Siberian Peashrub (Caragana arborescens) is the toughest fast-growing shrub you can plant for windbreaks, privacy screens, and wildlife habitat in cold, exposed, or drought-prone landscapes. Where other shrubs fail in poor soils, salt, and bitter winters, Caragana thrives — fixing nitrogen, feeding birds, and forming a dense structural barrier in just a few seasons. Each order includes 5 bare root plants, 10–18 inches tall, ready to plant. Hardy in zones 2–7.

Best for: Windbreaks, privacy screens, wildlife gardens, poor soils, and cold-climate landscapes.

Why Gardeners Choose Siberian Peashrub

• Exceptionally cold-hardy: Rated to zone 2 — one of the hardiest large shrubs available, built for harsh winters and exposed northern sites.
• Fast-growing windbreak: Adds 3–4 feet per year under good conditions, closing gaps in shelterbelts and privacy screens quickly.
• Thrives in poor soils: Fixes nitrogen naturally, improving soil quality over time — actually performs better in sandy, alkaline, or infertile soils than in rich amended beds.
• High wildlife value: Bright yellow spring blooms attract pollinators; late-summer seed pods are a high-protein food source for songbirds and small mammals.
• Drought and salt tolerant: Established plants require virtually no supplemental water and tolerate road salt, urban pollution, and harsh wind without decline.
• Economical mass planting: 5 bare root plants per order makes establishing large shelterbelts and hedgerows affordable.

Planting & Care

• Light: Full sun to partial shade — most vigorous and densest in full sun.
• Soil: Thrives in poor, sandy, dry, or alkaline soils. Avoid heavy clay or consistently wet sites. Nitrogen-fixing roots actively improve soil over time.
• Growth rate: Fast — 3–4 feet per year under good conditions once established.
• Mature size: 10–15 feet tall, 8–12 feet wide; can be kept smaller with annual pruning.
• Spacing: Plant 4–6 feet apart for a dense hedge or privacy screen; 6–8 feet apart for a loose shelterbelt row.
• Watering: Water deeply once a week for the first 6–8 weeks after planting to establish roots. Extremely drought-tolerant once established — no supplemental irrigation needed in most climates.
• Feeding: None required — as a nitrogen fixer, Caragana feeds itself and improves surrounding soil. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers which can reduce flowering.
• Pruning: Prune in late winter or early spring to shape and control size. Tolerates hard pruning — can be cut back severely to rejuvenate old plantings.
• Special care: Bare root plants should be soaked in water for 4–6 hours before planting. Plant promptly upon arrival for best results.

Best Uses

• Windbreaks and shelterbelts on exposed property lines
• Privacy screens and dense living fences
• Wildlife habitat and food plot plantings
• Erosion control on slopes and banks
• Soil improvement in degraded or poor-soil areas
• Cold-climate and northern garden borders

Grows Best In

• USDA Zones: 2–7
• Climate notes: One of the most cold-tolerant shrubs available — native to Siberia and bred for extreme winters. Thrives in dry continental climates, prairie exposures, and northern regions where most shrubs fail. Tolerates drought, salt, wind, and urban pollution. Not ideal for humid subtropical or coastal climates in zones 8+.

Problem Solved

Siberian Peashrub is the go-to shrub for cold, windy, exposed sites where most privacy plants — arborvitae, privet, lilac — thin out, winterkill, or require constant irrigation to survive.

Also the right choice for gardeners working with poor or sandy soil who need fast coverage without soil amendments, irrigation systems, or ongoing fertilization.

Pro Tip

For the fastest and densest windbreak, plant Caragana in a double staggered row — two rows, 4 feet apart, with plants offset so gaps in the first row are blocked by plants in the second. This creates an interlocking barrier that dramatically outperforms a single row for wind reduction and privacy within 3–4 growing seasons.

Shipping Information

• Ships as 5 bare root plants per order, 10–18 inches tall — carefully packed and ready to plant.
• No state shipping restrictions — ships to all 48 contiguous states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast does it grow?
Fast — 3–4 feet per year under good conditions once roots are established after the first season.

Is it deer resistant?
Moderately. Deer may browse young plants but generally leave established Caragana alone once woody stems develop.

Does it grow in containers?
Not recommended — Caragana develops an extensive root system best suited to in-ground planting.

How much sun does it need?
Full sun produces the densest growth and best flowering. Tolerates partial shade but may become more open and leggy.

How tall will it get?
10–15 feet unpruned. Easily kept at 6–8 feet with annual late-winter pruning.