How to Choose a Shade Tree
Plant a tree for shade and gain a beautiful, air-cleaning focal point for your garden. Consider four factors before you decide which shade tree to plant in your landscape: size, shape, site and seasonal interest.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Select the spot in your garden where a shade tree will do the most good - on the west or south sides of most houses. Then look for a tree that will grow to fill that space with an upright, arching shape to create a grand canopy with room for people underneath.
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2
Decide how soon you want shade and how long you want the tree to last. Fast-growing trees may deliver more shade sooner, but those with moderate to slow growth rates are more likely to live for a hundred years and will be less vulnerable to storm damage, since their wood is stronger.
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3
Look at shade trees you like and consider the qualities each can bring to your landscape: color, seasonal features and texture. Go for a leaf shape and color you like; big, bold, coarse-textured leaves make more dense shade, though a thick crown of smaller, fine-textured leaves can also create a cooling, dappled shade below.
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4
Consider shade trees with spring or summer flowers, fall color and winter berries, but also consider maintenance. Fallen flowers and leaves must be raked, and berries can sprout in the lawn below. You may prefer trees with neat habits and avoid those with a reputation for sprouting from the roots.
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5
Make a statement. Choose a stately specimen native to your area and lend a classic sense of place to your landscape. (Pick a container-grown plant for easier transplanting.)
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6
Shop for the specific variety of shade tree you want - improved or named selections offer reliable growth habits wherever you buy them. Look at local nurseries, tree farms and online catalogs, and find the shade tree that meets most, if not all of your criteria.
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7
Buy a shade tree that is 3 to 5 years old and growing in a 5-gallon container for the easiest transplanting.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Choose newer varieties of your favorite childhood tree species for their greater resistance to pests.
Take tree size and shipping costs into consideration when choosing a shade tree from a distant source.
Look at both single- and multiple-trunk trees for shady shapes.
