Native shrubs grow wild in your region and feed its birds and pollinators. For Southeast yards, good choices are red chokeberry, arrowwood viburnum and elderberry for sun; northern spicebush, Carolina allspice and black haw viburnum for part shade; and buttonbush for wet ground. Plant them bare-root while dormant, from fall to early spring.
Tennessee Wholesale Nursery is a family-owned wholesale nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, near McMinnville, growing trees, shrubs, perennials, wetland and native plants. This guide covers seven native shrubs we grow and ship dormant: red chokeberry, arrowwood viburnum, elderberry, northern spicebush, Carolina allspice, black haw viburnum and buttonbush. Each one is sorted by the light and ground it suits, with the size it reaches and the size it arrives at.
Native shrubs at a glance: size, light, soil and zones
Every shrub below ships bare-root and dormant, September to April, at 1 to 2, 2 to 3 or 3 to 4 feet tall, in bundles of 25, 50, 100 or 500. That is a small, leafless start. The mature height column shows how much room to leave for it.
| Shrub | Mature height | Light | Soil | Zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red chokeberry | 6 to 8 ft, up to 10 ft | Full sun to part sun | Wet to dry, clay | 4 to 9 |
| Arrowwood viburnum | 6 to 15 ft | Full sun to part shade | Moist, well-drained; clay, loam or sand | 3 to 8 |
| Elderberry | 5 to 12 ft | Full sun; part shade | Wet or dry; best rich and moist | 4 to 8 |
| Northern spicebush | 6 to 12 ft | Full sun to part shade | Moist, well-drained | 4 to 9 |
| Carolina allspice | Under 10 ft | Sun or part shade | Well-drained; tolerates clay | 4 to 9 |
| Black haw viburnum | About 15 ft | Full sun to part shade | Well-drained; dry once established | 3 to 9 |
| Buttonbush | Under 10 ft | Sun or shade | Moist to wet; standing water | 5 to 9 |
Why plant native shrubs
Native shrubs give wildlife food and cover through the year. Spicebush berries feed more than 20 bird species, including thrushes and cardinals. Red chokeberry holds its berries into late winter, when food is scarce. Elderberry's dense growth shelters songbirds, and its hollow dead stems shelter native bees.
They are also easy to keep. Most of the shrubs in this guide need little pruning once established, and several handle clay, drought or wet spells.
Native shrubs for full sun
These three color up and fruit best in an open, sunny spot, though each will take some shade.
Red chokeberry
Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) is native to the eastern United States. It forms a dense, multi-stemmed shrub 6 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, sometimes reaching 10 feet. Small white or pink flowers open in spring, followed by scarlet berries that last through winter. Fall leaves turn scarlet, purple or orange, brightest in full sun. It grows in wet to dry soil, including clay, and resists drought, pests and disease.
Arrowwood viburnum
Arrowwood viburnum is native to eastern North America and grows 6 to 15 feet tall and wide. Flat, three-inch clusters of white flowers open in late spring, and blue-black fruit ripens by fall. It takes clay, loam or sand and acidic to alkaline soil. Its roots are fairly shallow, so water it through dry spells. Use it for screens, hedges and windbreaks.
Elderberry
American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) grows 5 to 12 feet tall and as wide, with a loose, arching habit. Flat clusters of fragrant creamy-white flowers, 4 to 10 inches across, open in June. Purplish-black berries ripen in August and September and draw birds and mammals. It fruits best in full sun. It spreads by root suckers, so space plants 6 to 8 feet apart. Flowers form on second-year wood, so leave some older stems when you prune.
Native shrubs for shade and woodland edges
All three grow in sun too, but each also does well in partial shade, so they suit the edge of a wood line or the east side of a building.
Northern spicebush
Northern spicebush grows 6 to 12 feet tall in full sun to partial shade. Yellow flowers open in early spring, and bright red berries follow in fall, usually two to three years after planting. Leaves turn gold in autumn, and both leaves and berries have a spicy scent. It likes moist, well-drained soil and tolerates drought once established. Deer browse it less than many ornamental shrubs.
Carolina allspice
Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) is native to the Southeast, from Florida to Virginia. It stays under 10 feet tall and spreads 8 to 10 feet. In spring it bears two-inch burgundy-red flowers with a pleasant scent, and its leaves smell spicy-sweet when bruised. It handles heat, drought and heavy clay. Butterflies, moths and bumblebees visit the flowers.
Black haw viburnum
Black haw viburnum is native to eastern woodlands and grows to about 15 feet, with an irregular shape and a crooked trunk. Showy white flowers with yellow stamens open in May and June. Leaves turn orange and red in fall, and late fruit is a favorite of native birds. It grows best in full sun but adapts well to part shade.
Native shrubs for wet ground and rain gardens
Buttonbush is the shrub for ground that stays soggy. It grows under 10 feet tall in sun or shade and handles standing water, retention ponds, ditches and bog edges. Round white flowers like pincushions draw butterflies and other pollinators, and birds and ducks eat the seed heads. Its roots help hold stream banks against erosion. It is deer-resistant and turns reddish in fall.
For ground that is wet only part of the year, red chokeberry and elderberry also grow in wet soil. Plant buttonbush in the low, wettest part of a rain garden and the other two on its higher edges.
Flowering native shrubs for pollinators, by bloom season
Planting several of these gives bees and butterflies flowers from early spring into summer:
- Early spring: northern spicebush, yellow flowers attractive to bees and butterflies.
- Spring: red chokeberry, small white or pink flowers; Carolina allspice, fragrant burgundy-red flowers.
- Late spring: arrowwood viburnum, flat white clusters that draw butterflies.
- May and June: black haw viburnum, large white flowers.
- June: elderberry, wide creamy-white clusters visited by butterflies and other insects.
For wet ground, add buttonbush: its fragrant white globes draw butterflies and other pollinators.
When and how to plant bare-root native shrubs
We ship shrubs bare-root in the dormant season, September to April, so they arrive freshly dug, with no soil, leaves or flowers. Their roots are dipped in Terra-Sorb gel and wrapped in packing paper. A leafless stem at this time of year is normal. Read our bare-root information page for how to store plants that cannot go in the ground right away.
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Plant while the shrub is dormant
Get it in the ground between fall and early spring, before the buds break. Planting during the growing season works, but fewer plants survive.
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Dig a hole twice the size of the roots
Give the roots room to spread without bending or crowding them.
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Set the shrub and backfill
Spread the roots, refill with the soil you dug out and firm it gently around the stem.
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Water right away
Soak the soil as soon as the shrub is planted to settle it around the roots.
Our planting instructions cover trees, shrubs, perennials and live stakes in more detail.
Native shrub questions
What are some of the prettiest native shrubs?
For flowers, Carolina allspice has scented burgundy-red blooms in spring and buttonbush has white pincushion globes. For fall, red chokeberry turns scarlet and keeps red berries into winter, black haw viburnum turns orange and red, and northern spicebush turns gold with red berries.
What are some hardy native shrubs?
Arrowwood viburnum and black haw viburnum are hardy to zone 3, and the other five here to zone 4 or 5. Red chokeberry resists drought, pests and disease. Carolina allspice handles heat, drought and clay, and buttonbush takes standing water.
What are some low-growing native shrubs?
None of the seven here stays low; the smallest reach 5 to 10 feet at maturity. Red chokeberry is the narrowest at 3 to 4 feet wide, and Carolina allspice responds well to pruning and can be kept lower. All of them start small, shipping at 1 to 4 feet.
Which native shrubs flower?
All seven in this guide flower. Northern spicebush blooms yellow in early spring, red chokeberry and Carolina allspice in spring, arrowwood viburnum in late spring, black haw viburnum in May and June, and elderberry in June. Buttonbush bears round white flowers that draw butterflies.
See every shrub we grow, native and ornamental, in our shrubs collection.
