Fall is a great time to plant a tree, but if you are limited on space in your yard, you might consider planting shrub or two instead. Native shrubs provide a boatload of benefits, from habitat and food for birds and small mammals to seasonal color and beauty. Here are our top 5 recommended native shrubs well-suited for eastern Nebraska and western Nebraska.
Native Shrubs for Eastern Nebraska
- Dwarf chinkapin oak (Quercus prinoides; 6-15' tall and wide)—Can become a small, multi-stem tree in time.
- American hazelnut (Corylus americana; 6-8' tall)—Beautiful bronze fall color and edible nuts.
- Blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium; 10-15’ tall and wide)—White spring flowers and great fall color; can be grown as a small tree.
- Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia; 5-15' tall, 5-10' wide)—Thicket forming with very tasty blueberry-like fruits in June.
- Shining sumac (Rhus copallinum; 7-15' tall, 10-20' wide)—Thicket forming with fantastic red fall color.
Native Shrubs for Western Nebraska
- Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica; 5-8' tall and wide)— Yellow spring flowers, good fall color and fragrant foliage; resilient and easy to grow.
- Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus; 5-8' tall, 4-6' wide)—Heat and drought tolerant; upright plant with curved, feather-like seeds in the fall.
- Golden currant (also called clove currant) (Ribes aureum; 5' tall, 5' wide)—Clove-scented yellow flowers in early spring are followed by edible fruits.
- Western sandcherry (Prunus besseyi; 3' tall, 3' wide)—Low growing, sometimes sprawling; very tasty fruits.
- Silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea; 10-15' tall, 10-12' wide)—Very resilient, with silver foliage, fragrant flowers and edible fruits.
The same principles for proper tree planting apply to planting a shrub, so check out our Tree Planting 101 video for step-by-step instructions.
