Arrowwood

Arrowwood: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Spreading shrub, 2–3 m high and wide, with many straight stems from the base.

Leaves

Oval to rounded, 5–10 cm, coarsely toothed with prominent parallel veins; glossy green, turning yellow to red and burgundy in autumn.

Flowers

Flat heads 5–10 cm across with small white flowers, in May–June.

Fruit

Small blue-black berries, 0.5–1 cm, in September–October.

Roots

Fibrous, with runners: it throws up suckers and forms a dense clump over the years.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: March and June

Why grow it?

• Handsome for three seasons: white flower heads in May–June, blue-black berries in autumn and red autumn colour.
• Bees and other insects visit the flowers; birds eat the berries.
• Tolerates wet soil, which is a problem for many shrubs.
• Fully hardy and very tough: no special care is needed.
• Lovely in a natural hedge or a bird-friendly border.

Arrowwood: where does it grow best?

• Sun to half shade; in sun, flowering and autumn colour are at their best.
• Sand, loam, clay or peaty soil, acid to chalky. Humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil is best.
• Normal to wet soil; it tolerates water around the roots for a time, for example near a pond or in a low corner.
• Very hardy: shelter is not needed.
• Allow 2–3 m of space; in a natural hedge, plant every 1–1.5 m.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam, clay or peat

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

3 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Guelder rose: A native shrub for the same natural hedge, with red berries.
• Red-barked dogwood: Red stems in winter, also happy on moist soil.
• Meadowsweet: White, fragrant flowers for a wet corner at the foot of the shrub.
• Hazel: A sturdy shrub for a bird-friendly hedge.

Arrowwood: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or in October–November, when the soil is neither frozen nor too wet.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and loosen the sides.
3. Mix the soil you dug out with compost, especially on poor sandy ground.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot and firm the soil.
5. Water thoroughly straight away and keep the soil moist in the first year.
6. Spread a 5–8 cm layer of mulch around the base.

Care

Water

In the first year, weekly in dry weather. After that it usually fends for itself; water in long hot spells.

Feeding

A spadeful of compost or organic fertiliser in spring is enough.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould in spring keeps the soil cool and moist.

Berries

You usually get more berries if you plant two or more shrubs close together: they pollinate each other.

Suckers

Dig out any suckers you do not want in spring with a spade.

Tip: Plant at least two shrubs together for more berries for the birds, and give it a spot where the soil does not dry out.

Arrowwood: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and June.

When: After flowering, in June, for a light trim. Do a thorough renewal prune in March.

How:

• Shorten branches that are too long or stick out back to a side shoot to keep the shape.
• Remove dead, weak and crossing stems right at the base.
• To renew an old shrub, saw a third of the oldest stems down to near ground level each March.
• Dig out suckers around the shrub.

Caution: It flowers on last year’s wood: a hard prune in spring costs you flowers and berries.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June–July: take 10–12 cm cuttings from young, still green shoots, remove the lower leaves and insert them in moist compost under plastic. Roots form after a few weeks.

Division of suckers

In spring or autumn, dig up a rooted sucker with a spade and replant it straight away.

Seed

The seed needs a cold period and germinates slowly, sometimes only after two winters. It is not a quick method.

Arrowwood: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Fully hardy to about −35 °C: even in severe Belgian winters no protection is needed.
• Leave the berries on: birds eat them in autumn and early winter.
• In a pot (choose a compact cultivar): stand it against a wall and wrap the pot in hessian so the roots do not freeze.

Diseases and pests

• Leaf beetles: The leaves get holes from larvae (May–June) and later from the beetles. Pick off the larvae and cut out twigs with rows of eggs in winter.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in dry weather with little air movement. Water at the base, leave space between plants and cut off affected leaves.
• Few berries: Usually because there is only one shrub or because of a late frost during flowering. A second shrub nearby helps.
• Aphids: On young shoots in May. Wash them off with water or let the ladybirds do the work.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Renew if needed by removing a third of the oldest stems. Apply compost.
• April: Plant and mulch. Dig out suckers.
• May: First flowers: the bees arrive.
• June: Flowering. Trim lightly after flowering. Take softwood cuttings.
• July: Water in dry weather. Take softwood cuttings.
• September: Berries ripen and the birds arrive.
• October: Plant. Autumn colour begins: red to burgundy.
• November: Plant. Leaves fall.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• The straight, strong stems were used by the indigenous peoples of North America to make arrows, hence the English name ‘arrowwood’.
• The species name dentatum means ‘toothed’ and refers to the toothed leaf edges.
• In its native range it often grows along streams and in moist woodland, which explains why it tolerates wet soil.