Cottage rock garden, need small bushes, native, with flowers/berries. Sunny location, East of Orillia, near septic tank, soil not great, lots of compost and mulch, fairly dry location
Hello – I’ve put together a list of small native shrubs for your consideration. My challenge was – how small is small for your rock garden? I’ve drawn most of my information from a document called Woodland Plants for Landscaping put together by the Credit Valley Conservation Authority. These selections are included in their list of Small-Medium Shrubs (<3m). The full document also has sections on wildflowers, ferns, grasses and sedges, large shrubs and small trees (3-15m) and trees (>15m). A link to the document is included below if you want to explore these other categories. All of my suggestions do well in full sun to part shade and will tolerate your dry conditions once established. Here is the list:
Northern Bush-honeysuckle, Diervilla lonicera, Height/Spread: 1-1.5m, mound-shaped, tubular yellow flowers in early summer
Shrubby Cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticose, Height/Spread: 1-1.5m, bushy, mounded shrub with yellow flowers in late summer
Canada Fly Honeysuckle, Lonicera canadensis, Height/Spread: 1-2m, tubular yellow flowers in spring, red berries in summer
Creeping Juniper, Juniperus horizontalis, Height/Spread: 1-3m, dense, low evergreen spreading shrub, bluish-grey berries
Purple-flowering Raspberry, Rubus odoratus, Height/Spread: 1-2m/2-3m, large pink flowers in summer followed by red berries
Low Serviceberry, also called Running Serviceberry Amelanchier stolonifera Height/Spread: 1-2, clusters of white flowers in the spring followed by purple berries in summer, thicket formingy -1 Slightly Moist
Common Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus Height/Spread: 1-2m, dense, rounded deciduous shrub, cluster of showy small pink flowers in summer followed by large, white berries
Enjoy selecting native shrubs for your cottage rock garden.
Woodland Plants for Landscaping