County Gardeners Extension Express

Carolina Silverbell

Have you ever wanted to plant a dogwood but wasn’t sure if the tree would survive? Afterall, dogwood-growing success depends greatly on the environment in which it’s planted. I’ve visited with many people over the years who had planted a dogwood only to see its demise in a short amount of time. However, there is a great substitute and that’s the Carolina silverbell, Halesia carolina.

Silverbell is a native, deciduous, understory tree that grows to 35 feet in height under ideal growing conditions. It can be found along streams, bottomland edges, and rich woods growing near dogwood, magnolia, and American beech. Its small, white, bell-shaped flowers hang from the branches in early spring, and green pods with corky wings are produced in late summer.

Although considered an understory tree, Silverbell can withstand a variety of light exposure and soil conditions. It does, however, prefer partial sunlight and moist, well-drained soils. It has a broad, oval form and is used effectively as a specimen tree, one that you can be proud to have in your landscape. So, consider planting a Carolina silverbell. It’s a great replacement for dogwood, cherry, crabapple or other trees with similar characteristics.

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