Native Shrubs for the Home Landscape

Shrubs are the backbone of the home landscape. They add structure to the garden, are easy-care, and offer year round interest. Many of the typical shrubs found in homes gardens today are foreign species. While often lovely, they are common at best and invasive at worst. When considering shrubs for a border or foundation, try adding native shrubs to add interest to your yard and to support beneficial wildlife. Birds, bees, butterflies and other creatures rely on native plants for nectar, pollen, seeds, shelter, and nesting sites.

Not long ago it is was difficult to find native shrubs in garden centers. Fortunately, cultivars of native viburnums, summersweet (Clethera), sweetspire (Itea) and winterberry (Ilex verticillata) are now readily available. And, there are many other native shrubs, including the selection below, that may be harder to find but are worth the effort. The Virginia Native Plant Society maintains lists of native plant nurseries and sales.

Bottlebrush Buckeye, (Aesculus parviflora)

Plant bottlebrush buckeye if you want a showstopper. This large, rounded, deciduous shrub grows 10–12 feet tall and wide. Site it in the rear of the garden where its suckers can spread to form a colony. In late spring it sports long spikes of white flowers, resembling a bottle brush.  Often up to a foot long, the flowers attract a myriad of native bees and butterflies. Native to the southeastern U.S., bottlebrush buckeye is a boon to shade gardeners as it grows in light shade and prefers moist soil. It also tolerates wet soil and can be used in rain gardens. The large, compound leaves add coarse texture to the summer landscape and turn yellow in the fall. It is best to let this dramatic plant grow to its full size.  Prune in late winter only to remove dead or damaged branches. It is usually considered deer and rabbit resistant.  For more details on deer resistance and propagation, check out Bottlebrush Buckeye/The Garden Shed-April 2023.

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Buttonbush is large, deciduous shrub with a somewhat rangy aspect. In late spring, clusters of unusual, ball-shaped flowers appear. Each ball consists of small, individual flowers and resembles a pincushion.  Also known as “honeyball,” buttonbush flowers are rich in nectar and attract a number of pollinators including bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and sometimes hummingbirds. It is a larval host plant for several dozen moths, including the titan sphinx moth. Buttonbush prefers sun to part shade and moist soil. Found along stream banks in the wild, it will tolerate wet soil and is often used in rain gardens. An interesting and valuable plant, buttonbush usually tops out at 6-8 feet but can reach 10 feet in height so it might not be suitable for small gardens or for those who prefer symmetry and neatness. It can take severe pruning to control size or shape but is best left to grow unhindered. Plant in naturalized areas where its  widely spaced branches and unusual ball-shaped flowers can be displayed. Plant several close together in a grove to achieve a fuller appearance. While its fall color is muted rather than spectacular, its twisted branches provide winter interest and the flowers mature into small nutlets that persist through the winter. A shorter cultivar called ‘Sugar Shack’, growing up to 5 feet tall, is available for gardeners with smaller areas.

Dogwood Shrubs (Cornus spp.)

The dogwood tree, Cornus florida, is a beloved beauty of the spring landscape. Lesser known but just as valuable are the shrub dogwoods: gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) and red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea). Not as flamboyant as their tree cousins, shrub dogwoods add mid-level interest and wildlife value to a layered landscape.

Gray dogwood is a rounded, deciduous shrub that grows in full sun or part shade. It can get quite large, growing to 10 feet or taller and will tolerate both dry and moist soils. Gray dogwood is not a showy plant, but its adaptability to many conditions and resistance to disease make it useful as a screen, hedge, or for erosion control. It sports clusters of white flowers in the spring and the leaves turn muted red in the fall. Demure rather than showy, gray dogwood is a powerhouse for birds and pollinating insects. The flowers attract native bees and other insects and the resulting small, white, berries feed songbirds in the fall. It is a suckering plant that can form a tangled thicket, making it ideal as a cover and nesting site for birds. The hollow stems are used as overwintering sites for native solitary bees. Gray dogwood hosts at least 98 species of lepidoptera caterpillars, including the spring azure butterfly and polyphemus moth.

Red osier dogwood is a vase-shaped, deciduous plant grown as much for its attractive red stems as its flowers and foliage. Growing about 6 feet tall, it prefers moist soil in sun or part shade and will sucker over time. The clusters of fluffy white flowers appear in the spring, attracting pollinators. In the summer, red osier recedes to the background with modest green leaves that resemble its dogwood tree relative. In the fall, the leaves turn red-purple and whitish drupes feed songbirds. In three seasons, red osier is a useful if somewhat ordinary plant.  When the leaves drop, however, red osier dogwood really struts its stuff. In the winter, its bright red, straight stems stand out in the bleak, gray landscape. A grove of red osier dogwoods are dramatic against the snow. In areas that don’t receive much snow, plant red osier against a back drop of evergreens or as a foundation plant against a light-colored wall to show the red twigs to their best advantage. New shoots show the best red color, so prune up to 25% of old stems in early spring to encourage new growth. This is not a carefree plant, but its attributes make it worth planting. Red osier does not like hot, humid, dry summers and does not do well south of zone 7. Red osier is resistant to anthracnose which has plagued the native dogwood tree population, but is susceptible to other diseases such as canker, mildew, and leaf and twig blight. Watch for the dogwood saw fly which may appear on the underside of leaves in late spring or early summer. These voracious caterpillars will defoliate an entire shrub in a short time.  The shrub will recover, but unless the larvae are removed they will lay eggs and appear again next year. They can be hand picked off or washed off with a spray of water from the hose. While the straight species is preferred for maximum wildlife value, the cultivars ‘Arctic Fire’ and  ‘Arctic Sun’, (with yellow stems), are available. If purchasing a cultivar, do some research to be sure it has been derived from the native rather than the Asian variety of red osier dogwood.

Sumac (Rhus spp.)

No one can miss the stout stems and dramatic red flower spikes of staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) cropping up along roadsides in the fall. Staghorn sumac and it relative, smooth sumac, (Rhus glabra) are beautiful but somewhat overbearing plants that are hard to use in all but the largest landscapes. Staghorn sumac can grow up to 15 and even 25 feet tall and will form a colony. Smooth sumac grows 10 and up to 20 feet tall and will also colonize. Sumacs are not only stunning to see, but are also valuable to wildlife. The flowers attract pollinating bees, wasps, and flies.  Sumacs are host plants for a number of lepidoptera caterpillars and the stems serve as nesting sites for solitary bees. Sumac species are dioecious and berries will only form on female plants. When present, the berries last into the winter, feeding birds and mammals. Very adaptable, sumacs grow in sun or part shade, and adapt to a wide variety of soils and moisture levels. They are unpalatable to deer. These large sumacs are useful ecologically, but best left in the wild or in the natural areas of a large landscape.  Another variety, fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica),  has a place in smaller home gardens. It has the same wildlife value and ease of culture as its larger cousins, but with a smaller footprint. Topping out at 6 feet, it has loosely formed, thick stems, and a rounded silhouette. It will sucker to form a grove so is better in a shrub border or as a hedge where its natural tendencies can be an asset. Tiny clusters of pale yellow, slightly fragrant flowers appear in the spring, attracting early pollinators.  The smallish, three lobed, green leaves turn brilliant red in the fall, rivaling invasive burning bush for dramatic color, and berries form on female plants.  While not for everyone, fragrant sumac is a valuable shrub for the gardener who wants to add interest and wildlife habitat to the landscape. ‘Gro-Low’ is dwarf cultivar of fragrant sumac growing up to 2 feet tall.  Its tolerance for sun and dry soil make it useful on slopes or at the edges of the sunny shrub border. Its flowers are inconspicuous but are attractive to pollinators, the leaves turn bright red in the fall, and small berries form on female plants.

Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) and Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymsosum)

Prized for their luscious berries, blueberries are typically grown in edible gardens. Not only for human consumption, blueberries are a powerhouse of food and shelter for a variety of beneficial creatures. Blueberry flowers offer pollen to native bees and nectar for butterflies. Their leaves are larval hosts for over 200 species of moths and butterflies, including the snowberry clearwing and spring azure. They provide food, cover, and nesting sites for birds. In fact, blueberries are so attractive to birds and other fauna, gardeners often cover the plants with nets to deter hungry creatures. Since they are so beneficial to the natural world, consider sharing the wealth and leaving some plants uncovered. Or use them simply as an ornamental shrub and enjoy feeding the wildlife. Their unusual flowers are lovely in the spring and the leaves turn shades of red and orange in the fall. Blueberry bushes would make a stellar edible hedge. Blueberries found in garden centers are cultivars. Depending on the variety, these blueberry plants vary from a few feet up to 10 feet in height. All blueberries prefer full sun and need well-drained acidic soil, with pH of 4.5 – 5.2.   For more information on growing blueberries and blueberry varieties, see Blueberry Cultivation in the Home Garden, Piedmont Master Gardeners.

Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)

Mapleleaf viburnum is a four season showstopper. Creamy white clusters of flowers appear in late spring to early summer and the maple-like foliage adds interest among the greens of summer. The leaves turn pinkish purple in the fall and the black drupes that follow the flowers are eaten by birds. In nature, maple leaf viburnum grows at the edge of woodlands and prefers more shade than most other viburnums. Growing up to 4 feet tall and suckering to 3 feet wide, it is a good understory plant. It likes acid soil, adapts to dry conditions, and will not tolerate wet soil, making it a good native companion for azaleas and mountain laurel. Plant maple leaf viburnum as a foundation plant, in a shrub border, or massed as a deciduous hedge.

New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)

New Jersey tea stays small without pruning, making it suitable for smaller gardens and foundation plantings. It typically grows 2-3 feet tall although can sometimes reach 4 feet. Clusters of small, white flowers appear in late spring, adding interest after the bulk of spring bloomers have finished. The leaves turn yellow in the fall and drop, revealing the yellow twig ends which add interest to the winter landscape. New Jersey tea is adaptable to poor soil and can take dry conditions. Growing in both sun and part shade, it is useful as an understory plant at the edge of a grove of trees. Dried leaves were used as a tea substitute in colonial days, hence its name. Unfortunately, the flowers and leaf tips are tasty to deer but spraying with a deterrent can discourage browsing. New Jersey tea attracts native bee and butterfly pollinators and hosts several species of lepidoptera caterpillars.

Ninebark (Physocarpus opufolius)

Easy to grow, ninebark is a tough plant that can take full sun or part shade and dry soil.  It grows to 5-9’ and is excellent as a specimen and dramatic as a mass in a hedge or screen.  Ninebark blooms in early summer with white to pink clusters of flowers on drooping stems.  The flowers resemble spirea blooms and attract native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Ninebark is a powerhouse as a larval host plant and feeds over 40 varieties of native caterpillars. Fall color is an unassuming yellow but the exfoliating bark adds interest to the winter garden. The flowers develop into seed capsules that feed songbirds. Nurseries have had a lot of fun creating cultivars of this plant and shrubs with red, burgundy and even gold leaves are available. While these colorful specimens can be interesting in the garden, the chemicals in colored leaves make them unpalatable to caterpillar larvae, negating some of their function to wildlife. For the best ecological value, stick to the green-leaved species. For more information, see Do Leaf-Eating Insects Eat Nativars?, Mt. Cuba Center.

Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)

Red chokeberry is a deciduous, multi-stemmed, vase-shaped shrub that provides interest in the garden throughout the year.  In spring, clusters of showy white or pinkish flowers attract a large contingent of pollinating insects and the green leaves of summer turn vibrant shades of red and orange in the fall, lighting up the landscape. Clusters of red berries ripen in late summer and persist through the winter. The berries are bitter at first, but become edible after a period of cold and freezing, making them important food for overwintering songbirds. Cooked, the berries make excellent jams and jellies. In addition to its pollinating benefits, chokeberry is a host plant to over 20 species of native caterpillars. Red chokeberry reaches 6-8 feet in height and suckers to form a thicket. Preferring, moist, acidic soil in full sun, it is drought tolerant once established. Best grown in natural areas, it would be lovely planted in mass where its four-season interest can shine. For more information on red chokeberry, see Aronias: Native Shrubs for Fall Color, Piedmont Master Gardeners.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Spice bush is a must-have shrub for early pollinators. One of the first to bloom in early spring, the small, pale yellow flowers of spicebush resemble a demure forsythia. Though small, spicebush flowers provide pollen for native bees and the leaves are host to nine species of native caterpillars; it is the only host for spicebush swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. The flowers are slightly fragrant, and the stems and leaves emit a spicy fragrance when crushed. After the blooms fade, spicebush recedes and becomes part of the background green of summer. The leaves are showy yellow in the fall. If both male and female plants are present, small red berries develop in the fall and are eaten by songbirds. It is not unusual to find a volunteer spicebush crop up, its seeds having been planted by a bird that has eaten the berries. Native to woodlands, spicebush grows in shady, moist soil and grows 6-8 feet tall. It is not possible to determine if a plant is male or female so plant a group and some berries might develop.

Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)

Sweetshrub, also known as Carolina allspice, is an old fashioned shrub that was common in the past but has more recently been replaced by dramatic cultivars. The straight species, however, has qualities that recommend it for home gardens today.  Easy to grow, sweetshrub is adaptable to sun or part shade, tolerates clay soil, and resists mammal browsing and insect damage. Rounded in aspect, it grows 6-9 feet tall but can be pruned to be more compact, making it suitable for foundation plantings. It can sucker but is not aggressive. Unusual reddish brown flowers, resembling small pine cones, appear in mid-spring. Smell the flowers when they first appear to detect their fruity aroma, said to resemble pineapple or raisins. The fragrance disappears as the flowers mature, but the leaves and stems emit a spicy odor when crushed. The leaves turn a muted yellow in the fall, making a subtle contrast to the brighter oranges and reds of autumn. The flowers give way to fat, elongated seed pods that persist in the winter. The seeds are large and easy to gather and propagate. In addition to foundation plantings, sweetshrub is desirable as a specimen or massed as a hedge.

Wild Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

Wild hydrangea grows prolifically at the edge of Eastern forests. A low-growing deciduous plant, it seldom grows over 3 feet tall. Although it will be more lush with some moisture, this useful plant will grow in dry shade and poor soil. It does not like full sun. Summer finds it covered with white, lace-cap flowers. While less showy than Asian mophead hydrangeas, wild hydrangea offers more ecological value by attracting a myriad of pollinating insects including small native bees, butterflies, and beetles. Left alone, wild hydrangea performs happily with no care. It blooms on new wood, so can be pruned to the ground in late winter to encourage vigorous growth and fuller form. Like its Asian cousins, new growth of wild hydrangea is palatable to deer so protective measures should be taken until the flowers mature. Most hydrangeas in garden centers are the mophead Asian variety, which are lovely but provide nothing for wildlife. Cultivars of wild hydrangea, such as Annabelle are also found in garden centers. Be aware that these mophead cultivars of wild hydrangea are mostly sterile and will not benefit pollinators. The straight native wild hydrangea is lovely, easy to grow, and a can’t miss pollinator plant. For more information, see the report from the Mt. Cuba Center on its hydrangea arborescens trials. That study found a lace cap cultivar of wild hydrangea, ‘Haas Halo’, that performs admirably and attracts pollinators.

In Conclusion

By incorporating some of these underused shrubs in your home landscape, you will add beauty and interest while helping beneficial birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife that are drawn to your property. For more information on native shrubs suitable to the Piedmont area, consult this listing of native shrubs compiled by the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia.  In addition, Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapers and Gardens, produced by the Plant Northern Piedmont Natives partnership, has a robust listing of shrubs native to our area.  These two lists provide detailed lists of plants adaptable to every situation.

Featured Image: Red Chokeberry Photo Courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder

Sources

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants, C. Colston Burrell, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2007

“Native Shrubs: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees and Other Beneficials”, Ohio State Extension

Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapes and Gardens, 2^nd edition (find information on how to purchase or download at Albemarle County.org/Facilities & Environmental Services

“Red Chokeberry Shines in All Seasons”, Virginia Native Plant Society, 2020, vnps.org.

“Shrub Dogwoods in the Home Landscape”, Penn State Extension, 2022

Xerces Society