Five Native Foundation Shrubs

As I write this we are into the first week of July, and although it’s getting a little late for actually planting shrubs, this is a great time to make plans for fall shopping and planting.

There are several native shrubs that are good to know about, for planting around a home. These shrubs tend to be what we call “foundation” shrubs, because they can be planted around the foundation of the house with good results.

What is a Foundation Shrub? To be considered a foundation shrub, a plant needs to be generally neat in appearance with relatively little maintenance. They are also usually less than 5 or 6’ tall at maturity, in order to avoid blocking windows.

Because these shrubs are so popular, it also makes them a little easier to find available for sale and grown under conditions that make them attractive to put in your front yard.

Watch the quality. For front yard purposes, I prefer to steer clear of “restoration” quality plants—these are often mass-produced in crowded circumstances to keep costs low enough that the plants can be sold to places like state highways in need of restoration planting material. While I am all in favor of restoration projects, I have seen those scruffy, beleaguered plants give natives a bad name when people try to use them for front yard purposes.

I think we should grow native plants with the same respect, care, and shaping that non-native plants receive! Fortunately, there are more and more growers doing this, and these are sometimes called “landscape quality”. Their cost is, not surprisingly, more in line with the cost of other, non-native shrubs at the nursery. That care and attention does not come for free!

So when you are looking at growers’ websites, you can look for the code words to get what you want: landscape quality for front yard kind of projects, and restoration quality for the back forty where you need a lot of inexpensive plants but it doesn’t matter if they are a little rough-looking.

Why so many dwarf cultivars? Most straight species of our native shrubs tend to top out at around 8-12 feet. This is probably good for competing in the wild (take note, those of you who are restoring the back forty) but it is a little too big for planting around most houses, except maybe as a sentry for the corner of the house.

For this reason growers have developed some very good, shorter cultivars. And thankfully, we now have research (from Doug Tallamy at University of Delaware and others elsewhere) showing that changing the overall plant height does not harm the plant’s ability to support insects that are so important to the rest of the food web. (More on native cultivars—and which ones to avoid—in a future article.) Following are some good ones. Check your site conditions, of course, and make sure that the shrub you are buying will be happy at your site.

Dwarf Inkberry, Ilex glabra (dwarf cultivars include Nigra, Densa, Compacta, and Chamzin) This evergreen shrub has small leaves and a neat, small boxwood-like habit. The female cultivars (most but not all of them are female) have black berries in fall that birds very much enjoy. You don’t have to worry about providing a male. Host plant for Henry’s Elfin butterfly.

Coastal Azalea, Rhododendron atlanticum (Straight species is usually fine, but there are also gorgeous, naturally-occuring hybrids with Pinxterbloom azalea, such as ‘Choptank Rose’). Coastal azalea is not only shorter than the other native azaleas, it is also a little easier to grow. They do prefer sandy, acidic soil. I find our native azaleas much lighter and more delicate-looking than the exotic (Asian) azaleas that we are all used to.

Dwarf Virginia Sweetspire, Itea Virginica (look for Merlot, Little Henry, or even the taller Henry’s Garnet). Loaded with white curling blooms, this plant is very adaptable. It may sometimes send up sprouts and fill in as a colony, making it an excellent choice for a mass or a hedge. With a good amount of sun, it develops stunning fall color of orange-tinged wines and burgundies.

Dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia (look for Munchkin, Pee Wee, Ruby Slippers and Sikes' Dwarf). This shrub’s oak-shaped leaves have a lush texture. Flowers come in either white or naturally occuring variations of pink or deep rose. They can look a little rough and knobby in winter, so keep this in mind as you design the bed overall. In some areas, deer really favor this plant, in other areas they leave it alone. Go figure.

Dwarf Summersweet, Clethra alnifolia (good cultivars include Hummingbird, Pink hummingbird, Sixteen candles, Sugartina, White Dove, and Crystalina). When in bloom during the summer, this plant is often covered with Swallowtail butterflies. Cultivars come in either pink or white varieties. This plant tolerates poor drainage and wet areas, but is still relatively drought tolerant after the first 3 years of establishment.

I hope this helps with your fall planning! Next issue might be about larger shrubs that are good for summer screening. Enjoy your summer!

---Chris