Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) is a tough, adaptable native shrub that brings texture, fragrance, and winter interest to your landscape. You will notice the aromatic foliage when leaves are crushed, and female plants can carry clusters of waxy gray berries that persist into winter and help feed birds. At maturity it typically reaches about 60-72 inches tall and can spread 96-120 inches wide, forming a dense, rounded plant over time.

Give it full sun for the best density, but it also performs well in part shade. It is well suited to sandy, peaty, or average soils and tolerates a wide range of conditions once established, including poor soils. You can use it in dry to medium sites, and it can also handle periodically wet ground in the right setting. In exposed or coastal locations, it is valued for its tolerance of wind and salt spray.

Northern bayberry is usually dioecious, meaning male and female flowers occur on separate plants. If you want berries, plan on growing at least one male plant near female plants for pollination. Prune in late winter or early spring to shape, reduce height, or encourage bushier growth, and remove any unwanted suckers if it starts to form a colony.

Use it as an informal hedge or screen, in shrub borders, along banks, or in naturalized plantings. Its dense habit and toughness make it a practical choice where you need low-maintenance structure, including sites that benefit from erosion control and wildlife value.

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: 60-72"
• Spread: 96-120"
• Tolerant of: Drought, Salt
• Attracts: Birds
• Good for erosion control: Yes
• Fragrant: Yes
• Native to the U.S.: Yes

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