Virginia

Sweetspires

Virginia Sweetspire, Itea virginica is an easy and outstanding shrub to grow. It produces white fragrant flowers in May each year. It is very adaptable doing well in full sun to heavy shade, tolerates a wide range of pH and soil conditions--from moist to dry. It also has outstanding fall foliage.

Illiciums

Another group of native shrubs is the Illiciums or Anise plants. Illicium floridanum comes in white or red flowered varieties. The Illicium parviflorum is a hardier performer and produces a larger mass planting. Makes a good screening or hedge plant in a shady, moist area in your yard. The Florida anise plants look better in more shade. If exposed to much sunlight, they tend to be a thinner plant.

Azaleas

The number one landscape shrub tends to be the azalea. But there are native azaleas that can be a wonderful addition to your landscape. You can get colors and scents unheard of in evergreen hybrids, and they are much more tolerant of our weather conditions--both summer and winter. The only downside for some people, is that they aren’t evergreen. These shrubs can grow quite large in time, and typically bloom in mid to late spring. One of the most fragrant of these is Rhododendron alabamense, the Alabama azalea. It produces white flowers, blotched in yellow and can grow up to eight feet in height. Rhododendron arborescens or the Sweet Azalea produces white to pink azaleas with red styles, grows five to six feet in height. The Flame azaleas, Rhododendron calendulaceum produces some wonderful yellow and orange varieties. So instead of opting for all evergreens, plant some of these or other wonderful deciduous varieties. They will pay you back with graceful blooms every spring without the fuss of the evergreen type.

Viburnums

There are also some nice selections of viburnums which are native. Most people are familiar with the snowball bush--(which is a viburnum, just not native). Some native members of the family include Arrowwood viburnum, Viburnum dentatum. Indians used the stalks of this plant to make arrows, since the wood was strong and straight. It will form a large shrub with white flowers in late spring to early summer. Viburnum nudum is another early summer white bloomer, with rapid growth. Following flowering clusters of berries form which change colors over time. ‘Count Pulaski’ is an introduced plant from Ridgecrest Nursery. Viburnum prunifolium, the Blackhaw viburnum will grow quite large, forming a small tree or large shrub. Similar in appearance to a hawthorne tree, it has small white flower heads in May, followed by a berry.

Taller Natives

As you can see, you have more options than you knew when it comes to native shrubs. If you need taller plants--those we could call tall bushes or small trees, you could also plant the fabulous native Grancy Greybeard, Old Man’s Beard or White Fringe Tree-- Chionanthus virginicus. It’s clusters of white fringe like flowers in the spring last longer and, to many, beat a dogwood, hand down. They also require a lot less care. There are also numerous magnolias for the landscape. While many think only about the large-growing Southern Magnolia, there are some great native varieties with a smaller size. These include Sweetbay magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, the Bigleaf Magnolia--Magnolia macrophylla, and if you want something almost tropical in appearance, plant the Umbrella Magnolia, Magnolia tripetela. It has the appearance of a giant scheffelera in your garden, and it’s hardy.

Woody Natives

While this is not the only native woody shrubs that we can grow, it is a good start. Some will be easier to find than others, but check with your local nursery to see what they have. There are also a few nurseries in the state that specialize in native plants. While I don’t recommend digging up every non-native plant in your yard, to plant all native plants--add a few natives and see how you like them. NEVER, go searching these plants in the wild to plant in your yard. If everyone did that, there would be none left for the rest of us. Unless you own the property, you don’t have the right to dig anything up. Its also healthier on the plant, and easier for you to purchase them from a reputable nursery. If your yard needs some local flavor, or some interesting new plants that can almost take care of themselves--plant native shrubs.