Trees are focal points in a landscape and have many uses: to define a space, hide something unattractive, add privacy, and provide relief—such as shade or a windbreak—from the elements.
Whether you’re designing a landscape from scratch or planting a single specimen tree to add curb appeal, our guide offers tips on when (or if) to expect a particular tree to bloom, what size it will reach at maturity, how much water it needs, its average lifespan, and whether it’s evergreen or deciduous.
Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
Oak Trees
With a graceful spreading canopy, exceptionally hard wood, and an inescapable air of dominance, an oak is what most kindergarteners draw when someone says “tree.” With more than 600 known types, the oak is a leader of trees, a symbol of strength and endurance, and a generous host.
Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
In a Brooklyn backyard, a row of small hornbeam trees (Carpinus caroliniana) are pruned tightly to create a flat screen against a fence.
Hornbeam Trees
Lemon Trees
Photograph by Tom Kubik for Gardenista.
Lemon trees are grateful sun worshippers. Lemon trees thrive in a container, a good option for those outside USDA growing zones 9-11.
Photograph courtesy of Timber Press.
Birch Trees
On New York City’s High Line park, a leafy glade of gray birches and ferns is only a short distance above the crowds of museum goers at the Whitney Museum and the noisy commercial traffic on Washington Street.
Birch is a handsome opportunist that springs up in neglected places even as its beautiful, textured bark makes it a favorite of designers in search of an ornamental tree that grows to a height of about 40 feet.
For gardeners, yew is a magical tree, unbeatable for topiary, providing a garden with a sense of dignity and intrigue. Yew can be trained as an evergreen tree or shrub and is happiest in USDA growing zones 6-10.
Yew Trees
Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer.