Edible Native Trees and Shrubs for Your Landscape

Committed to native plants but also enjoy good things to eat? It is true that most of the vegetables and many fruits we grow here are from the Old World. However, there are plenty of plants that are native to North America and are edible.

Why Native?

Native plants are better at producing good things to eat without a lot of water, pesticides, or fertilizer. They are used to most of the pests in the area and most of the diseases. Further, native plants have developed ways to resist most of them.

Principles of Edible Landscape Design

To make an effective native landscape full of edible plants, think about the plants that can go in each layer of the landscape. Trees are the tallest, then shrubs and vines, then perennials, annuals, and ground covers. Not every plant has to be edible. If it is native, pollinators and animals can make use of it for nesting, food, and shelter.

Add Water

If you are interested in gardening for wildlife as well as for yourself, add a water feature. Make sure there are pebbles or a brick that stick out of the water for bees and small birds to stand on while they take a drink. Keep it clean and refill the water regularly. If you live in a hot climate, it is better to put the water in the shade or make sure it moves to keep it cool.

Edible Native Trees List

The trees and shrubs here are edible and native to North America. Each area has its own edible natives, but these grow widely. I am not talking about native herbs in this article, which tend to be more local. Most fruit bearing plants, even ones that can self-pollinate, do better when at least two plants are grown within 30 feet or so of each other.

Black Walnut

Black walnut trees are rare but precious in hardwood forests. They get as tall and wide as 75 feet and make an excellent shade tree. These trees need full sun or light shade to produce the nuts we eat. The nuts are inside a green husk. Gather them quickly or the squirrels will get them all.

The husks are used in making a dark dye and ink. The wood is hard and beautiful. Black walnut trees excrete a toxin into the soil that prevents many plants from growing under them. They are a slow growing tree. Black walnut trees need moist, fertile, well-drained soil. In addition to squirrels, birds and butterflies are attracted to black walnut trees.

Hickory/Pecan

Hickory trees and pecans are related. The primary difference is pecans are a type of hickory tree with thinner shelled nuts. The wood is virtually indistinguishable.

Hickory trees vary by the specific species of hickory, but grow into very large, broad, trees. Sixty to eighty feet is common, with some taller. Most don't begin producing nuts until they are about 10 years old.

Pecan is used more in the South while hickory is more northern. With pecans, you get tall, straight trees up to 150 feet tall. The trees live a long time - up to 1,000 years. They do not produce pecans until they are 10-20 years old. Pecans self-prune, which means branches drop off as the tree grows. Make sure you do not plant a pecan where a dropping branch will hit a structure or sidewalk.

The tree attracts butterflies when it is flowering. The nuts attract birds and mammals. Squirrels can seriously affect the amount of fruit you get. Pecans grow along stream banks and require a fair amount of water. The wood is often used to smoke meat.

American Persimmon Tree

Some persimmon trees are native to North America. Others are native to Asia. The common persimmon tree is American. They vary from a scrubby 15 feet to up to 100 feet, depending on the species and where they are grown. The fruit is so tart as to be inedible until it has been through a frost. Then the fruit becomes sweet tasting and is eaten like candy. The pulp is scooped out with a spoon leaving behind the tough skin.

Persimmon trees come in male and female, and you need at least one of each to have fruit. They grow big in moist, fertile soil and stay scrubby in dry areas. Animals and birds value the fruit. Deer especially enjoy it and I have seen a big old buck rearing up to get the best fruit.

Paw Paws

Paw Paw trees can grow to a height of 10-40 feet. They have large, tropical leaves that are covered in a rusty colored hair when young and are smooth later. The 4-6-inch fruit is highly prized by animals and humans. The tree has six petal purple flowers which are not big but are unusual. Paw paws are an excellent understory tree.

The fruit can make a mess on sidewalks or driveways, so space it far enough away from those to avoid any issues. You will need two trees to have much fruit. The fruit fall before they are ripe, so set outside (they smell) until the skin is brown. Cut in half, get rid of the seeds, and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. Some individuals get contact dermatitis and an upset stomach from the fruit, so eat with caution and don't eat a lot at once.

Wild Plum

Wild plums can grow to 35 feet. They are an understory shrub that can grow in profusion into a thicket. The white flowers come out in the spring before the leaves. The leaves are green until the fall, then turn red or yellow. The plums are edible and are good raw, in pies, jams, and jellies. You won't get as large a plum as from a hybrid plum, but they make nice trees in an edible landscape. Except for the fruit, all parts of the tree are toxic and they have thorns, which complicates harvesting the plums. Many animals love plums, so you will get lots of wildlife in your landscape when they are ripe.

We Can Help

Whether you are just starting a new landscape or want to add some edible native trees to an existing landscape, Garden Plants Nursery can help. Call us at 931.692.7325 and we will be happy to recommend a good edible tree wherever you live.