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​You can order free native trees/shrubs to plant on your private property within Toronto's borders. Check out the offered species below and match them to your garden conditions and space. ​
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Good to know:
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All trees are native to Toronto and suited for our urban environment.
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The trees come in 1-gallon pots and are small enough to be carried home easily.
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For the long-term health of a tree, it is much better to plant younger trees than more developed trees since their root system is not damaged from growing too long in too small pots and becoming root-bound or grown in nursery beds and getting their roots regularly cut and severed. The very best way to achieve the long-term success of a tree would even be to plant a few months-old saplings if you can protect them.
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When you plant any tree, make sure to open up the roots so they do not keep growing in a circle!
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In the wild, trees grow in communities. Planting in groups of at least two to three trees together on a 6-foot center is ideal. The tree roots will interlock, giving them excellent stability, and they will support each other in producing a healthy, resilient environment.
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It is best to remove the lawn generously around the tree/s and replace it with some understory trees, shrubs, ground cover or sedges. This enables a small ecosystem to get to work; insects will complete their life cycle in the soil because they have a soft landing when they fall off the tree and, therefore, can fulfill their role in the food web as a protein-rich food source for other wildlife, like our birds. Additionally, the soil around the root system will not constantly get compacted by mowing the lawn, so the soil organisms can create beneficial mutual relations with the trees and enhance their health. Check out the concept of a soft landing on Heather Holm's fantastic website.
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The soil around the tree must always be covered to stay alive and for the tree to thrive. Mulch, like wood chips or leaves, is commonly used. Even better are plants as ground cover, like wild strawberry, wild ginger, native Solomon's seal or native sedges. Rainfall on bare soil compacts the soil and causes depletion of nutrients and all beneficial soil life.
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The mulch cannot touch the tree trunk, which causes rot, but should be put around in a doughnut shape.
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Thanks to Birchcliff Treecare, we have free mulch available at the pickup.
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A pollinator garden with short plants so that the tree gets enough sunlight can also be planted around the tree and maintained as long as the tree is still small and doesn't shade the pollinator plants.
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Fall is the best time to plant a tree since it doesn't need to produce seeds, and the roots still grow as long as the soil isn't frozen.
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Spring is the second-best time to plant a tree because trees don't need to deal with the stresses of the summer heat, but since they need to produce leaves and flowers, they need a lot more water to perform these tasks.
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It is imperative to protect young trees from damage. One small nick with the lawnmower will develop into a larger wound as the tree grows. Trees can never heal their injuries, and the injuries will always stay a weaker entrance point for disease.
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Plant your trees and shrubs as soon as possible, best within a week.
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Call OntarioOneCall at least five days before you dig. It's the law.
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Species of the trees/shrubs are subject to availability and may change or be substituted.
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Some of the offered species are edible for humans. Please conduct thorough research on how to prepare the plant to be safe for human consumption. Also, remember that wild food is very potent. Please always test with small quantities if you might be allergic to a particular compound. And only eat small quantities.
Profiles of the Powerhouse Trees
Appearance. Ecological Value. Growing Conditions.
Swamp White Oak
Quercus bicolor
The swamp white oak is a hardy, magnificent shade tree with a broad, rounded crown and uniquely bicoloured leaves that are shiny and dark green on the surface and lighter on the underside. Like all oaks, this tree lives up to 350 years and is the most beneficial plant you can add to your yard for wildlife, especially birds. The leaves are an abundant food source for over 500 different species of caterpillars, essential for a functioning foodweb. For example, one pair of chickadees needs 9000 caterpillars within the six weeks of raising their young. And oaks will produce them. To better understand how vital oaks are for our ecology, especially for birds, watch Doug Tallamy's presentation and check out his book, "The Nature of Oaks". Oaks are the host plant for the beautiful Hairstreak butterflies.
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In the fall, the leaves turn a beautiful orange and red. Once fallen, oak leaves are better mulch than wood chips. They likewise don't decompose during one season. Still, they are loose enough to offer habitat to firefly larvae, bumblebee queens, and many other beneficial insects during winter, and they are said to repel slugs and grubs.
Their acorns are the sweetest of all oaks and offer an abundant food source for small mammals, birds like ducks, turkeys, woodpeckers, blue jays, and even beavers and black bears. Blue Jays hide over 100 viable acorns up to one mile from the mother tree daily for a month, making them the number one planter of oaks. Older trees often have cavities that provide shelter and nesting sites for birds and mammals. Check out the excellent article by Brenna Anstett.
Natural companion plants are Sugar Maple, other Oak species, American Beech, River Birch, Pagoda Dogwood, Chokeberry, all the woodland spring ephemerals and Joe Pye Weed.
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Large
Height: 60+ ft
Width: 60+ ft
Full sun to partial shade
Requires neutral to slightly acidic soil
Tolerates seasonal flooding and dry soil
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Basswood
Tilia americana
Basswood trees are large, fast-growing trees with dense foliage and a uniform round crown. By providing excellent shade, they lower our energy usage and provide shelter for wildlife.
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The beautiful, huge, heart-shaped leaves support 140 caterpillar species in Toronto. The most beautiful ones are the Eastern tiger swallowtail, the Luna moth, the mourning cloak, the Promethea silk moth and the Question mark butterfly. Abundant caterpillars are instrumental in stopping bird decline since they are the most essential food source for all migrating songbirds rearing their young. 98% of caterpillars become bird food; only 2% survive to become butterflies and moths.
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In midsummer, the bountiful yellow to cream-coloured flowers fill the air with their sweet fragrance and offer rich nectar to pollinators.
In the fall and winter, chipmunks, songbirds, and even foxes, among other wildlife, feed on their seeds.
Basswood trees like to grow with sugar maple, American beech, ash, shagbark hickory, and oaks. Great understory shrubs are common snowberry, serviceberry, viburnum, and American hazelnut. Wild ginger, Virgin's bower, spikenard, native Solomon's seal, and zigzag and blue-stemmed goldenrod are perfect groundcover plants.
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Large
Height: 60+ ft
Width: 30+ ft
Full sun to partial shade
Moist, well-drained​
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Silver Maple
(Acer saccharinum)
Silver maple is a large, fast-growing shade tree of great value to our native wildlife.
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Silver maple is among the very first trees to bloom in spring. Even though it is wind-pollinated, its pollen is vital for pollinators coming out of dormancy. The leaves feed almost 300 caterpillar species that supply ample food for breeding birds. The early-ripening seeds are eaten by finches, grosbeaks, wild turkeys, ducks, and various mammals. The twigs, buds, and bark become a lifesaving winter food source for small mammals and deer. Sliver maple sap, which is not as sweet as sugar maple sap, is dripping out of small injuries and is enjoyed by birds and small mammals in late winter.
Great understory trees are American elderberry, hazelnut, pagoda dogwood, and fragrant sumac.
Native Solomon's seal, Canada wild ginger, wild geranium, foamflower, wood asters, New England asters, grey goldenrod, blue stem goldenrod and zigzag goldenrod are perfect ground covers and pollinator plants underneath red maples.
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Silver maple is easy to establish since it is adaptable to a wide variety of soil conditions and will grow rapidly, providing great shade. It is a pioneer species and, therefore, requires full sun to very light shade. It has a beautiful shape. The silver-green leaves turn an attractive gold in the fall.
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Great companion trees for silver maple trees are ironwood, beech, basswood, white ash, black cherry, yellow birch, Eastern white pine, Northern red oak, and Eastern hemlock. Great understory trees are American elderberry, hazelnut, pagoda dogwood, and bush honeysuckle.
Native Solomon's seal, Canada wild ginger, wild geranium, foamflower, wood asters, New England aster, blue-stemmed goldenrod and zigzag goldenrod are perfect ground covers and pollinator plants underneath silver maples.
Height: 50+ ft
Width: 30+ ft
Requires full sun
Prefers moist, well-drained soil of any type
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Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus
Pussy willow is loved for its beautiful catkins. This fast-growing shrub is perfect as a privacy screen. Willow branches can be harvested in early spring to create spring bouquets.
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Willows are ecological superheroes!
They bloom very early in spring and provide an excellent early-season source of pollen and nectar. All willows have specialist relations with a large number of pollen specialist bees in the mining bee family that depend on their specific pollen to reproduce.
They are a host plant, meaning the caterpillars of butterflies can feed on them. And they are the most iconic ones; hairstreaks, mourning cloak, swallowtails, the huge io and cecropia, comma and endless more!
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Photo: W. Carter, Creative Commons
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Small
Height: 6- 20 ft
Width: 4- 15 ft
Full sun to light shade
Medium to moist soil
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Pussy Willow
Salix discolor
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
Paper birch is a medium-sized tree that can grow one or multiple stems. Its white bark is very attractive.
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The role of the paper birch in ecology is to revegetate disturbed sites quickly as an early successional tree.
As a pioneer species, it can tolerate disturbed soil, typical of our city's soil, and will grow rapidly.
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The seeds are food for many birds and mammals. The bark, twigs and buds are loved by many animals, from moose to deer to beaver.
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Large
Height: 50 ft
Width 20 ft
Requires full sun
prefers moist, well-drained soil
of all types
Pin Cherry
Prunus pensylvanica
Pin cherry is a small, slender tree with a round, narrow crown. The attractive, reddish-brown bark features horizontal bands of orange-coloured lenticels, typical of cherry trees. Pin cherry is a fast-growing pioneer tree, living up to 40 years. Its seeds can stay viable for 100 years. The tree is also named fire cherry because it is often the first to sprout after fires.
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Fragrant white flowers offer nectar and pollen to early emerging mining bees in early spring. Being part of the Prunus family, the leaves of the pin cherry are food for the caterpillars of hundreds of species of butterflies and moths. Some of the most iconic ones are the Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly, the Coral hairstreak butterfly, the Cecropia moth, the Promethean moth, and the Elegant sphinx. The berries first turn green, then red, and finally dark blue in the summer. They are a favourite of cardinals, robins and blue jays and many songbirds, hence it's also called bird cherry.
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The small sour cherries can be eaten raw and made into delicious jelly, jam and preserves.
In fall, the leaves turn a vibrant orange-red colour.
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Small tree
Height: 25 -30 ft
Width: 18-25 ft
full sun
Adaptable to many soil types, well-drained
Silver Maple
Acer saccharinum
Silver maple is a large, fast-growing shade tree of great value to our native wildlife.
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Silver maple is among the very first trees to bloom in spring. Even though it is wind-pollinated, its pollen is vital for pollinators emerging from dormancy. The leaves feed almost 300 caterpillar species that supply ample food for breeding birds. The early-ripening seeds are eaten by finches, grosbeaks, wild turkeys, ducks, and various mammals. The twigs, buds, and bark become a lifesaving winter food source for small mammals and deer. Silver maple sap, which is not as sweet as sugar maple sap, will drip out of minor injuries and is enjoyed by birds and small mammals in late winter.
Great understory trees are American elderberry, hazelnut, pagoda dogwood, and fragrant sumac.
Native Solomon's seal, Canada wild ginger, wild geranium, foamflower, wood asters, New England asters, grey goldenrod, blue stem goldenrod and zigzag goldenrod are perfect ground covers and pollinator plants underneath red maples.
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Silver maple is easy to establish since it is adaptable to a wide variety of soil conditions and will grow rapidly, providing great shade. It is a pioneer species and, therefore, requires full sun to very light shade. It has a beautiful shape. The silver-green leaves turn an attractive gold in the fall.
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Great companion trees for silver maple trees are ironwood, beech, basswood, white ash, black cherry, yellow birch, Eastern white pine, Northern red oak, and Eastern hemlock. Great understory trees are American elderberry, hazelnut, pagoda dogwood, and bush honeysuckle.
Native Solomon's seal, Canada wild ginger, wild geranium, foamflower, wood asters, New England aster, blue-stemmed goldenrod, and zigzag goldenrod are perfect ground covers and pollinator plants underneath silver maples.
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Height: 50+ ft
Width: 30+ ft
Requires full sun
Prefers moist, well-drained soil of any type
Profiles of the Powerhouse Trees
from the Fall Tree Giveaway 2025
Appearance. Ecological Value. Growing Conditions.
White Oak
Quercus alba
White Oak is a large, hardy, long-lived shade tree and very tolerant of urban conditions. The attractive leaves often stay on the lower branches during winter and can add some privacy. Researchers believe this was a helpful defence mechanism to protect the young twigs from browsing giant sloths that went extinct about 13,000 years ago. Today, oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife and are the ecologically most productive tree species. The leaves provide food for over 500 species of caterpillars. Caterpillars are crucial since they are the most critical food source for birds raising their babies. E.g. one pair of chickadees needs 9,000 caterpillars within six weeks of raising their young. And oaks will produce them. To better understand how vital oaks are for our ecology, especially for birds, watch Doug Tallamy's presentation and check out his newest book, "The Nature of Oaks." Oaks are the host plant for the beautiful Hairstreak butterflies.
In the fall, the leaves turn a beautiful purple and red. Once fallen, oak leaves are better mulch than wood chips. They likewise don't decompose during one season. Still, they are loose enough to offer habitat to firefly larvae, bumblebee queens, and many other beneficial insects during winter, and they are said to repel slugs and grubs.
Acorns are an abundant food source for small mammals, birds like ducks, turkeys, woodpeckers, blue jays, and even beavers and black bears. Blue Jays hide over 100 viable acorns up to one mile away from the mother tree every day for a month, making them the number one planter of oaks. Older trees often have cavities that provide shelter and nesting sites for birds and mammals.
Natural companion plants are Sugar Maple, other Oak and Hickory species, Pagoda Dogwood, Chokeberry, Asters and woodland plants.
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Large​
Height: 60+ ft
​ Width: 60+ ft
Requires full sun
Adapts to moist and dry soil conditions
Prefers acidic soil, but can grow in any soil
White Spruce/ Canadian Spruce
Picea glauca
White spruce trees are beautiful evergreens and have aromatic foliage. All evergreen trees provide superb habitat and coverage for nesting. Bark, buds, branches and huge amounts of seeds are an excellent food source, especially in winter, for birds, mammals and insects.
A spruce tree will bring a lot of life into your garden.​
Photo credit: Ryan Hodett, Nova Scotia
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​Large
Height: 40+ ft
Width: 10-20 ft
Full sun to part shade
Moist, well-drained soil​
tolerates clay
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The Eastern White Pine is Ontario's iconic provincial tree. The tall trees are captured windswept in the paintings of the Group of Seven. It is a big shade tree that helps reduce energy consumption and cost as a windbreaker and shade tree.
Not noticeable at first glance, the tree has a high wildlife value since every part is edible- even for humans. Nuthatches, chickadees, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, and many other birds love the seeds. The buds, needles, bark, twigs and young cones help many animals get the nutrition they need during different seasons and to survive the winter. We can use ground pine needles in many recipes, raw or baked. The needles contain high amounts of Vitamin C and A. Indigenous peoples have used Eastern white pine to soothe the respiratory system as an effective medicinal plant. Its needles and resin have "anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, stimulating and relaxing, aromatic, pungent and stabilizing qualities, with particular benefits for the upper respiratory system, stomach, liver and kidneys. " Quote nelma.org.
Dense horizontal branching attracts small birds like warblers and purple finches, bigger birds like mourning doves, crows and blue jays, as well as great horned owls and red-tailed hawks to build their nests. Many birds collect young pine needles to cushion their nests.
Large
Height: 50 ft
Width 20 ft
Requires full sun to partial shade
Very adaptable to moist and medium soil moisture and all types of soil conditions
Sensitive to atmospheric pollution
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Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
The hackberry tree is a large-sized tree that is only found across southern Ontario in Canada. It is very hardy and tolerant of urban conditions and can get 150-200 years old. Hackberry will grow as wide as tall, so ample space is needed. It is a great shade tree.
It produces single, dark purple fruits that hang below the leaves and persist into winter. Many birds will eat the fruit, including waxwings and robins.
The leaves are a food source for different species of butterflies, including the Morning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) and the Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis). The caterpillars of the Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton), Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis), and American Snout Butterfly (Libytheana carinenta) can only eat leaves from Hackberry trees. They rely entirely on Hackberry trees for their existence.
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Large
Height: 40 ft
Width 25 ft
Requires full sun to partial shade
Very adaptable to wet and dry and all types of soil conditions
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Serviceberry is an adaptable large shrub or small tree, depending on if it is pruned to a single-stem tree or left to form a multi-stemmed shrub.
Serviceberry trees provide very high ecological value for wildlife and are beautiful year-round.
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Serviceberry trees put on a show of white flowers in spring and provide an excellent early-season source of pollen and nectar. The open form of the flowers allows many different kinds of bees access to its nectar. The leaves support 100 different caterpillar species, including the caterpillars of the White admiral and the Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly. The small, round, sweet berries ripen in the summer. They are edible, super delicious and healthy, even in large quantities. They are a sought-after berry for over 40 species of birds, including orioles, bluebirds, cedar waxwings, scarlet tanagers, northern flickers, and robins, so we might not get too many. The tree produces more berries when it gets more sun.
In fall, the leaves turn into an array of stunning colours, from orange to purple and red.
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Height:15-25 ft
Width 15-25 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and shade
Moist to dry, well drained soil of various types
Pagoda Dogwood
Cornus alternifolia
Pagoda dogwood is an attractive small understory tree or shrub, depending on if it is pruned to a single-stem tree or left to form a multi-stemmed shrub. It has clusters of white flowers in spring and provides an excellent early-season source of pollen and nectar. It allows specialist mining bees that depend on its specific pollen to reproduce, but it also allows a wide array of different species of bees access to its nectar through its open flower form. Pagoda dogwood feeds the caterpillars of the elegant Spring Azure butterfly as a host plant. The dark blue berries look stunning on their red stems, but they don't last long because they are a favourite of many fruit-eating birds, including cedar waxwings, juncos and cardinals.
The dark green leaves turn an attractive purple in the fall. The wide horizontal branches give this tree a distinct look. When loaded with snow, they create a winter wonderland.
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Pagoda dogwood provides very high ecological value for wildlife and is beautiful year-round.
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Height:15-25 ft
Width 15-30 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and partial sun
Prefers moist, well-drained soils, can tolerate dry sites
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Chokecherry
Prunus viginiana
Chokecherry is a hardy, very easy to grow small understory tree or large shrub. In the wild, it grows under large trees like oaks and maples. Chokecherry is beautiful year-round.
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Showy white flower clusters offer nectar and pollen to early emerging mining bees in the spring. Being part of the prunus family, the leaves of chokeberry are food for caterpillars of hundreds of species of butterflies and moths. Some of the most iconic ones are the Easter tiger swallowtail butterfly, the Coral hairstreak butterfly, the Cecropia moth, the Promethean moth, and the Elegant sphinx. The berries first turn green, then red, and finally dark blue in the summer. They are a favourite of songbirds.
In fall, the leaves turn a vibrant red-purple colour.
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Small
Height: 8-25 ft
Width: 8-15 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and almost full shade
Dry to medium-moist, alkaline sand, loam, clay
Nannyberry
Viburnum lentago
Nannyberry is very easy to grow. It can make a great privacy hedge, by letting suckers grow, or it can be pruned back to a small tree. Nannyberry is beautiful year-round.
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Showy white flower clusters offer nectar and pollen to mining and sweat bees in the spring. The leaves are the larval food for the caterpillar of the Spring azur butterfly. The berries turn almost black in September and provide a consistent food source for birds into winter. The berries are also edible for humans right off the bush or can be used in jams and jellies.
In fall, the leaves glow in a rich burgundy colour. Next season's flower buds form early, so you must prune right after blooming.
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Small
Height: 10-20 ft
Width: 6-12 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and almost full shade
Moist well-drained soils
Common Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Common Elderberry, also known as American Elderberry, is a hardy, fast-growing shrub that can tolerate some air pollution.
Showy, big clusters of tiny white flowers bloom in July and attract small bees of different genera with their pollen. The fragrant flowers, once cooked, are incredibly delicious as fritters, syrup or jelly and reminiscent of lychee and pear. Plenty of berries ripen in August and turn black and sweet. Many birds devour the berries, including eastern bluebirds, northern cardinals, and cedar waxwings. Uncooked berries are toxic to humans. Once cooked, the berries are said to boost our immune system and are a treat as jellies or in pies. Many moth species can eat the leaves of this plant in their caterpillar stage, including the spectacular Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia), North America's largest moth!
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Height: 5-8+ ft
Width: 6-12 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and partial shade
Prefers acidic soil but can grow in moist, well-drained to dry soil of various types
Large Shrubs
Downy Serviceberry
Amelanchier arborea
Serviceberry is an adaptable large shrub or small tree, depending on whether it is pruned to a single-stem tree or left to form a multi-stemmed shrub.
Serviceberry trees provide very high ecological value for wildlife and are beautiful year-round.
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Serviceberry trees put on a show of white flowers in spring and provide an excellent early-season source of pollen and nectar. The open form of the flowers allows many different kinds of bees access to their nectar. The leaves support 100 different caterpillar species, including the caterpillars of the White admiral and the Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly. The small, round, sweet berries ripen in the summer. They are edible, super delicious and healthy, even in large quantities. They are a sought-after berry for over 40 species of birds, including orioles, bluebirds, cedar waxwings, scarlet tanagers, northern flickers, and robins, so we might not get too many. The tree produces more berries when it gets more sun.
In the fall, the leaves turn into an array of stunning colours, from orange to purple and red.
Downy serviceberry is a versatile tree but doesn't tolerate pollution.
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Height: 15-25 ft
Width: 15-25 ft
Minimum of 4 hours of direct sun
Moist to dry, well-drained soil of various types
Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa
Red Elderberry is an attractive shrub for a woodland setting that gets at least 4 hours of sun. It has white flowers and very showy red berries. As a late-successional shrub, it thrives in humus-rich, moist woodland soil.
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Showy, pyramidical white flower clusters bloom in May and attract small, early emerging bees of different genera with their pollen. The berries are a valuable food source for birds during fall migration and winter. Robins, thrushes, cedar waxwings, grosbeaks, tanagers and finches can be observed eating the berries.
Many moth species can eat the leaves of this plant in their caterpillar stage, including the spectacular Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia), North America's largest moth!
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Uncooked berries are toxic to humans because of their seeds. Once cooked, the berries are a treat as jellies or preserves. Indigenous peoples have used red elderberry to treat many ailments.
​Height: 4-8 ft
Width: 3-6 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and partial shade
Prefers acidic soil but can grow in moist, well-drained to average soil of various types
Round-leaf dogwood is an attractive understory shrub. In the wild, it grows under large trees, like oaks and maples.
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It has clusters of white flowers in spring and provides an excellent early-season source of pollen and nectar. It allows specialist mining bees that depend on its specific pollen to reproduce, but it also allows a wide array of different species of bees access to its nectar through its open flower form. Round-leaf dogwood feeds the caterpillars of the elegant Spring and Summer Azure butterfly as a host plant. The bluish-white berries provide food for many fruit-eating birds, including cedar waxwings and cardinals.
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Its leaves put on a colourful show in the fall; depending on the year's weather, in shades of pink, orange, crimson red, yellow or purple.
Note: The picture is of a red osier dogwood. Round-leaf dogwood looks very similar, but the leaves are rounder.
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Small
Height: 5- 10 ft
Width:5+ ft
Very adaptable to full sun to partial shade
Dry to medium-moist, well-drained loam or clay
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Round-leaf Dogwood
Cornus ragusa
Smaller Shrubs
Shrubs are essential for birds, providing cover and nutritious berries and seeds
Black Chokeberry
Black chokecherry is one of my favourite plants! It is a very adaptable, small to medium-sized shrub that tolerates salt, compacted and wet soil.
Showy white flower clusters bloom in late spring and offer pollen and nectar, accessible to small and large bees. The berries are very high in antioxidants and vitamin C, and are enjoyable made into jam, juice, syrup and wine. They often stay on the shrub into winter and provide a winter food source for resident birds.
The fall colour is stunning, when the glossy green leaves turn into bright orange, red and purple.
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Height: 3-8 ft
Width 2-6 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and part sun
Wet to average soil of various types​
Common Ninebark
Common Ninebark is a large, wide, and tough shrub, tolerant of urban conditions, but requires good airflow. In early summer, a sea of clusters of white flowers attracts many pollinators, and their leaves feed over 30 caterpillar species, including the Cecropia silkmoth. The green leaves turn coppery-bronze in the fall, and for an all-season interest, the seed capsules persist throughout fall and winter. The birds love the seeds and the dense growing habit as a safe place.
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www.mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/common-ninebark/#overview
Height: 8+ ft
Width: 8+ ft
Full sun with good airflow
Various soil conditions
Flowering Purple Raspberry
A small, fast-growing shrub with large fragrant rose-like flowers and a mounded growth habit.
Provides exceptional high value for songbirds and small mammals by providing berries and safe nesting sites through thicket-forming growth. Attracts all-sized bees with its fragrant flowers. The hollow stems, once cut, provide ideal natural nesting sites for native stem-nesting bees. Needs good airflow.
Height: 5+ ft
Width: 8+ ft
Grows in full sun to partial shade
Moist to dry soils of various types
Bush Honeysuckle
A hardy shrub with small yellow trumpet-shaped flowers, tolerant of various conditions.
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Mounded, multi-stemmed, thicket-forming. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators love the plant’s nectar and pollen. Check out the great article about honeysuckle on www.wildseedproject.net
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Carolina Rose
Rosa carolina
Naturally occurs on the edges of prairies, woodlands, savannas, and thickets, in upland forests, and in dunes. It flowers on second or third-year canes.
The flowers attract bees and butterflies. The showy red rose hips are a great winter food source for songbirds, wild turkeys, and small mammals. High in vitamin C, they are edible and can be used in tea or jellies.
This dense shrub provides excellent cover for wildlife year-round and attracts overwintering birds.
Carolina rose makes a great hedge, and is a fantastic addition to a butterfly and pollinator garden.
Height: 3-6 ft
Width: 4-8 ft
Requires full sun
Adaptable to moist, well-drained soil and dry soil
of various types
Common Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Common Ninebark is a wide, large, and tough shrub, tolerant of urban conditions but requires good airflow. In early summer, a sea of clusters of white flowers attract many pollinators, and their leaves feed over 30 caterpillar species, including the Cecropia silkmoth. The green leaves turn coppery-bronze in the fall, and for an all-season interest, the seed capsules persist throughout fall and winter. The birds love the seeds and the dense growing habit as a safe place.
Photo: Jean-Pol_GRANDMONT
Height: 8 ft
Width: 8 ft
Best grown in full sun but can tolerate partial sun.
Moist to dry soil of various types
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Arrowwood Viburnum is a dense, small shrub with clusters of white flowers that mainly offer pollen in early summer to small native bees. It likes medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Arrowwood is the larval host plant for the Spring Azure butterfly. The berries feed and attract many birds, including Eastern Bluebird, Northern Flicker, Gray Catbird, and American Robin. Prune soon after flowering to ensure blooms in the following year. The leaves display beautiful fall colours, coral, red or purple.
Height: 5-7 ft
Width: 5-7 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and partial shade
Prefers acidic soil but can grow in moist to medium well-drained soil
of various types
Northern Bush Honeysuckle
Diervilla lonicera
A hardy shrub with small yellow trumpet-shaped flowers tolerant of various conditions.
Mounded, Multi-stemmed, Thicket-forming. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators love the plant’s nectar and pollen. Check out the great article about honeysuckle on www.wildseedproject.net
Height: 3 ft
Width: 3-12 ft
Very adaptable to full sun and partial shade
Moist to dry soil of various types
How to Support Your Tree for best Growth and Health
All the offered trees and shrubs are quite easy to grow and are adapted to our climate and urban stresses. It is still important to find the right tree for your needs and the right location in your yard for your tree.
Finding the right spot
What should the purpose of your tree be?
Space, sun and moisture determine greatly which species can grow in a given spot.
Planting Your Tree
Trees and shrubs are best planted in fall. It is most important to loosen and open up the roots in the root ball. If they have grown in a circular motion they will stay that way but become bigger and eventually strangle the tree. By taking care while planting, you can significantly increase your tree's resilience, health and the age your tree can reach.
Caring for Your Tree
Deep Watering!
It is essential to help develop a healthy root system in the first years. Keep the hose close to the tree on a slow trickle for 15 minutes to allow the water to infiltrate deep into the soil. Then, move the hose and repeat three times so that all four corners are well watered. This will encourage the tree to develop a deep rather than a shallow root system which makes your tree more resilient to drought and storms.