Trees
Trees care & growing guides
Choosing, planting, and caring for the right tree — by region and hardiness zone.
American Beech
Fagus grandifolia
A stately, slow-growing native shade tree with smooth steel-gray bark, glossy toothed leaves, and…
American Elm
Ulmus americana
The classic vase-shaped shade tree that once arched over Main Streets across America…
American Holly
Ilex opaca
A stately native evergreen of the eastern U.S., American holly carries spiny, leathery leaves…
American Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
A massive, fast-growing native shade tree famous for its mottled, camouflage bark that flakes away…
Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
A deciduous conifer native to Southern swamps and riverbanks, prized for its feathery, fern-like…
Colorado Blue Spruce
Picea pungens
A striking, slow-growing evergreen conifer from the Rocky Mountains, famous for its stiff, sharp…
Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
The signature small flowering tree of the South, smothered in crinkled, crepe-paper blooms of…
Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
The towering backbone of the Pacific Northwest forest and America's classic Christmas tree — a…
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A small, graceful native understory tree that erupts in clouds of rosy-pink pea-flowers along its…
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus
A soft, graceful native evergreen with bluish-green needles bundled in fives and long, slender…
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A beloved understory tree of eastern North America, prized for its clouds of white or pink spring…
Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba
A living fossil unchanged for 200 million years, the ginkgo is a tough, long-lived shade tree with…
Honey Locust
Gleditsia triacanthos
A tough, fast-growing native shade tree with fine, fern-like leaflets that cast a light, dappled…
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
A small, slow-growing ornamental tree treasured for its delicate, hand-shaped leaves, graceful…
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
The iconic white-barked birch of the northern woods, prized for chalky, peeling bark and a…
Quaking Aspen
Populus tremuloides
The most widely distributed tree in North America, named for the shimmering tremble of its rounded…
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
One of North America's most adaptable and widely planted shade trees — fast-growing, dependable…
Red Oak
Quercus rubra
A fast-growing native shade oak prized for its straight trunk, broad rounded crown, and reliable…
River Birch
Betula nigra
A fast-growing native shade tree loved for its peeling, cinnamon-and-salmon bark that curls into…
Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
A grand, broadleaf evergreen of the American South, prized for its glossy dark leaves with…
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
The iconic source of maple syrup and the backbone of New England's autumn — a long-lived, stately…
Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
A fast-growing native shade tree with neat star-shaped leaves that blaze through scarlet…
Tulip Poplar
Liriodendron tulipifera
A towering native of the eastern forests, the tulip poplar is one of North America's tallest…
Weeping Willow
Salix babylonica
The iconic graceful giant whose long, golden-green branches cascade nearly to the ground and sway…
White Oak
Quercus alba
A majestic, slow-growing native shade tree with pale, scaly bark and rounded-lobed leaves that…
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