alder buckthorn
Frangula alnus
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones2 to 7
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate or wet soil
Size10 to 16 feet tall8 to 12 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Erect
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Black, yellow, green, purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus) is a shrub for borders, hedges, and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 2, or down to -50°F (-46°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows slowly into an erect shrub that reaches 10 to 16 feet tall. Butterflies and bees visit the flowers, which open in spring and again in summer.
Pairs well with Rheingold American arborvitae, Indigo bush, and Red fescue.
Native range
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and 8 more places. See all 12
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, Altay, Corse, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, NW. Balkan Pen., Tuva, Türkiye, and Xinjiang.