Small trees or shrubs offer a wide range of benefits and are valuable additions to every garden’s ecosystem. Shrubs play an integral role in creating bee-, butterfly-, and bird-friendly gardens by providing pollen, nectar, and seeds. They provide a habitat for wildlife, offering nesting sites, shade, and shelter. Moreover, they enhance privacy and serve as excellent property borders. Once mature, trees and shrubs in the landscape contribute to the curb appeal and overall value of your property. With benefits like these, adding small trees and shrubs to your landscape should be a no-brainer!
The 2024 Arbor Day Tree Giveaway will feature two beautiful understory species that can be trained into small trees or multi-stemmed shrubs: false indigo (Amorpha fruticose) and buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Keep reading to see which one suits your landscape – or choose both for double the benefits!
Plant Characteristics
Amorpha fruticosa is known by several common names, including false indigo, desert false indigo, and bastard indigo. Reaching a mature height of 6 to12 feet, false indigo is often found forming dense thickets. The genus name Amorpha is Greek for “formless” referring to the species’ flowers which have only one tubular petal, unlike any other species in its family. Purple to dark blue, flowers bloom April to June and are small but clustered together in a narrow spike. Leaves are actually a series of leaflets, with a velvet lower surface, that turn yellow before they drop in the fall.
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub growing 6 to 12 feet high and spreading 4 to 8 feet wide. The irregular-shaped crown is filled with glossy green leaves that lack fall color. Buttonbush flowers are its most interesting feature! The globular, white, fragrant flowers bloom June through September, attracting an abundance of nectar-lovers.
Growing Conditions
False indigo is an adaptable plant, tolerating dry spells as well as occasional flooding. This native deciduous tree is found growing in open woodlands, roadsides, floodplains, and stream banks. It favors moist soil and requires very little supplemental water once established. This species prefers sunny locations but appreciates partial shade if soils are on the dry side. As a nitrogen-fixing shrub, false indigo is a great companion species for other trees in the garden and can be planted next to a valuable fruit or nut tree to help accelerate its growth. In the forest, false indigo is often found with elderberry, redbud, elm and bald cypress.
Buttonbush is a great shrub for naturally wet areas. It grows best in moist, well-drained soil or wet soil, and needs either full or partial sun exposure. This species will grow more abundantly with increased water and light level; flowering is poor in shade or dry soils. It is often found growing in river margins, marsh edges, shores, wet thickets, and hardwood swamps. In nature, buttonbush is often found alongside American beech, red maple, sugar maple, black oak, pin oak, bald cypress, and black gum. If you have one of these canopy trees in your yard already, its probably a good spot for a buttonbush too!
The beauty of both these plants belies their strength in controlling erosion, intercepting runoff and enduring dry spells. False indigo is widely used in in forest management for its ability to stabilize soil on slopes and improve degraded environments. Buttonbush is a star at helping intercept storm water and hold soils in wet areas. False indigo is considered a water-saving plant that is suitable for urban areas like ours when droughts can happen. The growth, adaptability and resilience make these the perfect species for a variety of urban gardens.
Wildlife Value
Rich in pollen and nectar, this tree is an important food source for bees, butterflies, and other insects. False indigo is the host plant for native pollinators such as the Silver-spotted Skipper, Southern Dogface and the Gray Hairstreak (shown above).
Over two-dozen species of birds including waterfowl and shorebirds enjoy buttonbush seeds. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds are attracted to buttonbush for its abundance of nectar. White-tailed deer and other wildlife species will eat the leaves of this plant, including 24 species whose caterpillars use buttonbush to fatten up before becoming butterflies and moths. Caterpillars of the beautiful wood-nymph, for instance, rely solely on this plant for nourishment.
Adding small trees or shrubs to your landscape creates a positive ripple effect in your yard. They can improve air quality, reduce soil erosion, increase privacy and curb appeal, and most importantly, attract birds and pollinators to your garden.
For more information please reach out to the Environmental Services Department 281-210-3800 or enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov