MOUNTAIN MAPLE Acer spicatum

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist, Well drained
Height: 3 - 7 metres
Spacing:  2 m (6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: Bright red seeds in summer and orange foliage in fall - Host for Harvester and Tiger Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars.

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SPECKLED ALDER Alnus rugosa

Sun: Full Sun or Part Shade
Moisture: Medium to Wet
Height: 2 - 4 metres
Bloom Time: April/May
Spacing: 2-3 m (6-9 ft)
Native Range in Canada: SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: Birds love the seeds - Host for Harvester butterfly caterpillars.

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SASKATOON Amelanchier alnifolia

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Medium, Well drained
Height: 3 - 4 metres
Bloom Time: May
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2-2 m (4-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, YT, NWT

Description: The purple fruit is great to eat fresh or for Saskatoon pie - Early to bloom and leaf out in spring - Good early food source for bees - Golden fall colour - Deer Resistant.

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LEADPLANT Amorpha canescens

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Medium
Height: 30 - 90 cm
Bloom Time: June
Colour: Blue/Purple
Spacing: 60-90 cm (2-3 ft)
Native Range in Canada: MB, ON

Description: The glowing, blue/purple flower spikes attract butterflies for nectar and bees for pollen - A rare shrub with grey-green leaves - Prefers sandier soil - A legume.

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INDIGO BUSH Amorpha fruticosa

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 2 - 3 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: Dark Purple
Spacing: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Native Range in Canada: MB, ON, QC, NB

Description: A rare shrub with gorgeous, dark purple flower spikes - Host to Alfalfa butterflies - A legume - Attracts bees.

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DWARF FALSE INDIGO Amorpha nana

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 30 - 50 cm
Bloom Time: June
Colour: Reddish Purple
Spacing: 60 cm (2 ft)
Native Range in Canada: MB

Description: A small, rare shrub with fragrant flowers in spike like racemes - Attractive, fine textured leaves - Attracts bees.

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RED OSIER DOGWOOD Cornus sericea ssp. sericea

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Wet
Height: 1 - 3 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2-2 m (4-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL, YT, NWT, NU

Description: Red bark adds winter colour - White berries attract birds - Host of Spring Azure butterflies - Excellent for riverbanks.

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GREY DOGWOOD Cornus racemosa

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 2 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2-2 m (4-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: MB, ON, QC

Description: Showy flowers and white berries, which birds love - Grey bark - Host for Spring Azure butterflies - Purple fall colour - Spreads gradually by underground roots.

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HAZELNUT Corylus americana

Sun: Full Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry to Moist, Well drained
Height: 1 - 3 metres
Bloom Time: May
Colour: Red, tiny
Spacing: 1-3 m (3-9 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: Excellent, golden orange fall colour - Nuts can be roasted and eaten - Spreads to form dense clumps - Deer Resistant.

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HAWTHORN Crataegus chrysocarpa

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 2 - 4 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 2-4 m (6-12 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: A very attractive shrub with stout thorns - Loaded with beautiful, white flowers, followed by bright red fruit - Host for Harvester butterflies and Hairstreak butterflies - Deer Resistant.

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SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL Dasiphora fruticosa 

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Wet
Height: 30-120 cm
Bloom Time: June-September
Colour: Yellow
Spacing: 1-1.2 m (3-4 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, NL, YT, NWT

Description: A long blooming, low maintenance shrub - Attracts bees and butterflies - Helpful for erosion control - Seed for birds in autumn - Also called Potentilla - Deer Resistant.

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BUSH HONEYSUCKLE Diervilla lonicera

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Dry to Moist, Well drained
Height: 50 - 100 cm
Bloom Time: June/July
Colour: Yellow
Spacing: 50-100 cm (1.5-3 ft)
Native Range in Canada: SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: Great as a tall groundcover - Clusters of yellow, funnel shaped flowers - Spreads by roots - Red/gold fall colour.

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SILVERBERRY Eleagnus commutata

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Medium, Well drained
Height: 2 - 4 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: Yellow
Spacing: 2-4 m (6-12 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NWT, NU

Description: Silver leaves - Thicket forming shrub spreads by roots - Also called Wolf Willow - Great for erosion control and wildlife - Deer Resistant.

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WILD PLUM Prunus americana

Sun: Full Sun or Part Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 3 - 5 metres
Bloom Time: May
Colour: White
Spacing: 2-3 m (6-9 ft)
Native Range in Canada: SK, MB, ON, QC

Description: A mass of flowers cover the plant before the leaves emerge - Red or yellow plums - Host of Spring Azure and Swallowtail butterflies.

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PINCHERRY Prunus pensylvanica

Sun: Full Sun or Part Shade
Moisture: Dry to Medium, Well drained
Height: 3 - 5 metres
Bloom Time: May
Colour: White
Spacing: 1-2 m (2-6 ft) 
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL, NWT

Description: Bright red, pea sized cherries make good jelly - Nice fall colour - Birds love the fruit - All prunus species host Spring Azure and Swallowtail butterflies.

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WESTERN SANDCHERRY Prunus pumila besseyi

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Medium
Height: 15 - 40 cm
Bloom Time: May
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Native Range in Canada: SK, MB, ON

Description: White flowers are followed by tart, purplish, edible cherries – Native to dry, sandy prairies in the southwest parklands of Manitoba. Attracts bees.

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SMOOTH SUMAC Rhus glabra

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Medium
Height: 2 - 4 metres
Colour: Red fruit
Spacing: 2-4 m (6-12 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC

Description: Fast growing with showy, brilliant red leaves in fall - Spreads by roots - Cone shaped red fruit clusters attract wildlife.

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WILD BLACK CURRANT Ribes americanum

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Wet
Height: 90 - 120 cm
Bloom Time: May
Colour: Yellow
Spacing: 60-90 cm (2-3 ft)
Native Range in Canada: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS

Description: A great shrub for shady, moist areas - Edible black berries - Birds love the fruit too - Fast growing.

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PRICKLY ROSE Rosa acicularis

Sun: Full Sun or Part Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 1 - 2 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: Pink
Spacing: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, YT, NWT

Description: Fragrant flowers produce red rose hips - Floral emblem of Alberta - Spreads by roots - Host for Hairstreak butterflies - Rusty orange fall colour.

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WILD RASPBERRY Rubus idaeus

Sun: Full Sun or Part Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 1 - 2 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 60 cm (2 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL, YT, NWT, NU

Description: Very tasty fruit, great for eating fresh or in jam or pies - Fresh or dried leaves make good tea - Spreads by roots.

Fruiting is best with regular moisture.

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BUFFALOBERRY Shepherdia argentea

Sun: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Medium
Height: 3 - 5 metres
Spacing: 1-2 m (3-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB

Description: A thorny shrub with silver leaves and orange/red berries. Berries are very sour but after a hard frost they make good jelly. Male and female flowers are on separate plants so more than one plant is needed to produce fruit. Buffaloberry does great on sandier soils.

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SHOWY MOUNTAIN ASH Sorbus decora

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 5- 8metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 3-4 m (9-12 ft)
Native Range in Canada: SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, NL

Description: A very pretty small tree with flat clusters of flowers and big clusters of red berries in summer. Showy mountain ash is not a true ash species, so it is not affected by emerald ash borer.

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NARROWLEAF MEADOWSWEET Spirea alba

Sun: Full Sun or Part Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 50 - 100 cm
Bloom Time: July
Colour: White
Spacing: 60-90 cm (2-3 ft)
Native Range in Canada: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: Pyramidal clusters of fuzzy flowers - Host for Spring Azure butterflies - Great for low untrimmed hedges.

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COMMON SNOWBERRY Symphoricarpos albus var. pauciflorus

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Dry to Moist
Height: 30 – 75 cm
Bloom Time: June
Colour: Pink/White
Spacing: 60-90 cm (2-3 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL, NWT

Description: Important food and cover source for many birds - Spreads by roots to form thickets - White berries are not edible.

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WESTERN SNOWBERRY
Symphoricarpos occidentalis

Sun: Full Sun or shade
Moisture: Dry to Moist
Height: 50-90 centimetres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: Pink/White
Spacing: 60-90 cm (2-3 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NWT

Description: One of the most widespread and commonest shrubs in the prairies. Spreads a lot by creeping roots. Best used for reclamation and to control soil erosion on banks and slopes. The white fruit is a source of food for birds.

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WHITE CEDAR Thuja occidentalis

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Wet
Height: 10 – 20 Metres
Spacing: 2-3 m (6-9 ft)
Native Range in Canada: MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS

Description: A long lived, bushy cedar growing in a broadly pyramidal shape 3-5 metres wide (10-15 feet wide). Makes a beautiful tree or shelterbelt. Native to the south eastern Manitoba boreal forest. Birds like to eat the seeds and nest in the tree.

Aromatic foliage. One of the four sacred plants used by First Nations people in smudging ceremonies.

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NANNYBERRY Viburnum lentago

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 3 - 4 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2-2 m (4-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: SK, MB, ON, QC, NB

Description: Shiny leaves, flat clusters of flowers and navy blue berries - Bright red fall colour - Viburnums host Spring Azure butterflies.

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HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY Viburnum trilobum

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 2 - 4 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2-2 m (4-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: Showy flowers and bunches of red berries - Gorgeous red fall colour - Host for Hummingbird Clearwing Moth.

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DOWNY ARROWWOOD Viburnum rafinesquianum

Sun: Full Sun or Shade
Moisture: Dry to Moist
Height: 90 – 150 cm
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2-2 m (4-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: MB, ON, QC

Description: Round flower clusters are followed by navy/black berries – Leaves turn purple in autumn – Birds and other wildlife like to eat the berries – Viburnums host the little Spring Azure butterflies.

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PAGODA DOGWOOD Cornus alternifolia

Sun: Part-Shade or Shade
Moisture: Medium to Moist
Height: 2 - 5 metres
Bloom Time: June
Colour: White
Spacing: 1.2-2 m (4-6 ft)
Native Range in Canada: MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL

Description: A rare shrub with showy clusters of flowers and dark blue berries that birds love. Excellent for many pollinators too.

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