Wild Senna
Cassia marilandica, Senna marilandica
Topped with dense clusters of yellow pea-like flowers in mid-summer, Wild Senna is low maintenance & deer and rabbit resistance. Although shrubby in habit and therefore also included under "woody" here, it is an herbaceous perennial, sprouting at ground level each spring. Pollinator host plant to Sleepy Orange, Orange-barred Sulfur, Cloudless Sulfur, Silver-spotted Skipper butterflies & the Black Witch moth with wingspan to 7". Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average Moisture
Height: 3-6 feet
Blooms: July-August
Flowers: Yellow
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Larval host plant for the black and iridescent-blue Spicebush Swallowtail. The caterpillars are adorable, curling up in a leaf, with "eyes" to deter predators. Spicebush is a shrub that has highly aromatic foliage when crushed and turns a lovely pale yellow in autumn. Female bushes bear bright red fat-rich berries that are highly prized by birds. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Part Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 6 to 12 feet
Wild Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Medium sized shrub with clusters of lacy white flowers. Excellent choice for planting in groups along edge habitat in a woodland garden. Also good for rain gardens and along streams. Host to the nifty Hydrangea Sphinx moth with 2" to 3" wingspan. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Part Sun
Soil: Average to Moist
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Blooms: June-August
Flowers: White
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Shrub. Showy white flowers borne in spherical clusters draw numerous pollinators. Bees use nectar for making honey, seeds feed wildlife. Great for borders, rain gardens or as a specimen plant, even erosion control. Larval host plant for a number of species of Lepidoptera. Prune to desired shape. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 5 to 12 feet
Blooms: June-September
Flowers: White
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
In spring Redbud is often loaded with purplish-pink blooms that support pollinators at a critical time of year. Leaves are heart-shaped and tree has graceful spreading form. Larval host plant for Henry's Elfin butterfly and several species of moth. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: prefers Part Sun
Soil: Average
Height: to about 30 feet
Blooms: April
Flowers: Pink
Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Elderberry is a good choice for use in a hedge row, border or when planted for wildlife. It has fragrant clusters of white flowers and later, loads of purple berries that draw birds in late summer & fall. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 5 to 12 feet
Blooms: June-July
Flowers: White
Strawberry Bush
Euonymus americanus
Well behaved shrub producing showy fall fruits with hot pink capsules and dangling orange-red fleshy arils. Fall foliage is a wonderful crimson attached to the bright green stems. Attracts birds. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Part Shade
Soil: Average
Height: 4 to 6 feet
Blooms: May-June
Flowers: Green-Yellow
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Clusters of white-pink spirea-like flowers bloom in spring, pink fruit (pictured) and exfoliating bark in fall & winter give this shrub multi-season appeal. Good for erosion control, specimen & hedges. Larval host to many (40) native Lepidoptera.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 5 to 8 feet
Blooms: May to June
Flowers: White to Pink
Rough-leaved Dogwood
Cornus drummondii
Good candidate for a quick growing privacy borders. Early nectar in spring & white berries in fall for birds. Tolerant of a range of soil conditions. Suckers.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Medium
Height: 6 to 15 feet
Blooms: May to June
Swamp Rose
Rosa palustris
Fragrant, showy flowers become bright red rose hips. Spreads by suckers. Good for a wet area susceptible to erosion. Kentucky source.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Wet to Med
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Blooms: June to July
Steeplebush
Spiraea tomentosa
A good choice for a low hedge, in a rain garden or adjacent to a stream or lake. Pretty pink terminal flower spikes bloom in late summer. Trim in winter or early spring as flowers occur on new wood. Spreads by suckers. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: July to Sept
Flowers: Pink
Prairie Rose
Rosa setigera
Deciduous shrub that works well in hedges as a shrub or trained as a climber. Nice fall color and fruits.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Medium to Wet
Height: 6 to 12 feet
Blooms: June
Tupelo
Nyssa sylvatica
Also called Black Gum and Sour Gum, this tree turns a stunning scarlet red in the fall. Flowers are an excellent source of nectar for bees. Fruit on female plants attract birds. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Height: 30 to 50 feet
Soil: Average to Moist
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Large multi-stem shrub with bountiful spring flowering followed by crimson berries that hang on into winter and brilliant red fall foliage. Best flowering in full sun. Excellent for hedges, borders, water's edge, or as a specimen. Suckers. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Medium
Height: 6 to 8 feet
Blooms: April
Round-fruited Saint John's Wort
Hypericum sphaerocarpum
Looking for a low-maintenance, low ground cover for a full sun, hot & possibly dry, contained situation? Ideal for a median strip, island in a parking area, etc. We have seen very few weeds come up in our raised bed with this lovely, cheerful ground cover.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Dry to Medium
Height 1.5 to 2.5 feet
Blooms: June to July
Appalachian Mock Orange
Philadelphus inodorus
Multi-stemmed shrub with clusters of mildly fragrant 1"-2" white flowers with 4 petals & yellow stamens. Good native alternative to invasive Japanese privet, it can be used for foundation plantings, hedges, & for privacy screens. Trim back after flowering.
Light: Full Sun to Light Shade
Soil: Medium
Height: to 10 feet & as wide
Blooms: April to May
Flowers: Creamy white with yellow stamens
Rose Mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
Although not a woody plant, this plant fills out like a bush & dies back to the ground each winter. Rose Mallow flowers are large, 4" to 6" across and showy. Ideal for a rain garden, hummingbird garden, or grouped along a patio, pond or ditch. Trim to desired height. A larval host plant to the following butterflies: Common Checkered Skipper, Painted Lady, and Gray Hairstreak.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 3 to 7 feet
Blooms: July-October
Flowers: White to Pink with Maroon center
Shrubby Saint John's Wort
Hypericum prolificum
Upright shrub tolerant of a wide variety of soil types and good for stabilizing embankments or creating a boundary or hedge. Flowers to 1" in diameter. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average (but drought-tolerant)
Height: usually 1 to 4 feet
Blooms: June to August
Flowers: Yellow
American Spikenard
Aralia racemosa
Although an herbaceous perennial, the growing season form would pass as a shrub at 3 to 5 feet tall and mounding. Excellent as a specimen with interesting flowers in summer and berries for birds in fall. Best placed in intermediate light, away from strong winds. Rhizomatous.
Light: Full sun to Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium
Height: 3 to 5 feet
Blooms: June to August
American Snowbell
Styrax americanus
Known for it's showy pendulous white flowers with reflexed petals. Grows in medium soil and wet areas. Trim to shape like a small tree or shrub. Host plant for the Promethea moth. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Medium to Wet
Height: 6 to 10 feet
Blooms: April to May
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