There’s no doubt about it: trees are incredibly valuable, both in an ecological and social sense. They provide shade and keep cooling costs down in the summer, protect buildings and fields from strong wind during storms, filter air and water pollution, and have a measurable positive effect on our health and well-being. By some estimates, every dollar spent on planting and maintaining trees yields $500 in benefits! Whether you’re looking to plant a towering, stately legacy tree that will endure for generations, or whether you’re looking for something compact and colorful for a small yard, there is a non-invasive tree for you!
Click on or scroll over the images in the expandable galleries below for identifying captions. We have also included links where you can learn more about the recommended species from non-profit horticultural resources in the region.
If you want to plant a tree but your site is measured in square feet instead of acres, these options might fit the bill! Some are even small enough to be grown in large containers.
Top row, left to right: (1) Eastern redbud ‘Ace of Hearts’; (2) Pagoda dogwood ‘Argentea’; (3) Blackhaw viburnum; (4) River birch LITTLE KING; (5) American arborvitae ‘Holmstrup’; (6) Apple serviceberry ‘Autumn Brilliance’
Bottom row, left to right: (1 & 2) Common witch-hazel; (3 & 4) Red buckeye; (5) Seven-son flower; (6) Rosemary willow
These trees are a little taller and can provide cooling shade to patios and smaller yards when full-grown. Most are sized suitably for residential or commercial properties and woodland borders, but are too small for street tree use.
Top row, left to right: (1 & 2) Eastern redbud; (3) Shadblow serviceberry; (4) Pagoda dogwood; (5) Devil’s walking stick; (6) American hornbeam
Bottom row, left to right: (1) Thornless cockspur hawthorn; (2) Green hawthorn ‘Winter King’; (3) American arborvitae ‘Emerald Green’; (4) American smoke tree; (5) Three-flowered maple; (6) Girard’s paperbark maple
Trees of this size are suitable for larger residential or commercial properties, and for parks or campuses, both large and small. Some also work well as street trees. They may get a bit over-large for small sites when fully grown.
Top row, left to right: (1) River birch; (2) Thornless honeylocust; (3) Black gum; (4) Trembling aspen
Bottom row, left to right: (1) American basswood ‘American Sentry’; (2) Red mulberry; (3) Yellowwood; (4) Little-leaf linden ‘Greenspire’
Majestic and stately, trees in this size class eventually grow too large for densely developed locations and all but the largest residential properties, although they may take many decades to do so. They are wonderful choices for large parks, estates, campuses, golf courses, cemeteries, and for reforestation.
Top row, left to right: (1) American elm DED resistant cultivars; (2) Kentucky coffee tree; (3) American beech; (4) Sugar maple; (5) Freeman maple; (6) Red maple
Second row, left to right: (1) Sycamore; (2) American basswood; (3) Big-tooth aspen; (4) Yellow birch; (5) Tulip tree; (6) Pecan
Third row, left to right: (1) White oak; (2) Swamp white oak; (3 & 4) Northern red oak; (5) Scarlet oak; (6) Shumard oak
Bottom row, left to right: (1) Yellow buckeye; (2) Sweetgum ‘Moraine’; (3) London planetree; (4) Silver linden; (5) Miyabe maple; (6) Ginkgo male cultivars
To some extent, what makes a good street tree depends on the street. For example, some wider-crowned trees or trees with messy plant parts might be okay on wide boulevards but less desirable for busy, narrow urban corridors. Here we highlight a few non-invasive trees with upright crowns, typically strong branch structure, and tolerance for urban soils, some salt exposure, and air pollution.
Top row, left to right: (1) American elm DED resistant cultivars; (2) Thornless honeylocust; (3) Kentucky coffeetree male cultivars; (4) Freeman maple; (5) Northern red oak; (6) Black gum
Bottom row, left to right: (1) London planetree; (2) Hybrid elms; (3) Little-leaf linden ‘Greenspire’; (4) Silver linden; (5) Ginkgo male cultivars; (6) Miyabe maple
Many gardeners and landscape designers are considering how their plantings interact with the larger ecosystem. This is thanks in large part to recent contributions by native plant advocates and researchers to popular gardening media. The trees here are renowned for supporting native wildlife including insects, birds and mammals. However, one of the best ways to support wildlife is to grow a diversity of native trees and other plants, replacing relatively sterile parts of the landscape (lawns, for example). For more information, check out the following resources:
- Data from Dr. Doug Tallamy on tree use by butterfly and moth larvae
- The Morton Arboretum’s trees and shrubs for birds
- Chicago Audubon’s native gardening for birds
Top row: (1) Serviceberry species; (2) Eastern redbud; (3) American basswood; (4) Black birch; (5) Nannyberry; (6) Red mulberry
Bottom row: (1) Bitternut hickory; (2) Red maple; (3) Bur oak; (4) Hackberry; (5) American arborvitae; (6) Green hawthorn ‘Winter King’
These trees have ornamentally important flowers. Most flower in spring, though some may flower in late summer or fall.
Top row, left to right: (1) Canada serviceberry; (2) Eastern redbud; (3) Thornless cockspur hawthorn; (4) Pagoda dogwood; (5) American basswood; (6) Tulip tree,
Bottom row, left to right: (1) Yellowwood; (2) Devil’s walking stick; (3) Red buckeye; (4) Yellow buckeye; (5) American smoke tree; (6) Seven-son flower
If you want to go leaf-peeping right in your back yard, these are trees to consider. Most plants with fall foliage produce better color when grown in full sun.
Top row, left to right: (1) Red maple; (2) Freeman maple; (3) Sugar maple; (4) White oak; (5) Chinquapin oak; (6) Northern red oak
Second row, left to right: (1) Black gum; (2) Blackhaw viburnum; (3) American hornbeam; (4) Canada serviceberry; (5) Devil’s walking stick; (6) Yellowwood
Bottom row, left to right: (1) American smoke tree; (2) Sweetgum ‘Moraine’; (3) Three-flowered maple; (4) Paperbark maple; (5) Ginkgo; (6) Hybrid elms
Bark isn’t often the first consideration when deciding which tree to plant…and perhaps not even the second or third! However, bark can add interesting colors and textures to the landscape year-round. These are some stand-outs:
Top row, left to right: (1) American beech; (2) Trembling aspen; (3) Yellow birch; (4) River birch ‘Cully’ HERITAGE; (5) American hornbeam; (6) Sycamore
Bottom row, left to right: (1) Hackberry; (2) Swamp white oak; (3) Shagbark hickory; (4) London planetree; (5) Paperbark maple; (6) Seven-son flower
Header Photo: Paul Wray, Iowa State University via bugwood.org
