American Basswood (Linden)
Tilia americanaLarge treeZones 2–860–90 ft
The bee tree: a broad shade tree whose fragrant June flowers hum with pollinators.
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.
More about this tool
Results
Best fits first: those that list your sun outright, then those that only tolerate it.
Still a long list. or set a height limit.
Want one of these? Email me when it is ready to order. Notify me
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.
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.
Bunchberry
Cornus canadensisShrubZones 2–61 ft
A dogwood only a few inches tall, with white four-bracted flowers in late spring, bunches of red berries in late summer and wine-red fall leaves.
Canada Yew
Taxus canadensisShrubZones 2–73–6 ft
A low, sprawling evergreen for deep shade whose branches root as they spread, with bright red, berry-like fruit that birds eat.
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.
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.
Nannyberry
Viburnum lentagoShrubZones 2–912–18 ft
A big, adaptable viburnum with creamy flowers, edible blue-black fruit and wine-red fall color.
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.
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.
Roundleaf Dogwood
Cornus rugosaShrubZones 2–83–10 ft
A shade-tolerant northern dogwood with nearly round, wrinkled leaves, flat clusters of white flowers and pale blue berries on red stalks.
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.
Trailing Arbutus
Epigaea repensShrubZones 2–81 ft
A creeping evergreen only inches high whose sweetly scented pink and white flowers open in early spring, the mayflower of New England woods.
Velvetleaf Blueberry
Vaccinium myrtilloidesShrubZones 2–71–4 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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
Bladdernut
Staphylea trifoliaShrubZones 3–88–15 ft
Drooping white bell flowers in May and papery inflated seed pods that rattle in the fall wind.
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.
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 Leatherwood
Dirca palustrisShrubZones 3–93–6 ft
Tiny yellow flowers in the first week of spring, on a rare, slow shade shrub with bark you can tie in knots.
Eastern Teaberry
Gaultheria procumbensShrubZones 3–81 ft
An evergreen groundcover for acid shade, with glossy leaves that smell of wintergreen and red berries that often hang on through the winter.
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.
Hobblebush
Viburnum lantanoidesShrubZones 3–63–12 ft
A shade shrub of cool northern woods with lacy white flower heads in spring and big heart-shaped leaves that turn bronze-red and purple in fall.
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.
Limber Honeysuckle
Lonicera dioicaShrubZones 3–93–10 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Partridgeberry
Mitchella repensShrubZones 3–81 ft
A trailing evergreen an inch or two high, whose paired white flowers join to make one red berry that often lasts the winter.
Purple-flowering Raspberry
Rubus odoratusShrubZones 3–83–6 ft
A thornless bramble for part shade, with fragrant rose-purple flowers 2 inches across all summer over big, maple-like leaves.
Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosaShrubZones 3–78–12 ft
Cone-shaped white flowers in May and glowing red berries by June, the earliest berry crop for birds.
Rosebay Rhododendron
Rhododendron maximumShrubZones 3–710–15 ft
The great evergreen rhododendron of Appalachian stream valleys, with pink-white trusses in July.
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.
Silverleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea radiataShrubZones 3–93–6 ft
White lacecap flowers from May into July over leaves that flash silver in the wind, on a woodland shrub of the southern Blue Ridge.
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.
Striped Maple
Acer pensylvanicumSmall treeZones 3–715–35 ft
A small maple for deep, cool shade, with green bark striped in white and big three-lobed leaves that turn bright yellow in fall.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yellowroot
Xanthorhiza simplicissimaShrubZones 3–91–3 ft
A low, suckering shrub for shady stream banks and moist woods, with leaves like celery that turn yellow and reddish purple in fall.
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.
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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.