Shrubs – Our Habitat Garden

Formerly, as an ornamental gardener, I thought of gardening as flower gardening. Like most people, we had a few shrubs in the landscape just to add some visual interest. But my main gardening passion was perennial and annual flowers.

When we discovered habitat gardening and the importance of native plants, we started substituting native flowers for our previous choices, which had been the usual daylilies, petunias, marigolds, and many, many other pretty, but non-native, flowers.

At first, we were guided by many of the books and resources coming out of the Midwest, since the Midwest was so much farther ahead of us in terms of natural landscaping. As a result, I planted many plants native to the Midwest (though fortunately the native range of some of these plants extend into New York).

It wasn’t until I read Douglas Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home that I truly understood that it was important to grow plants native to Central New York, not those native only to the Midwest. Here in the Northeast, we should focus more on shrubs and trees since, if our area hadn’t been developed a few hundred years ago, our yard would have been a woodland. And truth be told, it wasn’t until over a year after reading Tallamy that it really sunk in. Fortunately, we had been planting some native shrubs anyway, but now I have a more intentional interest in shrubs and trees.

Here is a list of the native shrubs we grow.

Resources

What is a tree? What is a shrub?
There is no real clear-cut difference between a tree and a shrub, but to have a tree list you need to make the distinction. According to the American Forestry Association, a tree is a woody plant having one erect perennial stem or trunk at least 3 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground, a definitely formed crown of foliage, and a height of at least 13 feet.
~ Carolina Nature

Ecological Landscape Alliance:
- Small native shrubs to replace commonly used exotics
- Notable natives: Large shrubs and small trees
The Humane Gardener:
- Thorny shrubs: When plants protect plants
- Q&A: Bring back the brambles!
Ecological Gardening:
- Living with wild native shrubs in the garden
- Native shrubs and why they’re essential for carbon sequestration
Native Plant Trust: (formerly New England Wildflower Society):
- VIDEO: How to select trees and shrubs at a nursery
Citizens for Lexington Conservation:
- Meet Lexington’s heath family – native in CNY, too
Univ. of Connecticut:
- Native shrubs: Guide to landscape uses [NOTE: Cultivars are mentioned, but we don’t advocate using cultivars; otherwise a great list and excellent illustrative photos]
Penn State Extension:
- Native shrubs for pollinators