Eight Native Shrubs That Thrive in Tennessee Gardens (And How to Grow Them)
The native shrubs‚ in contrast to pampered ornamentals that proliferate in yards‚ feed local wildlife and look good in the Southeast․ Eight shrubs receive special recommendation for gardeners in Tennessee: Witch Hazel‚ Elderberry‚ Carolina Allspice‚ Winterberry Holly‚ Northern Spicebush‚ Mapleleaf Viburnum‚ Weigela and Rose of Sharon‚ which is commonly marketed as "pink hibiscus․" Here's what each one actually needs to succeed‚ plus the details most plant guides skip․
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Witch Hazel is one of the few native shrub plants that blooms from late fall through the middle of winter (into mid-December in Middle Tennessee)․ As other plants go dormant‚ Witch Hazel stands out with long‚ ribbon-like yellow blooms and a faint citrus smell․ It is hardy in USDA Hardiness zones 3-8‚ so it survives Tennessee's coldest winters․
Grow in partial shade‚ well-drained moist soil․ The plant does best at wood margins: in full sun the soil dries up too quickly․ It can be expected that after 8-10 years the plant will be 15-20 ft (4-6 m) tall․ The plants grow very slow during the first years to establish the rooting system․ Commercial witch hazel extract is distilled from the bark and twigs․ Native American tribes historically used it as a skin astringent for swelling and irritation․ You needn't bother with the bark; planted mainly for winter interest and color‚ this shrub flowers when almost nothing else is in bloom․
Elderberry Bush (Sambucus canadensis)
Mature growth of Elderberry reaches a height of 6-12 ft (1․8-3․7 m)‚ with a growth rate of 3 to 4 ft (0․91 to 1․22 m) annually once established․ It is one of the easier native shrubs to cultivate‚ and can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9‚ tolerating clay and occasional standing water․ The plant tolerates full sun or partial shade‚ but berry production increases in full sun․
If you have a creek bed or bottom around the house‚ plant elderberry there - it grows wild on stream banks and doesn't mind getting its feet wet․ The clusters of white elderflowers become dark purple-black berries in late summer․ Raw elderberry‚ as well as the leaves‚ stems‚ and unripe berries‚ contain trace amounts of toxic chemicals‚ which can be toxic in large quantities․ The ripened berries are used for jams and syrups and in the popular immune-increasing elderberry products sold for home use․ Birds also eat them raw without adverse effects‚ adding to the shrub's wildlife-attracting charm․
Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus)
Native to the Southeastern US‚ its maroon flowers smell like strawberries or apples‚ and after you crush one between your fingers‚ you'll understand how it got its name․ Hardy in zones 4-9‚ the Southeastern sweetshrub grows naturally in the understory of hardwood forests in Tennessee․ (It likes it shady and prefers a rich soil that drains well․)
It grows 6 to 9 feet (1․8 to 2․7 m) high in 5 to 7 years․ Carolina Allspice tolerates drought and standing water better than most other shrubs in its height category‚ and is forgiving to the novice gardener learning the details of microclimates․ In its earliest days‚ the perfume bark was dried and made into sachets and potpourri; it makes a nice perfume near a porch or walk‚ without the trouble of a rose garden․
Winterberry Shrub (Ilex verticillata)
A deciduous holly‚ for instance‚ is somewhat of a surprise to people because it drops its leaves in the fall․ But since the berries stay on its bare branches during the winter‚ it's one of the best plants for Tennessee gardeners with January color‚ when their gardens have little else that doesn't look dead․
The catch is that winterberry is dioecious‚ meaning that one plant in each pair is male and the other is female (only the female produces berries)․ Since a single male has pollen for a minimum of several females in a 50-foot radius‚ a good hedgerow or screen plant with one male to five or six females can be grown․ It can be planted in full sun to partial shade and a constantly moist‚ slightly acidic environment․ It grows naturally in wetlands and bogs but will not grow in dry‚ sandy soil․ Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9‚ it grows to between 6 and 10 feet tall․
Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Spicebush does not get nearly enough use as a native plant in the garden‚ but the spicebush swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus) depends on it․ So‚ if you want one‚ you need the shrub․ When you crush a leaf or twig‚ you get a spicy‚ citrusy smell; early colonists used it as a substitute for allspice․
It grows 6-12 feet in height in zones 4-9․ It tolerates shade better than almost any shrub on this list‚ and is ideal for the shaded side yards that stump a lot of Tennessee homeowners․ Small yellow flowers appear early in spring before the leaves․ Fall brings red berries‚ which are immediately eaten by birds․ The plants thrive in uniformly moist conditions‚ although they do poorly in compacted or completely dry soils․
Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
The common name is correct because it has maple-shaped leaves‚ and these baffle people who have read that most viburnums are rounded leaves․ It is a true understory shrub found in deciduous forests in the eastern United States‚ including much of Tennessee‚ where it prefers the shade․
A good shrub for smaller‚ tidier gardens‚ or as an understory shrub for larger trees where little else will grow‚ this plant commonly reaches 4-6 ft tall‚ with flat clusters of white flowers in late spring․ Blue-black berries ripen in fall from red‚ and fall abundantly into harvest․ The best feature of this ornamental shrub is its fall foliage‚ which is usually pink‚ red or purple․ It is hardy in zones 3-8․
Weigela (Weigela florida)
Though not native‚ Weigela is so thoroughly naturalized in the Southeast that it may be treated as if it were native and used in a landscape bed with true natives․ Its trumpet-shaped red or pink blooms cover the shrub in late spring and bloom sporadically and lightly through summer‚ an effect beyond that of most native shrubs․
The plant wants full sun (6+ hours) for best flowering and is not picky about soil as long as it is well-drained․ It grows to 6 to 9 feet depending on its environment and is hardy in zones 4-8․ If the plant gets leggy‚ it can be hard-pruned immediately after it blooms in spring․
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Commonly known as the "pink hibiscus"‚ it flowers from midsummer to early autumn‚ after most other flowering shrubs have run out of bloom by late summer․ It is reliably hardy in zones 5-9 and tolerates the heat and humidity of a Tennessee summer better than almost any other flowering shrub․
Provide full sun and well-drained soil and it can reach 8-12 feet tall․
