Comptonia peregrina (Sweet Fern)

Comptonia peregrina
(Sweet Fern)

A charming native shrub with finely textured, fern-like leaves that release a sweet, pleasant fragrance when crushed. Despite its name, this is not a true fern but a hardy, nitrogen-fixing shrub that thrives in dry, sandy, or gravelly soils. Small catkins or flower clusters appear at the ends of branches, depending on the plant’s sex. Excellent for naturalizing, stabilizing slopes, or planting in challenging sites.

Light: Full sun to part shade
Height: 2–4'
Zone: 2–6
Native to: North America
Features: Fragrant foliage, drought and salt tolerant, nitrogen-fixing, great for poor or disturbed soils