# Companion species

> Pick one native tree or shrub and see the species that share its ground in the wild, live under its canopy, or want the same sun, soil and climate in a yard.

Blue Whale Trees, a native tree nursery in the United States. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/companions/?species=virginia-sweetspire

Pick one native tree or shrub and see what grows with it. The matches come in three groups. Some species share its ground in the wild, and others live under its canopy or are the trees it can be planted beneath. The rest suit the same yard because they want the same sun, soil and climate. Every match is explained on the page, so you can see why a species is listed.

## Virginia Sweetspire grows in stream banks, floodplain forests, the forest understory, swamps and wet flats

These natives share that ground, so they will look right together and want the same care.

- [Two-wing Silverbell](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/two-wing-silverbell/index.html.md) (*Halesia diptera*): Small tree, 15–30 ft
- [Strawberry Bush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/strawberry-bush/index.html.md) (*Euonymus americanus*): Shrub, 4–6 ft · shares stream banks, floodplain forests and the forest understory
- [Green Hawthorn](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/green-hawthorn/index.html.md) (*Crataegus viridis*): Small tree, 20–35 ft · shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats
- [Possumhaw](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/possumhaw/index.html.md) (*Ilex decidua*): Shrub, 7–15 ft · shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats
- [American Snowbell](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-snowbell/index.html.md) (*Styrax americanus*): Shrub, 6–15 ft · shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats
- [Red Buckeye](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/red-buckeye/index.html.md) (*Aesculus pavia*): Small tree, 10–25 ft · shares stream banks, floodplain forests and the forest understory
- [Pawpaw](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/pawpaw/index.html.md) (*Asimina triloba*): Small tree, 15–30 ft · shares stream banks, floodplain forests and the forest understory
- [Sweetleaf](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/sweetleaf/index.html.md) (*Symplocos tinctoria*): Small tree, 15–30 ft · shares stream banks, floodplain forests and the forest understory

## Trees to plant it under

Virginia Sweetspire takes some shade, so it can live beneath these.

- [Spruce Pine](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/spruce-pine/index.html.md) (*Pinus glabra*): Large tree, Zones 7–9, 40–80 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild. Hardy in zones 7 to 9 of the Virginia sweetspire's 5 to 9.
- [Willow Oak](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/willow-oak/index.html.md) (*Quercus phellos*): Large tree, Zones 5–9, 40–75 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
- [Florida Maple](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/florida-maple/index.html.md) (*Acer floridanum*): Medium tree, Zones 5–9, 20–60 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests and the forest understory in the wild.
- [River Birch](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/river-birch/index.html.md) (*Betula nigra*): Medium tree, Zones 3–9, 40–70 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
- [Swamp Tupelo](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/swamp-tupelo/index.html.md) (*Nyssa biflora*): Large tree, Zones 6–9, 60–80 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild. Hardy in zones 6 to 9 of the Virginia sweetspire's 5 to 9.
- [Water Locust](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/water-locust/index.html.md) (*Gleditsia aquatica*): Medium tree, Zones 6–10, 40–60 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild. Hardy in zones 6 to 9 of the Virginia sweetspire's 5 to 9.

## Beside it

Plants that want the same sun and soil, for a bed, a hedge or a grove.

- [Florida Anise](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/florida-anise/index.html.md) (*Illicium floridanum*): Shrub, Zones 6–10, 6–10 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, the forest understory, swamps and wet flats in the wild. Hardy in zones 6 to 9 of the Virginia sweetspire's 5 to 9.
- [Wild Black Currant](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/wild-black-currant/index.html.md) (*Ribes americanum*): Shrub, Zones 3–7, 3–6 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, the forest understory, swamps and wet flats in the wild. Hardy in zones 5 to 7 of the Virginia sweetspire's 5 to 9.
- [Piedmont Azalea](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/piedmont-azalea/index.html.md) (*Rhododendron canescens*): Shrub, Zones 5–10, 6–15 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, the forest understory, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
- [Possumhaw Viburnum](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/possumhaw-viburnum/index.html.md) (*Viburnum nudum*): Shrub, Zones 5–9, 5–12 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
- [Spicebush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/spicebush/index.html.md) (*Lindera benzoin*): Shrub, Zones 4–9, 6–12 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests and the forest understory in the wild.
- [Bottlebrush Buckeye](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/bottlebrush-buckeye/index.html.md) (*Aesculus parviflora*): Shrub, Zones 4–9, 8–12 ft, Price on request. Shares stream banks, floodplain forests and the forest understory in the wild.
- [When these flower and fruit](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/calendar/#plants=virginia-sweetspire,spruce-pine,willow-oak,florida-maple,river-birch,swamp-tupelo,water-locust,florida-anise,wild-black-currant,piedmont-azalea,possumhaw-viburnum,spicebush,bottlebrush-buckeye), in the bloom and fruit calendar.

## Email me when Virginia Sweetspire or a companion is ready to order

For Virginia Sweetspire, Spruce Pine, Willow Oak, Florida Maple, River Birch, Swamp Tupelo, Water Locust, Florida Anise, Wild Black Currant, Piedmont Azalea, Possumhaw Viburnum, Spicebush: one email per plant when it is priced or back in stock, and nothing else.

## How the matches are made

- **Natural communities.** Every species we grow is tagged with the communities it lives in: floodplain forests, swamps and wet flats, stream banks, rich moist slopes, dry uplands, sandy barrens, rocky ground, old fields and edges, the forest understory, the Appalachians and the coast.
- **In the wild.** Up to eight natives that share one of those communities with it and grow wild in one of its states. The most communities in common come first, then the native range most like its own. A species in a yard list is not repeated here.
- **Under its canopy, or trees to plant it under.** Up to six species at least two sizes apart, the smaller one taking part shade or shade: shrubs under a medium tree, shrubs and small trees under a large one.
- **Beside it.** Up to six that share a sun with it, the same size first.
- **The order of a yard list.** Every yard pick shares a zone, a soil and a state of native range with it. A shared community counts two points, and a shared sun or soil one. Under a canopy, a species of the forest understory counts two more, and one that takes full shade one more. Of equal scores, the one hardy in more of its zones comes first.
- **Your zone.** With a zone chosen, the yard lists keep only species rated hardy in it.
- **Black walnut.** The 37 species we grow that the Morton Arboretum lists as sensitive to its juglone are left out of its answer, and it is left out of theirs. Under a walnut, the species on Morton's tolerant lists come first and are marked.
- **Eastern red cedar.** The 25 crabapples, hawthorns, serviceberries, chokeberries and mountain ash we grow are left out of its answer, and it is left out of theirs: the cedar-apple, hawthorn, quince and juniper broom rusts live on both, and the University of Minnesota Extension says to keep them a few hundred yards apart.
- **A tree we do not grow.** The note under the menu names a relative we grow, in the words of its page.

The communities are our own tags. The states of native range are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, read on 2026-09-23, as the [native trees by state](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/native/index.html.md) tool reads them. Zones, sun and soil are each species' own page. The juglone lists are the Morton Arboretum's, read on 2026-10-05, which warns that "any list regarding this topic is incomplete and some of the information may be anecdotal." The rusts' hosts are the University of Minnesota Extension's, read on 2026-10-06. [What to plant under a big tree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/what-to-plant-under-a-big-tree/index.html.md) and [the article on juglone](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/juglone-what-to-plant-under-a-black-walnut/index.html.md) cover the subject.

Sharing a habitat tag does not mean two plants always grow side by side, and a tag says nothing about how far apart to plant them. Use the [planting-site check](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/site-check/index.html.md) for the spot itself, and the [growth estimator](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/index.html.md) for how much room each one will want in twenty years.