Walnuts use juglone as a defense mechanism: by eliminating competing plants, they can more easily dominate the sector and benefit from all the ressources: minerals, water, etc. Even their own nuts have trouble germinating in their root zone, ensuring the mother tree can grow without competition.
If you’re growing a walnut tree, or intend to grow one, don’t give up all hope of having a beautiful and productive garden at its base. There are still many plants that are juglone-resistant.
Here’s a list to get you started!
- Astilbe (Astilbe spp.) zone 4
- Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) vegetable
- Beet (Beta vulgaris) vegetable
- Bellflower (Campanula spp) zones 3-7
- Bergenia (Bergenia spp.) zone 3
- Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) zone 4
- Bleeding heart (Dicentra spp.) zone 3
- Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) zone 4b
- Brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla) zone 3
- Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) zone 3
- Burning bush (Euonymus alata) zone 5
- China pink (Dianthus chinensis) annual or perennial (zone 4)
- Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) zones 4-7
- Cleome (Cleome hasslerana) annual
- Climbing honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) zone 3
- Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) annual
- Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) zone 3
- Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.) zone 3
- Corn, maize (Zea mays) grain
- Crocus (Crocus spp.) zone 3
- Daffodil, jonquil (Narcissus spp.) zone 3
- Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) zone 3
- Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) zone 4
- Epimedium (Epimedium spp.) zone 3
- Evening primrose (Oenothera spp) zone 4
- February daphne (Daphne mezereum) zone 3
- Flowering fern, royal fern (Osmunda spp.) zone 3
- Forsythia (Forsythia spp.) zones 4-7
- Four o’clock (Mirabilis jalapa) annual
- Garden impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) annual
- Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) zone 3b
- Goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus) zone 3
- Grape hyacinth (Muscari spp.) zone 3
- Hardy geranium (Geranium spp.) zone 4
- Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) zone 3
- Horned pansy (Viola cornuta) zone 4
- Hosta (Hosta spp.) zone 3
- Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) zone 4
- Iris (Iris spp.) zones 3-8
- Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) zone 5b
- Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) zone 4
- Juniper (Juniperus spp.) zones 1-7
- Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) zone 3
- Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) zone 3
- Leopard’s bane (Doronicum spp.) zone 4
- Ligularia (Ligularia spp.) zones 3-4
- Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) vegetable
- Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.) zone 3
- Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) zone 5
- Meadowsweet, dropwort, queen-of-the-prairie (Filipendula spp.) zone 3
- Monarda, bergamot (Monarda spp.) zone 3
- Morning glory (Ipomoea nil) annual climber
- Northern maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) zone 3
- Onion (Allium cepa) vegetable
- Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) annual
- Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) vegetable
- Showy stonecrop (Hylotelephium spectabile, syn. Sedum spectabile) zone 3
- Shrub rose (Rosa spp.) zones 3-7
- Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) zone 2
- Snowdrop (Galanthus spp.) zone 3
- Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum spp.) zone 3
- Spiderwort (Tradescantia x andersoniana) zone 4
- Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) zone 3
- Tiarella, foamflower (Tiarella spp.) zone 3
- Toad lily (Tricyrtis spp.) zones 4-6
- Tulip (Tulipa spp.) zone 4
- Viburnum (Viburnum spp.) zones 2-8
- Violet (Viola spp.) zones 2-8
- Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) zone 3
- Wax begonia (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum) annual