The days are shorter, money is tight, and we’re already feeling the pinch as we save up for the holidays. It makes sense, then, that most of us only have the time (and funds!) to add one native plant to our gardens this September – but which should it be?
First, a word of reassurance: if you’re designing a native garden, you don’t have to do everything all at once. Honestly, just a few small changes each year can help to create a more natural environment and complement the surrounding landscape of your home.
That’s why adding an Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' – better known as the red chokeberry bush, available to buy now at Nature Hills – could make all the difference this month.
The One Native Plant to Add This September
This hardy shrub thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 9, and it’s one of those plants that works on every level: think incredible ornamental value, and an essential food source for wildlife heading into winter.
No wonder so many horticulturalists recommend it to gardeners again and again, right?
“Red chokeberry has a vibrant, fire-engine red fall color,” explains Andrew Bunting, VP of Horticulture for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and author of The Plant Lover's Guide To Magnolias (available on Amazon). “It also has an abundance of red berries, which many songbirds love.”
The Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' is a deciduous shrub native to eastern North America, and while the devil works hard, this little beauty works even harder.
In spring, it produces frothy clusters of white flowers that attract pollinators. And, through summer, its glossy green foliage provides structure in borders or naturalized areas.
It’s during the fall months, however, that the red chokeberry bush really shines. Its leaves turn a vivid scarlet, rivaling the best maples for seasonal color, and its branches become laden with bunches of bright red aronia berries, which persist well into winter.
Why Songbirds Love it
This native plant’s berries are more than just ornamental; they’re delicious (yes, we can eat them) and they’re a crucial food source for birds such as thrushes, cedar waxwings, and robins, who rely on them when other fruits have disappeared.
Better still? Well, because the berries persist into late winter, they help sustain birds during lean times, long after softer fruits have been stripped from other plants.
Throw in the fact that the dense growth habit of the red chokeberry bush provides cover and nesting sites, it’s basically a haven for small songbirds all year long.
How to Grow Chokeberry
If you’re only going to add one native plant to your garden this September, the red chokeberry bush should be high on your list of priorities; it’s stunning, it’s a wildlife garden savior, and it also makes an effective windbreak or creative screening option, too.
As if that weren’t enough to have you rushing to plant one of your own, it’s also worth noting that these shrubs are remarkably adaptable. In fact, the red chokeberry bush tolerates a wide range of soils, including the very boggiest, and thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Plant shrubs in September or October, giving them time to settle roots before winter, in a spot that gets at least four hours of sunlight each day. You’ll want to space them around 3–6 feet apart, depending on whether you want a dense hedge or individual specimens – and take care to give them a good mulch, too.
Once planted, they need minimal care: just a light prune every few years to remove dead wood and encourage fresh growth. Plus, because chokeberries are native, they fit beautifully into local ecosystems, supporting not just birds but pollinators like bees and butterflies.
A Few Other Options
Of course, if the red chokeberry bush isn’t quite right for you, you could consider one of the other aronia varieties:
- Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry): try the Black Chokeberry Bush Seedlings for Planting at Walmart
- Aronia prunofolia (purple chokeberry): try New Leaf Natives' Aronia prunifolia - Purple Chokeberry - 1 Gallon Pot
Whichever one you opt for, expect to enjoy spectacular fall color, cheerful berries that brighten the bare months, and the genuine childlike delight that comes from watching songbirds flit and feast just outside your window.
So, why not add one native plant to your garden this September? You’ll be helping support biodiversity in your own backyard, creating a habitat that’s beautiful, resilient, and rewarding in every season. Which, let’s face it, is a slam dunk for birds and gardeners alike.
