Shrub

Amorpha canescens is a small shrubby plant that is graced with long spikes of clear purple flowers from July to September. Its long bloom time and attractiveness to butterflies make Leadplant a great native substitute for Butterfly Bush (Buddleia).

Common Bearberry is an evergreen groundcover that is suited to sandy or other well-drained soils with acidic pH. It can be a marvelous solution for a difficult site since it grows where few other plants are happy. Artostaphyllos is lovely draped over the edge of a wall or large rock. Its small green leaves have silver grey backs and often appear to be edged in silver.'Massachusetts' flowers and fruits abundantly and is a disease-resistant selection with smaller leaves than the species. Introduced by west coast growers, but seed for this selection originated in Massachusetts.

New Jersey tea is a dense shrub that is ideally suited for the edge of the woods or along the back of a border. It's habit is full and its leaves are bright green throughout the summer. Billowing clusters of tiny, fragrant white flowers appear on long stems in late spring and early summer. Ceanothus makes a lovely and fragrant cut flower! Young twigs are noticeably yellow and provide subtle winter interest.

A dense, spreading mound of deep green leaves serves as a backdrop for showy yellow flowers appearing in June and July. Diervilla is pest-free and tolerates poor, sandy or rocky soils without flinching. In the fall its capsule-like fruit is a songbird favorite!

A tall shrub or small tree with fragrant yellow flowers that open in late October or early November providing nectar for migrating insects. It takes a full year for the fruit to mature. When the seed capsule splits open in fall, 1-2 black seeds explode out of it, landing up to 30 feet away. Various birds and wildlife eat the seed after it falls to the ground. Upright spreading branches are perfect nesting sites for a variety of birds. Deep, golden yellow fall leaf color can be outstanding.

Rugged, oak-like leaves cover this rounded shrub and provide the backdrop for huge, pyramidal stacks of white flowers that stand up to 12" above the foliage in late summer. In fall, foliage turns a dramatic deep burgundy while exfoliating cinnamon bark adds interest during the winter months.

This compact, easy-to-grow shrub forms nice masses and should be placed where the bright yellow flowers show to full advantage. The flowers bloom for about 6 weeks and have a showy tuft of yellow stamens. Butterflies, bumblebees, and other pollinators love the nectar. The semi-evergreen leaves are dark blue-green all season and last into late fall. Benefits:

Great source of nectar for bumblebees and other pollinators

Showy yellow flowers for 6 weeks in summer

Good small shrub for mass planting

Thrives in hot sun and poor, rocky soils

Fragrant, white flower spikes, 3-6" long, cover the shrub with bloom in early summer. Dark green leaves turn scarlet and crimson in fall, sometimes persisting on the shrub until December. 'Henry's Garnet' is noted for larger flowers and superior fall color to that of the species. Benefits:

Fragrant white flowers attracts butterflies and other pollinators

Stunning fall color for many weeks

Provides protective cover for wildlife

Tolerant of a surprising range of conditions from boggy to dry soils

This is a wonderful broad, rounded multi-stemmed shrub covered with fragrant yellow flowers in early spring. The flowers open before the leaves emerge and are held close to the branches. Aromatic light green leaves turn yellow-gold in fall. Birds feed on the brilliant red fruits available in late summer on female plants. These berries are one of the best sources of energy for long distance migratory birds. Benefits:

Excellent source of nectar for butterflies and other pollinators in early spring

Host plant for spicebush and tiger swallowtail butterflies

Fragrant flowers and foliage

Provides cover, nesting sites and red berries for various birds

Deer resistant

Ideal plant for damp shade situations

Densely held, very aromatic foliage along with a thick branching habit form a wide, flowing shrub that thrives in a multitude of exposures and soils. In the winter birds love the waxy gray berries and the dense foliage for cover while it provides cover for other garden critters year round.

A mix of toughness and beauty, this fast growing, dense, rounded shrub will turn heads with leaves that emerge a stunning yellowish-green and darken to a reddish-purple. Flattened heads of small, white tinged with pink flowers offer an abundant nectar source for native insects in late spring.

'Coronation Triumph' is a heavy blooming selection with bright yellow flowers on a dense mounded plant. The flowers bloom from mid-spring until the first frost and are a great nectar source for butterflies and other insects. It offers excellent foliage all season long and has an extremely long blooming period. Benefits:

Excellent source of nectar for butterflies and other pollinators in early spring

Longest blooming period of all cinquefoils

Dense growth provides cover for wildlife

Seed capsules provide fall and winter food for songbirds as well as quail and grouse

Deer resistant

This large native shrub features long, strap-like foliage and spreading, woody branches that form a big, thick, spreading presence. Big buds open in early July, far later than most Rhododendron, with big, beautiful clear pink flower trusses. A superb plant for woodland areas, cover and nesting.

Large, spreading and deciduous, this shrub features small, oval, glossy green leaves that transition to yellow and red in the fall. Big pink buds open in May to big, beautiful white to light pink, gold blotched flowers in round trusses. Perfect for wooded borders and for songbird cover and nesting.

This upright shrub jumps out of the landscape in spring with its bright pink to red flowers that emerge before the leaves in pendant clusters attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to its nectar. Dark gray fruits feed many native birds in the winter. Easy to grow even the harshest planting sites.

The single pink flowers are quite pretty and fragrant. They are 2" across, bloom in mid-summer and provide nectar for native bees and butterflies. The flowers give way to smooth red hips (fruit) which are eaten by birds and other wildlife. This attractive plant is perfect for poorly drained, wet soil. This many-branched shrub has gracefully arching branches. Plants will spread slowly by suckers, providing wonderful nesting spots for birds and cover for other creatures. Benefits:

Fragrant flowers in early summer

Flowers provide nectar for native bees and other pollinators

Rose hips attract birds  Brilliant red fall foliage

Plants provide cover for wildlife and nesting sites for birds

Will grow in bogs, swamps and other poorly drained sites

Salt tolerant

Silvery flowers, resembling 1" long bottlebrushes, bloom in late winter. The flowers provide pollen for native bees very early in the season and are conspicuous because they bloom on bare stems, before leaves appear. Finches, grouse and cardinals find the flower buds tasty. Several different butterflies use the blue-green leaves as a larval food source. If planted in dense clumps, this multi-stemmed shrub provides good cover and nesting sites for a variety of birds. Benefits:

Provides pollen for native bees

Food source for game and song birds

Host plant for a large variety of butterflies

Provides cover and nest sites for a variety of birds

Cut branches can be forced to flower for winter arrangements

American elderberry is a thicket-forming shrub with large flat-topped clusters of small, fragrant white flowers in spring. The flowers are a good source of nectar for small insects. Big clusters of dark purple to black, berry-like fruits follow in late summer to fall. The fruit is an outstanding source of food for birds and other wildlife. The old stems provide over-wintering sites for insects. Birds such as woodpeckers then forage in the clumps for the insects. Benefits:

Flowers provide nectar for pollinators

The fruit is favored by birds and other wildlife

Old stems provide habitat for over-wintering insects

Excellent for naturalizing in moist soil

Clusters of white flowers bloom in spring, followed by tasty blue berries in summer. The fruit is a favorite among humans as well as birds, small mammals and box turtles. Lowbush blueberry has lustrous blue-green leaves that turn bronze, scarlet and crimson in fall. It grows well in dry, acid soil.

Clusters of bell-shaped, white flowers tinged with red bloom in spring. Flowers are followed by tasty blue berries, which ripen in summer. The fruit is a favorite among humans as well as birds, small mammals and box turtles. Lowbush blueberry has lustrous blue-green leaves that turn bronze, scarlet and crimson in fall. It grows well in dry, acid, nutrient poor soil. Benefits:

Fragrant flowers provide nectar for butterflies and other pollinators

Larval food source for several butterflies

The fruit is relished by birds and other wildlife after it ripens in summer

Plants provide good nesting sites and cover for birds

Very cold tolerant ground cover that grows well in dry, acid soil

Clusters of dainty, waxy, bell-shaped, white flowers bloom in spring. Flowers are followed by tasty blue berries, which ripen in summer. The fruit is a favorite among humans as well as birds, small mammals and box turtles. 'Blue Jay' is a very vigorous grower with heavy fruit set. Benefits:

Flowers provide nectar for native bees, butterflies and other pollinators

Larval food source for several butterflies

The fruit is relished by birds and other wildlife

Plants provide good nesting sites, cover and fruit for birds

'Blue Jay' is a vigorous grower with heavy fruit set

Plant more than one variety to insure best fruit set

Great fall color and a good replacement for Burning Bush Euonymus alatus

Clusters of dainty, waxy, bell-shaped, white flowers bloom in spring. Flowers are followed by tasty blue berries, which ripen in summer. The fruit is a favorite among humans as well as birds, small mammals and box turtles. 'Northland' has bright green leaves that turn orange in fall. It is also well adapted to a variety of growing conditions. Reddish stems can be attractive in winter. Benefits:

Flowers provide nectar for native bees, butterflies and other pollinators

Larval food source for several butterflies

The fruit is relished by birds and other wildlife

Plants provide good nesting sites and cover for birds

'Northland' is well adapted to a variety of growing conditions

Plant more than one variety to insure best fruit set

Great fall color and a good replacement for burning bush, Euonymus alatus

An upright, finely branched deciduous shrub, it features loads of small bell shaped flowers hanging in bunches in early May that native insects love. Flowers turn to berries in late summer that are prized by a host of critters. Easy to grow, it's tolerant of sandy soils and will tolerate shade.

'Winterthur' is a compact cultivar featuring fragrant white flowers arranged in flat-topped clusters April-May. The flowers provide nectar for butterflies, native bees and other pollinators. Flowers are followed by clusters of rounded berries that change color as they ripen from light pink to deep pink to blue to purplish-black. Glossy dark green leaves turn maroon or dark red-purple in fall. Benefits:

Fragrant flowers provide nectar for butterflies and other pollinators

Compact plants with striking clusters of multi-colored berries are relished by birds and other wildlife

Wine-colored fall foliage

Plants provide good nesting sites and cover for birds

Grows well in most soils

Flat-topped clusters of white flowers up to 4" across bloom in May, providing nectar for butterflies, native bees and other pollinators. Flowers are followed by clusters of brilliant red fruit staying on the plant into late winter when they are finally eaten by birds. New leaves have a reddish cast while fall foliage is yellow through red-purple. Benefits:

Flowers provide nectar for butterflies and other pollinators

Plants provide good nesting sites and cover for birds

Red-purple foliage contrasts with blue-black fruit in the fall

Berries are a great source of winter food for birds and other wildlife

Good plant for screening or a large hedge