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Landscaping for Wildlife
Native Alaskan and Exotic Plants Used by Wildlife
Use these tables to select plants for landscaping. In addition to their values to wildlife, these plants will add natural beauty to an area. Trees also provide shade in summer, and protection from winter winds, which can mean energy savings in heating and cooling your home. Real estate records show that landscaping with trees and shrubs often increases property values 10–20%.
Local Alaskan greenhouses carry seeds and seedlings of many species; other species can be obtained from mail-order greenhouses. The University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service publishes a list of plant sources for Alaska.
Plant species with low shade tolerance in sunny areas.
Do not apply lime to soil near plants with low or moderate acid tolerance.
Coniferous Trees
CONIFEROUS TREES | Height | Alaska Distribution | Tolerance | Soil Moisture |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | We | Sw | Sc | Ce | Se | Acid | Shade | |||
*White Spruce Picea glauca |
40-115' | P | P | x | high | mod | dry | |||
*Black Spruce Picea mariana |
15-60' | P | P | x | high | mod | wet | |||
Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis |
160-225' | x | x | high | mod | moist | ||||
Mountain Hemlock Tsuga mertensia |
50-100' | x | P | x | mod | high | moist | |||
Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophyla |
100-150' | x | P | x | mod | high | moist | |||
Alaska Redcedar Chamaecyparis nootkatensis |
40-80' | P | x | high | mod | wet | ||||
*Tamarack (Larch) Larix laricina |
30-60' | x | high | mod | dry or wet |
|||||
*Siberian Larch Larix laricina |
30-60' | E | high | mod |
dry or wet |
Deciduous Trees
DECIDUOUS TREES | Height | Alaska Distribution | Tolerance | Soil Moisture |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | We | Sw | Sc | Ce | Se | Acid | Shade | |||
Balsam Poplar Populus balsamifera |
30-50' | P | P | x | P | x | P | mod | low | moist |
*Black Cottonwood Populus trichocarpa |
80-100' | x | P | x | mod | low | moist | |||
*Quaking Aspen Populus tremuloides |
20-80' | P | x | P | mod | low | dry | |||
*Birch Betula papyrifera |
20-80' | P | x | x | x | x | high | low | moist |
Tall Shrubs
TALL SHRUBS | Height | Alaska Distribution | Tolerance |
Soil Moisture |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | We | Sw | Sc | Ce | Se | Acid | Shade | |||
Feltleaf Willow Salix alaxensis |
20-30' | x | x | x | x | x | x | mod | low | moist to wet |
Douglas Maple Acer glabrum |
20-30' | E | x | mod | mod | moist | ||||
Sitka Alder Alnus sinuata |
5-30' | P | x | x | P | x | mod | low | dry to moist | |
Red Alder Alnus rubra |
20-40' | x | mod | mod | moist | |||||
Thinleaf Alder Alnus tenuifolia |
15-30' | P | x | x | P | high | low | moist | ||
American Green Alder Alnus crispus |
3-13' | P | x | P | x | high | low | dry to wet | ||
Oregon Crabapple Malus diversifolia |
25' | x | x | mod | mod | wet | ||||
**Saskatoon Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia |
16' | P | P | P | mod | low | dry | |||
**Pacific Serviceberry Amelanchier florida |
16' | P | P | P | mod | low | dry to moist | |||
Red-osier Dogwood Cornus stolonifera |
3-12' | P | x | mod | mod | well- drained to wet | ||||
Pacific Red Elder Sambucus callicarpa |
6-12' | x | x | x | mod | mod | well- drained to wet | |||
*High Bush Cranberry Viburnum edule |
2-12' | P | P | P | x | x | x | mod | mod | dry |
Early Blueberry Vaccinium ovalifolium |
5' | x | x | P | x | high | high | wet or dry | ||
*Siberian crabapple Malus spp. |
20' | E | E | E | mod | mod | wet | |||
*Chokecherry Prunus virginiana |
20' | E | E | E | E | mod | mod | moist | ||
*Lilac Syringa spp. |
6' | E | E | E | mod | mod | moist |
Low Shrubs
LOW SHRUBS | Height | Alaska Distribution | Tolerance |
Soil Moisture |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | We | Sw | Sc | Ce | Se | Acid | Shade | |||
Willow Salix spp. |
prostrate to 10' | varies by species | mod | low | moist to wet | |||||
x | x | x | x | x | x | |||||
Dwarf Birch Betula nana Betula glandulosa |
1-3' 1-5' |
P P |
x P |
x |
P |
x x |
P P |
high high |
low low |
well- drained to wet |
**Northern Black Current Ribes hudsonianum |
3-6' | P | P | x | mod | mod | well- drained | |||
**Wild Current Ribes triste |
2-3' | P | P | P | x | x | P | mod | mod | moist or well- drained |
**Raspberry Rubus idaeus |
2-4' | P | P | x | P | mod | low | dry | ||
Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis |
2-7' | x | x | x | mod | low | dry | |||
Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus |
2-5' | x | mod | low | moist | |||||
Wild Rose Rosa acicularis |
1-4' | P | P | P | x | x | high | mod | moist | |
Buffaloberry Shepherdia canadensis |
2-6' | P | P | x | P | mod | low | dry | ||
*Silverberry Eleagnus commutata |
3-12' | P | mod | low | dry | |||||
*Common Juniper Juniperus communis |
1-2' | P | P | P | P | x | x | high | low | dry |
Salal Gaultheria shallon |
2-3' | P | low | low | moist | |||||
Labrador Tea Ledum spp. |
1-3' | x | x | x | x | x | x | high | high | moist |
*Bush Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa |
1-5' | P | x | P | x | P | mod | high | dry or moist | |
Lapland Rosebay Rhododendron lapponicum |
1-2' | P | P | x | mod | low | dry or wet | |||
*Sweetgale Myrica gale |
1-4' | P | P | x | P | x | high | low | wet |
Ground Covers and Herbaceous Plants
GROUND COVERS & HERBACEOUS PLANTS |
Alaska Distribution | Tolerance |
Soil Moisture |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | We | Sw | Sc | Ce | Se | Acid | Shade | ||
Dwarf Dogwood Cornus canadensis |
P | x | x | x | x | mod | high | dry to moist | |
Cloudberry Rubus chamaemorus |
x | x | x | x | x | x | mod | mod | moist to wet |
Nagoonberry Rubus arcticus |
x | x | mod | mod | moist to wet | ||||
*Bearberry (Kinnikinnik) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
P | x | x | P | mod | low | dry | ||
Alpine Bearberry Arctostaphylos alpina |
x | x | x | x | x | mod | low | dry | |
Mountain Cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea |
x | x | x | x | x | x | mod | high | dry to moist |
Blueberry Vaccinium spp. |
|
mod | high | moist to wet | |||||
Crowberry Empetrum nigrum |
P | x | x | x | x | x | high | high | moist to wet |
Jacob's Ladder Polemonium acutiflorum |
x | x | x | x | x | x | mod | low | moist to wet |
Buttercup Ranunculus spp. |
varies by species | low | moist to wet | ||||||
Goldenrod Solidago multiradiata |
x | x | x | x | x | x | low | dry | |
*Aster Aster sibiricus |
x | x | x | x | x | x | low | dry | |
*Mountain Avens Dryas octopetala |
P | x | x | x | P | high | mod | well-drained or wet | |
Arnica Arnica frigida |
P | x | P | x | x | low | dry | ||
Cinquefoil Potentilla spp. |
x | x | x | x | varies | dry to moist | |||
*Geranium Geranium erianthum |
P | x | P | x | mod | high | moist | ||
Lupine Lupinus nootkatensis Lupinus arcticus |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
low |
dry to moist |
|
*Larkspur Delphinium spp. |
P | x | x | x | mod | low | wet | ||
*Columbine Aquilegia brevistyla Aquilegia formosa |
|
|
|
x |
P |
x |
mod mod |
dry to moist |
|
Dock (Sorrel) Rumex spp. |
x | x | x | x | x | x | mod | low | moist to wet |
American Bistort Polygonum bistorta |
x | x | P | x | mod | moist to wet | |||
Buckwheat Polygonum viviparum |
x | x | x | x | x | x | low | dry | |
Artemisia Artemisia tilesii |
x | x | x | P | x | low |
dry to moist |
Grasses and Sedges
GRASSES & SEDGES | Height | Alaska Distribution | Tolerance |
Soil Moisture |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | We | Sw | Sc | Ce | Se | Acid | Shade | |||
Bluejoint Reedgrass Calamagrostis canadensis |
3-6' | P | x | x | x | x | x | mod | mod | moist |
*Alyeska Polargrass Arctagrostis latifolia |
3-5' | x | x | x | P | x | mod | mod | moist | |
*Arctared Red Fescue Festuca rubra |
x | x | x | x | x | x | mod | low | moist | |
*Bluegrass Poa spp. |
varies by species | mod | low | moist | ||||||
Sedges Carex spp. |
2-10" |
|
high | low | dry to wet |
Aquatic Plants
AQUATIC PLANTS | Height | Alaska Distribution | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | We | Sw | Sc | Ce | Se | ||
Duckweed Lemna spp. |
floating | P | x | ||||
Spikerush Eleocharis spp. |
2-7" | P | x | x | x | ||
*Pondweed Potamogeton spp. |
submerged or floating | P | x | x | x | x | x |
Wigeongrass Ruppia spiralis |
submerged | x | x | x | |||
Water Milfoil Myriophyllum sibericum |
submerged | P | x | P | |||
Smartweed Polygonum amphibium |
submerged or floating | x | P | ||||
Buckbean Menyanthes trifoliata |
floating | P | P | x | x | x | x |
Cattail Typha latifolia |
2-6' | P | |||||
Bulrush Scirpus spp. |
12-40" | P | x | ||||
*Burreed Sparganium spp. |
1-3' | P | x | x | x | x | x |
Arrowgrass Triglochin spp. |
30" | P | x | x | P | x | |
Pendant Grass Arctophia fulva |
1-3' | x | x | P | x | x | P |
Pond lily Nuphar polysepalum |
floating | P | x | x | x | x |
x = present throughout most of the region
P = present in portions of the region
E = exotic species
*Commercially available in Alaska.
**Nonnative, but similar species available commercially.
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1255 W. 8th Street
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
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