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Best Shade Trees To Grow in Your Yard

10 Best Shade Trees To Grow in Your Yard

The best shade trees to grow in your yard are ‒ Tulip Poplar, Red Maple, Nuttall Oak, Sycamore, and Northern Catalpa, to name a few. Growing shade trees in your yard is all about choosing the right trees to give protection from the sun and create an environment that offers calmness and improves curb appeal.

Enjoy a beautifully manicured lawn with our timely yard work services that care for your yard according to the season. Call us today!

More advantages of shade trees include ‒ raises property value, reduced heating costs (in winter) and cooling costs (in summer), and increased privacy.

However, some of these trees grow little slowly, and take years to provide the expected benefits. Therefore, we have curated a list of the best shade trees that are fast-growing to grow in your yard. 

1. Tulip Poplar 

The Tulip Poplar is one of the largest and fast-growing shade trees. It can reach a height of up to 120 feet. When deciding a location, make sure it offers ample room for this tree to grow and spread. This deciduous tree thrives in partial shade or full sun and tends to drop sap and petals, so remember that, too.

Tulip Poplar 

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9

Care: Fertilize and water frequently until established. Mulch to maintain moisture and protect roots.

Growth rate: 3 feet per year.

Flowering: Yes; green, yellow, or orange flowers in spring to early summer.

Cost: Live plants range from around $20 to $100 and above.

2. Red Maple

The tree is named for its beautiful fall color of red-orange leaves against even redder stems. This deciduous tree makes a great choice to boost curb appeal in your landscape design.

Red Maple

Red maples may produce golden-yellow leaves, instead of red ones depending on the type. This tree also provides small, red blooms in early spring.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9

Care: Low-maintenance. Requires partial shade or full sun and moist, well-drained soil.

Growth rate: matures at a height of 40 to 70 feet and grows 13 to 24 inches per year.

Flowering: Yes. Small, red blooms in early spring.

Cost: Purchase a bare-root tree for about $19 or a potted plant for about $53

3. Nuttall Oak

Nuttall Oak

There are more than 500 species of oak trees, however, only a few work well as shade trees and provide a fast growth rate. For example, the nuttall oak adds up to 2 feet of height each year. This deciduous tree is characterized by its reddish-brown acorns, and produces red-orange leaves offering bursts of fall color.

Other fast-growing oak trees that provide shade include:

  • Northern red oak
  • Pin oak
  • Sawtooth oak

USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 to 9

Care: Easy. Soil can be dry or wet, but preferably acidic. Plant in full sun.

Growth rate: Matures to a height of 40 to 60 feet and grows up to 4 feet per year.

Flowering: Inconspicuous, brown flowers in spring.

Cost: Live plants cost around $100.

4. Sycamore 

Sycamore 

The towering Sycamore beautifies large landscapes with shade in spring and summer. The tree provides bursts of fall color in autumn. This deciduous tree is deer-resistant, but attractive to birds for food and shelter, requires full sun and well-drained soil. You can surround it with coniferous evergreens to shield it from the wind.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9

Care: Water regularly to avoid pest or disease issues and promote growth. Mulch in winter to maintain moisture, and prune infrequently.

Growth rate: Around 2 feet per year and can grow as tall as 100 feet.

Flowering: Yes. Green, inconspicuous yellow, or red flowers in spring.

Cost: Live plants generally cost between $100 and $150.

5. Northern Catalpa

Northern Catalpa

The Northern Catalpa is a drought-tolerant tree that is an ideal addition to a spring landscape. The Catalpa is very large, and its green leaves are another show stopping feature. Plant it in partial shade or full sun for best results.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8

Care: Easy. Water when soil is dry. Prune and fertilize yearly in spring.

Growth rate: Matures at up to 60 feet tall/40 feet wide and grows 1 to 2 feet each year.

Flowering: Yes. Produces beautiful and fragrant white flowers in spring and summer seven years after planting.

Cost: Expect to spend around $12 to $15 for a small, live plant.

6. Dawn Redwood

Dawn Redwood

A deciduous conifer, the dawn redwood is deer-resistant and tolerant of standing water, which makes it an optimal choice for a water garden. Flourishing in the world since the dinosaur era (literally), this tree offers ornamental interest in fall when its bright green leaves turn an orange- or reddish-brown color.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8

Care: Low. Requires well-drained soil and full sun.

Growth rate: Matures to a height of up to 100 feet and grows up to 3.5 feet per year.

Flowering: Yes. Inconspicuous copper-colored flowers.

Cost: Purchase a bare-root tree for around $30.

7. Weeping Willow

Weeping WillowWeeping willows are a statement maker that show off a rounded crown of drooping (“weeping”) leaves that are green in spring and summer and yellow in fall, just before falling. Provide this deer-resistant tree enough area to grow and it is better if it is near standing water, such as a lake or pond.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 to 8

Care: Fertilize until established. Grow in full sun. 

Growth rate: Grows 10 feet per year, and matures to a height of about 40 feet.

Flowering: Yes, but yellow blooms do not offer any decorative value.

Cost: Ranges from $15 to more than $100, depending on size.

8. Silver maple

Silver maple

Silver Maple’s green leaves have silver undersides, and offer good shade to your landscape design with a hint of shimmer. Moreover, it makes an excellent choice for a rain garden as this tree can flourish in just about any soil condition, including super wet ones.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9

Care: Needs partial shade or full sun and 10 feet of space for roots to spread.

Growth rate: Above 2 feet per year and matures up to 80 feet tall/50 feet wide.

Flowering: Inconspicuous green, gold, or red blooms in winter and spring.

Cost: Buy a bare-root tree for around $15.

9. Japanese Zelkova

Japanese ZelkovaConsider the Japanese Zelkova if you want to plant a shade tree that will thrive in an urban setting. This deciduous tree is ideal as a specimen plant, as it is tolerant of pollution, heat, wind, drought, and various soil types. As fall arrives, enjoy watching the typically green leaves turn gold, copper, reddish-purple, and orange.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8

Care: Partial shade/Full sun and well-drained soil. Prune every fall.

Growth rate: 1 to 2 feet per year and can grow up to a height of 80 feet.

Flowering: Inconspicuous green flowers in spring.

Cost: Plan to spend about $20 for young, bare-root trees.

10. Quaking aspen

The Quaking Aspen’s leaves tremble at the slightest breeze, and its flattened stalks, triggering a rustling, calming sound. It is the widest natural range of any tree in North America and is the largest living organism in the world. The tree can produce clones that can live for thousands of years. The quaking aspen features brilliant, yellow fall foliage.

Quaking aspen

USDA Hardiness Zone: 1 to 7

Care: Needs moist, well-drained soil.

Growth rate: Above 2 feet per year and reaches a height of up to 50 feet.

Flowering: Silver or blue ones in spring.

Cost: Depending on size, live plants are available in the range of $9 to $100.

To conclude, the best shade trees to grow in your yard are ‒ Tulip Poplar, Red Maple, Nuttall Oak, Sycamore, and Northern Catalpa, to name a few. Choose a tree that provides protection from the sun and boosts your curb appeal.

Contact Eden for affordable landscaping services. Our professional team can help you choose a location, select the right tree to match your design goals, and make sure the tree(s) are planted in the correct manner.

 

Enjoy a beautifully manicured lawn with our timely yard work services that care for your yard according to the season. Call us today!

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