, FRAGRANT WINTERHAZEL. Family: Witch hazel (Hamamelidaceae). Genus: Corylopsis (C. glabrescens). Origin: Japan, Korea, China. Height/Spread: To 15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, pale yellow flowers in early spring. Bloom time depends heavily on the weather. Cultivation: Light shade, rich well-drained soil; water in dry weather. Zones: 5–8; CHINESE WITCH HAZEL (Hamamelis mollis). Flowers unlikely to be fragrant. Zones: 5–8; JAPANESE WITCH HAZEL (H. japonica). Zones: 5–8.

Winter hazel (Corylopsis glabrescens)

Nonnative:

WEIGELA, CRIMSON WEIGELA. Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae). Genus: Weigela (W. floribunda). Origin: China, Korea. Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Red flowers in April to June; no fall color; OLD-FASHIONED WEIGELA (W. florida). Ornamental Attributes: Pink flowers in April to June; no fall color. Cultivation: Full to part sun, fertile well-drained soil. Zones: 4–8.

Native Alternatives:

CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; NINEBARK, p. 44; SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, p. 46; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; SWEETSHRUB, p. 19; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69.

See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83.

Nonnative:

WILLOW. See PUSSY WILLOW, p. 52.

Native Alternatives:

OZARK WITCH HAZEL, VERNAL WITCH HAZEL. Family: Witch hazel (Hamamelidaceae). Genus: Hamamelis (H. vernalis). Height: 6–10 feet. Shrub or small tree. Spread: 8–15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Extremely fragrant clusters of fringe-like flowers in January to April; yellow petals, red inner calyces. Bloom time depends heavily on the weather. “True spring is still a couple of months away, yet follow the scent and find an enchanting small tree in full bloom.”⁹³ The flowers roll up on cold days to avoid freeze damage. Woody capsules release seeds in fall. Golden-yellow fall leaves. Picturesque winter branching structure. Cultivation: Full sun best for flowering; takes shade. Tolerant of black walnut tree toxicity. Nature Note: “Even more surprising is that, despite the wintery time of year, small native bees, moths and flies venture out on these occasional warm days to forage, and thus pollinate, witch hazel flowers,”⁹⁴ writes Cindy Gilberg. Hosts 63 species of butterflies and moths. American robin (p. 62), northern cardinal (p. 61), tufted titmouse (p. 169), dark-eyed junco (p. 322), and many other birds eat the seeds. Zones: 4–8.

Ozark witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)

More Native Alternatives:

FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; SPICEBUSH, p. 22.

See Fall Shrubs for AMERICAN WITCH HAZEL, p. 244.

See Spring Trees for AMERICAN HAZELNUT, p. 102; AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHERRY SPP., p. 82.

Nonnative:

WISTERIA, CHINESE WISTERIA, JAPANESE WISTERIA. See Confusion Note, p. 43.

Native Alternative:

AMERICAN WISTERIA, p. 43

Spring Trees

Nonnative:

ALDER. See Winter Trees, p. 316.

Nonnative:

AMUR MAACKIA. See MAACKIA, p. 109.

Nonnative:

AMUR MAPLE. See Fall Trees, p. 251.

Nonnative:

AUTUMN OLIVE; RUSSIAN OLIVE. See Fall Shrubs, p. 229.

Nonnative:

BIRCH. See Winter Trees, p. 320.

Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’)

Nonnative:

BRADFORD PEAR, CALLERY PEAR. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Pyrus. Species: P. calleryana. Cultivar: P. calleryana ‘Bradford’. Origin: China. Height: 30–50 feet. Spread: 20–35 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers in April to May with an odor many find unpleasant. Bees and butterflies ignore the flowers. Among the last trees to turn color in fall, leaves can turn yellow or red, ending up deep maroon. Some trees remain green until it is about to snow. Birds, such as the introduced European starling disperse its tiny inedible fruits. “‘Bradford’ . . . is as common as mud in landscapes across the United States,” observes Michael Dirr, noting it “suffers from a fatal genetic flaw that causes it to self-destruct, literally falling apart with time—the many branches will cause the tree to split in half after 10 to 15 years.”⁹⁵ Cultivation: Sun, most soils. Shallow roots erupt out of lawns, lift sidewalks and patios, penetrate pipes. Shoots, suckers, and often long sharp thorns appear on grafted and non-grafted trees. Now affected by a new rust disease introduced from Europe.⁹⁶ Callery Pear Cultivars: Many communities have launched programs to stop planting the short-lived, invasive Callery pear cultivars that once were considered appealing landscape trees. There are over twenty genetically differing Callery pear cultivars, including such well-known selections as ‘Bradford’, ‘Aristocrat’, ‘Glen’s Form’, ‘Autumn Blaze’, ‘Chanticleer’, and ‘Cleveland Select’ that are now identified as “problem plant pests.”⁹⁷ Once considered self-incompatible, unable to self-pollinate or produce fertile fruit, the cultivars now sexually reproduce, interbreed, create hybrid fruits, and reacquire characteristics such as thorniness that had been purposely bred out. “Bradford pear is worse than kudzu, and the ill-conceived progeny of Bradford pear will be cursing our environment for decades or possibly centuries yet to come,” writes Durant Ashmore.⁹⁸ The Morton Arboretum designates Callery pear “Not recommended.” Ecological Threat: Invasive in midwestern states. Zones: 5–9.

Native Alternatives:

SERVICEBERRY, JUNEBERRY, SHADBUSH. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Amelanchier. Genus Note: There are several wild species whose differences are not very great. Ornamental Attributes: Showy, fragrant white five-petaled flowers bloom April to May, at the same time as the invasive Bradford pear, followed by edible showy purple fruits in June to July and fall leaves that turn brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow at the same time as the invasive burning bush leaves (p. 239) turn pink or red. Graceful shapes and silver-gray bark provide winter beauty. Easy-to-grow deciduous trees with year-round interest. In 1900, the sight of blooming serviceberries inspired Alice Lounsberry to write, “It is then that the knowing ones sigh as with relief and feel grateful that the spring is indeed on its way. The winter has passed.”⁹⁹ Cultivation: Sun for best fruit and color; takes part shade. Tolerates wide range of soils. No real disease or insect problems. Develops a deep, spreading root system, unlike a shallow-rooted ‘Bradford’ pear which will come up through lawns and lift sidewalks; ALLEGHENY SERVICEBERRY, SMOOTH SERVICEBERRY (A. laevis). Height/Spread: 25–40 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Bronzed purple spring foliage, large white flowers, particularly delicious fruits, orange-red fall color. “The tree Amelanchier of choice for gardens,” writes William Cullina.¹⁰⁰ Cultivation: Prefers moist well-drained soil; APPLE SERVICEBERRY (A. × grandiflora). A naturally occurring hybrid of A. arborea and A. laevis; COMMON SERVICEBERRY, DOWNY SERVICEBERRY, COMMON JUNEBERRY, SHADBLOW SERVICEBERRY (A. arborea var. arborea). Sometimes sold as Canadian Serviceberry (A. canadensis). Height/Spread: 20–30 feet. The most tree-like and tallest of the native serviceberries. Cultivation: Prefers moist conditions; INLAND SHADBLOW, PACIFIC SERVICEBERRY (A. interior). Height: 15–20 feet. Spread: 10–15 feet. Despite its name, this serviceberry is native to the Midwest. Nature Note: See SERVICEBERRY in Spring Shrubs, p. 20. Cultivar/Nativar Note: “We’ve been very disappointed to see that [A. canadensis ‘Glenform’] produces very few berries. And of course, berries is what we bought this plant for! What a loss for birds!” writes Janet Allen.¹⁰¹ Also sold as Rainbow Pillar Serviceberry, Plant Finder writes, “While it is considered to be somewhat self-pollinating, it tends to set heavier quantities of fruit with a different variety of the same species growing nearby.”¹⁰² Tree Grafting Note: Nursery trees are usually grafted, trained to a single trunk, and throw up root-suckers.¹⁰³ To purchase true or straight serviceberry species, patronize native plant nurseries. Zones for All Species: 4–9. For more native serviceberry species, see SERVICEBERRY in Spring Shrubs, p. 20.

Common serviceberry flowers (Amelanchier arborea var. arborea) Also see pp. 20, 271

American plum (Prunus americana)

PLUM. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Prunus. Plum Ornamental Attributes: “No matter what the species, they all provide quite a show in early spring,” state Weeks, Weeks, and Parker.¹⁰⁴ With their interesting shapes and bark, colorful fruits, and fall colors, all native plums provide summer, fall, and winter interest. Cultivation: Sun and more than one plant are best for flowers and fruit; well-drained soil; AMERICAN PLUM, WILD RED PLUM, WILD YELLOW PLUM (P. americana). Height/Spread: 15–25 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pure white or pale pink flowers. “Plum flowers, especially on this species, rival those of any of our popular exotic flowering trees. . . . they bloom early, at the same time as the exotic ornamental pears (Pyrus calleryana), and are every bit as attractive” and “reach their peak as the redbuds begin to bloom,” creating a “spectacular” combination.¹⁰⁵ The delicious orange-red fruit ripens midsummer to fall and has a typical plum-like bloom; the fall leaves are orange-red or orange-yellow. The short, crooked trunk, scaly black bark, and spreading, sometimes thorny branches add winter interest. Grow as a small tree, a large shrub or a thicket. Native American Note: “Wild plum fruit was extensively consumed by the Indians of the prairies,” writes Kelly Kindscher.¹⁰⁶ Cultivation: Tolerant of black walnut tree toxicity. Zones: 3–8; CANADIAN PLUM (P. nigra). Height/Spread: 20–30 feet. Ornamental Attributes: “When this tree of the plum family is in bloom or hung with its translucent, radiant fruit it seems to elicit continual praise.”¹⁰⁷ Small thorns provide winter interest. Note: Endangered or presumed extirpated in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–8; CHICKASAW PLUM (P. angustifolia var. angustifolia). Height/Spread: 12 feet, can attain 30 feet. Zones: 5–9; MEXICAN PLUM, BIGTREE PLUM (P. mexicana). Height/Spread: 15–30 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Edible purple plums. Does not sucker or create thickets or colonies. Note: Presumed extirpated in part of the Midwest. Zones: 6–8; HORTULAN PLUM, HOG PLUM (P. hortulana). Another midwestern native small non-suckering plum tree. Zones: 5–9. Plum Native American Note: Cultivated native plum orchards before Europeans arrived. Note: Native and heirloom plant sellers sometimes carry native plums. Plum Nature Note: The shrubby branches “provide an impenetrable fortress for a little animal to hide from hawks and cats,”¹⁰⁸ and offer nesting cover for many songbirds, particularly those preferring edges or thickets, including gray catbird, American robin (p. 62), and blue jay. Woodpeckers nibble at the largish fruits. (Birds prefer small fruits, like native roses and cherries, which they swallow whole.) Red and gray fox enjoy native plums. For more nature information, see Springs Shrubs for SAND CHERRY (p. 17).

Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Carolina silverbell (Halesia carolina)

CAROLINA SILVERBELL, SNOWDROP TREE. Family: Storax (Styracaceae). Genus: Halesia (H. carolina, syn. H. tetraptera). Height: 20–40 feet. Spread: 20–35 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Large shrub/small understory tree of southern midwestern regions where its abundant, showy mid- to late spring flowers resemble clusters of snow-white or pink-flushed silver bells. “Few trees can match the beauty of the silverbells.”¹⁰⁹ Redbud blooms about the same time and the two provide a stunning contrast. Fall brings yellow leaves and showy four-winged brown fruits that persist during winter. It has exfoliating bark; its branches are low to the ground; when pruned, it makes a good street tree. “This is yet another case of a beautiful, unappreciated native plant,”¹¹⁰ writes Patricia A. Taylor. One of Christopher Starbuck’s selections for uncommon trees for specimen planting. Cultivation: Part shade; takes sun. Well-drained, mulched soil, preferably acidic. No serious insect pests or diseases. Tolerant of black walnut tree toxicity. Note: Endangered or presumed extirpated in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: The flowers attract bees and ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91) and the tree hosts 7 species of butterflies and moths. “If you plant silverbell, oaks, birches, willows or black cherry in your yard, you may attract the spectacular prometha moth.”¹¹¹ Squirrels use the trees for dens and eat the seeds; birds use the trees for nesting. Zones: 4–8.

More Native Alternatives:

CATALPA, p. 86; CHERRY SPP., p. 82; CRAB APPLE SPP., p. 89; CUCUMBERTREE, p. 111; FLOWERING DOGWOOD, p. 94; FRINGE TREE, p. 105; GREEN HAWTHORN, WASHINGTON HAWTHORN, and other native HAWTHORN SPP., p. 106; PAWPAW, p. 113; REDBUD, p. 92; SASSAFRAS, p. 99; SNOWBELL, p. 116; YELLOW BUCKEYE, p. 98; YELLOWWOOD, p. 96.

See Summer Trees for AMERICAN HORNBEAM, p. 182; AMERICAN LINDEN, p. 190; BLACKGUM, p. 218; HOP HORNBEAM, p. 183; OHIO BUCKEYE, p. 184; RED MAPLE, p. 197; SOURWOOD, p. 186.

See Fall Trees for AMERICAN MOUNTAIN ASH, p. 255; MOUNTAIN MAPLE, p. 252.

See Spring Shrubs for ALTERNATELEAF DOGWOOD & OTHER NATIVE DOGWOODS, p. 49; AMERICAN BLADDERNUT, p. 41; AMERICAN SMOKETREE, p. 65; RED BUCKEYE, p. 33; VIBURNUM SPP. (BLACKHAW, NANNYBERRY, RUSTY BLACKHAW VIBURNUMS), p. 69.

See Summer Shrubs for FRANKLIN TREE, p. 147.

Nonnative:

CALLERY PEAR. See BRADFORD PEAR, p. 76.

Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata)

Nonnative:

CHERRY, PLUM. Family: Rosaceae. Genus: Prunus. Cherry, Plum Disease and Cultivation Note: “Unfortunately, countless insects and diseases contribute to the decline of many of these plants. In general, Prunus species prefer moist, well-drained, acid to near neutral soils,” writes Michael A. Dirr.¹¹² Sun, regular pruning, and avoiding crowding are also needed. Early blooming creates susceptibility to frost damage. The period of full bloom for some introduced cherry blossoms is very limited, “usually less than a week.”¹¹³ Due to weather, blooming for introduced ornamental cherries is often limited to two or three days. Few have fall color. Despite their beauty, nonnative cherries and plums and their numerous cultivars have relatively short life spans, compared to other ornamental species. “On average, ornamental cherry trees live between 15 and 20 years.”¹¹⁴ Cultivar Note: Suckers from damaged roots of purple-leaved grafted cultivars will be green, not purple; AMUR CHERRY, AMUR CHOKECHERRY, MANCHURIAN CHOKECHERRY (Padus maackii, syn. Prunus maackii). Origin: Korea, Manchuria. Height: 20–30 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Exfoliating bark, fragrant white flowers in April to May, small black cherries. Maintaining tree form requires pruning. Zone: 2; MYROBALAN PLUM, CHERRY PLUM (P. cerasifera, P. cerasifera var. pissardii). Origin: Eurasia. Height/Spread: 15–30 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White or pinkish flowers in April. Purple foliage. The leaves will turn green if grown in the shade. Has a bad habit of cross-branching. May spread or naturalize by self-seeding. Sometimes used as a rootstock. Purple-leaf plums, including the many cultivars, are fast growing but disease susceptible and short lived, declining at 10–15 years. Cultivar Note: Suckers from green-leaved rootstock are green-leaved, not purple. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 4–8; EUROPEAN BIRD CHERRY (Padus avium var. avium, syn. Prunus padus). Origin: Europe, Asia. Height/Spread: 20–40 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 3–6; JAPANESE FLOWERING CHERRY, ORIENTAL CHERRY (P. serrulata). Origin: China, Japan, Korea. Height/Spread: 50–75 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White to pink flowers. Its cultivars often suffer from viruses, live 10–15 years, and are not hardy in Zone 5. Zones: 5–8; MAHALEB CHERRY (Cerasus mahaleb, syn. Prunus mahaleb). Origin: Europe, Asia. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers, black fruits. Invasive in the Chicago area. Zones: 5–8; NANKING CHERRY. See p. 17; SARGENT CHERRY (Cerasus sachalinensis, syn. Prunus sargentii). Origin: Japan, Korea, Russia. Height/Spread: 25–75 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Pink flowers. Life Span: Sometimes up to 20 years. Zones: 4–8; SWEET CHERRY, MAZARD CHERRY (Cerasus avium, syn. Prunus avium). Origin: Europe, Northern Africa. Height/Spread: 15–30 feet. Ornamental Attributes: White flowers. Life Span: Up to 25 years. Zones: 3–8; WINTER-FLOWERING CHERRY, FLOWERING CHERRY (P. subhirtella). Origin: Japan, Korea, Russia. Height/Spread: 20–45 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Nonfragrant pale pink to white flowers. Ecological Threat: Naturalized in Ohio. Zones: 4–7; Cultivar: WEEPING FLOWERING CHERRY (P. subhirtella ‘Pendula’). Height/Spread: 20–30 feet. Zones: 5–8.

More Nonnatives:

PEACH (Amygdalus persica, syn. Prunus persica var. persica). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in midwestern states. Zones: 5–8.

See Spring Shrubs for CHERRY, PLUM, ALMOND, p. 16.

Native Alternatives: