These trees, bushes, shrubs and flowers may attract a bear to your backyard. Consider planting our recommended species instead.
Crabapple
Leaves: Alternate, 3-10 cm long, simple with a serrated margin
Flowers: Five petaled, white/pink/red
Fruits: Globose pome, 1-4 cm across, sour
Height: Tree, 4-12 m tall at maturity
Red-osier Dogwood (Red Willow)
Leaves: Opposite, oval to egg-or lance-shaped, 2-8 cm long
Flowers: Four-petaled, greenish-white color (Late May to June)
Fruits: Berry-like drupes, white
Height: Shrub, up to 2 m tall
Pin Cherry
Leaves: Oval to lance-shaped, 3-10 cm long, gradually taper to long point at tip
Flowers: In flat-topped clusters, white, 6-10mm across
Fruits: Bright-red cherries, 5-8 mm across, sour (Mid-August)
Height: Shrub or small tree, 1-5 m tall
Wolf Willow
Leaves: Alternate, oval to egg-or lance-shaped, 2-6 cm long, silvery color
Flowers: Many clusters of tiny, tubular yellow flowers with four petals (June-July)
Fruits: Oval, silver berry-like fruit, contain 1 large nutlet
Height: Shrub or small tree, up to 4 m tall
Canadian Buffaloberry/Soap Berry/Shepherdia
Leaves: Opposite, elliptic to narrowly oval, dark greenish above; whitish, silvery and fuzzy below.
Flower: Single or in small clusters; yellowish brown, 4 mm wide (May-June)
Fruits: Bright red, yellow or orange in color, round, 4-6 mm. Only female plants bear fruit. (Berries ripen late-July to mid-August)
Height: Spreading shrub, up to 1.5 m tall
Choke Cherry
Leaves: Oval, fairly broad and finely toothed
Flowers: Popsicle-shaped clusters up to 10 cm long (May-June)
Fruits: Round purplish-black berries (August)
Height: Small tree, less than 10 m tall
Wild Rose
Leaves: Sharply toothed, compound leaves, 5-9 leaflets
Flowers: 5 showy pink petals, 4-5 cm across (Late May to early August)
Fruits: Red, spherical to pear-shaped, fleshy ‘hips’
Height: Shrub, up to 1.5 m
Western Mountain Ash
Leaves: Compound, coarsely toothed leaflets, dark brown bark
Flowers: Dense clusters of small white flowers
Fruits: Showy, bright reddish-orange, in large bunches
Height: Several-stemmed shrub, 1-4 m tall