NATIVE TREES & SHRUBS
I am fond of houses & flowers, even vegetables & fruit trees. I like a view but I like to sit with my back turned to it.
Gertrude Stein
$12 each 5 for $40 10+ (any mix) $6 each
Viburnum trilobum
HIGH-BUSH CRANBERRY Z2/2m
Panicles of snowy white flowers & miniature maple-like leaves make this one of the most ornamental of food bushes. Easy-to-pick clusters of scarlet cranberries attract wildlife but enjoy mixed reviews as human food.
80-100cm
Viburnum recognitum
SMOOTH ARROWWOOD Z4/3m
Tall bushy native shrub for wet places, formerly called V. dentatum for its notched leaves. Wide cream-white flowers in May to June followed by long-lasting dark blue fruit. Very beautiful in Autumn. Seldom offered.
60-100cm
Viburnum lentago
NANNYBERRY Z3/2.5m
"A large, tree-like deciduous shrub
with glossy green leaves that turn
purple-red in fall. Large clusters of
white flowers. Berries turn from
yellowish green to red to blue-black."
The Hillier Gardener's Guide
60-80cm
Sorbus americana
AMERICAN MOUNTAIN ASH Z3/10m
Small flowering tree or large open shrub. Its clusters of cheerful red berries attract native birds. Prefers cool dampish soils. A natural for small cottage lots.
60-100cm
Carpinus caroliniana
MUSCLETREE or BLUE BEECH Z4/4.5m ‡
Named variously for its beech-like leaves, or its tough wood (Hornbeam in old German), or the raised 'muscles' which seem to ripple under its smooth grey bark. Ideal too for bonsai (ask for smaller seedlings). Like Beech it is sensitive to summer drought and surface dryness. Rich, long-lasting fall colours. Shade tolerant.
60-120cm
Pielea trifoliata
WAFER ASH Z5/2m ‡
Attractive addition to the forest edge where it beckons all summer long with soft yellow flowers and hop-like seed. Leaves lustrous. Tolerant of poor soils. Native to S.W. Ontario.
60-120cm
Rhus aromatica
FRAGRANT SUMAC Z3/1m ‡
Glossy aromatic leaves. Small yellow
flowers. Clusters of reddish berry-like
fruit in late summer. Spreads readily
through poor soil. Prefers full sun.
Good for erosion control and wildlife. Stays low.
60-120cm
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Luteus'
GOLDEN NINEBARK Z2b/2m ‡
Open form, old-fashioned native shrub once seen beside every Ontario farmhouse. Vigorous and pest-free. Exfoliating gold bark and bronzy leaves make a splash of yellow all summer. Decorative seedpods.
80-120cm
Staphylea trifolia
BLADDERNUT Z4b/4m ‡
Named for its papery seed pods that hang like Chinese lanterns from the mottled green branches of this unique border shrub. Tolerates shade & rocky soils where it competes by suckering into eye-catching groves.
80-120cm
Amorpha fruticosa
INDIGO BUSH Z4?/4m ‡
Violet flowers on long spiked racemes.
Frond-like foliage. Found naturally in
rich Carolinian woods, yet hardy
further north on glacial tills. Recommended by
USDA for erosion control & food for
wildlife.
80-150cm
Cornus altemifolia
PAGODA DOGWOOD Z3b/4m ‡
Named for its elegant form and curiously tiered branches, this hardy native seems to have sprung from an oriental garden. Miniature leaves turn both yellow and scarlet. Blue berries on bright red stalks. An understory species that can tolerate full sun.
80-200cm
Cornus rugosa
ROUNDLEAF DOGWOOD Z3/1.5m ‡
Pretty native dogwood with pale blue to greenish-white berries on beautiful cerise stalks. Dense flat-topped clusters of cream flowers. Grows anywhere. Stays small. Rarely offered.
60-120cm
Aronia melanocarpa
BLACK CHOKEBERRY Z4/2.2m
Heavily flowered eastern N.A. native with lustrous dark blue edible berries. Disease free. Does well in wet woods and dry sandy ridges. Autumn leaves turn a vivid carmine. All the Aronias attract wildlife.
30-50cm
Aronia prunifolia
PURPLE CHOKEBERRY Z3/1.5m
Dark lustrous berries persist long into winter. Bright white flowers. Gorgeous vermillion-orange leaves in the fall. Tolerates most soils. Aronias are worthy natives not to be confused with the mouth-puckering Chokecherry.
60-80cm
Native Trees and Shrubs $12 each 5 for $40 10+ (any mix) $6 each
One thing I've learned is that there is never an end to all the economic excuses for harming nature.
Ontario Naturalist, Autumn 2006