Myrica pensylvanica
Overview
Uses: Hedges, screens, mass plantings, erosion control, coastal gardens, wildlife habitat.
Benefits: Aromatic, glossy foliage releases a pleasant spicy scent when brushed or crushed. Waxy gray berries persist through winter on female plants, providing visual interest and food for songbirds. Nitrogen-fixing root system improves soil quality and allows the plant to thrive in poor, sandy, or infertile conditions.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–7
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Rounded, Spreading — dense, multi-stemmed form that suckers to form colonies.
Foliage Color: Green
Mature Height: 6–8 feet
Mature Width: 6–10 feet
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate
Summary
Northern Bayberry is one of the toughest and most versatile native shrubs available for challenging landscape situations. Dense, rounded, and covered in glossy, aromatic foliage, it thrives in the sandy, salty, windswept conditions that defeat most other ornamental plants — and it does so while actually improving the soil through its nitrogen-fixing root system.
The leathery leaves are semi-evergreen in mild winters and release a distinctive, pleasant spicy scent when handled. On female plants, clusters of small, waxy gray berries coat the stems in late summer and persist through winter, providing both visual interest and a valued food source for chickadees, warblers, bluebirds, and other songbirds. The wax coating on the berries has been used for centuries to make the traditional bayberry candles prized for their clean-burning fragrance.
Native to the coastal dunes, pine barrens, and swamp margins of eastern North America, Northern Bayberry adapts to an exceptionally wide range of conditions. It tolerates drought, salt spray, wind exposure, poor soils, and even occasional flooding. Over time, it spreads by suckering to form dense thickets that provide excellent wildlife cover and effective erosion control.
Care
Northern Bayberry Care
Plant Northern Bayberry in full sun to partial shade. Full sun produces the densest growth and best berry production. This shrub adapts to a remarkably wide range of soils including sand, clay, loam, and poor or infertile ground. It tolerates both acidic and alkaline conditions and handles salt spray, wind, and drought with ease.
Water regularly during the first growing season to establish roots. Once established, Northern Bayberry is drought tolerant and requires little supplemental irrigation. Its nitrogen-fixing root system means fertilization is generally unnecessary — the plant creates its own soil nutrition. If desired, a light application of slow release fertilizer in spring can support growth in extremely lean soils.
Pruning is minimal. Shape as needed in late winter, keeping in mind that flowers and fruit appear on old growth. Northern Bayberry is dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female. Plant several together to ensure at least one male is present for pollination and berry production on female plants.
Size
What Size is the Northern Bayberry for Sale Online?
Our Northern Bayberry ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Northern Bayberry Grow?
Northern Bayberry typically grows 6 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. It spreads gradually by suckering and can form dense colonies over time.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
This plant is commonly known as Northern Bayberry and Candleberry. The name Candleberry comes from the traditional use of the waxy berry coating to make fragrant bayberry candles.
Is Northern Bayberry deer resistant?
Yes. The aromatic foliage is highly unpalatable to deer, making Northern Bayberry one of the most reliably deer-resistant native shrubs. Browse our Deer-Resistant Shrubs and Evergreens collection for more options.
Does Northern Bayberry need a pollinator?
Northern Bayberry is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Female plants produce the ornamental waxy gray berries, but only when a male plant is present nearby for wind pollination. Planting several specimens together increases the likelihood of having both sexes represented. Explore our full Shrubs & Bushes collection.
What wildlife does Northern Bayberry support?
The persistent berries are a valued winter food source for songbirds including yellow-rumped warblers, chickadees, bluebirds, catbirds, and tree swallows. The dense branching provides excellent nesting cover and shelter. Northern Bayberry also serves as a larval host plant for the Columbia Silkmoth.
