There are numerous native trees which are both beautiful and easy to care for. Native trees are generally able to tolerate even the harshest of conditions. The following list describes 8 native trees which provide gardeners with low maintenance and attractive additions to the landscape.
Eastern Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) are treasured for their stunning pink and lavender flowers which bloom on bare stems in early spring. It develops ornamental fruit later in the season. Eastern redbuds grow to be 20′-30′ high and spread 20′-30′ and are a great alternative to other small ornamentals such as cherries or crabapples.
Silver Maple (Acer Saccharinum) is a beautiful native maple tree. The species is ideal for wet soils as it is able to recover from periods of flooding. It is one of the best trees for poor soil and it transplants very easily. A fast growing tree, the silver maple is often used in garden design as a way to provide gardens with tree. Its leaves are deeply cut and silvery white underneath. They appear as light green and turn to yellow in the fall.
American Beech (Fagus Grandifolia) has is a very stately tree ideal for larger lawns or open fields. It has smooth blue-gray bark and long pointed buds. The American beech grows fertile in well-drained, moist acid soil and full sun. This deciduous species has leaves that are a beautiful dark green in the summer and turn to a golden brown fall color. Its leaves of younger trees will shed slowly and persist into the winter months. This beech tree is a dense shade tree whose nuts attract birds and squirrels.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is spring blooming tree with red, pink or white flowers. It’s is a small tree with a mature height of 15 to 30 feet. A great year round tree for the garden, the flowering dogwood has beautiful bronze colored fall foliage as well as red fruit which lasts into winter. It also has an interesting winter silhouette with its horizontal branching structure. The flowering dogwood is one of the best flowering trees available. Be aware, however, that in recent years, flowering dogwoods have been subject to dogwood blight, a fungus disease. Plenty of air circulation and sunlight help prevent this disease.
Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) trees are commonly planted for home landscaping. One of the faster growing oaks, it can grow 12 to 15’ over a 5 to 7 year period. The pin oak is easy to grow and tolerant of a wide range of soil types. It has pyramidal, dense, pendulous lower branches when mature. Young trees and lower branches of older trees hold leaves throughout winter.
White Oak (Quercus alba) is a stately tree ideal for wast lawns and large gardens. This long-lived tree requires very little maintenance. The white oak’s foliage turns reddish-brown in fall. It is an excellent wildlife source of food mass in the form of acorns. Pyramidal in shape early on, the white oak develops broad crown with age. The white oak inspired the phrase “The Mighty Oak”.
American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), also known as musclewood or ironwood because of its stong wood, is a wonderful shade tolerant understory tree. This deciduous tree attracts all kinds of wildlife. Its nuts are eaten by many species of birds and rabbits and deer are attracted to the shoots of this tree. In late autumn the leaves turn deep scarlet and orange providing good fall color tree.
White Ash (Fraxinus Americana) is an attractive, long lived and tall native tree. It is the largest of the North American ash trees as mature trunks can reach 6 feet in diameter. This deciduous tree has firm gray bark with diamond-shaped furrows and interlacing ridges. The tree grows in the rich, moist, well-drained soil of bottomlands and other soil types on not-so-dry slopes. Several kinds of birds eat the fruit. Its lush green summer foliage turns to shades of yellow and maroon in the fall.
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