THE BEST TREES FOR INDIANAPOLIS LANDSCAPES
Adding trees to your landscape has many benefits. They can provide shade for your home, and protection from the wind. They also make your home and yard more attractive, and they provide habitat and shelter for many local birds and bugs. The benefits of trees are not just based in nature; they also increase your property value!
Here are a few trees that are excellent choices for yards in and around Indianapolis.
AUTUMN BLAZE MAPLE
This gorgeous Maple is a hybrid of Red and Silver Maple. Its a fast-growing shade tree with a balanced, rounded crown that doesn’t require much pruning. It is a drought-tolerant tree that reaches heights of 50’ feet at full maturity. Its intricate lacy leaves turn a beautiful shade of orange-red in the fall. It’s also insect- and disease-resistant and very tolerant of pollution.
RED SUNSET MAPLE
This Maple variety is better for the backyard, as it’s sensitive to salt. It is a well-balanced pyramidal tree that does not require much pruning. Red Sunset grows up to 50’ tall and features clusters of red flowers in spring before the leaves emerge. While this tree has many lovely features, most people love Red Sunset for its brilliant red leaves in the fall!
HERITAGE BIRCH MULTI-STEM
This river birch is tough and adaptable. It will do best in a damp or even wet location, but it is also adaptable to moderately drier areas. It is exceptionally disease-resistant and can grow up to 70’ tall. The bark is the show-stopper of this tree; the young trees start with a pale salmon-colored bark that peels to reveal the creamy white underneath. The leaves are a vibrant green that fades to yellow in the fall.
STELLAR PINK DOGWOOD
This variety of dogwood is a smaller flowering tree, but it grows vigorously up to 20’ tall. This dogwood bursts into bloom in late spring, loaded with pretty shell-pink flowers. The foliage changes to a gorgeous plum purple in the fall with crimson red berries. The vibrant red branches are showy even in winter.
ALTHEA
Althea is more commonly called Rose of Sharon. It is drought-tolerant, but it will bloom best if you keep the soil consistently moist during its flowering season. Althea reaches heights up to 10-15’ tall. These can be grown as a tree or shrub and feature large, vibrant blooms from mid-summer until frost. The flowers are popular with butterflies and hummingbirds.
Double Purple Althea features pastel purple double blossoms.
Double Pink Althea features blush-pink double blossoms.
Double Red Althea features vibrant reddish-pink double blossoms.
Diana Althea features bright white single blossoms.
SKY PENCIL HOLLY
This broadleaf evergreen is a narrow columnar tree with densely-packed leaves. It can grow up to 10’ tall, but only reaches out to a 2’ spread. This is an excellent choice for structure and height in smaller spaces and can be grown in containers. It also does well as a hedged or privacy screen. This is the perfect tree to make an elegant and formal statement.
TULIP POPLAR
Also called Tulip Tree, this tree is a variety of Magnolia. It’s a fast-growing native to North America, and it needs a lot of space. These booming beauties can get up to 90’ tall, with a 40’ spread. (In the Appalachian cove forests, some have been reported to have reached heights of over 150’!) This tree is a bit high-maintenance and needs regular care. It features yellow-green tulip-like flowers that are 2-3 inches long, with light green leaves that turn yellow in the fall.
JANE MAGNOLIA
Jane is a small hybrid Magnolia, topping out at about 15’ tall. It’s also a slow grower and maintains a balanced, rounded shape. Its late spring flowers are lightly scented and feature reddish-purple outer petals, with bright white centers. The leaves are dark green and leathery in texture.
PRAIRIEFIRE CRABAPPLE
This crabapple is a stunner! Pollinators love the blossoms, and birds love the fruit. The dark reddish-pink flowers pop in spring, and they last longer than other varieties. The leaves are equally beautiful, featuring dark purple-red in spring, shifting to dark green with purple veins in summer, and a rich bronze in fall. Prairiefire Crabapple can grow up to 20’ tall, and it is highly scab-resistant.
SHOWTIME CRABAPPLE
Showtime Crabapple flowers are very popular with the pollinators in spring, and the bright red fruits are popular with birds in winter. It tops out at about 15’ tall. It features vibrant fuschia blossoms and dark green leaves that have a hint of red shine.
KRAUTER VESUVIUS PLUM
Also known as Cherry Plum, this is a vigorous grower that tops out at 20’ tall. Pruning immediately after flowering will help encourage more vigorous growth and flowering for next year. The deep pink buds open to blush pink blossoms, practically smothering the tree in spring. The leaves come out at the same time in a dark reddish-purple. The contrast between flowers and leaves is striking. The leaves maintain their color all season.
FINE LINE® BUCKTHORN
This Buckthorn variety is the perfect architectural, fine-textured columnar landscaping plant. It grows 5-7’ feet tall, but only 2-3’’ wide. The lacy foliage slightly softens the upright shape of this shrub. It’s a perfect hedging choice for smaller spaces or used to frame entrances and pathways.
Each of these trees offers the landscape something special to keep your yard looking great through every season! Give us a call to find out what trees we have in stock, or stop by our garden center to have a look around the nursery yard for yourself.