Myrica pensylvanica (Northern Bayberry) is a tough aromatic deciduous to semi evergreen shrub that features leathery fragrant leaves and grayish wax coated berries that persist into winter. Extremely drought and wind tolerant, it is ideal for coastal and restoration plantings.
Height & Spread: 5 - 10 ft x 5 - 10 ft
Bloom Time: Spring (inconspicuous)
Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Soil Preference: Well drained sandy, loamy, or poor soils; tolerates salt and drought
Watering Needs: Low once established
Deer Resistance: Highly deer resistant
Native Status
Native to the eastern coastal United States, Myrica pensylvanica is common in dunes, thickets, and upland edges from the Carolinas to New England.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Birds
- Berries are an essential winter food for Yellow rumped Warblers, Tree Sparrows, and Eastern Bluebirds.
- Dense branches provide shelter for songbirds and ground nesting species.
Beneficial Insects
- Supports native parasitoid wasps and predatory beetles that shelter and overwinter among its branches and leaf litter.
Spacing & Landscape Use
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 6 - 10 ft apart for naturalistic hedges, restoration plantings, or wildlife corridors.
Landscape Placement
- Well suited for coastal gardens, sandy slopes, dry meadows, and erosion prone sites. Also effective in urban landscapes where resilience is needed.
Companion Plants
- Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem) - Adds structure and movement with blue green blades and fall color.
- Solidago nemoralis (Gray Goldenrod) - Provides golden blooms that attract pollinators and complement bayberry’s berries in fall.
- Comptonia peregrina (Sweetfern) - Shares aromatic foliage and soil enhancing qualities, and pairs well in dry, acidic sites.
- Arctostaphylos uva ursi (Bearberry) - A low evergreen groundcover that thrives in the same sandy, well drained conditions.
- Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea) - Contributes nitrogen fixation and supports pollinators in dry native plantings.