Making Your Yard Pop

Shade Trees That Are Also Attractive

You likely get more enjoyment out of your yard when you can relax in the shade on sunny days. The best shade trees have a wide canopy with thick foliage. Any tree will be an attractive addition to your yard. However, perhaps you want a tree that will also augment your landscaping and add curb appeal. Below are some shade trees that are also very pretty to look at.

Flowering Dogwood

Flowering dogwood is an attractive tree that only grows to about 20 feet tall. So, it's suitable for a smaller yard that needs some shade. The tree sprouts white, red, or pink flowers in early spring. The leaves are dark green in the summertime and turn bright red in the fall. It also produces a dark red fruit, though the fruit is inedible. In the wintertime, the trees show attractive branching.

Saucer Magnolia

The saucer magnolia is a romantic tree. An officer from the Napoleonic Wars crossbred two species of magnolia to make this distinctive tree. The tree can grow up to 30 feet tall. It's best-known for its saucer-shaped flowers that can grow as wide as 10 inches in diameter. The flowers are so dense you'll even have shade in the springtime.

Washington Hawthorn

The Washington hawthorn is another tree that grows tall — because of the range of sizes it can grow to, it can be both 25 feet tall and 25 feet wide. So, you'll get a lot of shade from these trees. The tree blooms with pretty, white flowers in late spring. They turn to glossy, red fruit in late summer. The fruit stays on the branches well into wintertime, so you get winter color, too. The foliage turns from orange to purple in the fall.

Purple Robe Locust

The purple robe locust is suitable for large yards because it gets quite tall and wide. You could set up outdoor dining under these trees. The tree blooms in late spring with fragrant chains of deep pink flowers. The foliage is blue-green in summer and turns burgundy in the fall. Purple robe locust trees also produce fruit.

Weeping Cherry

The weeping cherry tree would be a conversation-starter for any yard. It can grow to 30 feet tall, but its spread is what's noteworthy. The 15- to 25-foot spread is the traditional cascade of weeping trees. However, it's a cherry tree, so it produces the classically beautiful blossoms in spring. When in bloom, the blossoms make an impressive show. Trim the lowest branches to sit underneath.

Add an attractive tree that will also cast shade in your yard.

To learn more about shade trees, contact a garden store.


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