Transform your Chicago landscape into a buzzing, blooming paradise for pollinators and wildlife. Native trees and shrubs are your secret weapon! These woody wonders do so much —they're the backbone of a healthy, vibrant landscape that supports everything from hummingbirds to fireflies.

Why Native Trees and Shrubs Are Garden Game-Changers

Think of trees as the skyscrapers of your garden ecosystem—they lift your eyes skyward, create cooling canopy cover, and establish instant curb appeal. Meanwhile, multi-stemmed shrubs act as nature's condos, offering cozy nesting nooks, wildlife hideaways, and living privacy screens that your neighbors (human and feathered) will love.

But here's where it gets really exciting: these aren't just static structures, they're living systems. And the wildlife benefits? Absolutely incredible.

The Hidden Superpowers of Native Woody Plants

• Pollinator Powerhouses: Their flowers are like all-you-can-eat buffets for native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds —and species like maple offer some of the earliest to bloom, offering valuable resources for our small native bees.
• Caterpillar Cafeterias: Native tree leaves support hundreds of caterpillar species—the protein-packed baby food that keeps songbirds thriving.
• Firefly Nurseries: Yes, fireflies need native plants too! Their larvae develop in the leaf litter beneath native shrubs.
• Bird Hotels: Natural cavities, dense branching, and year-round shelter make them perfect nesting headquarters

Smart Selection: Choosing Trees and Shrubs That'll Thrive (Not Just Survive)

Here's the truth: woody plants are long-term relationships. They'll shape your garden for decades, so you want to get this right the first time. Unlike perennials that you can easily relocate, established trees and shrubs are staying put—so let's choose wisely!

Your Urban Garden Checklist

Beyond the basics like sunlight exposure and soil type, urban gardeners need to think about:

• Mature size: That cute 3-foot sapling could become a 40-foot giant (know before you grow!)
• Root space requirements: Urban soils are often compacted—does your site have enough room?
• Utility conflicts: Overhead wires and underground pipes need buffer zones.
• Urban stressors: Salt spray, pollution, reflected heat from pavement, and limited irrigation.

Pro tip: While regular pruning keeps plants healthy and beautiful, it won't stop a large tree from trying to reach its genetic destiny. Start with the right size plant for your space!

Our Top Native Picks for Urban Pollinator Gardens

Ready to get planting? We've curated a collection of tried-and-true native trees and shrubs that excel in urban conditions while delivering maximum ecological impact. These are the MVPs of habitat gardening—beautiful, tough, and absolutely beloved by pollinators and wildlife.

Scroll down to find our complete attributes table with bloom times, mature sizes, pollinator benefits, and growing conditions to help you design a landscape that's gorgeous and ecologically powerful!

Small-Medium Shrubs

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea)
This little shrub is best for dry prairies or any well-drained spot in full sun. New Jersey tea bursts bright white flowers in early to midsummer, attracting small bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Its tidy, compact form works beautifully in borders, in tight spaces, patios, and performs well on slopes.  The leaves were famously used as a tea substitute during the American Revolution—hence its common name.

Diervilla lonicera (dwarf bush honeysuckle)
This small shrub is the savior of dry, shady parkways. Diervilla lonicera thrives where many ornamentals fail—tolerating deep shade, drought, and urban conditions. Its yellow summer flowers provide steady nectar for bees, and its foliage turns warm shades of copper and burgundy in fall. This species spreads slowly by rhizomes, making it excellent for filling in difficult understory areas. Rabbits love to nibble on young plants, so fencing while it’s getting established is recommended.

Hypericum prolificum (shrubby St. John's wort)
Shrubby St. John’s wort is a sunny burst of gold in midsummer, lighting up dry or rocky sites with flowers that will buzz with native bees. Its tidy, rounded shape and cheerful blooms make it a perfect accent in sunny borders or tough urban plantings. Its adaptability, striking flowers, and tidy structure make it relatively easy to find at garden centers.

Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry)
Though its ideal conditions are wet sand prairie, this shrub can go from full sun to shade and in a variety of soil types. The flowers are used by small bees, the fruit is gobbled up by birds, and the leaves turn a glowing orange in the fall. Black chokeberry is considered the most “user- friendly” Aronia species due its smaller, more compact form.  Plant Aronia in a rain garden or as an accent planting in with shorter grasses such as Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem).

Large Shrubs

Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
The perfect native replacement for Forsythia. Spicebush brings a little magic to the woodland edge. Its early-spring yellow flowers sparkle before the leaves emerge, offering essential nectar to awakening pollinators. By fall, female plants produce red berries beloved by migrating birds. It gets its name by the spicy scent caused by crushing its leaves! Spicebush is also the host plant for the charismatic spicebush swallowtail butterfly, making it as ecologically important as it is beautiful.

Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
This adaptable shrub offers clusters of white spring blossoms for bees and textured seeds that persist into winter. Its arching branches cascade and spread wide, offering a unique form that allows for a “fuller” look.  It is cloaked in peeling bark—hence the name “ninebark”—which provides year-round interest.  Best suited as a backdrop shrub along borders.

Cornus sericea (red‑twig dogwood)
A fast-growing shrub known for its vibrant red stems that provide striking winter color. White spring flowers attract pollinators, while it white-to-blue berries feed birds throughout the summer. These shrubs are excellent for hedges, naturalized areas, or along wet borders due to their suckering habit that forms attractive thickets.  

Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush)
Wet spots in your yard?  Try a buttonbush!  A wetland shrub/small tree known for its quirky “pin-cushion” flowers that are extremely attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Excellent for rain gardens, pond edges, or any area with consistently moist soil.  Plant this with irises, cardinal flower, swamp milkweed, and lots of water-loving sedges for maximum pollinator benefits.

Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw viburnum)
This standout native viburnum is as versatile as it is attractive—grow it as a large shrub or let it stretch into a graceful small tree. In spring, it bursts into showy white blooms buzzing with pollinators, and its shiny leaves turn rich, glowing colors in fall. Like its non-native relatives, blackhaw viburnum is tough and can thrive where many plants struggle.

Small trees

Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud)
The redbud is reliable and right at home in both traditional and naturalized landscape settings.  A springtime showstopper, this native ornamental tree explodes with vibrant magenta blossoms on branches (and sometimes the trunk) just when gardeners and pollinators crave color most.  The flowers mature into pod-like seed clusters and heart-shaped leaves appear, adding texture and interest.  While this tree can take on shade, some sun will yield better blooms.

Amelanchier spp. (serviceberry)
A graceful, four-season native tree offering early white blossoms for pollinators, edible summer berries, smooth gray bark, and excellent orange-red fall color. The blue berries, sometimes called juneberries, can be made into jams and medicines, and are enjoyed by a variety of wildlife.  Amelanchier’s relatively cooperative, straight-forwarded branching structure makes it easy to prune and great for beginner gardeners.

• Examples: Amelanchier aborea (downy serviceberry), Amelanchier laevis (Allegheny serviceberry) and Amelanchier canadensis (Canada serviceberry)

Asimina triloba (pawpaw)
An understory tree with big, tropical-looking leaves that lend an exotic feel to midwest woodlands and shady gardens. In spring, it sports humble maroon flowers that quietly attract pollinators, including the fascinating pawpaw specialist flies.  When enough male and female trees are present for pollination, those blooms transform into clusters of large, custard-like fruit highly sought out by people and wildlife.  Pawpaw also hosts the striking zebra swallowtail butterfly. Perfect for damp naturalized plantings, woodland edges, or any spot with dappled shade and rich soil.

Medium and Large Trees

Ostrya virginiana (ironwood or American hophornbeam)
Ironwood is a tough, slow-growing native tree. Its textured, fluted bark gives it year-round interest, while soft, oval green leaves turn golden yellow in fall. In spring, airy catkin-like flowers attract bees, and the hop-like seed clusters that follow provide food for birds. Ironwood thrives in dry or rocky soils, making it perfect for naturalized landscapes, woodland edges, or urban planting sites where other trees struggle. Its compact, rounded form and long life make it a reliable and understated beauty for any garden.

Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Black cherry is a fast-growing native cherry that brings a touch of elegance to the landscape. In spring, its branches are draped with long, frothy clusters of white blossoms—one of the few large canopy trees to put on such a show. These fragrant flowers draw in a lively mix of bees and other pollinators, setting the stage for the glossy black cherries that follow in late summer. It’s best to plant this beauty away from patios, as the birds can make a mess with the berries. 

Nyssa sylvatica (black tupelo)
Black Tupelo is an underutilized but valuable native shade tree. Its glossy, dark green leaves turn fiery shades of red, orange, and yellow in fall. Its flowers are small and inconspicuous, but extremely nectar-rich, which attracts bees and other pollinators. Black Tupelo is incredibly adaptable, thriving in wet bottomlands or drier upland soils, making it perfect for rain gardens, naturalized landscapes, or as a specimen tree. Its stately form and long-lived nature add structure and beauty to any garden.

Quercus spp. (native oaks)
While they are generally pollinated by the wind, native oak trees are a flagship species that provide vital habitat during the larval and caterpillar stages of pollinators’ lifecycles.  Some individuals have been reported to host over one thousand different wildlife species.  You can find a native oak for almost all conditions– swamp white oaks love water, chickapin oaks love dry, sandy soils, and bur oaks can do it all!  If you have the space, a native oak is a worthy investment.  

• Examples: Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak), Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak) Quercus alba (white oak), Quercus muehlenbergii (chinkapin oak), Quercus rubra (Northern red oak)

Celtis occidentalis (hackberry)
Hackberry is a reliable native shade tree that quietly supports a surprising amount of wildlife. Its leaves host caterpillars of butterflies, like the Hackberry Emperor moth, and its small purple berries feed birds through fall and winter. Exceptionally tolerant of drought, road salt, compacted soils, and city pollution, hackberry is a natural fit for street plantings, parks, and large home landscapes.

Attributes Table

* Full sun = 6+ hours direct sunlight, part sun = 4-6 hours, part shade = 2-4 hours, shade = >2 hours