Featured Tree & Shrub Species

Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple

Soil Moisture: Well-Drained / Rich
Mature Height: 80’ - 100’
This handsome tree is a main component of the eastern deciduous forest. It grows in a variety of soils but does best in rich, well-drained soils. It is commonly tapped in the spring for maple syrup and admired in the fall for its brilliant color. The winged seeds in the spring are food for birds and wildlife.

Betula nigra - River Birch

Soil Moisture: Moist-to-Wet
Mature Height: 60’ - 80’
This medium-sized tree of the eastern U.S. is a floodplain species, growing along streams, rivers, ponds, and swamps. The unique shedding bark of young trees is quite ornamental. River Birch is a good choice for most medium-to-wet areas. Fall leaf color is yellow, and winter reveals the cinnamon-colored bark.

Carya ovata - Shagbark Hickory

Soil Moisture: Dry-to-Medium / Well-Drained
Mature Height: 70’ - 100’
Nut production in this species takes 15 to 20 years and is a major food source for bear, deer, fox, and squirrel. Smooth bark on young trees becomes shaggy with age and curves away from the trunk. Growing in most pH ranges, this is a key tree for any naturalization project.

Cephalanthus occidentalis - Buttonbush

Soil Moisture: Moist-to-Wet
Mature Height: Up to 15’
This is a lowland species commonly growing along streams, rivers and lakes, and in swamps. It provides excellent cover for nesting birds and waterfowl. Flowering in May, round fruits mature in autumn and are a favorite of mallards. Mature Buttonbush will grow in up to 2’ of standing water.

Cercis canadensis - Redbud

Soil Moisture: Dry-to-Medium / Rich
Mature Height: 30’ - 40’
This small, beautiful tree is a highlight of spring. Blooming in early spring with clusters of dark pink-to-lavender flowers, its color is outstanding. Redbud is a short-lived tree that occurs on rich, upland soils. This understory tree often forms a distinct stand in association with larger species.

Cornus amomum v. schuetzeana - Silky Dogwood

Soil Moisture: Moist-to-Wet
Mature Height: Up to 10’
This member of the dogwood family blooms in spring and produces blue fruits in the fall, which are eaten by squirrels and woodland mammals. It is a great plant to use for stream bank restoration and is common in moist, poorly drained soils. Highly tolerant of shade, young plants have red stems that turn to grey and brown with age.

Cornus florida - Flowering Dogwood

Soil Moisture: Dry-to-Moist
Mature Height: 25’ - 40’
This small, graceful tree is found often at the edge of woodlands under larger trees. Its large, white bracts are a welcome sight in spring. Large red fruits appear in the late summer and are an important food source for songbirds and smaller mammals. Flowering dogwoods grow best in dry-tomoist soils with a pH between 6 and 7.

Cornus sericea - Red-Osier Dogwood

Soil Moisture: Dry-to-Wet / Rich
Mature Height: 3’ - 10’
This shrub’s red twigs make it attractive in the dormant season. Plants spread by seed and often form dense thickets that can tolerate standing water for long periods. This species grows best in moist, nutrient-rich soils and full sun. The white fruits stay on the plant through winter.

Corylus americana - American Hazelnut

Soil Moisture: Medium-to-Moist
Mature Height: 8’ - 15’
Average-to-fast growing with multi-stems and a suckering habit, this shrub is a reliable food source for turkey, deer, bear, pheasant, and squirrel. Fruits mature in July and August. The male catkins are a winter food source for grouse, quail, and woodcock. Growing in full sun-to-partial shade, it shows a high tolerance to salt and alkaline soils.

Ilex verticillata - Winterberry

Soil Moisture: Moist-to-Wet
Mature Height: 6’ - 15’
Winterberry forms a dense thicket in wet soils. Male and female plants are needed to produce fertile fruit. Female plants produce bright red fruits that are prized for their midwinter splash of color. Fruits are an important food source for songbirds. This shrub grows best in moist, organic soils and can tolerate flooding.

Juglans nigra - Black Walnut

Soil Moisture: Moist / Well Drained
Mature Height: 70’ - 90’
Black Walnut trees grow best in moist, rich, well-drained soils. This species is often found in bottomlands and floodplains in valleys and along streams. Nut production starts when the tree reaches 10 years and increases with age. This slowgrowing tree has a pH range of 5.5 to 8. The large nuts are an important food source for wildlife.

Physocarpus opulifolius - Ninebark

Soil Moisture: Moist-to-Wet
Mature Height: Up to 10’
This shrub grows in sun or shade and in medium-wet soils. The white flowers in spring are a good source of nectar for birds and butterflies. In the fall, the fruit is eaten by several species of birds. The bark is unique and peels off in layers. Ninebark is highly adaptable. The leaves turn a yellow and bronze color in the fall.

Quercus palustris - Pin Oak

Soil Moisture: Moist-to-Wet
Mature Height: Up to 90’
This medium-size, fast-growing oak is primarily a lowland tree and develops a fibrous, spreading root system. It can grow in soil conditions from wet to deep and well-drained. It usually requires soils with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. Heavy acorn crops every 2 to 3 years are an important wildlife food source. It is a good choice for wetlands and floodplain areas.

Platanus occidentalis - Sycamore

Soil Moisture: Moist-to-Wet
Mature Height: Up to 100’
Common to streams, rivers, and bottomlands, Sycamore is tolerant of wet, poorly drained soils. This large tree grows fast and is long-lived. Characteristics include a white trunk with brown peeling bark and large leaves. The round fruit persist on the tree after the leaves fall. Sycamore is a good choice for floodplain areas.

Quercus macrocarpa - Bur Oak

Soil Moisture: Medium-to-Moist
Mature Height: 70’ - 80’
Bur Oak is a large, broad-rounded, deciduous tree with wide branch angles. The deeply ridged, coarse-furrowed bark develops at an early age. Its large acorns are an important wildlife food source. Bur Oak is more tolerant of city conditions than most oaks, and irregular growth habits and attractive bark make this tree a great choice for a range of plantings.

Quercus rubra - Red Oak

Soil Moisture: Medium
Mature Height: Up to 90’
Moderate-to-fast growing, this oak is common in a variety of soils but does best in deep, fine-textured soils. Good acorn crops every 2 to 5 years are food sources for deer, bear, raccoon, squirrel, turkey, and small rodents. Fast growth and great fall color, along with its benefit to wildlife, make this tree a great choice for upland plantings.

Sambucus canadensis - Elderberry

Soil Moisture: Medium-to-Wet
Mature Height: Up to 15’
This bushy, multi-stemmed shrub has a wide-spreading form. Elderberry grow in wet-to-moist conditions. Often forming dense thickets with large blue-to-black fruits used for jams and wine, birds feed on the fruits in the late summer. Common to stream banks and abandoned fields, Elderberry can handle mild shade-to-full sun. This species is valuable to wildlife and can be used to attract birds and mammals.