Alderleaf Buckthorn
Rhamnus alnifolia Shrub Zones 3–7 2–5 ft
Shares stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Meadowsweet
Spiraea alba. Shrub, 3 to 6.5 feet, zones 3 to 7; full sun, part shade or shade; average or wet ground.
We do not grow meadowsweet, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | White meadowsweet, narrowleaf meadowsweet, American meadowsweet, pale bridewort |
|---|---|
| Form | Shrub |
| Height, feet | 3 to 6.5 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 6 |
| Zones | 3 to 7 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Average or wet ground |
| Growth | Medium |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Showy flowers, fall color, wildlife value, hedge or screen |
| Flowers | June to September |
| Fruit | Follicles, September |
| Pollination | Not known whether one bears alone |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Stream banks, swamps and wet flats |
| Native in | 27 states and the District of Columbia |
Meadowsweet is native in 27 states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its height How a big one scores by the champion-tree formula
For the same ground, we grow
These shrubs we grow share the most of meadowsweet's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Red Osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea Shrub Zones 2–7 6–12 ft
Shares stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Squashberry
Viburnum edule Shrub Zones 2–8 2–7 ft
Shares stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Sweet Pepperbush (Summersweet)
Clethra alnifolia Shrub Zones 4–9 4–8 ft
Shares stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Possumhaw Viburnum
Viburnum nudum Shrub Zones 5–9 5–12 ft
Shares stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Swamp Doghobble
Eubotrys racemosa Shrub Zones 5–9 4–10 ft
Shares stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, the Flora of North America, Go Botany and Illinois Wildflowers.