7 FAST-GROWING SHADE TREES FOR INSTANT GRATIFICATION
The average human being spends six months of their life waiting in lines! We’ve got enough things to wait around for, so if you want gorgeous trees that add shade, color, and dimension to the landscape, opt for fast-growing varieties. Here’s a list of seven medium-sized Indianapolis favorites, which are easy to accommodate in smaller yards but still provide plenty of shade and ornamental impact.
These Medium-Sized, Fast-Growing Shade Trees Will Skyrocket After Planting
Whether you want an evergreen, an ornamental flowering tree, or something with spectacular fall color, there are plenty of different fast-growing shade trees for your yard. Take a look at some of our top picks below!
Trembling Aspen
The round, delicate foliage of the Trembling Aspen flutters in the wind, creating a subtle, sparkly effect in the sunshine. Its smooth, white bark is soft and elegant, and the canopy sits high, five feet above the ground. Incredibly hardy to cold temperatures and drought, this fabulous Aspen couldn’t be easier to grow! At maturity, it reaches 50 feet high and 30 feet wide.
River Birch
While most trees are known for their beautiful foliage, the River Birch is famed for its stunning bark that peels off in sheets like paper in shades of cream, gray, and copper. Its leaves turn a brilliant gold in autumn, and they’re especially tolerant of city pollution, making this a perfect shade tree for city living. River Birches grow about two feet per year, reaching a maximum height of 60 feet with a 45-foot spread. The canopy is incredibly voluminous, with a clearance of three feet above the ground.
Gold Rush Dawn Redwood
This medium-sized shade tree’s frilled, vibrant lemon-lime foliage brings spectacular texture and color to the landscape, lighting up your yard like a neon sign. A unique deciduous conifer, the Gold Rush Dawn Redwood has a rounded pyramidal shape and lives to about 100 years old! Its rusty red peeling bark contrasts beautifully against its yellow-green foliage. Growing two feet per year with a maximum height of 50 feet tall and a manageable 25-foot spread, this sunny Redwood is a great shade tree for modestly-sized yards.
Columnar Norway Spruce
There are so many reasons to love the Columnar Norway Spruce. This low-maintenance evergreen reaches 30 feet high but only 10 feet wide, making it ideal for adding shade and privacy when planted in a line. It’s also a good choice for tiny yards that don’t have much free space—you can plant it five feet away from the fence! That classic conical shape is so festive in winter, especially when you decorate it with holiday lights.
Ombrella Mimosa
Also known as the Silk Tree, this eye-catching shade tree always provokes gasps of amazement when it’s in bloom! Its fuzzy magenta flowers are impossibly cute, with bipinnate compound leaves that bring incomparable texture. Ombrella Mimosa can grow as fast as five feet per year, and with a maximum height and width of 30 feet, this gorgeous shade tree will quickly reach maturity.
Autumn Blaze Maple
The fiery red-orange fall foliage of Autumn Blaze Maple makes this shade tree a top contender for yards in Indiana, but its distinctive lobed leaves still bring plenty of visual interest through spring and fall. This maple grows two to three feet per year, reaching 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide at maturity. Its canopy sits quite high, so it’s easy to walk underneath—perfect for homes with a gaggle of energetic kids!
Shademaster Honeylocust
With pinnate, fern-like foliage and a satisfyingly spherical shape, the Shademaster Honeylocust continues to be a top seller for fast-growing shade trees. The leaves turn honey-gold in autumn, and it doesn’t drop any seeds, so it’s far less messy than other deciduous varieties. Growing two feet per year to a maximum of 45 feet tall and wide, the pollution-tolerant Honeylocust is great for yards in high-traffic urban areas.
To explore more medium-sized shade trees for sale in Indiana, make Dammann’s Garden Co. your first stop! We have so many incredible varieties to explore that we couldn’t possibly fit them all on one list. Let us know if you need any guidance on proper planting and tree care—we’ve got all the necessary know-how!