Fruiting Plants that do Well Around Black Walnut Trees
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There are several native*, fruiting plants that do reasonably well in the vicinity of our beautiful black walnut trees, and that can also take some shade. Here are some ideas: [note: “ ~ “ = approximately]
Serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.) are deciduous shrubs or small trees that produce edible berries (to both humans and animals) in the summer, then attractive foliage in the autumn. Serviceberries tend to prefer well-drained soil that is moist.
Several serviceberries are native to the area, including:
- common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea), ~15-25 feet tall and ~10-20 wide
- inland serviceberry (Amelanchier interior), more tree-like, ~20-30’ tall
- Alleghany serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis), ~15-25 feet tall
- roundleaf serviceberry (Amelanchier sanguinea), ~6-9 feet tall and ~2-3 feet wide, tolerates slightly drier soils once established
- running serviceberry (Amelanchier stolonifera), typically ~3-5 feet tall, will tolerate some drought once established and spreads by suckers to form thickets
Elderberries (Sambucus spp.) are fast-growing, deciduous shrubs that flower in the summer and fruit in the fall. The flowers can be used to make tasty, therapeutic tea, and the cooked berries can be used to make anti-viral syrup.
Nearly any variety of Sambucus should do well, but here are two native species:
- black elderberry (Sambucus nigra), ~8-20 feet tall
- red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa), ~8-12 feet tall
Cherries and plums (Prunus spp.) are mostly small trees or shrubs that produce tasty fruit.
Native species include:
- American plum (Prunus americana)
- hortulan plum (Prunus hortulana)
- wild goose plum (Prunus munsoniana)
- Canadian plum (Prunus nigra)
- pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica)
- sandcherry (Prunus pumila) and Sesquehana sandcherry (Prunus susquehanae); note that while many plants prefer well-draining soil, including most Prunus species, these two varieties especially, really prefer well-draining soil in order to perform well
- black cherry (Prunus serotina)
- chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
While many Rubus species (blackberries, dewberries, and raspberries) do okay near black walnut trees, wild black raspberries seem to have the easiest time around them, keeping in mind that they produce more fruit with increased sunlight.
We have three, recognized native raspberries, including our delicious wild black raspberry:
- American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
- black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)
- purple-flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus)
Spicebush (Lindera Benzoin) is a deciduous, native shrub that prefers moist soils, and can grow ~3-5 feet tall in shade and ~6-12 feet tall in at least partial sun. Spicebush yields berries that attract birds and can provide culinary seasoning options for humans, as the taste of dried spicebush berries is described by many as being similar to allspice. The leaves and flowers can also be used as a tea or spice.
Viburnums (Viburnum spp.) are deciduous shrubs that produce berries in the summer and colorful foliage in autumn. Birds prefer most fruits in this genus, and a few Viburnum species produce berries that are considered edible to humans (noted below; careful species identification is important).
The following viburnums are native to the area:
- mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), ~3-6 feet tall, prefers partial shade and moisture, but is drought tolerant once established
- southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), ~5-10 feet tall and wide
- hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides), ~6-12 feet tall, thrives in cool, moist, shady environments
- nannyberry (Viburnum lentago), ~10-18 feet tall, blue-black berries are edible when fully ripe
- softleaf arrowwood (Viburnum molle), ~4-10 feet tall
- possumhaw (Viburnum nudum), ~5-12 feet tall and wide
- European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus), ~10-15 feet tall
- blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium), ~12-15 feet tall, purplish-black berries are edible when ripe
- downy arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesqueanum), ~3-10 feet tall
- rusty blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), ~10-20 feet tall
American cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) and highbush cranberry (V. edule) are native to the more-northerly areas of North America, and produce red, edible berries (similar to cranberries in taste).
Cooking is a common method for viburnum berries, often made into jams, sauces, crumbles, pies, etc. The large, flat seed found in the berries of most species is typically discarded.
*Here, “native” refers to the east, north-central Midwest.