• Close up of Ground Hug Aronia with a flurry of white flowers.
  • A row of Ground Hug Aronia in a landscape.
  • Dark blue berries on aronia shrub
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Ground Hug™ Aronia - Aronia melanocarpa

$23.99
$23.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
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Ground Hug™ aronia (Aronia melanocarpa or black chokeberry) is a low-growing native shrub prized for its versatility, beauty, and resilience in the landscape. Its dense, mat-like growth habit makes it an excellent and adaptable flowering ground cover, effectively suppressing weeds and thriving in various soil conditions, including acidic and alkaline soils. In spring, it bursts into a display of delicate white flowers that attract honeybees and hairstreak butterflies, creating a charming contrast against its glossy green foliage. As summer transitions to fall, the shrub produces an abundance of dark blue berries, which are visually appealing and provide a food source for birds. This shrub is also tolerant of drought, heat, and even salt, making it great for hedges and borders. And tolerating drought, heat, and even salt. No matter its use, Ground Hug™ aronia won’t disappoint! 

Vital Details:
Plant size: 8-14" tall x 3' wide
Light: Sun (6+ hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Water: Average water needs. Adapts to a wide range of soils.
Hardiness: 3-9 (Find your hardiness zone)
Season of interest: Spring through fall.
Pollinator value: Attracts hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects to the garden. Berries attract birds in fall.
Host plant to the following: Host plant to the Coral Hairstreak butterfly and Large Lace-border moth.
Notable Features: Native, Proven Winners, pollinator-friendly, spring-blooming, ground cover, drought-tolerant, fall-interest
Pot Size: One quart
Plant Name: Aronia melanocarpa ' UCONNAM012', black chokeberry

Close up of Ground Hug Aronia with a flurry of white flowers.
A row of Ground Hug Aronia in a landscape.
Dark blue berries on aronia shrub

FAQs

Care & Planting Guide

After your plants have arrived:

The plants in this box have just spent a lot of time being jostled around in the dark and must be unboxed right away. Unpack the entire box, removing packaging material and plants. Remove any plastic covering the pot and/or soil surface and check if the soil is dry. Water anything that is dry or looks wilted. Any plants that have come unpotted during shipping can be replaced in their pots and their roots covered with soil.

Place plants in a cool, shaded spot out of direct sunlight for 24- 48 hours after unpacking them. This allows them a recovery and acclimation period before planting. If you must hold them longer, place them out of direct sunlight, wind, heat, and cold. Check daily for watering.

Our Guarantee

Our Guarantee

No Risk 60 Day Guarantee

We guarantee that you will be satisfied with your purchase and that your plants will arrive healthy, free of pests and diseases, and true to name.  If for any reason you are dissatisfied, notify us within 60 days of receipt of your order and we will refund you.

Fall Guarantee

Notify us within 7 days if you have a concern about orders shipped in autumn so we can make a note of it.  Warranty on such plants is extended to May 31 of the following year.  Our fall guarantee does not cover plants that are not hardy (i.e., able to survive winter) in your area, so please verify your USDA hardiness zone before purchasing. If you have questions about whether a plant can survive winter in your area, please call us before purchasing.

Our Larger Root Systems

We ship jumbo size plants with hefty root systems that outperform smaller plants obtained from other mail order nurseries.

Shortages/Damages

We take great pride in our packaging.  Please contact us immediately if any of your boxes arrive damaged, or if you find any shortages or inconsistencies in the order. Please note: multiple boxes shipped by Fed Ex might not always arrive the same day. For more information, please see our shipping page.

Dormant Plants

Any plant shipped dormant in the spring is guaranteed to break dormancy even if it takes more than one month.  Call us directly if you have any concerns.

Photos

Photos of the plant(s) will be required so that we may provide the best assistance possible.

Refunds

A plant refund is based on the plant cost less discounts and shipping charges.  Allow up to 2 weeks for processing.  We reserve the right to request a return of an item. Click here to request a refund.

Product Care

After 60 days, we cannot be responsible for product that is in your care.  This includes overwintering, animals, insects, diseases, poor planting, plants beyond their hardiness zone, drought, flooding, etc.  Our expert staff is here to assist you with any problem you may be experiencing.  Our goal is that you are successful with our product.

Our Record

Our parent company, GreatGardenPlants.com, has successfully shipped high quality plants for more than ten years.  We take the same pride in the quality of plants sold here at ButterflyBushes.com.

USDA Hardiness Zones

USDA Hardiness Zones Map

ZONE HARDINESS

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has devised a system to provide gardeners with a basic guide to plant hardiness – how much winter cold a plant can withstand. The Hardiness Zone Map system divides the United States and Canada into numbered zones based on lowest average winter temperature. Even within a zone, different micro-climates exist, such as large urban areas which may be warmer or land situated at different elevations.

WHAT EFFECTS PLANT HARDINESS

The Hardiness Zone Map is a valuable tool but it is not foolproof. There are a variety of factors that can influence the hardiness of a given plant in a garden. These factors include: soil type, drainage, snow cover, exposure to wind, winter, rainfall (or lack of), as well as fluctuations in temperature.

HOW IT WORKS ON OUR SITE

When you are on a plant page, scroll down until you see the bold "Hardiness" text.

Shipping Policy

Use collapsible tabs for more detailed information that will help customers make a purchasing decision.

Ex: Shipping and return policies, size guides, and other common questions.

Shipping Policy

How to Contact Us: 
General Customer Service & Phone Orders:
Phone: 1-877-447-4769 (Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM EST).
Mail: ButterflyBushes.com, 12601 120th Avenue, Grand Haven, MI 49417
Email: customerservice@butterflybushes.com

Shipping costs

We try to keep shipping rates as low as possible to offer you the best value. Unlike other companies, with us, when you buy more, you save more on shipping! Our standard rates are:

 Order Value:

Shipping Cost:

$0.01 – $49.99

 $16.99

$50.00 – $69.99 

 $9.99

$70.00 – $124.99

 $4.99
$125.00+ FREE

 

Don't worry: our discount rates don't mean we cut corners on shipping. Our professional shipping staff packs each order - each plant! - with the care they'd take in their own gardens. Your plants will arrive in good, healthy condition, ready for you and your visiting pollinators to enjoy.

Ship Schedule

Shipping will begin April 7 and close October 18, 2025. Once the beginning date for shipping in your zone has passed, we ship your order within three business days of when you placed it, provided all plants you ordered are in stock.

Not sure what zone you are in?  Use our map to find yours by ZIP code.  

Shipping Methods

Orders within the 48 contiguous states are shipped via Fed Ex Home Delivery Service, which delivers weekly Tuesday-Saturday. All orders require a street address.  We are unable to ship to Alaska, Hawaii, APO/FPO military address or PO boxes.

 

Customer Reviews

Based on 8 reviews
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B
Brian C.
Great plants!

Really impressed with the health and packaging of the plants I received. They were showing new growth just days after planting.

C
Catydid
north side yard

Gound Hug arrived in great shape .I plan to use it as my anchor in a difficult area where the ground is sloping and difficult to mow. YAAAAAH problem solved Cathy Miller

C
C.S.
Very healthy

The plants arrived well packed and very healthy. The are quart sized, so very small right now. They will grow.

J
Jean P.
Struggling

The Aronia was really small and is definitely struggling. Not real hopeful at this point.

Hello! We are sorry that you're not satisfied with your plant. We do note that all of our plants are young on each product page and on our plant sizes page https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/sizes.The size and maturity of the plants varies widely depending on the time of the year you purchased and if they were recently trimmed. The important thing when it comes to purchasing plants, whether online or in a garden center, is that they have a full, robust root system, and that's what we prioritize in our greenhouses. The more roots a plant has, the more energy it can put into growing once it is planted in your garden. We do keep our plants trimmed to encourage strong root development! Please email pictures of the plants to claims@greatgardenplants.com, making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we have a guarantee on all our plants. Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2024! If you received your plants within that time frame, we would happily apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee

k
karen G.
Healthy

Was very impressed with the shipping method and the healthy condition of the plants.

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