need native/non-invasive shrub ideas

17 years ago

I have a slope that I want to put some native or at least non-invasive shrubs on. Right now there is creeping juniper, but it's dying and needs to be replaced. I wanted something a bit more interesting than just juniper, but I'm confused as to which shrubs are the better choices.

At first I considered spirea, but after googling I found that it is considered invasive. Then, cotoneaster, again, invasive.

My other requirements: full sun, tolerates strong wind, drought resistant, deer and/or groundhog resistant (if such a thing exists, which I doubt!), and easily located.

Any suggestions or links for further research?

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

amelanchier
17 years ago
There is a spiraea native to the Northeast: spiraea alba var. latifolia:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SPALL
This year the shrubs I've planted include physocarpus opulifolius (very tolerant of extreme light & soil conditions), rhododendron prinophyllum, viburnum lentago, and clethra alnifolia. I wanted to get, but was unable to land at a reasonable price: lindera benzoin and morella pensylvanica. My conditions differ somewhat from yours (moist clay loam, not too much wind), so I couldn't really say whether these would be adaptable to your site, but you might want to check them out.
pieheart
Original Author
17 years ago
amelanchier, thanks for the suggestions! I saw physocarpus opulifolius today at a nursery and wasn't familiar with it. If I had been I would have bought it for sure, according to what I've just read it tolerates some pretty tough conditions. Except, it's in the rose family and I tend to avoid those plants due to a heavy infestation of Japanese beetles in the summer. Life is too short to be JB hunting several times/day. Last year I went out frequently with my bucket of soapy water, I must have killed thousands by the end of the summer. They especially liked our pole beans (not growing them this year!). But they also liked our potentilla and buddleia, a plant I just learned was invasive. I do deadhead them, so I hope that helps. It's so hard to find shrubs that the deer leave alone, flower, **and** are native.

Thanks again!
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Hi, I don't think many plants compete well with the ivy. Someone here can probably comment more on that. The plants you've chosen have a rather large variety of growing requirements... V. bluebells generally take a rich woodsy soil with a fair amount of shade. V. creeper is a ground cover that I don't think will do well in pots. Elderberries get very big, sucker and like quite a bit of water and at least part sun. Green coneflowers get very big. I have huge clumps of them growing by the creek. I am not positive of their growing requirements, but they are growing wild in my yard in part sun and above average moisture. Great blue lobelia requires at least part sun and above average moisture. That might do OK in a pot. Some types of milkweed have a large taproot, so I'm not sure they will do well in pots. I'm not sure if they all have taproots, though. Blue wood aster may do OK in pots. Most types of JPW get very large. They like above average water and at least part sun, preferably full. While I think there are many natives that would do well in pots, I am not sure all those you have in mind would work well. I hope I'm not discouraging you from trying natives in pots. You may want to do a little more research on what you chose to try. Hopefully others here can offer their thoughts. I'm by no means an expert. As far as IDs, the only one I know from your pics is the one in the pink pot--a hosta. Blue Ridge Mountain Girl
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One has to distinguish between plants that are invasive in natural settings and plants that are invasive in gardens. Lots of natives are invasive in the garden sense of the word. They spread in the garden and may require that the gardener control them. On the other hand, I don't know of any situations where a native plant has been invasive in a natural ecosystem, with the exception of Common Reed Phragmites australis (and it may be that a non-native variety of Phragmites is responsible for the invasion of east coast marshes). On the other hand, some species that are invasive in natural settings don't create much problem in the garden. For example, if you plant one of the shrub honeysuckles (e.g. Lonicera mackii) in your garden you'll probably have few problems with it - it won't spread about the garden very much, At the same time, however, it may be spreading seedlings throughout the local woods, displacing native plants and eventually taking over the understory of the woods. So think twice what is meant when someone says a plant is invasive. But your question is whether invasive and non-native mean the same thing, and whether it is OK to grow nonnative plants in your garden. Not all non-native plants are invasive, and almost everyone has at least a few non-natives in their garden. Almost all vegetables are non-native, as are most lawn grasses. I think it is fine to grow non-natives, but I try to avoid them as much as possible. If there is a native alternative then I select the native plant, and I try to avoid any non-native plant that shows a tendency to spread, especially if it spread to any wild areas. Lots of plants commonly recognized as invasive were at one time grown as garden plants, and I bet that there are garden plants we use now that will in the future turn out to be troublesome invasives. For example, butterfly bush (buddleia davidii) is invasive in some parts of PA, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it listed as an invasive plant in future years. In the mean time, however, lots of people, even people who are concerned about things like invasive plants, are growing butterfly bushes not realizing they may be a problem. I won't even point out that Norway Maple, Bradford Pear, Common Privet, Water Hyacinth, and even Purple Loosestrife are commonly sold in nurseries - all are extremely invasive over a wide geographical range. I think that plants that have been in cultivation in the US for a long time are probably less likely to be a problem than pants that are newly intruduced, but you can never be sure. So, I think that non-native daffodils are fine, but I'd get rid of that Russian Sage...
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Iris GW
17 years ago
I think the physocarpus opulifolius would do well for you and the JB won't destroy it even if they do eat on it. Other ideas would be Elderberry and Blueberries. Shrubs like the Ninebark and Elderberry would be great at regenerating themselves if anyone were to nibble on them. Both Ninebark and Elderberry are available in some neat cultivar forms to give you some variety.

Do mulch well and keep watered the first year.
terrene
17 years ago
Two lovely native shrubs that would probably fit your requirements are Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea) and Myrica pennsylvanica (Northern bayberry). Both would do well in full sun, in a sloping, rocky, windy location, and are drought-tolerant. Bayberry is suckering and will spread, and the female plants make berries that the birds love to eat. The MOBOT database says this about New Jersey Tea "effective as a shrubby ground cover for hard-to-grow areas such as dry rocky slopes and banks".

Not sure if they are deer-resistent, but I just planted some Bayberry in the wild area in the back of my lot, so I'll find out! I purchased seedlings in packs of 10 for $10 - a buck apiece - at the NH Nursery.
kcon
17 years ago
Another possibility would be the Viburnum rufidulum(Rusty or Southern Blackhaw Viburnum).
pieheart
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for all the great ideas! I live in NJ but have never seen a New Jersey tea in a nursery, if you can believe that. I'm going to ask specifically about it the next time I go. I'd like to pick one up and see how it fares, and if it does well maybe a few more.

Bayberry sounds interesting too, I'm going to check that one out too.

Thanks again to everyone who responded.
loris
17 years ago
pieheart,

I'm also in New Jersey and interested in native plants. I'm not sure about where you are, but I've had so-so success finding the native plants I want at the local nurseries. I'm linking to a page from the N.J. Native Plant Society that has sources for native plants. From this list I've ordered from Toadshade and have gone to the native plant sale at Bowman's. I'd recommend both. Toadshade last time I looked only offered a few shrubs.
If you're interested in Bowman's act quickly. I just looked and their plant sale ends this weekend and there's not another until fall.

http://www.bhwp.org/seed_catalog/plantsale.htm

I've also gotten many native plants I've had trouble finding elsewhere from periodic sales the Audubon Society near me has and from other sales by Master Gardeners, Arboretums etc.

Enjoy.

-- Lori

Here is a link that might be useful: sources for native plants from N. J. Native Plant Society site

need native/non-invasive shrub ideas

Comments (7)

amelanchier

pieheart
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need native/non-invasive shrub ideas

Comments (7)

amelanchier

pieheartOriginal Author

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Iris GW

terrene

kcon

pieheartOriginal Author

loris

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pieheart
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pieheart
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