Shade Tolerant Native Shrubs for Your Landscape

Shady spots are hard to fill in a landscape. If you'd like to liven up a sun shy area of your yard or garden with native shrubs, then these selections will help you decide which ones are right for you.

Aesculus parviflora Walt. (Bottlebrush buckeye)

Kingdom Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass Rosidae -

Order Sapindales -

Family Hippocastanaceae - Horse-chestnut family

Genus Aesculus L. - buckeye

Species Aesculus parviflora Walt. - bottlebrush buckeye

This shrub grows from 6-12 feet high and prefers shady locations. It has four-petal white flowers that give off a honey like fragrance, and fruits that have a nutlike appearance. This was used as a treatment for colic and whooping cough traditionally. Its wood is used for packing crates.

Clethra alnifolia L. (Coastal Sweetpepperbush, Summersweet)

Kingdom Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass Dilleniidae -

Order Ericales -

Family Clethraceae - Clethra family

Genus Clethra L. - sweetpepperbush

Species Clethra alnifolia L. - coastal sweetpepperbush

This shade tolerant deciduous shrub will grow up to 8 feet tall. It has lovely reddish-brown bark. This shrub is mainly used purely ornamental due to its incredibly fragrant white flowers that appear July to August. It will fruit from September to October, but has little value to livestock and deer.

Dirca palustris (Eastern Leatherwood)

Kingdom Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass Rosidae -

Order Myrtales -

Family Thymelaeaceae - Mezereum family

Genus Dirca L. - leatherwood

Species Dirca palustris L. - eastern leatherwood