Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Videos
  • Sweeps and Contests

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 40 Favorite Comfort Food Recipes

      Macaroni and cheese, Amish apple dumplings and chicken pot pie are among our Midwest comfort food favorites. Read More Next
    • 50 Romantic Midwest Getaways

      Romance, of course, can be wherever the two of you are. But wonderful surroundings help. We found some of the most romantic places anywhere in the Midwest—in the city and country. All you have to do is get away together! Read More Next
    • 50 Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

      Chocolate lovers, these are for you: 50 of our best rich-and-gooey chocolate dessert recipes, including pie, pudding, cake, cookies, fondue and brownies. Read More Next
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel

    50 Midwest Resorts We Love

    Our favorite Midwest resort destinations range from cozy lakeside lodges to indoor water park behemoths. Dive in to check out our top picks for a fabulous Midwest getaway.
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Around the Region
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Midwest Living November/December 2020 Recipes

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home

    50 Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas

    Give your home holiday style in a flash with these simple yet creative decorating projects.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden

    14 Cheerful Winter Container Gardens

    Create bountiful outdoor winter arrangements with a little help from Mother Nature.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    40 Easy Christmas Crafts

    Decorate your home, make a gift or create an ornament with our 40 ideas for fun and easy Christmas crafts.
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
  • Sweeps and Contests

    Sweeps and Contests

    See All Sweeps and Contests

    Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

    • Winter Getaways Sweepstakes
    • Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Garden
  3. Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  4. 20 Tough Trees for Midwest Lawns

20 Tough Trees for Midwest Lawns

By LuAnn Brandsen
Updated August 13, 2020
Skip gallery slides
Pin

Whether you’re looking for small ornamental trees or taller shade trees, here are 20 ideas for trouble-free trees that will thrive in the Midwest.

Start Slideshow

1 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best trees for the Midwest

Planting a tree is a long-term investment that, if chosen wisely, will provide a lifetime of added beauty to your Midwest yard. "Too often people plant what their neighbor has, but that's not the best thing to do," says Andy Schmitz, director of horticulture at The Brenton Arboretum in Dallas Center, Iowa. "We need to be diversifying our urban landscape by planting different tree species."Additionally, Schmitz notes, it's important to avoid a one-tree-fits-all mentality because each yard has different variables. Factors to keep in mind include soil type, whether the tree will have enough space when mature (especially if there are power lines) and whether it is cold-hardy in your area. Click ahead for eight ideas for small ornamental trees and 12 top picks for larger trees for shade.

1 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Crab apple

Crab apples (Malus selections) are some of the easiest and most beautiful trees to grow, if you choose a disease-resistant variety with persistent small fruits that won't make a mess when they fall. Andy likes ‘Adirondack' with its strongly upright branching for smaller spaces. It has showy white flowers in spring, medium-green leaves and deep orange-red fruits well into fall. ‘Golden Raindrops' is another disease-resistant favorite, chosen for its profuse white flowers, distinctive small yellow fruits and deeply cut ornamental leaves that turn an outstanding orange-red in fall. Both varieties will thrive in inner-city conditions as long as they have full sun and well-drained, neutral to acid soil. Zones 3-8.

2 of 21

3 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Japanese tree lilac

A superb accent plant and the most adaptable lilac for challenging sites, Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) bears showy plumes of creamy-white flowers in early summer when other lilacs have faded. In winter, its coppery red bark stands out in the landscape. This low-maintenance tree doesn't produce suckers, seldom suffers from disease and requires little pruning. Plant in full sun. It prefers loose, well-drained soil but will tolerate clay. Allow enough space for good air circulation. Zones 3-7.

3 of 21

Advertisement

4 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pagoda dogwood

This attractive native (Cornus alternifolia) is a favorite of wildlife gardeners and a welcome choice for northern landscapes. "Its architecture and scaffolding branches are very ornamental, and it has a nice 15- to 25-foot height and spread," Andy says. Expect fragrant clusters of white flowers in spring followed by blue fruits and purple fall color. Plant in sun or partial shade in moist, rich acidic soil for best results. Avoid streetside plantings where urban pollution is a problem. Zones 3-7.

4 of 21

5 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Korean fir

Prized for their pyramidal shape and ornamental cones, Korean firs (Abies koreana) bring an architectural form to the yard. ‘Horstmann's Silberlocke' (pictured) has green needles with bright white undersides that curve upward to simulate a flocked look. ‘Aurea' is another stunner, featuring golden new growth that fades to light green. Both grow to 30 feet with a 20-foot width. Zones 5-7.

5 of 21

6 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Serviceberry

A four-season beauty, serviceberries (Amelanchier selections) provide showy spring flowers, edible berries, spectacular fall color and ornamental gray bark. This highly adaptable tree has no serious diseases or insect problems. Recommended cultivars include ‘Autumn Brilliance' (pictured) with delicious dark blue summer fruits and remarkable red fall foliage. Saskatoon serviceberry ‘Regent' (Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Regent'), a mounding, compact type, is another great performer for the Midwest. Plant in moist, well-drained soil in sun or shade. Zones 2-9.

6 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

American hornbeam

This attractive, slow-growing tree reaches a height and spread of 20 to 30 feet and has nice yellow and red fall color. Free of serious pest or disease problems, American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) can grow in part sun or shade, even thriving as an understory tree. Though it prefers moist, rich soil, it also grows in average or clay soils. Zones 3-9.

7 of 21

8 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Seven-son flower

Handsome peeling bark, fruit, seed heads and fragrant white flowers that mature to pinkish red in fall makes one wonder why we don't see more of this fast grower. If you're still on the fence, add in that it's drought-tolerant, has no serious insect or disease problems, and can thrive in a wide range of soils in full sun or part shade. Seven-son flower (Heptacodium miconioides) can be grown as a multistemmed shrub or trained as a single-trunk tree. Zones 5-9.

8 of 21

9 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dwarf chinkapin oak

Credit: Photo: Plant Database/Auburn University

"People think of large specimens for the oaks and there are some great ones, but there's also a notable dwarf that grows about 15 feet in height," Andy says. This smaller white oak (Quercus prinoides) can set small acorns in just three to five years and is a wonderful wildlife plant. It also offers striking red and orange fall colors. Plant in full sun or part shade. Zones 4-8.

9 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

‘Cully’ Heritage river birch

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

Looking for larger trees? This and the next 11 slides feature trees that will add shade and diversity to your yard.‘Cully' Heritage river birch (Betula nigra ‘Cully'), a cultivar of the native river birch, has more spectacular exfoliating bark colors of cinnamon and creamy white than typical river birch and is usually grown as an attractive multistem tree. It is less susceptible to disease and more drought tolerant than European white birch. Plant in full sun or light shade, and watch this fast-growing tree climb to 60 feet. Zones 4-9.

10 of 21

11 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Black gum

The autumn color of black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) begins with glossy foliage that turns yellow, orange and scarlet. Thirty to 50 feet tall with a pyramidal shape, the slow-grower, also known as sour gum or black tupelo, has up to a 30-foot spread. Plant in full sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained, acid soil. Zones 3-9.

11 of 21

12 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bald cypress

A Southern tree native to the swamps of the southeastern United States, bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one tough tree, noted to survive northern winters with temperatures dipping to 30-below. Likewise, it tolerates soil conditions ranging from somewhat dry soils to wetter urban clay soils to soils in standing water. Pyramidal in form, it grows 50-70 feet tall with a 30- to 40-foot spread. And though it looks like an evergreen, this deciduous conifer's feathery needles turn rusty orange and drop in fall. Zones 4-9.

12 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bitternut hickory

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

One of the faster growing hickories, Bitternut (Carya cordiformis) has sulphur yellow leaf buds and a clean bright yellow fall leaf color that is the best of the hickories, Andy says. This medium-tall tree grows 60-75 feet in height with a 40- to 50-foot spread. Though its nuts are inedible for humans, many animals consume them. Hickory grows best in moister soil, but it adapts well to dry sites and poor soil, too. Zone 4.

13 of 21

14 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Accolade elm

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

If Dutch elm disease makes you wary of ever planting elms again, Accolade elm (Ulmus japonica wilsoniana ‘Morton') may be the hybrid to change your mind. (Its trade name is Accolade; ‘Morton' is its cultivar name.) It has excellent disease and insect resistance, thrives in urban landscapes and is notably drought-tolerant and cold hardy.Accolade has the classic American elm vase shape and tops out at about 60 feet with a 50- to 60-foot spread. Its deep green glossy foliage stays crisp all summer and fast growth rate make it a standout tree. Plant in any soil other than those that are excessively wet. Hardy to Zone 4.

14 of 21

15 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Hackberry

Cold hardy and tolerant of winds and varied conditions, this native is as well suited for the plains and rural areas as it is for urban sites. Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) grows 40 to 70 feet with a 50-foot spread and has a broad crown with arching branches, much like American elms. Zones 3-9.

15 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Northern red oak

The fastest-growing oak, this tree is not as prone to chlorosis as pin oak and makes a beautiful shade tree for large lawns that can handle its 60- to 80-foot height and 40- to 60-foot spread. Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) tolerates pollution and various soils, including compacted soil. In autumn, enjoy brilliant orange, brown and red foliage. Zones 3-9.

16 of 21

17 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Concolor fir

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

Long-lived concolor firs (Abies concolor) are valued for their soft needles and strong fragrance. Evergreen, they provide privacy and attract birds with a spot for winter rest. ‘Candicans' is one notable variety suited for Zones 3-7; it features silvery-blue leaves and a columnar shape that reaches 50 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Zones 2-7.

17 of 21

18 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chinkapin oak

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

Though it prefers deep, rich bottomland soils, this species (Quercus muehlenbergii) adapts to many soil types, including the Midwest's more alkaline and limestone soils. (If your pin oak gets chlorosis, here's your answer.) A magnificent specimen for larger lawns, it grows 50-60 feet tall with a similar spread, and its sweet nuts are highly prized by wildlife. Plant in full sun. Zones 4-7.

18 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Kentucky coffee tree

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

"Kentucky coffee tree has been a favorite of mine for a long time," Andy says. "I like the uniqueness of this species. It's kind of an ugly duckling when first planted, but then it grows into a tree that's soft textured in the summer, and it has no disease or insect issues." Growing 60-75 feet with a 40- to 50-foot spread, this unique native (Gymnocladus dioicus) is tolerant of urban conditions, limestone soils, and dry or moist settings. Ornamental seed pods ripen in fall and last well into winter. Zones 3-8.

19 of 21

20 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Swamp white oak

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

A great choice in wet areas that could drown other trees, swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) also withstands drought and heavy clay soil. It reaches 50 to 60 feet with a rounded head nearly as wide as it is tall. Fall color may be yellow or reddish-purple. The distinctive light brown, flaky bark adds winter interest. Plant in full sun in neutral to acid soil. Zones 3-8.

20 of 21

21 of 21

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Silver linden

Credit: Photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.

Among lindens, the silver linden (Tilia tomentosa) is the star. It's even more tolerant of heat and drought than its cousins, and Japanese beetles and other insect pests tend to ignore it. Reaching 45 feet in height and and 35 feet in width, this durable tree survives most ice storms. When the wind blows, you can see the silvery undersides of dark green leaves. Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. Avoid planting anywhere honeydew from aphids might drip on cars. Zones 4-7.

21 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By LuAnn Brandsen

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 21 Best trees for the Midwest
2 of 21 Crab apple
3 of 21 Japanese tree lilac
4 of 21 Pagoda dogwood
5 of 21 Korean fir
6 of 21 Serviceberry
7 of 21 American hornbeam
8 of 21 Seven-son flower
9 of 21 Dwarf chinkapin oak
10 of 21 ‘Cully’ Heritage river birch
11 of 21 Black gum
12 of 21 Bald cypress
13 of 21 Bitternut hickory
14 of 21 Accolade elm
15 of 21 Hackberry
16 of 21 Northern red oak
17 of 21 Concolor fir
18 of 21 Chinkapin oak
19 of 21 Kentucky coffee tree
20 of 21 Swamp white oak
21 of 21 Silver linden

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Midwest Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Renew this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program
  • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
  • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
  • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
  • Video
  • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Midwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

View image

20 Tough Trees for Midwest Lawns
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.