previous
  • 25 Robust Summer Bloomers
    25 Robust Summer Bloomers
  • Lilacs: Time for a Fresh Look
    Lilacs: Time for a Fresh Look
  • All About Starting Seeds
    All About Starting Seeds
  • Off With Their Heads: Deadheading Perennials
    Off With Their Heads: Deadheading Perennials
  • Bold and Beautiful Zinnias
    Bold and Beautiful Zinnias
  • How to Grow Raspberries
    How to Grow Raspberries
  • How to Start a Vegetable Garden
    How to Start a Vegetable Garden
  • Perfect Edges for Your Beds and Borders
    Perfect Edges for Your Beds and Borders
  • Free Download: Rose Pruning and Bed Prep
    Free Download: Rose Pruning and Bed Prep
  • Enchanting Japanese Maples
    Enchanting Japanese Maples
  • Variegated Plants Create Drama
    Variegated Plants Create Drama
  • Make Your Own Hypertufa Container
    Make Your Own Hypertufa Container
  • Video: Make a Straw-Bale Garden
    Video: Make a Straw-Bale Garden
  • Soil Testing is Worth the Effort
    Soil Testing is Worth the Effort
  • 10 Perennials Easily Grown from Seed
    10 Perennials Easily Grown from Seed
  • A gardener's checklist for early summer
    A gardener's checklist for early summer
  • Big Flowers from Bigleaf Hydrangeas
    Big Flowers from Bigleaf Hydrangeas
  • 15 Deer-Resistant Plants
    15 Deer-Resistant Plants
  • Backyard Makeover Game
    Backyard Makeover Game
  • Garden Catalog Collector
    Garden Catalog Collector
  • Find the Perfect Tomato
    Find the Perfect Tomato
  • Friendly Ways to Battle Garden Pests
    Friendly Ways to Battle Garden Pests
  • Viburnums are Versatile Shrubs
    Viburnums are Versatile Shrubs
  • Building a Compost Bin
    Building a Compost Bin
  • The Only Shrubs You Need to Grow
    The Only Shrubs You Need to Grow
next

Rhamnus frangula 'Asplenifolia' (Alder buckthorn)

Rhamnus frangula 'Asplenifolia' Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais


Be the first to rate this plant

Plant Showcase - from our advertisers


Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Rhamnus frangula 'Asplenifolia' RAM-nus FRANG-ew-lah Common Name: Alder buckthorn Genus: Rhamnus
A bushy, deciduous, slow-growing shrub with finely textured, scalloped leaves, this plant grows to 12 feet tall and almost as wide. 'Asplenifolia' bears clusters of green flowers, followed by round red fruit that ripens to black in the fall. Grow in a shrub border or as hedging. All parts may cause severe discomfort if ingested.
Noteworthy characteristics: Flowers are very attractive to bees. Red fall color. Slow-growing cultivar. Fern-like leaves.
Care: Prefers moist soil in full sun or partial shade.
Propagation: Sow seed in a cold frame as soon as ripe. Root greenwood cuttings in early summer, or layer in fall or spring.
Problems: Scale insects, caterpillars, rust, and Cercospora and Septoria leaf spots.
Height 10 ft. to 15 ft.
Spread 6 ft. to 10 ft.
Growth Habit Spreads
Growth Pace Moderate Grower
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Medium to Wet
Maintenance Moderate
Characteristics Showy Fall Foliage; Showy Fruit
Bloom Time Early Summer; Late Spring; Spring; Summer
Flower Color Green Flower
Uses Beds and Borders, Hedge
Seasonal Interest Summer Interest, Fall Interest
Type Shrubs

Plants you might also like

Cornus alba 'Elegantissima' Cornus alba 'Elegantissima'
(Redtwig dogwood, Cream-edge tatarian dogwood)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This vigorous deciduous shrub provides a long season of interest in the garden with its variegated leaves, attractive berries, pretty fall color, and red winter stems.

Rhus typhina 'Tigereye Bailtiger' Rhus typhina 'Tigereye Bailtiger'
(Tiger eyes sumac, Staghorn sumac, Velvet sumac)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Lemon-lime foliage, fuzzy stems, and intense fall color make this sumac cultivar a standout. It grows into an upright, rounded form about 6 feet tall and as wide. New growth emerges chartreuse. Fall brings leaves of yellow, scarlet, and orange. Flowers are yellowish green and followed, on female plants, by hairy, dark red fruit. This plant spreads by suckers and can be invasive. The species is native to North America.

no image available Cornus alba
(Redtwig dogwood)
Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

These showy shrubs have two distinct phases of garden interest. In winter, they display boldly colorful bark—red, yellow, or orange—on twiggy stems to make a striking scene. In spring, the stems lose their vivid color and produce bright green, gold, or variegated foliage that accents the garden through the fall. Twig and leaf color vary according to the cultivar.

Rosa 'Blanc Double de Coubert' Rosa 'Blanc Double de Coubert'
(Hedgehog rose, Ramanas rose, Japanese rose, Sea tomato)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The white of this rose has a purity of color that is without equal. It produces semi-double, very fragrant flowers from spring to fall, which are sometimes followed by orange hips. It grows to 6 feet high and wide.   

Rosa rugosa var. alba Rosa rugosa var. alba
(Hedgehog rose, Ramanas rose, Japanese rose, Sea tomato)
Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This variety has single, papery white blossoms that open from light pink buds and have contrasting yellow stamens. The heavily-scented flowers are followed by reddish-orange hips. It grows up to 6 feet high.