Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees. Charlotte Adelman
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