Summer is here, and so are those luxurious summer afternoons. Put your lawn chair or hang your hammock in the shade, with a soft summer breeze--it doesn’t get much better than that. Unless you don’t have any shade trees to relax under.
If you’re looking for a tree that will flood your yard with shade, look no further. We have what you need to decide which shade tree is best for your needs.
Why Invest in a Shade Tree?
Besides giving you a place to take a nap, shade trees do more wonderful things than you can imagine. They will:
- Filter the air
- Store carbon
- Reduce air conditioning cost
- Slow rain run off
- Reduce traffic noise
- Increase property value
- Provide food and shelter for wildlife
But you won’t get any of those benefits if you don’t have any shade trees in your yard.
Which Trees Are Great Go-Tos for Shade?
The Mighty Oak
Many Oak Trees grow quickly and will provide a home and food for local wildlife. In the spring, the leaves are deep to dark green, and in the fall, the colors are brown to red, depending on the variety.
They are generally hardy and resistant to droughts, pests, and diseases. They will give you a large canopy as they mature, providing you with plenty of shade.
Some of the preferred varieties are:
- Bur Oak
- Nuttall Oak
- Pin Oak
- Red Oak
- Shumard Oak
- Southern Live Oak
- Swamp White Oak
- White Oak
- Willow Oak
Most oaks are sturdy, hardy, and low maintenance. They aren’t affected by many diseases or pests that might attack other varieties. They grow tall and wide, providing a large canopy for you and your family to enjoy. If you are concerned about heat, cold, or wet/dry conditions, most oaks do well in these conditions.
They grow quickly, so you won’t have to wait decades for shade, and you can bet your kids and grandkids will be enjoying them in the future because they can live for centuries. You will enjoy their deep green foliage in the spring and summer, and in the fall, you will have plenty of colors, from brown to copper, to red, to scarlet and orange, depending on the variety.
They will also attract a variety of wildlife. Squirrels will be scurrying up and down the trunk and branches, looking for acorns, and there are a large variety of birds, like turkeys, ducks, blue jays, and woodpeckers. You might also find deer or hogs foraging under the branches.
Oaks are a very versatile shade tree that will do well under a variety of conditions, providing you and yours with color from spring to fall, wildlife to view, all with little maintenance on your part.
The Versatile Maple
Need a shade tree for your yard, but want to add a little color to your landscape? Look at the wide variety of Maple Trees available. You can hang a hammock between two and enjoy the summer shade, or wait till fall, and relax as the colorful leaves float down to the ground.
What is fall without all of the color from leaves as the cold weather sets in? The maple, depending on the variety, will give you a beautiful display that can last for weeks.
They vary in size, but most grow to a medium height and will spread their branches giving you plenty of summer shade. These quick-growing trees will be a great addition to your yard.
Some varieties that you might be interested in are:
You can use maples for a stunning focal point for your yard, especially in the fall as the colors emerge from green, summer leaves. Line your drive, plant a few by your pond, use your imagination as you landscape with these lovely varieties.
In the spring, you can enjoy the leaf buds as they emerge, then the deep green leaves of summer. But you will find yourself anxiously awaiting fall, when the real display begins.
While they generally like well-drained loam, many varieties can adapt to your soil, and will not complain if it gets a little hot or dry. Come the cooler weather of fall, you will find an explosion of color: yellow, orange, scarlet, red, plum, and purple that can last a month or more.
And don’t forget the bark of some varieties--they will give colorful bark to enjoy throughout winter.
If you don’t have a lot of time to maintain your trees, maples require little pruning and will usually shape themselves into a beautiful canopy. They are also resistant to most pests and diseases.
Browse through the maples, and pick out a few to add to your yard--not only will you get plenty of summer shade, but colors to enjoy throughout the year.
The Graceful Willow
When the word ‘willow’ is mentioned, most people picture the sweeping branches of the Weeping Willow and the shady bower that they enclose or balls of fur on the Pussy Willow, but there are other varieties to choose from, some smaller, others larger, but one thing you will learn, Willows of all varieties will beautify your yard, providing you with some great eye candy throughout the seasons.
Looking for a fast-growing shade tree or shrubs to accent your yard? Well, start thinking about a Willow. They do well in full sun to partial shade, and generally like wetter soils, but some varieties do well in dryer climates or can adapt to areas with less water.
Not familiar with all the varieties of Willow? Check out the following:
Willows also do well as a privacy hedge, but their branches are spread enough to give you a little breeze while filtering out some of the noise. They can act as a windbreak as well, or be planted along a drive to reduce drifting snow.
And don’t forget that some of the smaller varieties can be stunning to look at, giving you multiple focal points in your yard.
With Willows, you can get 4 seasons of beauty. From the catkins on Pussy Willows in the early spring to the red-orange bark of the Flame Willow in winter, you won’t lack for color and beauty if you plant a few willows in your yard.
And what is more breathtaking than a tall Weeping Willow, planted next to a lake or pond--the beautiful swaying branches reflected in the water.
Check out the Willow varieties, and you are sure to find one or more varieties that you can add to your landscape. The Willow, both graceful and practical.
The Majestic Elm
Gone are the days when Dutch Elm Disease devastated the Elm Trees. Most varieties are very disease resistant and will grow into majestic trees, tall with a wide canopy to give you all the shade you could ask for.
Some varieties that might interest you are:
The Elm is one of the first trees that you will think of when the topic of luxurious shade pops up. They grow tall and broad--exactly what you want when you are looking for shade in your yard.
Plant them next to the drive or road, to keep your vehicles from roasting in the summer sun, or in your backyard to shade your kids while they play or you as you nap in your hammock.
They are both vigorous and hardy, as well as easy to care for. They can call just about any soil type home, and be happy as their branches spread out to shade your house, reducing those AC bills in the summer.
You will love the deep, green leaves in the spring and summer. In the fall, they turn yellow or red, depending on the variety. And don’t forget the bark. It is rough and exfoliates, revealing a variety of colors as it does.
So as you search for shade, don’t overlook the stately Elm. It has been providing shade and color for centuries past, and will continue for centuries to come.
Bask in the Shade with a Happy Tree!
So if you are looking for shade, or looking for a unique tree as a focal point for your yard, you have many choices.
From a Red Oak or Jefferson American Elm to give you all the shade you could want or a Coral Bark Japanese Maple or Flame Willow to give you months and months of color and a great focal point, with a little browsing, you can find the right trees to make you the envy of the neighborhood.
Happy planting!
