Add Alnus rugosa (Speckled Alder) where you need a tough, native woody plant for consistently moist to wet ground. You will notice the smooth, gray-brown stems marked with pale lenticels (the "speckles"), plus early-season catkins that signal spring before many shrubs leaf out. As the season progresses, the foliage fills in to create a dense, natural look, and the fertilized female catkins mature into small, cone-like fruiting structures that can persist into fall and winter for added texture.

In the landscape, you can use this alder to naturalize wet corners, stabilize streamside or pond margins, or create a wildlife-friendly thicket. It is well suited to sites with periodic flooding or saturated soils, and it performs best when roots can access steady moisture. Plant in full sun for strongest growth, or in part shade where you still get good light for most of the day.

At maturity, expect roughly 15-25 feet of height (180-300 inches) with a broad, thicket-forming habit that can spread over time. This species is a nitrogen fixer, so it can help improve poor, waterlogged soils and support companion plantings in naturalized settings. You can manage size and density with pruning or coppicing during dormancy, removing older stems to encourage fresh shoots. Provide space for its natural form, keep soil consistently moist, and mulch to moderate temperature and moisture swings.

Specifications

• Cold hardiness zone: 3-6 (-40 degrees F) - Contact your local extension to confirm hardiness if you are in a fringe zone (we cannot guarantee hardiness in fringe zones)
• Light: Full sun   Part sun
• Mature height: 180-300"
• Spread: 180-300"
• Tolerant of: Wet Conditions, Rabbits, Salt
• Native to the U.S.: Yes

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