Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
The underrated canopy tree: corky bark, winter berries that sustain waxwings and bluebirds, and a constitution built for tough, dry urban sites.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
An ecologically dense, genuinely tough canopy tree that feeds butterflies and winter birds in conditions where other trees give up.
Hackberry is the tree ecologists call one of the most underrated canopy trees in eastern North America. Irregular corky bark creates a distinctive silhouette year-round. Dark purple berries ripen in fall and persist through winter, sustaining cedar waxwings, robins, and bluebirds during cold snaps when other food sources have been depleted. The tree is a host plant for hackberry emperor, question mark, and Eastern comma butterflies. It grows in conditions that stress most other canopy trees: dry soils, compacted urban ground, alkaline clay, and wind-exposed sites. Plant it in a difficult spot and it will thrive where a more sensitive tree would struggle for decades. Hackberry is the canopy tree for sites where you need ecological function without ideal conditions.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown hackberry propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 30–60 ft · 30–50 ft wide
- USDA zones
- 2–9
- Family
- Cannabaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America
Care notes for hackberry.
Full sun to part shade, highly adaptable to soil type. Tolerates drought, compaction, and alkaline soil. No pruning needed except dead wood removal. Extremely low maintenance once established. One of the toughest native canopy trees available.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside hackberry.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.