Scientific name |
Common name |
Height (ft) |
MO
native |
Zone |
Bloom color |
Bloom time |
Sun |
Water |
Notes |
Aesculus pavia |
Red buckeye |
12-15 |
Yes |
4-8 |
Red |
Mid to late spring |
F-P |
A |
Flowers attract hummingbirds; easily grown from seed; good for shrub border |
Aronia arbutifolia |
Red chokeberry |
6-10 |
No |
5-9 |
White |
Late spring |
F-P |
A |
Good fall color; most effective when grown in a group; tolerates boggy soil |
Berberis thunbergii |
Japanese barberry |
3-6 |
No |
4-10 |
Yellow with red tinge |
Mid spring |
F-P |
D-A |
Many cultivars are available for a wide variety of foliage; tolerates dry conditions |
Buddleja davidii |
Butterfly bush |
4-10 |
No |
5-9 |
Lilac |
Early summer to frost |
F |
A |
Grows taller in warmer climates; usually grows as herbaceous perennial in Zones 5 and 6 |
Callicarpa americana |
Beautyberry |
3-6 |
Yes |
6-10 |
Lavender, pink |
Summer |
F-P |
A |
Grow as herbaceous perennial; blooms on new growth; fruits more profusely in full sun |
Calycanthus floridus |
Carolina allspice |
6-10 |
No |
4-9 |
Brown |
Mid to late spring |
F-P |
A |
Fragrant flowers (scent varies); good specimen tree or in shrub border |
Chaenomeles speciosa |
Flowering quince |
6-10 |
No |
5-8 |
Crimson |
Spring |
F-P |
A |
Tolerates wind and drought; valued for profuse flowers |
Clethra alnifolia |
Summersweet |
3-8 |
No |
3-9 |
White |
Mid to late summer |
F-P |
A |
Fragrant flowers; good for wet areas |
Cornus sericea |
Red osier dogwood |
7-9 |
No |
3-8 |
White |
Late spring to early summer |
F-P |
A |
Red stems provide winter interest; fast grower; good for wet areas |
Corylus americana |
Hazelnut |
10-16 |
Yes |
4-9 |
Male-brown, female-red |
Spring |
F-P |
A |
Will spread to form thickets; produces edible nuts |
Cotinus coggygria |
Smoke tree |
10-15 |
No |
5-8 |
Yellow |
Mid to late spring |
F |
A |
Not for poorly drained clay; valued for long-lasting display of smoke-like hairs on spent flowers |
Deutzia gracilis |
Slender deutzia |
2-5 |
No |
5-8 |
White |
Spring |
F-P |
A |
Flowers best in full sun; prune in spring after flowering |
Euonymus alatus |
Winged euonymus |
15-20 |
No |
4-8 |
Yellow-green |
Late spring |
F-P |
A |
Good fall color; tolerates full shade; not for wet soil |
Forsythia x intermedia |
Early forsythia |
8-10 |
No |
6-9 |
Yellow |
Early to mid spring |
F-P |
A |
Flower buds may be killed in Zone 5; flowers more in full sun |
Hamamelis vernalis |
Ozark witch hazel |
6-10 |
Yes |
4-8 |
Yellow with red inner calyx |
Mid winter to early spring |
F-P |
A |
Fragrant flowers; leaves turn golden yellow in fall |
Hibiscus syriacus |
Rose of Sharon |
8-12 |
No |
5-8 |
Dark pink, white, red, purple |
Mid summer to early fall |
F-P |
A |
Not for extremely dry or extremely wet soil; does well in hot weather |
Hydrangea arborescens |
Smooth hydrangea |
3-5 |
Yes |
3-9 |
White |
Summer |
P |
A |
Grow as herbaceous perennial to offset weedy appearance, especially in cold winter climates; does not tolerate drought |
Hydrangea paniculata |
Hydrangea |
10-25 |
No |
3-8 |
White, aging to pink |
Late summer |
F-P |
A |
One of the most cold hardy hydrangeas; best when pruned to 6-10’ |
Hypericum prolificum |
Shrubby
St. John’s wort |
1-5 |
Yes |
3-8 |
Yellow |
Early to mid summer |
F-P |
A |
Tolerates some drought; for shrub border, native plant garden or hedge |
Ilex decidua |
Possum ham |
7-15 |
Yes |
5-9 |
Dull white |
Mid to late spring |
F-P |
A |
Need male and female plants for fruit; attracts small mammals and birds |
Ilex verticillata |
Winterberry |
6-10 |
Yes |
3-9 |
White |
Mid spring |
F-P |
A-W |
Need male and female plants for fruit; good for wet places |
Itea virginica |
Virginia sweetspire |
3-5 |
Yes |
5-9 |
White |
Early summer |
F-P |
A-W |
Good for wet areas; fragrant flowers; leaves attractive red in fall |
Kerria japonica |
Japanese kerria |
3-6 |
No |
4-9 |
Bright yellow |
Mid spring |
P |
A |
Tolerates full shade; blooms on previous year’s wood; may rebloom in summer |
Kolkwitzia amabilis |
Beauty bush |
6-10 |
No |
4-8 |
Pink with yellow throat |
Late spring to early summer |
F |
A |
Best flowering in full sun; renew by pruning out old wood or cutting to ground |
Lindera benzoin |
Spice bush |
6-12 |
Yes |
4-9 |
Greenish yellow |
Early spring |
F-P |
A |
Good for moist areas; fragrant leaves; tolerates full shade |
Lonicera fragrantissima |
Winter honeysuckle |
6-10 |
No |
4-8 |
Creamy white |
Early spring |
F-P |
D-A |
Very fragrant flowers; for hedge, screen or background plant |
Magnolia Little Girl series |
Magnolia |
10-15 |
No |
4-7 |
Purple to red purple, some fading to white or pink inside |
Early spring |
F-P |
A |
Includes cultivars such as ‘Ann,’ ‘Betty’ and ‘Jane’; bred to avoid frost damage by blooming later |
Malus sargentii |
Sargent crabapple |
6-8 |
No |
4-7 |
Pale pink buds, white flowers |
Spring |
F |
A |
Fruits attract birds; generally blooms profusely in alternate years |
Philadelphus coronarius |
Sweet mock orange |
10-12 |
No |
4-8 |
Creamy white |
Late spring to early summer |
F-P |
A |
Thrives in dry conditions; fragrant |
Physocarpus opulifolius |
Ninebark |
5-8 |
Yes |
2-8 |
White, pink |
Late spring |
F-P |
D-A |
Bark exfoliates to provide winter interest; cut to ground in winter to rejuvenate |
Potentilla fruticosa |
Shrubby cinquefoil |
1-4 |
No |
2-7 |
Yellow |
Early summer to frost |
F-P |
A |
Tolerates poor dry soil; flowers best in full sun |
Pyracantha coccinea |
Scarlet firethorn |
6-18 |
No |
6-9 |
Whitish |
Late spring to early summer |
F-P |
A |
Does well in dry soil during summer; prune anytime to control growth |
Rhodotypos scandens |
Black jetbead |
3-6 |
No |
4-8 |
White |
Late spring to early summer |
F-P |
A |
Tough plant for difficult areas; jet black berries persist throughout winter |
Rhus aromatica |
Fragrant sumac |
2-6 |
Yes |
3-9 |
Yellow |
Early spring |
F-P |
D-A |
Full sun gives better fall color; not for poorly drained soil |
Ribes odoratum |
Clove currant |
6-12 |
Yes |
4-8 |
Yellow |
Spring |
F-P |
A |
Spreads by suckers to form colonies; fragrant flowers |
Rosa rugosa |
Rugosa rose |
3-8 |
No |
2-9 |
Purplish rose to violet carmine |
Summer |
F |
A |
Large bright red hips attract birds; fragrant flowers |
Salix purpurea |
Purpleosier willow |
8-10 |
No |
3-6 |
Grayish white |
Early spring |
F |
A-W |
Has purple stems that turn light to olive gray; good for wet areas |
Sambucus canadensis |
Common elderberry |
5-12 |
Yes |
3-9 |
White |
Summer |
F-P |
A-W |
Fruit attracts birds and is used for wines and jellies; may look unkempt in small gardens |
Spiraea japonica |
Japanese spirea |
4-6 |
No |
3-8 |
Pink |
Late spring to mid summer |
F |
A |
Cultivars more readily available than species; attracts butterflies |
Spiraea nipponica ‘Snowmound’ |
Spirea |
2-4 |
No |
3-8 |
White |
Late spring |
F-P |
A |
Flowers profusely; attracts butterflies; for hedges, foundation plant or borders |
Staphylea trifolia |
American bladdernut |
10-15 |
Yes |
3-8 |
White |
Spring |
P-S |
D-A |
Prefers moist soil; seed capsules are interesting addition to dried arrangements |
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus |
Coralberry |
2-5 |
Yes |
2-7 |
Pinkish white |
Summer |
F-P |
A |
Spreads by suckers and runners; showy fruits provide winter interest or may be used in floral arrangements |
Syringa vulgaris |
Common lilac |
8-15 |
No |
3-7 |
Lilac |
Spring |
F |
A |
Needs good air circulation to reduce
disease: best flowering in full sun but tolerates part shade |
Viburnum dentatum |
Arrowwood Viburnum |
6-10 |
Yes |
2-8 |
White |
Late spring |
F-P |
A |
Vigorous reliable plant; fruit attracts birds and wildlife |
Viburnum prunifolium |
Black haw |
12-15 |
Yes |
3-9 |
White |
Spring |
F-P |
D-A |
May also be grown as small tree; fruits attracks birds and wildlife; tolerates drought |
Weigela florida |
Old-fashioned weigela |
6-9 |
No |
4-8 |
Rosy pink |
Spring |
F |
A |
May rebloom during summer |
