Garden Obstacles: Gardening with Toxic Trees
Updated: Mar 21, 2022
Gardening under Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), Butternut (Juglans cinerea) and Hickory (Carya ovata) trees can be quite a challenge but with the right native plants it is a cinch! Trees in the Juglandaceae family produce juglone, a chemical that prohibits the growth of other plants. This is also known as allelopathy.
First Picture: Butternut, Center Picture: Black Walnut, Third Picture: Shagbark Hickory
The following is a list of native plants that are resistant to juglone. There are plenty more but I think this is a good start!
Trees and Shrubs
Acer rubrum - Red Maple
Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple
Amelanchier canadensis - Serviceberry
Amelanchier laevis - Allegheny Serviceberry
Aralia spinosa - Devil’s Walkingstick
Asimina triloba - Pawpaw
Carpinus virginiana - American Hornbeam
Cercis canadensis - Redbud
Cornus amomum - Silky Dogwood
Cornus florida - Common Dogwood
Diospyros virginiana - Common Persimmon
Hamamelis virginiana - Common Witch Hazel
Juniperus virginiana - Eastern Red Cedar
Lindera benzoin - Spicebush
Physocarpus opulifolius - Ninebark
Prunus serotina - Black Cherry
Rubus odoratus - Flowering Raspberry
Salix discolor - Pussy Willow
Sambucus canadensis - Black Elderberry
Sassafras albidum - Sassafras
Viburnum acerifolium - Mapleleaf Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum - Arrowwood
Xanthorhiza simplicissima - Yellowroot
Vines
Aristolochia durior - Dutchman’s Pipe
Clematis virginiana - Woodbine
Lonicera sempervirens - Coral Honeysuckle
Parthenocis