Alabama Croton
Croton alabamensisShrubZones 6–85–10 ft
One of the rarest shrubs in the country, its apple-scented leaves silver beneath and its oldest leaves pumpkin orange in fall.
Tree finder
Find the right native tree or shrub for your site by filtering on USDA hardiness zone, mature size, sun, soil moisture and what you want from each species. The list narrows as you set each filter. Every result is a tree or shrub we grow from seed, so anything it shows can be requested now and ordered once it is priced.
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Alabama Snow-wreath
Neviusia alabamensisShrubZones 4–83–10 ft
A rare southern shrub whose arching stems carry puffs of white flowers with no petals in spring, for a shady border or woodland edge.
Alderleaf Buckthorn
Rhamnus alnifoliaShrubZones 3–72–5 ft
A low native buckthorn of fens, swamps and wet thickets, with alder-like leaves and black fruit for birds, at home in cold, limy wetlands.
Allegheny Blackberry
Rubus allegheniensisShrubZones 3–83–8 ft
The common wild blackberry of eastern woods edges and old fields, a thorny thicket of arching canes with sweet black berries in midsummer.
Allegheny Chinquapin
Castanea pumilaSmall treeZones 5–1010–25 ft
A shrubby native cousin of the American chestnut, Allegheny chinquapin ripens one sweet nut per small bur and bears within a few years of planting.
Allegheny Plum
Prunus alleghaniensisShrubZones 4–83–20 ft
A rare thicket plum of the Appalachians, with white flowers that fade to pink and small dark purple plums under a blue bloom.
Allegheny Serviceberry
Amelanchier laevisSmall treeZones 3–915–25 ft
Bronze-purple new leaves under white flowers, and the sweetest fruit of the serviceberries.
American Basswood (Linden)
Tilia americanaLarge treeZones 2–860–90 ft
The bee tree: a broad shade tree whose fragrant June flowers hum with pollinators.
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americanaShrubZones 6–103–6 ft
Glossy violet berries ring every stem in fall and feed mockingbirds and thrushes into winter. A fast, easy native shrub for sun or light shade.
American Beech
Fagus grandifoliaLarge treeZones 3–950–80 ft
A smooth, silver-gray tree of eastern forests, with triangular nuts that feed wildlife and copper fall leaves that cling through winter.
American Bittersweet
Celastrus scandensShrubZones 3–815–40 ft
A native twining vine whose orange capsules split in fall to reveal scarlet seeds that stay showy on the vine into winter.
American Chestnut
Castanea dentataSmall treeZones 4–815–30 ft
Once a dominant tree of the eastern forests, with sweet nuts for people and wildlife, now held to sprouts by a blight that kills its stems but not its roots.
American Crabapple
Malus coronariaSmall treeZones 4–815–30 ft
Fragrant pink-white blossoms in May and hard green fruit that makes exceptional jelly.
American Elm
Ulmus americanaLarge treeZones 2–960–80 ft
The great vase-shaped elm of old American streets, a fast shade tree for wet or dry ground, now best planted alone among trees of other kinds.
American Fly Honeysuckle
Lonicera canadensisShrubZones 3–73–6 ft
A native woodland honeysuckle of moist northern and mountain forests, with yellow flowers in pairs and twin red berries for birds.
American Hazelnut
Corylus americanaShrubZones 3–98–12 ft
Sweet native filberts in late summer on a dense, easy hedgerow shrub.
American Holly, select line
Ilex opacaMedium treeZones 5–920–50 ft
Broadleaf evergreen screening and winter berries, from a specimen chosen for dense foliage and heavy fruit.
American Hornbeam (Musclewood)
Carpinus carolinianaSmall treeZones 3–920–35 ft
Smooth, sinewy gray trunks, orange-red fall color and complete comfort in shade and damp soil.
American Mountain Ash
Sorbus americanaSmall treeZones 2–715–30 ft
Flat white flower clusters, orange-red berries and brilliant fall color for cold, cool-summer regions.
American Persimmon
Diospyros virginianaMedium treeZones 4–935–60 ft
Sweet orange fruit after frost, blocky alligator bark and a tree that grows nearly anywhere.
American Plum
Prunus americanaSmall treeZones 3–815–25 ft
A thicket-forming wild plum for dry banks and wet ground alike, with fragrant white spring bloom and tart red-yellow fruit for jelly and wildlife.
American Red Raspberry
Rubus idaeus subsp. strigosusShrubZones 3–83–6 ft
The native red raspberry of northern woods and mountain clearings, a bristly, suckering bramble with soft, sweet red berries in midsummer.
American Smoketree
Cotinus obovatusSmall treeZones 3–820–30 ft
Perhaps the best fall color of any native tree, on a small, drought-proof limestone specialist.
American Snowbell
Styrax americanusShrubZones 6–106–15 ft
Fragrant white bells with swept-back petals cover a slender native shrub in spring, for wet woods, pond edges and shady, acid ground.
American Wisteria
Wisteria frutescensShrubZones 3–915–30 ft
A native wisteria whose purple flower clusters open after its leaves unfold, much tamer than the invasive Asian wisterias it resembles.
Arkansas Oak
Quercus arkansanaMedium treeZones 5–920–60 ft
A rare red oak of the Gulf Coastal Plain, a slender tree with broad, round-tipped leaves, and one that Florida lists as threatened.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatumShrubZones 2–85–10 ft
Blue-black berries nearly half fat by dry weight ripen from August for robins, bluebirds and catbirds, after flat white flower heads in May for the bees.
Ashe's Magnolia
Magnolia asheiSmall treeZones 5–910–30 ft
Fragrant white flowers up to a foot across and leaves up to 2 feet long, on a small, rare magnolia from the Florida panhandle.
Atlantic White Cedar
Chamaecyparis thyoidesMedium treeZones 3–940–60 ft
The only false cypress native to the eastern states, a narrow blue-green evergreen of coastal bogs that makes a year-round screen on wet, acid ground.
Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichumLarge treeZones 4–1050–80 ft
The swamp conifer that also thrives on dry lawns, with feathery foliage that turns rust-orange in fall.
Balsam Fir
Abies balsameaMedium treeZones 2–740–75 ft
The fragrant Christmas-tree fir of the North Woods, with flat, dark needles of strong balsam scent, upright purple cones and a narrow spire of a crown.
Balsam Poplar
Populus balsamiferaLarge treeZones 2–530–100 ft
The northernmost American hardwood, a fast poplar for wet ground whose sticky spring buds fill the air with the scent of balm of Gilead.
Bartram's Serviceberry
Amelanchier bartramianaShrubZones 2–72–8 ft
The most northern of the eastern serviceberries, a low shrub of cool bogs and mountain woods with white flowers and pear-shaped purple fruit.
Beaked Hazelnut
Corylus cornutaShrubZones 3–84–10 ft
A small, suckering native hazel of northern and mountain woods, whose tasty nuts ripen inside bristly husks drawn out into a long beak.
Bear Huckleberry
Gaylussacia ursinaShrubZones 7–81–5 ft
A colony-forming huckleberry of southern Appalachian oak and pine woods, with greenish bells in May, glossy black berries and fall color.
Bebb's Willow
Salix bebbianaShrubZones 3–710–25 ft
A northern willow of streams and wet meadows, the main source of carved diamond willow, with spring catkins and twigs that moose and deer browse.
Bigleaf Magnolia
Magnolia macrophyllaMedium treeZones 5–930–40 ft
The largest simple leaves and flowers of any tree native to North America, with leaves up to 3 feet long and fragrant white flowers up to 14 inches across.
Bigleaf Snowbell
Styrax grandifoliusShrubZones 6–98–20 ft
Leaves up to 8 inches long and sprays of fragrant white bells in April and May, on a native shrub for shady, well-drained woods.
Bitternut Hickory
Carya cordiformisLarge treeZones 4–950–80 ft
The hardiest hickory and the fastest-growing, with sulfur-yellow winter buds and clear yellow fall color, on a tree nurseries seldom carry.
Black Cherry
Prunus serotinaLarge treeZones 2–950–80 ft
The largest native cherry, a fast-growing tree with drooping spikes of white flowers in spring and black cherries in summer for birds, bears and jelly.
Black Chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpaShrubZones 3–83–6 ft
White spring flowers, glossy black antioxidant-rich berries and some of the best red fall color of any shrub.
Black Elderberry
Sambucus canadensisShrubZones 3–96–12 ft
Broad white flower plates in June, purple-black berries in August, and a magnet for dozens of bird species.
Black Gum (Tupelo)
Nyssa sylvaticaLarge treeZones 4–940–70 ft
Blazing scarlet fall color, superb bee forage, and one of the longest-lived hardwoods in the East.
Black Hickory
Carya texanaMedium treeZones 5–930–80 ft
A hickory of dry, rocky hills, with near-black, deeply furrowed bark, rusty-scaled buds and small, sweet nuts.
Black Huckleberry
Gaylussacia baccataShrubZones 3–71–3 ft
A low, colony-forming shrub of dry acid woods with sweet, seedy black berries and crimson fall leaves.
Black Locust
Robinia pseudoacaciaLarge treeZones 3–840–70 ft
Fragrant white flower clusters in May, the source of the lightest and most prized honey in the East.
Black Maple
Acer nigrumLarge treeZones 3–860–75 ft
A sugar maple for warmer, drier ground, with a dense rounded crown, nearly black furrowed bark and sap that boils down to syrup.
Black Oak
Quercus velutinaLarge treeZones 3–950–80 ft
A tough red oak of dry ridges, sand and rocky slopes, with yellow inner bark once used for dye and acorns that feed turkeys and deer.
Black Raspberry
Rubus occidentalisShrubZones 3–83–6 ft
The eastern native blackcap, with arching canes dusted white and sweet purple-black berries in early summer for jam, pies and the birds.
Black Walnut
Juglans nigraLarge treeZones 4–970–100 ft
Rich, strong-flavored nuts and the most valuable timber in the East, on a fast-growing tree for big spaces.
Blackhaw Viburnum
Viburnum prunifoliumShrubZones 3–912–15 ft
A tough, tree-like viburnum with white spring flowers, purple-red fall color and sweet blue fruit.
Blackjack Oak
Quercus marilandicaSmall treeZones 5–920–40 ft
A tough red oak for poor, dry sand and clay, with leathery, bell-shaped leaves and near-black bark broken into blocks like alligator hide.
Blue Ash
Fraxinus quadrangulataLarge treeZones 4–850–70 ft
The one ash worth planting: square twigs, limestone-loving roots and real tolerance of emerald ash borer.
Blue Ridge St. John's-wort
Hypericum buckleyiShrubZones 5–81–2 ft
A low mat of small leaves and inch-wide golden flowers for a sunny rock garden, from the high peaks of the southern Blue Ridge.
Blueberry Hawthorn
Crataegus brachyacanthaSmall treeZones 4–920–50 ft
A tall southern hawthorn whose fruit wears a waxy blue bloom in late summer, with white spring flowers and brilliant orange and red fall color.
Bluff Oak
Quercus austrinaMedium treeZones 5–940–60 ft
A southern white oak of river bluffs and bottomland edges that grows into a straight-trunked shade tree, and one most nurseries still do not carry.
Bottlebrush Buckeye
Aesculus parvifloraShrubZones 4–98–12 ft
A shade shrub that spreads into a broad mound and lifts white flower spikes up to a foot long in early summer, when few other shrubs bloom.
Boynton Oak
Quercus boyntoniiShrubZones 8–96–20 ft
A critically endangered white oak that stays low and shrubby, spreading from underground stems into colonies on sandstone and deep sand.
Bracted Arrowwood
Viburnum bracteatumShrubZones 6–86–10 ft
A rare arrowwood of southern limestone bluffs, with flat clusters of white flowers in spring and oval blue-black fruit for birds.
Bristly Locust (Rose Locust)
Robinia hispidaShrubZones 5–83–8 ft
Rose-pink wisteria-like flowers in May on a suckering, nitrogen-fixing shrub for dry banks.
Buckthorn Bully
Sideroxylon lycioidesSmall treeZones 7–910–45 ft
A thorny small tree of stream banks and limestone bluffs, with clusters of tiny white flowers in summer and black fruit that birds and squirrels eat.
Buckwheat Tree
Cliftonia monophyllaSmall treeZones 7–1012–18 ft
An evergreen of southern bogs whose fragrant spring flowers feed honeybees, followed by winged fruits shaped like buckwheat grains.
Bur Oak
Quercus macrocarpaLarge treeZones 3–960–80 ft
A massive, drought-hardy oak of the prairie edge, with corky bark, a broad crown and the biggest acorns of any native oak in fringed, mossy cups.
Butternut
Juglans cinereaMedium treeZones 3–740–60 ft
The native white walnut, with sweet, oily nuts and ash-gray bark, now dying across its range from butternut canker.
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalisShrubZones 4–105–12 ft
A wetland shrub for pond edges and rain gardens, with round white pincushion flowers in summer that draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Cabbage Palmetto
Sabal palmettoMedium treeZones 7–1030–60 ft
The native tree palm of the Southeast coast, evergreen and salt-hardy, with fragrant summer flowers for bees and black fruit for wildlife.
Canada Buffaloberry
Shepherdia canadensisShrubZones 2–83–8 ft
A slow, thornless northern shrub that fixes its own nitrogen, with silvery, rust-flecked leaves and bitter red berries that bears and birds eat.
Canada Plum
Prunus nigraSmall treeZones 2–610–30 ft
The northernmost native plum, a hardy small tree with fragrant white flowers that blush pink as they age and red to yellow plums for jam.
Carolina Bog Laurel
Kalmia carolinaShrubZones 5–81–5 ft
Clusters of small pink cups ringed in red in April and May, on a low evergreen laurel of Southern bogs and wet pine savannas.
Carolina Buckthorn
Frangula carolinianaShrubZones 5–910–20 ft
Glossy leaves, red-to-black berries and yellow fall color on a native buckthorn that is nothing like the invasive ones.
Carolina Hemlock
Tsuga carolinianaMedium treeZones 6–740–60 ft
A rare hemlock of Appalachian cliffs, its glossy dark needles set all around each twig like a bottlebrush, for shade and cool, moist soil.
Carolina Jessamine
Gelsemium sempervirensShrubZones 6–1010–20 ft
A native evergreen vine that twines up a fence or arbor and covers itself in fragrant yellow trumpets from late winter into spring.
Carolina Laurelcherry
Prunus carolinianaSmall treeZones 7–1015–40 ft
A fast native evergreen for screens and hedges, with glossy leaves, fragrant late-winter flowers and black fruit for birds.
Carolina Silverbell
Halesia tetrapteraMedium treeZones 4–830–40 ft
Rows of white bell flowers hang beneath the branches in April on this graceful Appalachian understory tree.
Carolina Willow
Salix carolinianaSmall treeZones 6–1015–30 ft
The common small willow of southern swamps and stream banks, fast on wet ground, with early yellow catkins for bees and leaves that feed viceroys.
Catawba Rhododendron
Rhododendron catawbienseShrubZones 4–86–10 ft
Lilac-purple trusses of 15 to 20 flowers open in late spring on an evergreen shrub of Appalachian ridges, parent of the hardy garden rhododendrons.
Catberry
Ilex mucronataShrubZones 3–73–10 ft
A deciduous holly of northern bogs and lakeshores, with red summer berries on thread-like stalks and leaves that feed Columbia silkmoth caterpillars.
Cedar Elm
Ulmus crassifoliaLarge treeZones 6–950–70 ft
A tough shade tree with the smallest leaves of any native elm, flowers in late summer and clear yellow fall color, for dry or soggy clay.
Chalk Maple
Acer leucodermeSmall treeZones 5–925–30 ft
A small maple with chalky white bark and fall color from yellow to deep red, at home in sun or deep shade and on dry, rocky ground.
Chapman Oak
Quercus chapmaniiSmall treeZones 7–1010–25 ft
A small white oak of the southern coast with glossy leaves that turn red and yellow into winter, and acorns low in tannin.
Cherrybark Oak, Wye Island line
Quercus pagodaLarge treeZones 6–980–120 ft
Acorns and seedlings from a single outstanding cherrybark oak on Wye Island, Maryland: tall, straight and fast growing.
Chestnut Oak
Quercus montanaMedium treeZones 4–850–70 ft
The white oak of dry, rocky Appalachian ridges, with deeply ridged dark bark, chestnut-like leaves and big, sweet acorns that fall early.
Chickasaw Plum
Prunus angustifoliaSmall treeZones 5–94–20 ft
A thicket-forming wild plum that flowers white in late winter, before its leaves, and ripens tart red or yellow plums for jelly in early summer.
Chinese Chestnut
Castanea mollissimaMedium treeZones 4–940–60 ft
Blight-resistant chestnuts for the home orchard: large sweet nuts on a spreading, drought-tolerant tree.
Chinquapin Oak
Quercus muehlenbergiiMedium treeZones 3–940–60 ft
The white oak of limestone bluffs and glades, at home in alkaline soil, with glossy chestnut-like leaves and sweet acorns that wildlife and people eat.
Chokecherry
Prunus virginianaSmall treeZones 2–1020–30 ft
A tough, thicket-forming native cherry with fragrant white flower spikes in spring and dark red to black cherries for jelly, syrup and birds.
Cinnamon Clethra
Clethra acuminataShrubZones 6–78–20 ft
Peeling cinnamon-red bark and drooping spikes of spicy, fragrant white flowers in summer, on a tall shrub of Appalachian mountain slopes.
Clammy Locust
Robinia viscosaSmall treeZones 3–830–40 ft
A rare southern Appalachian locust with clusters of pale rose flowers in spring and sticky glands on its twigs, leaf stalks and pods.
Climbing Prairie Rose
Rosa setigeraShrubZones 4–83–15 ft
A native rose with long arching canes, rose-pink flowers that fade toward white in early summer, red hips for birds and bright fall leaves.
Clove Currant
Ribes aureum var. villosumShrubZones 2–73–10 ft
A thornless Plains currant whose golden yellow spring flowers smell of cloves, followed by sweet black berries for jam, jelly and pie.
Clusterspike Indigobush
Amorpha herbaceaShrubZones 7–102–4 ft
A low indigobush of southern sandhills whose clustered white to violet flower spikes feed native bees in early summer.
Coastal Azalea
Rhododendron atlanticumShrubZones 5–82–6 ft
Sweet, musky white flowers flushed pink open on knee-high stems in April and May, on a wild azalea that spreads by runners into drifts.
Cockspur Hawthorn
Crataegus crus-galliSmall treeZones 3–820–30 ft
A flat-topped native hawthorn with thorns 2 to 3 inches long, white flowers in May and June, and dull red haws that often hang on until January.
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalisLarge treeZones 2–940–60 ft
Sole host of the hackberry emperor and American snout, with sweet fruit held for waxwings and bluebirds until March. A tough tree for dry or city ground.
Common Hoptree (Wafer Ash)
Ptelea trifoliataSmall treeZones 4–910–20 ft
A small citrus-family tree for shade or dry rock, one of only two native giant swallowtail hosts in the Northeast. Papery wafer fruit hangs all winter.
Common Juniper
Juniperus communis var. depressaShrubZones 2–92–10 ft
A hardy, spreading evergreen shrub with sharp, silver-banded needles in threes and blue berrylike cones, for poor, dry, sunny ground.
Common Prickly Ash (Toothache Tree)
Zanthoxylum americanumShrubZones 3–810–20 ft
A thorny citrus-family thicket shrub, the giant swallowtail's other native host, with lemon-scented leaves and red capsules of shiny black seed.
Coral Bean
Erythrina herbaceaShrubZones 6–103–12 ft
Spikes of scarlet, tubular flowers on bare stems in spring draw hummingbirds, followed by black pods that split to show red seeds.
Corkwood
Leitneria floridanaShrubZones 5–95–20 ft
A rare swamp shrub whose wood is lighter than cork, forming thickets of slender stems in ground that stays wet or floods.
Creeping Blueberry
Vaccinium crassifoliumShrubZones 6–91–2 ft
An evergreen blueberry that creeps into a mat under a foot or so tall, with pink bells in April, black berries in summer and bronze new growth.
Creeping Juniper
Juniperus horizontalisShrubZones 2–91–2 ft
A slow, mat-forming evergreen of northern dunes, rocky shores and prairie slopes, with blue-green scale leaves that turn purplish in winter.
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolataShrubZones 5–930–50 ft
A native evergreen vine that climbs by sticky tendrils, with orange and yellow trumpet flowers that feed hummingbirds in early spring.
Cucumber Magnolia
Magnolia acuminataLarge treeZones 3–850–80 ft
The hardiest and largest native magnolia, a fast-growing shade tree with cucumber-shaped fruit that ripens to red.
Cumberland Azalea
Rhododendron cumberlandenseShrubZones 4–83–7 ft
Red to orange flowers in June and July, after the leaves are out, from a low wild azalea of the Cumberland Plateau and nearby mountains.
Cumberland Rosemary
Conradina verticillataShrubZones 5–91–2 ft
A federally threatened mint of Cumberland Plateau river bars, a low evergreen mat with rosemary-scented leaves and lavender-pink spring flowers.
Dahoon
Ilex cassineSmall treeZones 7–1020–30 ft
An evergreen holly of southern swamps with glossy, nearly spineless leaves and, on female trees, bright red berries through fall and winter.
Dangleberry
Gaylussacia frondosaShrubZones 5–92–6 ft
A huckleberry for sandy, acid ground, damp or dry, that spreads into thickets hung with sweet blue berries in summer and turns orange in fall.
Darrow's Blueberry
Vaccinium darrowiiShrubZones 7–101–5 ft
A low evergreen blueberry of Gulf Coast pine flatwoods, with tiny blue-green leaves under a silvery bloom, pink-tinged bells and edible blue berries.
Deerberry
Vaccinium stamineumShrubZones 5–95–15 ft
Open white bells with yellow stamens in May, then dangling green to purple berries for grouse, turkeys and bears. The blueberry of dry sandy woods.
Delta Post Oak
Quercus similisLarge treeZones 7–960–80 ft
A post oak that tolerates wet feet, from the bottomlands of the lower Mississippi valley.
Devil's Walking Stick
Aralia spinosaSmall treeZones 4–910–20 ft
Two-foot heads of white flowers in August when little else blooms, then purple-black fruit for thrushes and waxwings, on a stem with leaves up to 5 feet long.
Devilwood
Cartrema americanaSmall treeZones 5–1015–30 ft
A native evergreen of the olive family for screens in sun or shade, with fragrant spring flowers and, on female trees, dark blue fruit for birds.
Downy Arrowwood
Viburnum rafinesqueanumShrubZones 3–83–10 ft
A small arrowwood for dry, shady woods, with flat white flower clusters in late spring, dark fruit for birds and purplish red fall leaves.
Downy Hawthorn
Crataegus mollisSmall treeZones 3–820–40 ft
Missouri's state flower, a broad native hawthorn that blooms early in spring, with soft, downy leaves and red haws up to an inch across.
Downy Serviceberry
Amelanchier arboreaSmall treeZones 4–915–25 ft
First to bloom in the woods, first fruit of summer, and orange-red fall color. A four-season small tree.
Durand Oak
Quercus sinuataLarge treeZones 5–950–75 ft
A southern white oak of creek bottoms and limestone bluffs, with pale bark that flakes away in papery scales and wavy leaves, often silvery beneath.
Dwarf Chinquapin Oak
Quercus prinoidesShrubZones 4–86–15 ft
A true shrub oak that starts dropping sweet, low-tannin acorns within a few years of planting.
Dwarf Hackberry
Celtis tenuifoliaSmall treeZones 4–915–30 ft
A small, twisting hackberry for dry, rocky ground, with sweet orange fruit for birds and leaves that feed hackberry emperor caterpillars.
Dwarf Live Oak
Quercus minimaShrubZones 7–101–3 ft
A knee-high live oak that spreads from underground stems into evergreen patches and can bear acorns just three years from seed.
Dwarf Palmetto
Sabal minorShrubZones 7–104–10 ft
A hardy palm for wet shade whose trunk stays underground, sending up evergreen fans up to 5 feet across and tall stalks of fragrant flowers.
Dwarf Pawpaw
Asimina parvifloraShrubZones 7–103–12 ft
A pawpaw in miniature for dry southern woods, with maroon spring flowers, small sweet fruit and leaves that feed zebra swallowtail caterpillars.
Dwarf Witch Alder
Fothergilla gardeniiShrubZones 5–82–3 ft
A small shrub of coastal plain bogs with honey-scented white bottlebrush flowers before the leaves in spring, and red, orange and yellow fall color.
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensisLarge treeZones 3–740–100 ft
A graceful evergreen of cool northern woods and Appalachian ravines, with flat sprays of fine needles and tiny cones, that grows even in deep shade.
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginianaMedium treeZones 2–930–50 ft
A tough evergreen for windbreaks and screens on dry, poor ground, whose frosted blue cones on female trees feed cedar waxwings and other birds all winter.
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensisSmall treeZones 4–920–30 ft
Magenta flowers on bare branches in early spring, heart-shaped leaves and a graceful spreading crown.
Eastern Wahoo
Euonymus atropurpureusShrubZones 3–96–20 ft
A native shrub or small tree of rich woods and stream banks, with dark purple flowers, yellow to red fall leaves and pink capsules that open on scarlet seeds.
Elliott's Blueberry
Vaccinium elliottiiShrubZones 5–94–10 ft
A wild southern blueberry that hangs white bells on bare twigs before its leaves, ripens sweet black berries by early summer and turns scarlet in fall.
Eve's Necklace
Styphnolobium affineSmall treeZones 7–915–30 ft
A small tree of limestone country with fragrant, rose-pink flowers like wisteria in spring and black pods like strings of beads, for dry, well-drained ground.
Evergreen Bayberry
Morella caroliniensisShrubZones 6–98–12 ft
A colony-forming bayberry of southern bogs and swamps, with spicy-scented leaves and gray-white waxy fruit that feeds birds through the winter.
Farkleberry
Vaccinium arboreumSmall treeZones 6–1010–25 ft
The tree of the blueberry genus, with fragrant white bells in spring, glossy leaves that redden in fall and black berries that hang into winter.
Fevertree
Pinckneya bracteataSmall treeZones 7–910–20 ft
Sepals of pink, rose or white, as showy as a poinsettia's, light up this small tree of southern swamp edges for weeks in early summer.
Flag Pawpaw
Asimina obovataShrubZones 8–106–15 ft
A Florida pawpaw of sand ridges and scrub, with large lemon-scented white flowers from late winter and green fruit that people and wildlife eat.
Flame Azalea
Rhododendron calendulaceumShrubZones 5–74–12 ft
Clusters of yellow, orange or scarlet funnels with long stamens in May and June, from one of the showiest shrubs of the southern Appalachians.
Flatwoods Plum
Prunus umbellataSmall treeZones 4–1012–20 ft
A small, single-trunked southern plum that clouds over with white bloom before its leaves, then ripens tart to sweet purple plums for jelly and wildlife.
Florida Anise
Illicium floridanumShrubZones 6–106–10 ft
A fast-growing evergreen for shade and wet ground, with leaves that smell of anise when crushed and nodding, dark red spring flowers.
Florida Bully
Sideroxylon reclinatumShrubZones 8–105–15 ft
A thorny shrub of floodplain woods and wet pinelands in the Deep South, with tiny white spring flowers and small black berries that birds eat.
Florida Maple
Acer floridanumMedium treeZones 5–920–60 ft
A southern cousin of sugar maple, at home in heat and humidity, with yellow to orange fall color and a rounded crown for shade.
Florida Swamp Privet
Forestiera segregataShrubZones 8–105–15 ft
A tough native shrub of southeastern coasts that shrugs off salt wind and drought, with blue-black fruit that ripens early for songbirds.
Florida Torreya
Torreya taxifoliaSmall treeZones 5–930–50 ft
A critically endangered evergreen of the yew family from the Apalachicola River bluffs, with glossy, sharp-tipped needles and purple-streaked seed.
Florida Yew
Taxus floridanaSmall treeZones 6–1012–25 ft
A rare yew of the Apalachicola River ravines, a bushy evergreen small tree for shade in warm Southern gardens, with red fruit on female trees.
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus floridaSmall treeZones 5–915–30 ft
The classic spring understory tree: white bracts in April, red berries and burgundy leaves in fall.
Fox Grape
Vitis labruscaShrubZones 5–820–40 ft
The eastern wild grape behind Concord, a climbing vine whose large, musky, slip-skin grapes ripen in early fall for jelly, juice and wildlife.
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromaticaShrubZones 3–92–6 ft
A low, thicket-forming sumac for dry banks, with lemon-scented leaves, fuzzy red fruit for birds and orange to red fall color.
Franklin Tree
Franklinia alatamahaSmall treeZones 5–910–25 ft
Extinct in the wild since 1803, the Franklin tree opens fragrant white flowers from July until frost among leaves that turn red in fall.
Fraser Fir
Abies fraseriMedium treeZones 4–730–55 ft
The fragrant Christmas-tree fir of the southern Appalachian peaks, a narrow, spire-shaped evergreen now rare in the wild.
Fraser Magnolia
Magnolia fraseriMedium treeZones 5–930–50 ft
An Appalachian magnolia with creamy flowers 8 to 10 inches across set in whorls of big, ear-lobed leaves, and rosy red cones in late summer.
Georgia Oak
Quercus georgianaSmall treeZones 5–825–50 ft
A rare red oak from the granite outcrops of Georgia and Alabama, with glossy lobed leaves that turn red in fall and hang on into winter.
Georgia Plume
Elliottia racemosaSmall treeZones 6–910–16 ft
Upright plumes of white flowers in midsummer and bright red leaves in fall, on a rare small tree found wild only in Georgia.
Golden St. John's-wort
Hypericum frondosumShrubZones 5–82–10 ft
A rounded shrub of limestone glades with blue-green leaves and golden flowers up to 1.75 inches across, each a brush of stamens, in June and July.
Grape Honeysuckle
Lonicera reticulataShrubZones 4–83–15 ft
A native midwestern honeysuckle with round, blue-green leaves, whorls of pale yellow flowers in late spring and clusters of red berries in fall.
Gray Birch
Betula populifoliaSmall treeZones 3–820–40 ft
A fast, small birch with chalky white bark that does not peel, often growing as a clump of slender trunks on poor, sandy ground.
Gray Dogwood
Cornus racemosaShrubZones 4–84–10 ft
White berries on red stalks, about a third fat, feed migrating warblers and sparrows in September. A thicket shrub for dry or wet ground, sun or shade.
Green Alder
Alnus viridis subsp. crispaShrubZones 2–83–14 ft
The alder of the far North, a spreading, nitrogen-fixing shrub for stream banks and poor, gravelly ground, with catkins that open with the leaves.
Green Hawthorn
Crataegus viridisSmall treeZones 4–820–35 ft
A southern bottomland hawthorn, often with few thorns, that bears white flowers in spring and small red fruit that holds on well into winter.
Groundsel Bush
Baccharis halimifoliaShrubZones 5–105–12 ft
A fast native shrub for salt spray and wet ground on the coast, whose female plants turn silvery in fall with plumed seeds.
Gum Bumelia
Sideroxylon lanuginosumSmall treeZones 5–1015–45 ft
A thorny native tree for dry, rocky ground, with fragrant white flowers in early summer and shiny black fruit that birds eat into winter.
Hairy Blueberry
Vaccinium hirsutumShrubZones 7–81–3 ft
A low, colony-forming blueberry of the southern Appalachians, hairy in every part, down to its sweet, fuzzy, blue-black berries.
Hairy Honeysuckle
Lonicera hirsutaShrubZones 2–63–16 ft
A native twining vine for cold northern gardens, with whorls of yellow flowers in early summer and orange-red berries in fall.
Hairy Laurel
Kalmia hirsutaShrubZones 8–91–2 ft
A knee-high evergreen laurel of Southern sandhills, bristly in every part, with pink saucers spotted in red from May into July.
Harbison's Hawthorn
Crataegus harbisoniiSmall treeZones 5–810–26 ft
One of the rarest trees in the United States, a Tennessee hawthorn with white flowers about an inch across in May and orange-red haws in fall.
Heartleaf Paper Birch
Betula cordifoliaMedium treeZones 2–650–65 ft
The white birch of the high mountains and the far North, with heart-shaped leaves, orange fall color and bark that peels in pinkish-white sheets.
Hercules' Club
Zanthoxylum clava-herculisSmall treeZones 6–1015–40 ft
A spiny little tree of the southern coastal plain, its trunk studded with corky knobs, its leaves able to numb the tongue and feed giant swallowtails.
Hillside Blueberry
Vaccinium pallidumShrubZones 5–91–3 ft
A low wild blueberry of dry, rocky hillsides that spreads into colonies, with sweet blue berries in summer and scarlet leaves in fall.
Honeycup
Zenobia pulverulentaShrubZones 6–93–6 ft
Anise-scented white bells, like an oversized lily of the valley, hang in May and June from a rare shrub of southern coastal plain bogs.
Hop Hornbeam
Ostrya virginianaMedium treeZones 3–925–40 ft
A tough, shade-tolerant tree of dry upland woods with shreddy bark and hop-like seed clusters.
Hortulan Plum
Prunus hortulanaSmall treeZones 5–720–30 ft
A wild plum that grows as a single small tree rather than a thicket, with white spring flowers and red or yellow plums about an inch across in late summer.
Indigobush (False Indigo)
Amorpha fruticosaShrubZones 4–96–12 ft
Purple flower spikes with orange stamens in June, on a nitrogen-fixing shrub for streambanks and hot dry edges.
Inkberry
Ilex glabraShrubZones 4–105–10 ft
An evergreen holly with glossy, spineless leaves for hedges and screens on damp, acid ground, and black berries all winter on female plants.
Jack Pine
Pinus banksianaMedium treeZones 2–735–65 ft
The hardy pine of the far North, with short, twisted needles and curved cones sealed shut for years, for the poorest, driest sand.
Kalm's St. John's-wort
Hypericum kalmianumShrubZones 4–72–4 ft
A dense, low shrub of Great Lakes shores with narrow, bluish-green leaves, covered for a month in midsummer with golden flowers.
Kentucky Coffeetree
Gymnocladus dioicusLarge treeZones 3–860–80 ft
Bold, coarse and nearly indestructible: a rare native shade tree for tough sites and cold climates.
Labrador Tea
Rhododendron groenlandicumShrubZones 2–81–5 ft
A low evergreen shrub of northern bogs, with rounded clusters of small white flowers and leathery, fragrant leaves felted rusty beneath.
Large Cranberry
Vaccinium macrocarponShrubZones 2–71 ft
A low evergreen mat of wiry runners, with pink crane-like flowers in early summer and red fall berries, the wild parent of the cultivated cranberry.
Laurel Oak
Quercus hemisphaericaMedium treeZones 6–1040–60 ft
A fast, nearly evergreen red oak of southern sandhills and stream banks, whose glossy leaves hang on until the new ones open in spring.
Limber Honeysuckle
Lonicera dioicaShrubZones 3–73–10 ft
A low native honeysuckle that twines up a fence or sprawls as a shrub, with whorls of yellow to red flowers for hummingbirds and red berries for birds.
Lingonberry
Vaccinium vitis-idaea subsp. minusShrubZones 2–61 ft
A low evergreen of northern rocks and bogs, with pink bell flowers and tart red berries for sauce and jam, for gardens with cold winters.
Little Walnut
Juglans microcarpaSmall treeZones 5–920–30 ft
The smallest of the walnuts, a drought-hardy tree of Texas and the southern Plains with fine, narrow leaflets and marble-sized nuts.
Littlehip Hawthorn
Crataegus spathulataSmall treeZones 5–910–26 ft
A slow, small tree prized for its peeling bark of gray, orange, olive and brown, with tiny spoon-shaped leaves, white spring flowers and red haws.
Live Oak
Quercus virginianaLarge treeZones 7–1040–80 ft
The evergreen oak of the southern coast, with a vast, low crown of sweeping limbs that stands salt spray and hurricanes and can live for centuries.
Lloyd's St. John's-wort
Hypericum lloydiiShrubZones 6–91–2 ft
A low, spreading shrub of sandhills and granite outcrops, with fragrant, needle-like leaves and golden flowers from June into September.
Loblolly Bay
Gordonia lasianthusMedium treeZones 7–935–60 ft
Fragrant white flowers like a camellia's from June into September, on a narrow evergreen tree of southern bays for wet, acid ground.
Long-stalked Holly
Ilex collinaShrubZones 5–710–13 ft
A rare deciduous holly of high Appalachian streams and bogs, with bright red berries that dangle on stalks up to an inch long.
Longleaf Pine
Pinus palustrisLarge treeZones 7–1060–120 ft
The great pine of the southern sandhills, with needles up to 18 inches long and a grass stage that hides it for years, for sun and dry, sandy ground.
Maleberry
Lyonia ligustrinaShrubZones 5–96–12 ft
A tough native heath of swamp edge and dry ridge, hung with white bells in June for four rare specialist bees, that almost no nursery grows.
Maple-leaf Oak
Quercus acerifoliaSmall treeZones 5–920–50 ft
A rare red oak of a few Arkansas mountaintops, with broad leaves shaped like a sugar maple's that turn red in fall.
Mapleleaf Viburnum
Viburnum acerifoliumShrubZones 3–83–6 ft
A small viburnum for shade, with maple-shaped leaves that turn pink, magenta and purple in fall and blue-black berries for birds.
Mayhaw
Crataegus aestivalisSmall treeZones 4–1010–40 ft
A thorny native hawthorn of southern swamps that flowers white in late winter and ripens tart red fruit in May, the fruit of mayhaw jelly.
Mexican Plum
Prunus mexicanaSmall treeZones 5–910–35 ft
A single-trunked wild plum that does not sucker, with fragrant white bloom before the leaves and purple plums for eating fresh or for jelly.
Michaux's Sumac
Rhus michauxiiShrubZones 7–81–3 ft
A rare, low sumac of sandy and rocky open woods in North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, densely hairy all over, with red fruit on female plants.
Minnie-bush
Rhododendron pilosumShrubZones 5–73–6 ft
Small nodding bells of greenish white flushed with red in late spring, on an upright mountain shrub with hairy leaves and shreddy bark.
Missouri River Willow
Salix eriocephalaShrubZones 3–96–20 ft
A fast native willow of stream banks and wet meadows whose silky catkins open among the first flowers of spring, feeding emerging bees.
Mockernut Hickory
Carya tomentosaLarge treeZones 4–960–80 ft
A squirrel's preferred mast, with citrus-scented leaves, fat furry winter buds and clear gold fall color, on a hickory the trade seldom sells.
Mountain Bush-honeysuckle
Diervilla rivularisShrubZones 5–83–6 ft
A rare, colony-forming shrub of southern Appalachian bluffs, with clusters of pale yellow summer flowers, hairy leaves and yellow and red fall color.
Mountain Fetterbush
Pieris floribundaShrubZones 4–63–6 ft
A compact evergreen of southern Appalachian balds, with upright clusters of fragrant white bells in spring from buds that show all winter.
Mountain Fly Honeysuckle
Lonicera villosaShrubZones 3–61–5 ft
A small native shrub of northern bogs and wet woods, a wild relative of the haskap, with paired pale yellow flowers and edible blue berries.
Mountain Indigobush
Amorpha glabraShrubZones 7–83–6 ft
A smooth-leaved indigobush of Appalachian ridges and slopes, 3 to 6 feet tall, with purple flower spikes and golden anthers in early summer.
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifoliaShrubZones 4–95–12 ft
Native evergreen with clusters of origami-like pink and white flowers in June and twisted, sculptural trunks.
Mountain Maple
Acer spicatumSmall treeZones 2–710–25 ft
A shade-loving small maple with upright spikes of tiny flowers in early summer and leaves that turn yellow, orange and red in fall.
Mountain Winterberry
Ilex montanaSmall treeZones 5–1020–40 ft
A deciduous holly of moist Appalachian slopes, with leaves up to 6 inches long and red fruit larger than most hollies bear, a favorite of birds.
Mountain Witch Alder
Fothergilla majorShrubZones 4–86–10 ft
Honey-scented white bottlebrush flowers in April and leaves that turn yellow, orange and red in fall, on a rare shrub of southern mountains.
Muscadine
Vitis rotundifoliaShrubZones 5–930–90 ft
The South's native grape vine, with thick-skinned purple-black or bronze grapes in late summer and fall for eating fresh, jelly, wine and wildlife.
Myrtle Dahoon
Ilex myrtifoliaSmall treeZones 7–1015–25 ft
A small-leaved evergreen holly of southern swamp edges, with thick, shiny leaves like a myrtle's and red berries that last into spring.
Nannyberry
Viburnum lentagoShrubZones 2–912–18 ft
A big, adaptable viburnum with creamy flowers, edible blue-black fruit and wine-red fall color.
Nantucket Serviceberry
Amelanchier nantucketensisShrubZones 3–82–6 ft
A rare, low serviceberry of the sandy Atlantic coast that spreads into a colony: white flowers in May and edible blue berries by July.
Needle Palm
Rhapidophyllum hystrixShrubZones 6–103–6 ft
One of the hardiest palms, a trunkless clump of glossy fans up to 30 inches across, guarded at the base by long black needles.
Netted Pawpaw
Asimina reticulataShrubZones 8–101–5 ft
A low Florida pawpaw of flatwoods and scrub, with fragrant white flowers banded dark purple inside from winter into spring, and edible fruit.
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanusShrubZones 3–82–3 ft
A knee-high shrub for dry, poor ground, with fragrant white flower clusters in June that feed azures, hairstreaks and two bees that use almost nothing else.
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifoliusShrubZones 2–85–10 ft
Peeling bark, white flower balls in June, and a constitution that shrugs off drought, flood and cold.
Northern Bayberry
Morella pensylvanicaShrubZones 3–75–10 ft
Waxy gray berries hold above the snow all winter for yellow-rumped warblers, tree swallows and quail. A salt-tolerant shrub that fixes its own nitrogen.
Northern Catalpa
Catalpa speciosaLarge treeZones 4–840–70 ft
Orchid-like white flowers in June, giant heart-shaped leaves and a tolerance for almost any soil.
Northern Pecan
Carya illinoinensisLarge treeZones 5–970–100 ft
Northern-adapted pecan from the upper reaches of its range, ripening thin-shelled nuts in short seasons.
Northern Pin Oak
Quercus ellipsoidalisMedium treeZones 3–750–70 ft
The red oak of the Great Lakes sand plains, the most drought tolerant of its group, with deeply cut leaves that turn red in fall.
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubraLarge treeZones 3–850–75 ft
A fast, long-lived red oak with big, bristle-tipped leaves that turn russet to bright red in fall and acorns that feed turkeys, bears and deer.
Northern Snowberry
Symphoricarpos occidentalisShrubZones 3–71–5 ft
A tough native shrub of the northern prairies that spreads into low thickets, with pink summer flowers and greenish-white berries that hang on into winter.
Northern White Cedar
Thuja occidentalisMedium treeZones 2–740–60 ft
The wild arborvitae, a narrow, fragrant evergreen of northern cedar swamps and limestone cliffs that makes a dense screen.
Nutmeg Hickory
Carya myristiciformisLarge treeZones 7–980–100 ft
The rarest hickory, with leaves backed in silvery scales and sweet, thick-shelled nuts that look like nutmegs, from scattered stands across the South.
Nuttall Oak
Quercus texanaLarge treeZones 5–950–80 ft
A fast bottomland red oak for heavy, wet clay, with acorns that feed ducks, deer and turkeys and leaves that turn deep red late in fall.
Odorless Bayberry
Morella inodoraShrubZones 7–1010–20 ft
An evergreen bayberry of Gulf Coast swamps and bayheads whose leathery leaves, unlike those of other bayberries, have no scent when crushed.
Ogeechee Tupelo
Nyssa ogecheMedium treeZones 6–925–45 ft
The tree behind tupelo honey, with tart red fruit known as Ogeechee lime on the females, for ground that floods or stays wet.
Oglethorpe Oak
Quercus oglethorpensisLarge treeZones 6–950–80 ft
One of the rarest oaks in North America, with willow-like unlobed leaves and white-oak toughness.
Ohio Buckeye
Aesculus glabraMedium treeZones 3–720–40 ft
Ohio's state tree, among the first to leaf out, with upright clusters of greenish yellow flowers and glossy brown buckeyes in prickly husks.
Ouachita Indigobush
Amorpha ouachitensisShrubZones 5–83–6 ft
A rare indigobush of the Ouachita Mountains, 3 to 6 feet tall, with slender purple flower spikes up to 8 inches long in late spring.
Overcup Oak
Quercus lyrataLarge treeZones 5–940–60 ft
A bottomland white oak that stands in floodwater for months and then takes a dry summer in stride, with acorns almost swallowed by their cups.
Ozark Chinquapin
Castanea ozarkensisSmall treeZones 5–815–30 ft
The Ozarks' own chestnut, once a tree of 60 feet with sweet nuts for people and wildlife, now rare because chestnut blight kills its stems to the ground.
Ozark Witch Hazel
Hamamelis vernalisShrubZones 3–86–10 ft
Fragrant red, orange or yellow flowers on bare branches from January into March, the first bloom of the year, on a shrub that takes floods.
Pagoda Dogwood
Cornus alternifoliaSmall treeZones 3–815–25 ft
A small dogwood with branches held in flat tiers like a pagoda, cream flower clusters in late spring and blue-black fruit on red stalks.
Painted Buckeye
Aesculus sylvaticaSmall treeZones 6–810–20 ft
A small buckeye for part shade, with upright flower clusters in yellow, cream or pink that feed hummingbirds on their spring migration.
Parsley Hawthorn
Crataegus marshalliiSmall treeZones 4–97–25 ft
A small southern hawthorn with leaves cut fine as parsley, white flowers with red anthers in early spring, peeling bark and glossy scarlet fruit.
Pawpaw
Asimina trilobaSmall treeZones 5–915–30 ft
The largest native fruit in North America, custard-sweet and tropical, on an understory tree of rich bottomlands.
Peachleaf Willow
Salix amygdaloidesMedium treeZones 2–835–60 ft
The tallest native willow of the prairie states, a fast tree for stream banks and wet ground with peach-like leaves that are whitish beneath.
Pear Hawthorn
Crataegus calpodendronSmall treeZones 4–87–23 ft
One of the last hawthorns to bloom and one of the most shade-tolerant, a vase-shaped small tree with white flowers into June and small orange-red haws.
Piedmont Azalea
Rhododendron canescensShrubZones 5–106–15 ft
Fragrant pink flowers with long, upcurved stamens in early spring, from the most common wild azalea of the Southeast.
Piedmont Rhododendron
Rhododendron minusShrubZones 5–83–10 ft
One of the smaller evergreen rhododendrons, with trusses of pink to white flowers in spring and a heat tolerance few rhododendrons match.
Pignut Hickory
Carya glabraLarge treeZones 4–950–80 ft
The everyday hickory of Appalachian ridges: tight gray bark, pear-shaped nuts that fox and gray squirrels live on through winter and rich gold fall color.
Pin Cherry
Prunus pensylvanicaSmall treeZones 2–715–40 ft
A fast pioneer cherry that springs up after fire, with white spring flowers, shiny red-brown bark and sour red cherries for dozens of birds.
Pin Oak
Quercus palustrisLarge treeZones 4–850–70 ft
A fast red oak for wet, acid ground, shaped like a pyramid with drooping lower limbs, with deep red fall color and small acorns that feed ducks.
Pinkshell Azalea
Rhododendron vaseyiShrubZones 4–75–15 ft
Wide-open pink flowers on bare spring twigs, from a rare azalea that grows wild only in the mountains of North Carolina.
Pinxterbloom Azalea
Rhododendron periclymenoidesShrubZones 4–93–6 ft
Fragrant pink trumpets open on bare branches in April for bumble bees, hummingbirds and swallowtails. The deciduous wild azalea of Mid-Atlantic woods.
Piratebush
Buckleya distichophyllaShrubZones 6–76–12 ft
A rare shrub of Southern Appalachian slopes that draws on the roots of hemlock and other trees, with leaves in two flat rows and yellow-orange fruit.
Plateau Live Oak
Quercus fusiformisSmall treeZones 5–1020–40 ft
The common live oak of central Texas, green through the winter, with gnarled limbs that spread a great distance from a short trunk.
Pond Cypress
Taxodium ascendensMedium treeZones 5–1030–70 ft
A slim cousin of bald cypress whose skyward shoots turn orange-brown in fall, at home in standing water or on a dry lawn.
Pond Pine
Pinus serotinaMedium treeZones 7–940–70 ft
A pine for wet, acid ground whose round cones can stay shut on the branches for years, until the heat of a fire opens them.
Pondberry
Lindera melissifoliaShrubZones 7–92–6 ft
A rare, colony-forming spicebush of flooded woods and pond edges, with drooping, root-beer-scented leaves, early yellow flowers and red fruit.
Possumhaw
Ilex deciduaShrubZones 5–97–15 ft
A deciduous holly whose orange-red berries line the bare gray branches from September to March, feeding birds late in winter.
Possumhaw Viburnum
Viburnum nudumShrubZones 5–95–12 ft
A glossy-leaved viburnum for wet ground whose berries turn pink, blue and purplish black, often all at once in the same cluster.
Post Oak
Quercus stellataMedium treeZones 5–935–50 ft
A drought-hardy white oak of dry ridges and the Cross Timbers, with leathery, cross-shaped leaves, that can live 300 years or more.
Prairie Crabapple
Malus ioensisSmall treeZones 2–820–30 ft
The wild crabapple of the Midwest prairies, whose pink buds open to fragrant blossoms in spring before waxy green apples ripen for jelly and wildlife.
Prairie Redroot
Ceanothus herbaceusShrubZones 4–82–3 ft
A knee-high prairie shrub for dry, limy ground, with round clusters of white flowers in spring that feed bees and butterflies, and roots that fix nitrogen.
Prairie Rose
Rosa arkansanaShrubZones 3–71–5 ft
A low, prickly rose of the Plains whose stems often die back to near the ground, with clusters of pink flowers in early summer and orange-red hips into winter.
Prickly Rose
Rosa acicularis subsp. sayiShrubZones 2–63–8 ft
The wild rose of the northern forests, a thicket of bristly stems with fragrant pink flowers in early summer and red hips that last the winter.
Pygmy Fringetree
Chionanthus pygmaeusShrubZones 7–103–12 ft
A rare dwarf fringetree from the sand ridges of central Florida, with showy clusters of fragrant white flowers in early spring and inch-long fruit.
Rabbiteye Blueberry
Vaccinium virgatumShrubZones 7–96–15 ft
The tall blueberry of Southern gardens, with white or pink bells in spring and sweet blue berries through summer, tougher in heat and drought than highbush.
Red Buckeye
Aesculus paviaSmall treeZones 4–910–25 ft
A small buckeye for part shade whose upright clusters of tubular red flowers open in early spring, in time for the returning hummingbirds.
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifoliaShrubZones 3–96–12 ft
A tall, suckering shrub of bogs and swamps with white spring flowers, glossy red fruit that hangs into winter and blazing red fall leaves.
Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosaShrubZones 3–78–12 ft
Cone-shaped white flowers in April and glowing red berries by June, the earliest berry crop for birds.
Red Hickory
Carya ovalisLarge treeZones 4–860–100 ft
An upland hickory with sweet nuts, leafstalks often tinged red and gray bark that turns slightly shaggy with age.
Red Mulberry
Morus rubraMedium treeZones 4–935–50 ft
The native mulberry, with big sandpapery leaves and long, sweet, dark fruit that birds and people fight over.
Red Osier Dogwood
Cornus sericeaShrubZones 2–76–12 ft
A fast, thicket-forming shrub of wet ground whose young stems turn bright red after the leaves fall and glow against snow all winter.
Red Pine
Pinus resinosaLarge treeZones 2–550–80 ft
A tall, straight northern pine with reddish, plated bark and long needles in pairs, for windbreaks on dry, sandy ground where summers stay cool.
Red Spruce
Picea rubensLarge treeZones 2–660–75 ft
The native spruce of the Northeast and the high Appalachians, a narrow, long-lived evergreen for cool, moist, acid ground.
Redbay
Persea borboniaMedium treeZones 7–1030–60 ft
A spicy-leaved evergreen of the southern coast, with dark blue fruit for birds, now dying across much of its range from laurel wilt.
Rhodora
Rhododendron canadenseShrubZones 4–61–3 ft
Rose-purple, two-lipped azalea flowers on bare twigs in May, lighting up the bogs and wet woods of the Northeast before the leaves.
River Birch
Betula nigraMedium treeZones 3–940–70 ft
A fast birch for wet ground and southern heat, with salmon to cinnamon bark that peels in papery curls and shows all winter.
Riverbank Grape
Vitis ripariaShrubZones 2–935–75 ft
A hardy native grape vine that climbs by tendrils along streams and fences, with fragrant spring flowers and tart blue-black grapes for birds and jelly.
Rock Elm
Ulmus thomasiiLarge treeZones 2–970–90 ft
The elm with the hardest, strongest wood, a tall tree of limestone ridges and rich woods with corky-winged branches and seed that wildlife relish.
Roseshell Azalea
Rhododendron prinophyllumShrubZones 3–83–10 ft
Bright pink, clove-scented flower clusters in spring on a wild azalea hardy enough to grow from southern Quebec to the Ozarks.
Roughleaf Dogwood
Cornus drummondiiShrubZones 5–86–15 ft
A fast thicket dogwood for dry or wet ground, with creamy flowers in late spring and white berries that dozens of kinds of birds eat.
Roundleaf Serviceberry
Amelanchier sanguineaShrubZones 2–83–23 ft
A shrub of rocky slopes and sandy woods with nearly round leaves, white spring flowers and sweet dark purple fruit, rare at the edges of its range.
Running Serviceberry
Amelanchier spicataShrubZones 3–81–6 ft
A low serviceberry that spreads by runners into thickets on rocky ground, with white flowers in spring and purple-black fruit for birds in summer.
Rusty Blackhaw
Viburnum rufidulumSmall treeZones 5–910–20 ft
Glossy, leathery leaves that turn deep red in fall, white flower clusters in spring and sweet blue fruit, on a small southern tree.
Sand Cherry
Prunus pumilaShrubZones 3–81–8 ft
A low, tough shrub of dunes, beaches and sandy prairies, with white spring flowers and purple-black cherries for jam from its second or third year.
Sand Hickory
Carya pallidaLarge treeZones 5–940–100 ft
A hickory of dry, sandy woods and ridges, with silvery scales beneath its leaves and small, sweet nuts.
Sand Live Oak
Quercus geminataSmall treeZones 7–1020–50 ft
A smaller, tougher cousin of live oak for deep, dry sand, evergreen and wind-firm, with acorns that often hang in pairs.
Sand Myrtle
Kalmia buxifoliaShrubZones 6–81–3 ft
A low, dense evergreen with tiny glossy leaves that turn bronze in winter, smothered in pink buds and white starry flowers in spring.
Saskatoon
Amelanchier alnifoliaShrubZones 2–93–26 ft
A suckering shrub of the northern Plains and the West, with fragrant white flowers in spring and sweet purple-black berries for pies and jam.
Sassafras
Sassafras albidumMedium treeZones 4–930–60 ft
Mitten leaves, orange fall color and fat-rich blue berries on red stalks that thrushes and flycatchers strip in late summer. Host of the spicebush swallowtail.
Saw Palmetto
Serenoa repensShrubZones 8–103–8 ft
A low, creeping palm with stiff fans on saw-toothed stalks, fragrant flowers for bees and fruit for bears, deer and birds.
Scentless Mock Orange
Philadelphus inodorusShrubZones 5–106–12 ft
A tall, arching southern shrub that covers itself in big white four-petaled flowers in spring, easy in sun or part shade and tolerant of drought.
Scrub Hickory
Carya floridanaSmall treeZones 8–1010–30 ft
A small hickory of Florida's dry scrub sand, with sweet, hard-shelled nuts and rusty scales beneath its leaves.
Seaside Alder
Alnus maritimaShrubZones 3–912–30 ft
The one native alder that blooms in fall, hanging gold catkins in August and September on a rare shrub that stands in water and feeds its own soil.
September Elm
Ulmus serotinaLarge treeZones 4–860–70 ft
A rare southern elm that blooms in September and ripens fringed seed by November, a fast-growing shade tree of limestone bluffs and stream sides.
Shadblow Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensisSmall treeZones 3–86–25 ft
A clump-forming serviceberry of swamps and wet thickets, with upright white flower clusters in early spring and sweet purple-black berries by June.
Shagbark Hickory
Carya ovataLarge treeZones 4–960–90 ft
Peeling plated bark, golden fall color and the sweetest wild nut in the eastern forest.
Sheep Laurel
Kalmia angustifoliaShrubZones 2–81–5 ft
A low evergreen shrub of northern bogs and barrens, with rose-pink flowers ringing the stems in early summer. Every part is poisonous to livestock.
Shellbark Hickory (Kingnut)
Carya laciniosaLarge treeZones 5–860–80 ft
The largest hickory nut, sweet and thick shelled, on a shaggy-barked tree of river bottoms that stands spring floods. Rare in the wild and rarer in nurseries.
Shingle Oak
Quercus imbricariaMedium treeZones 4–840–60 ft
A red oak with long, glossy leaves that have no lobes at all, turning russet in fall and clinging to the branches through winter.
Shining Indigobush
Amorpha nitensShrubZones 7–93–10 ft
A rare indigobush of southern stream banks and wooded slopes, with glossy leaflets and dark purple spikes lit by orange anthers in spring.
Showy Mountain Ash
Sorbus decoraSmall treeZones 2–620–40 ft
A small tree of the far North, with flat clusters of white flowers and heavy bunches of scarlet berries that bend the branches and feed birds.
Shumard Oak
Quercus shumardiiLarge treeZones 5–950–80 ft
A big red oak for shade, with deeply cut leaves that turn red early in fall, at home on moist bottomland or on dry, limy ground.
Silky Dogwood
Cornus amomumShrubZones 4–86–12 ft
Creamy flower clusters in June, porcelain-blue berries in September and purple-red winter stems for wet spots.
Slimleaf Pawpaw
Asimina longifoliaShrubZones 8–93–6 ft
A pawpaw of southern sandhills and pine savannas with long, slim leaves, nodding white fragrant flowers in spring and summer, and edible fruit.
Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubraMedium treeZones 3–940–70 ft
The elm of the slippery inner bark, a fast, shade-tolerant tree of moist slopes and bottomlands, best grown in a wild corner among trees of other kinds.
Smooth Winterberry
Ilex laevigataShrubZones 5–86–10 ft
A deciduous holly of East Coast swamps with glossy leaves that turn yellow in fall and orange-red berries that feed birds through winter.
Sourwood
Oxydendrum arboreumMedium treeZones 5–925–50 ft
Lily-of-the-valley flowers in July, the famous sourwood honey, and fall color that rivals any maple.
Southern Bush-honeysuckle
Diervilla sessilifoliaShrubZones 4–83–5 ft
A tough, suckering native shrub of southern mountain balds and rocky slopes, with clusters of sulfur-yellow summer flowers for bumble bees.
Southern Catalpa
Catalpa bignonioidesMedium treeZones 5–930–60 ft
Upright clusters of white flowers spotted purple and yellow in May and June, then long bean-like pods, on the fast-growing catalpa native to the Gulf states.
Southern Crabapple
Malus angustifoliaSmall treeZones 4–920–30 ft
A southern wild crabapple whose pink blossoms smell of violets in spring, followed by small, sour, yellow-green apples for jelly and wildlife.
Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandifloraLarge treeZones 6–1060–80 ft
An evergreen shade tree with glossy leaves, often felted rusty brown beneath, and lemon-scented white flowers 8 to 12 inches across in late spring.
Southern Pawpaw
Asimina pygmeaShrubZones 8–91–2 ft
A pawpaw only a foot or two tall, of Florida and Georgia flatwoods, with maroon flowers in spring and fruit that gopher tortoises eat.
Southern Red Oak
Quercus falcataLarge treeZones 6–960–80 ft
A common upland red oak of the South, at home on poor, dry sand or clay, with long-lobed leaves and small acorns for wildlife.
Spanish Dagger
Yucca gloriosaShrubZones 6–103–16 ft
A coastal yucca whose sword-shaped leaves rise in time on a woody trunk, crowned by tall spikes of nodding, creamy white bells.
Spicebush
Lindera benzoinShrubZones 4–96–12 ft
Yellow flowers in March, spicy-scented leaves, red berries for thrushes and the host plant of the spicebush swallowtail.
Spruce Pine
Pinus glabraLarge treeZones 7–940–80 ft
A soft-needled pine of southern river bottoms, one of the few pines that grows in part shade, for moist ground or a tall screen.
Squashberry
Viburnum eduleShrubZones 2–82–7 ft
A northern viburnum with lobed leaves that turn brilliant red in fall and sour red fruit for jam, for cool, moist woods and stream banks.
Staggerbush
Lyonia marianaShrubZones 5–92–6 ft
Nodding clusters of white bells up to half an inch long on bare twigs in spring, then bright red leaves in fall, on a sandy-soil shrub.
Staghorn Sumac
Rhus typhinaShrubZones 3–915–25 ft
Fuzzy antler-like branches, fiery orange-red fall color and red fruit cones that feed birds through the winter.
Streambank Mock Orange
Philadelphus hirsutusShrubZones 4–103–10 ft
A thin, arching southern shrub of rocky bluffs and stream banks, with white spring flowers and leaves that are white and hairy beneath.
Sugarberry
Celtis laevigataLarge treeZones 5–1050–80 ft
The hackberry of southern bottomlands, a fast shade tree for wet or dry ground, with warty gray bark and sweet fruit that birds eat into winter.
Summer Grape
Vitis aestivalisShrubZones 4–925–70 ft
An eastern native grape of dry upland woods that climbs by tendrils into the treetops, with clusters of small blue-black grapes from late summer.
Swamp Azalea
Rhododendron viscosumShrubZones 4–93–8 ft
Sticky, clove-scented white flowers from May to July, one of the last wild azaleas to bloom, on a shrub that takes wet, acid ground.
Swamp Chestnut Oak, select line
Quercus michauxiiLarge treeZones 4–960–90 ft
Huge, sweet acorns and clean chestnut-like foliage, collected from a superior parent tree.
Swamp Cottonwood
Populus heterophyllaLarge treeZones 6–970–90 ft
A big poplar for swamps and sloughs, with heart-shaped leaves up to 8 inches long that open in white down, rare at the north end of its range.
Swamp Doghobble
Eubotrys racemosaShrubZones 5–94–10 ft
Arching sprays of white bell flowers in May on a deciduous heath shrub for wet, acid ground in sun or part shade.
Swamp Laurel Oak
Quercus laurifoliaLarge treeZones 6–1040–80 ft
A fast red oak for wet southern ground, with glossy leaves that are often diamond-shaped and big acorn crops that turkeys and deer seek out.
Swamp Privet
Forestiera acuminataSmall treeZones 6–98–30 ft
A native of swamps and wet woods whose yellow flowers open on bare branches in early spring, followed on female trees by purple fruit that ducks eat.
Swamp Tupelo
Nyssa bifloraLarge treeZones 6–960–80 ft
A tupelo for southern swamps and pond edges, with a swollen base, red fall color and spring flowers that bees make into tupelo honey.
Swamp White Oak
Quercus bicolorMedium treeZones 3–850–60 ft
A white oak for wet ground, with peeling bark, two-toned leaves that flash silver in the wind and acorns that hang on long, slender stalks.
Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescensShrubZones 4–88–20 ft
Very fragrant white flowers with red stamens in late spring and early summer, among the last wild azaleas to bloom.
Sweet Birch (Black Birch)
Betula lentaMedium treeZones 3–840–70 ft
Wintergreen-scented twigs, tight cherry-like black bark that never peels and clear gold fall color on the birch that feeds 284 kinds of caterpillars.
Sweet Gale
Myrica galeShrubZones 2–62–6 ft
A fragrant shrub of northern bogs and lake shores, with resin-dotted leaves that smell sweet when crushed and roots that fix their own nitrogen.
Sweet Pepperbush (Summersweet)
Clethra alnifoliaShrubZones 3–94–8 ft
Spires of intensely fragrant white flowers in August, when almost nothing else is blooming, and bees know it.
Sweetbay Magnolia
Magnolia virginianaSmall treeZones 5–1015–35 ft
Lemon-scented white flowers from May into summer, silver-backed leaves, and a love of wet ground.
Sweetleaf
Symplocos tinctoriaSmall treeZones 7–915–30 ft
A small understory tree with fluffy, fragrant cream flowers on its bare twigs in early spring and leaves with a faintly sweet taste.
Sweetshrub
Calycanthus floridusShrubZones 4–96–12 ft
A shrub for sun or deep shade whose maroon spring flowers smell of strawberry, pineapple and banana.
Table Mountain Pine
Pinus pungensSmall treeZones 5–720–40 ft
A gnarled Appalachian ridge pine that grows like a giant bonsai, its cones armed with hooked spines, for dry, rocky ground in full sun.
Tamarack
Larix laricinaLarge treeZones 2–650–75 ft
A conifer that turns gold and drops its needles each fall, the fastest-growing native conifer of northern bogs and wet ground.
Texas Red Oak
Quercus buckleyiMedium treeZones 5–1020–50 ft
A red oak of the limestone hills of central Texas and Oklahoma, with fall color from burgundy to scarlet on a tree small enough for a yard.
Three-flower Hawthorn
Crataegus trifloraShrubZones 7–83–20 ft
A rare southern hawthorn with white flowers as big as a wild rose's, often three to a cluster in spring, and round red haws with juicy orange flesh.
Titi
Cyrilla racemifloraShrubZones 5–108–30 ft
Fragrant white flower sprays in early summer and orange-red leaves in fall, on a thicket-forming shrub of southern swamps whose flowers give a dark honey.
Tough Bully
Sideroxylon tenaxSmall treeZones 8–1012–30 ft
A thorny small tree of dunes and scrub with leaves silky gold to copper beneath, fragrant flowers that swarm with pollinators, and fruit for birds.
Trumpet Creeper
Campsis radicansShrubZones 4–1030–40 ft
A fast native vine whose orange-red trumpets draw hummingbirds all summer, for a sturdy arbor or fence where its root suckers can be kept in check.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirensShrubZones 4–1010–20 ft
A native twining vine whose red trumpet flowers draw hummingbirds from spring into summer, followed by red berries for birds.
Two-wing Silverbell
Halesia dipteraSmall treeZones 4–915–30 ft
White bells in spring and two-winged fruit in fall, on a small tree of southern floodplains that takes shade and wet ground.
Umbrella Magnolia
Magnolia tripetalaSmall treeZones 4–915–30 ft
Leaves up to 2 feet long gather at each branch tip like the ribs of an umbrella, around creamy white flowers up to 10 inches across.
Upland Swamp Privet
Forestiera ligustrinaShrubZones 6–96–10 ft
A shrub of the limestone glades and rocky woods of the Southeast, with gray-green leaves, summer flowers and blue-black fruit in early fall.
Velvetleaf Blueberry
Vaccinium myrtilloidesShrubZones 2–61–4 ft
A low wild blueberry of the North with softly hairy leaves that turn red in fall and sweet, tart blue berries from July into September.
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefoliaShrubZones 3–1030–50 ft
A fast native vine that climbs by sticky pads, turns crimson early in fall and feeds birds through the winter with blue-black berries.
Virginia Spiraea
Spiraea virginianaShrubZones 6–73–13 ft
A rare Appalachian streambank shrub with arching stems and flat clusters of tiny cream-white flowers in early summer, spreading into thickets.
Virginia Sweetspire
Itea virginicaShrubZones 5–93–6 ft
Fragrant white flower spikes in June, red and gold fall leaves that hang on into winter, and roots that are happy in wet ground.
Walter's Viburnum
Viburnum obovatumShrubZones 7–1010–20 ft
A fast, dense southern viburnum with small, glossy leaves and clusters of white flowers that open in late winter.
Washington Hawthorn
Crataegus phaenopyrumSmall treeZones 3–820–30 ft
White June flowers, glossy red fruit that hangs into winter, and a thorny crown that shelters nesting birds.
Water Elm
Planera aquaticaSmall treeZones 6–930–40 ft
A small, low-crowned tree of southern swamps and river bottoms, with flaky bark and warty, nutlike fruit, for ground that floods.
Water Hickory
Carya aquaticaLarge treeZones 5–1080–100 ft
A bottomland hickory for southern clay that floods in spring and can crack dry in summer, with bitter nuts that wood ducks and mallards swallow whole.
Water Locust
Gleditsia aquaticaMedium treeZones 6–1040–60 ft
A thorny swamp cousin of honeylocust for floodplains that stay under water for long spells, with small, flat pods holding one to three seeds.
Water Tupelo
Nyssa aquaticaLarge treeZones 6–1060–100 ft
A long-lived tree of southern river swamps, with a bottle-shaped base, that stands in floodwater for months and feeds bees in spring.
Western Mayhaw
Crataegus opacaSmall treeZones 6–920–30 ft
The mayhaw of the Gulf states, a thorny hawthorn of wet river bottoms that blooms white in February and ripens red fruit for jelly in May.
Western Soapberry
Sapindus saponaria var. drummondiiMedium treeZones 5–920–50 ft
A tough tree of the southern Plains whose see-through golden berries lather like soap and hang on into winter, after yellow-gold fall color.
White Fringetree
Chionanthus virginicusSmall treeZones 3–912–20 ft
Clouds of fragrant white fringe in May, then blue fruit for the birds, on a small tree for any yard.
White Oak
Quercus albaLarge treeZones 3–950–80 ft
The great white oak of eastern woods, a broad shade tree that can live 600 years, with wine-red fall color and sweet acorns that wildlife seek out.
White Wicky
Kalmia cuneataShrubZones 8–82–5 ft
Creamy white cups banded in red in early June and scarlet leaves in fall, on the one deciduous cousin of mountain laurel, from Carolina bogs.
Wild Black Currant
Ribes americanumShrubZones 3–73–6 ft
A thornless currant of moist woods and stream banks, with drooping yellow-green flowers in spring, black berries in summer and gold and crimson fall leaves.
Wild Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescensShrubZones 3–93–6 ft
A woodland shrub that blooms on new stems even when cut to the ground each winter, with broad heads of creamy white flowers in early summer.
Willow Oak
Quercus phellosLarge treeZones 5–940–75 ft
A fast, long-lived red oak with narrow leaves like a willow's, for moist ground and city streets, that bears small acorns nearly every year.
Winged Elm
Ulmus alataMedium treeZones 6–940–60 ft
A tough, fast-growing southern elm with corky wings along its twigs, for dry rocky ridges, heavy clay and bottomland alike.
Winterberry Holly
Ilex verticillataShrubZones 3–96–12 ft
Bare winter branches lined with scarlet berries, on a deciduous holly that loves wet ground.
Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginianaShrubZones 3–912–20 ft
The last flower of the year: ribbon-like yellow blooms in November as the golden leaves fall.
Woolly Huckleberry
Gaylussacia mosieriShrubZones 8–91–3 ft
A bog huckleberry of the Gulf coast whose twigs, flowers and sweet black berries all bristle with long, glandular hairs.
Woolly Pawpaw
Asimina incanaShrubZones 8–94–6 ft
A Florida and Georgia pawpaw of sandhills and old fields, with soft woolly leaves, creamy white flowers in spring and edible fruit.
Yaupon
Ilex vomitoriaSmall treeZones 7–1010–25 ft
A native evergreen holly for hedges and screens, with glossy leaves and, on female trees, red berries that birds take in late winter.
Yellow Anise
Illicium parviflorumShrubZones 6–1010–20 ft
A rare Florida evergreen for shade and wet ground, with olive green leaves that smell of licorice when crushed and nodding pale yellow flowers.
Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensisLarge treeZones 3–760–75 ft
A long-lived shade tree for cool, moist ground, with shiny golden bronze bark that peels in thin curls and bright yellow leaves in fall.
Yellow Buckeye
Aesculus flavaLarge treeZones 3–850–75 ft
A tall buckeye for big spaces, with upright clusters of yellow flowers that draw hummingbirds and bees in spring.
Yellow Honeysuckle
Lonicera flavaShrubZones 5–810–20 ft
A native twining vine with fragrant yellow flowers that darken to orange in spring, one of the most beautiful American honeysuckles.
Yellowwood
Cladrastis kentukeaMedium treeZones 4–830–50 ft
Cascading wisteria-like white flowers in late spring on a smooth, gray-barked tree that few nurseries grow.
Carolina St. John's-wort
Hypericum nitidumShrubZones 8–91–15 ft
A wetland shrub of southern ponds and stream banks that grows into dense thickets of needle-like leaves and small yellow flowers.
Chapman's St. John's-wort
Hypericum chapmaniiShrubZones 8–97–13 ft
A Florida Panhandle shrub that grows like a small tree, with corky, peeling bark, needle-like leaves and yellow summer flowers.
Conjurer's-nut
Nestronia umbellulaShrubZones 7–81–4 ft
A rare low shrub of dry southern oak and pine woods that draws on the roots of the plants around it and spreads into large colonies.
Creek Plum
Prunus rivularisSmall treeZones 7–93–25 ft
A thorny wild plum that suckers into thickets along streams, with fragrant white flowers before the leaves and red or yellow plums in late summer.
Dwarf Tupelo
Nyssa ursinaShrubZones 6–103–16 ft
A rare, shrubby tupelo found only in the Florida panhandle, with small leathery leaves, round black fruit and stems that sprout back after fire.
Georgia Indigobush
Amorpha georgianaShrubZones 8–91–3 ft
One of the rarest shrubs of the South, a low indigobush of sandy pinelands whose dark purple spring spikes bristle with orange-tipped stamens.
Godfrey's Swamp Privet
Forestiera godfreyiShrubZones 8–98–16 ft
A rare native privet of wooded limestone bluffs and shell mounds, whose golden flower clusters open in midwinter, earlier than any other native privet.
Lanceleaf Buckthorn
Rhamnus lanceolataShrubZones 5–83–15 ft
A native buckthorn of limestone glades and bluffs, a slender shrub with glossy leaves and small black fruit for birds, and not the invasive kind.
Schwerin's Indigobush
Amorpha schweriniiShrubZones 7–83–10 ft
A bushy indigobush of rocky Piedmont hills, with purple flower spikes bristling with golden stamens from April into June.
Smooth-bark St. John's-wort
Hypericum lissophloeusShrubZones 7–106–10 ft
A Florida Panhandle rarity for pond edges, with silvery bark that peels like a birch's and bright yellow flowers from May until frost.
Southern Shagbark Hickory
Carya carolinae-septentrionalisLarge treeZones 5–870–125 ft
The shagbark of the southern Piedmont, with sweet nuts, golden fall color and shaggy gray bark.
Weeping Hawthorn
Crataegus lacrimataSmall treeZones 8–910–26 ft
A small hawthorn of southern pinewoods and sandy scrub, with strongly weeping branches, tiny bright green leaves and yellow to red haws in summer.
Ask what is ready: put the first 12 on my request list.
The finder answers as you choose and has a height limit. The shop lists the same trees and shrubs, with a search box and a native state filter: see these in the shop.
The address follows your filters, so the link saves this list.
Narrow the list to 12 or fewer and we can email you when any of them is ready to order.
Be first
Email me when any of these is ready to order
Limited timeSign up now and get 10% off when it is ready.
One email per plant you tick, when it is priced, and nothing else. Each carries a code for 10% off the plants in that order, not shipping or tax. Or ask, and we reply with what is ready now.
While you wait, ask what is ready now.
How the matching works
- Zone. A tree or shrub is listed when your zone is inside its hardiness range.
- Mature size. The type the catalog gives each one, as in the shop's size boxes.
- Height limit. Those whose typical mature height tops out at or under the limit, or at 60 ft or more for its last step. The article on small trees for a small yard says how far each goes from a house or a line.
- Sun and soil. What each one is known to tolerate, counting the labels for shade, wet ground and drought.
- Must have. Every trait you tick, all at once.
- Counts. The number beside each box and each choice is how many would remain if you chose it too.
- Best fit first. Trees and shrubs that list your sun and soil outright come before those that only tolerate them. Within that, those with your zone in the middle of their range come before those at its edge.
- Ties. Those that can be ordered now come first, then those with a photo, then the rest by name.
- ZIP code. It sets the zone from the same listing as the ZIP code tool, and the code itself is not kept.
- Compare. Tick Compare on up to four cards, then press Compare side by side for their facts in one table above the list. The trees stay in it while the filters change, and the address carries them, so a copied link opens the table.
- Hedge spacing. On a Hedge or screen list each card gives the spacing its own page sets. A hedge length gives how many to set in one straight row, with one at each end. The article on hedges, screens and windbreaks covers staggered rows.
Common questions
Which native tree is best for my yard?
In the finder's list the best fit comes first: trees and shrubs whose pages list your sun and soil outright, then those that only tolerate them. Within each group, those with your zone in the middle of their range come before those at its edge.
Can the tree finder identify a tree from a leaf or photo?
No: the finder lists native trees and shrubs to plant, matched to your zone, size, sun and soil. To name a tree you found, use the tree identification tool, which names it from a photo of a leaf, the bark, a twig, fruit or a flower.
What tree can I plant close to my house?
Set the finder's height limit to the room you have: it matches the top of each species' typical mature height. Our article on small trees for a small yard says how far each one goes from a house.
What trees can I plant under power lines?
Within 15 feet of the wires, the International Society of Arboriculture says a tree should mature at 20 feet or lower. Virginia Cooperative Extension allows trees to 25 feet within 20 feet of the wires, and suggests large shrubs under 15 feet directly under them.
How many trees or shrubs do I need for a hedge?
Divide the hedge's length by the spacing, round down and add one, since a straight row has one at each end: a 40-foot hedge at 4 feet apart takes 11. On its Hedge or screen list, the finder gives each species the spacing its own page sets.
The address carries every choice, so a copied link opens the same list. The page draws that list before any script runs, so a shared link and the page's Markdown copy show the trees and shrubs themselves. These are its keys:
- zone: 2 to 10.
- size: shrub, small-tree, medium-tree or large-tree.
- height: 15, 20, 30, 40 or 60 for a top height at or under that many feet, or 60-plus.
- sun: full, part or shade. moisture: dry, average or wet.
- want: one or more traits joined by commas, such as want=evergreen,screening. The boxes are flowers, fall-color, winter-interest, wildlife, honey, edible, evergreen, rare, early-bearing, screening, nitrogen-fixing, salt, street-tree and erosion-control. The address also takes drought, wet-tolerant and shade.
- hedge: a hedge length in feet, read when screening is wanted. sort: name, height, hardy or fast, or the price orders once prices are set.
- compare: up to four plant page names joined by commas, such as compare=black-gum,pawpaw, for the table side by side.
Each tree's facts come from its own page: its zones, mature height, sun, soil, labels and hedge spacing. The 20 and 40 ft height steps are the International Society of Arboriculture's zones by overhead wires (Avoiding Tree & Utility Conflicts, 2021). Within 15 feet of distribution wires, the species chosen "should have a mature height of 20 feet (6 meters) or lower". From 15 to 50 feet out, it should have "a potential mature height of 40 feet (12 meters) or lower". The planting-site check follows the same zones. The 30 ft step is the small-tree ceiling the growth estimator uses for its generic small tree. Virginia Cooperative Extension draws the low zone wider, to 20 feet from the line, where "trees in the low zone should not exceed 25 feet at maturity" (Selecting and Managing Trees to Avoid Conflicts with Overhead Utility Lines, 2024). Under the line itself it suggests large shrubs with "a mature height of less than 15 feet", the limit's first step. A ZIP code's zone is the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map's ZIP code listing, prepared by the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University.
When nothing fits, the site is usually the problem rather than the catalog: tell us the zone, soil, sun and what the tree needs to do, and we will suggest something.
The address carries the tree finder's inputs, so a link opens it filled in, and Copy link on a result writes one: zone (a whole number from 2 to 10), size (shrub, small-tree, medium-tree or large-tree), height (a mature height to stay under: 15, 20, 30, 40 or 60 feet, or 60-plus), sun (full, part or shade), moisture (dry, average or wet), want (one or more of flowers, fall-color, winter-interest, wildlife, honey, edible, evergreen, rare, early-bearing, screening, nitrogen-fixing, salt, street-tree, erosion-control, shade, wet-tolerant or drought, joined by commas), hedge (a hedge or screen length in feet, for a plant count), sort (featured, name, price-asc, price-desc, height, hardy or fast), compare (the slugs of the plants to compare, joined by commas). For example, /tools/tree-finder/?zone=6&size=small-tree&sun=part&moisture=average&want=fall-color.