Plant These Trees in Your Backyard for Fast Growth and Summer Shade.
When you’re harvesting a tree to turn your yard into a shady paradise, you want one that grows fast enough to enjoy in a few years, and durable enough not to fall on your home. Here are the best types that provide both.
Keep in mind that a sturdy tree grows quickly at 1.5 to 2 feet per year. In about five years, your tree will be able to provide the shade you imagined when you first planted it. If you don’t have a tree type in mind yet, try one of the following:
- Northern Red Oak : A deciduous tree that grows to about fifty feet in height and tends to have equally widespread branches, creating a natural umbrella for your garden’s shade. If you live in California and Oregon, do not plant this tree as it can fall prey to the sudden fatal oak disease .
- Valley Oak : Ideal for California, this oak will also grow about 50 feet tall and provide good cover for your yard.
- Freeman Maple : If you want a shady tree that also produces stunning fall foliage, this tree will do the trick! If you want a particularly fast growing type, plant Autumn Blaze. You will end up with a tree that is fifty to eighty feet tall.
- Zelkova Green Vase: This tree has the ability to withstand wind, drought, and pollution, making it an excellent choice for a shady tree in the yard (it can withstand emissions from passing cars) and grows to about sixty feet in height.
- Tulip tree : With large leaves, this tree provides almost complete shade and grows to seventy-five feet in height.
Most of these tree types are suitable for zones 5-8, which cover most of the continental United States (you can check which belts here ). While the weather is chilly, there is still a lot you can do to get your yard ready for spring , including planning what trees, flowers, and bushes you will plant. For details on soil types, sunlight and specific zones for each tree type, click the link below.
Fast growing shady trees | This old house