Shade trees for lawns or border streets are of major consideration to anyone developing a home landscape.
With today’s architectural trend the ultimate size and contour of the selected trees assume added importance.
Excellent Lawn Trees
Thornless Honey Locust
The thornless honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis), possessing as it does many qualities admired in the American elm, ranks high on any list of tree recommendations.
Flat-topped with flaring branches supporting a canopy of fine-textured, compound foliage, it provides not only adequate shade but also admits sufficient light to permit the maintenance of a good lawn and other plantings in its shadow.
Decorative, long, twisted seed pods that brown as they ripen add further interest in the fall, clinging for some time after the foliage has yellowed and dropped.
Under ideal conditions, the honey locust’s growth will average about 18” inches a year, a rate possible because of its remarkable tolerance to soils and exposures and its resistance to insect and disease attacks.
Moraine Locust
The Moraine locust (G. triacanthos inermis “Moraine”), a seedling variation selected for its more uniform vase-shaped habit of growth, more luxuriant, longer persistent foliage, and thornless and pondless characteristic, is another fine tree, especially valued by those who dislike raking up seed pods.
Although wilt currently poses a threat to the oaks, that favored tree group that was considered the exemplification of permanence and stability, any list of worthwhile Midwestern trees must include at least a few members of the genus.
NOTE: Moraine Locust can become an invasive weed.
Pin Oak “Quercus Palustris”
The shapely pin oak (Quercus palustris) is one of the best—a good-looking, fast-growing, easily transplanted tree whose distinctive pyramidal contour sets it apart from all other species.
Its branching habit is especially noteworthy—acute-angled upper branches, horizontal middle ones, and drooping flowers, all occurring on the same tree.
Dense, deeply cut foliage of high luster is another of its attractions; the leaves are rich green in summer, bright red in autumn, and warm brown in winter, for they are inclined to long persistence.
Northern Laurel Oak “Quercus Imbricaria”
The shingle or northern laurel oak is equally desirable as a specimen or background tree (Quercus imbricaria).
Another native is inclined to a pyramidal or long oval outline. It presents an even more exotic appearance than the pin oak because of its glossy, unlobed leaves so suggestive of magnolia.
Sugar Or Hard Maple “Acer Saccharum”
Maples, like the oaks, have always been highly regarded as shade trees. None is more handsome than the widely distributed sugar or hard maple (Acer Saccharum).
Hardy, clean, vigorous of growth, and with a dense, majestically proportioned oval head, it furnishes heavy shade in summer, glorious gold, orange, or scarlet fall coloring, and a pleasing winter silhouette.
Red Or Swamp Maple “Acer Rubrum”
Even showier in autumn is the red or swamp maple (Acer rubrum), another native species doing well wherever ample moisture is present.
Its special contributions to the landscape are its smooth grayish bark, brilliant scarlet flowers, and flaming autumn foliage.
Lindens
Where a strictly tailored appearance is sought, lindens should be considered.
Dense, symmetrically-headed trees of the uniform outline are the last word in neatness and regularity.
Three species are especially fine, the first of which is the small-leaved linden (Tilia cordata).
This medium-sized (to 50’ feet) oval tree with small heart-shaped leaves is ideal for small properties, furnishing excellent shade, sweet-scented flowers (June), and tall golden coloration.
Furthermore, it is very hardy, doing well even in the extreme North.
The taller, larger-leaved Moltke linden (Tilia Moltkei), a hybrid of American and pendent silver linden parentage, is also desirable.
However, its bolder foliage and more massive proportions demand greater space.
So, too, does the silver linden (Tilia tomentosa), a beautiful, erect-branched, broadly pyramidal tree of medium height whose special interest lies in its decorative, two-toned foliage.
The upper surfaces of its leaves are medium green, the lower silvery white.
Low Growing Trees
Among the lower-growing trees, the selection is considerably more varied, and there is a sizable assortment of excellent foliage, flowering, and fruiting types from which to choose.
The multiple-stemmed, round-headed Amur maple (Acer ginnala) is one of them, an Asiatic species hardy even north of the Canadian border.
Three-parted leaves of pleasing green, the terminal lobe longer than the others, yellowish flowers (May), conspicuous red seed wings in early autumn, and spectacular red, orange, and purplish fall coloring contribute to its major attractions.
Whether trimmed high to shade a walk or terrace or allowed to develop its natural density for screening purposes, it will do the job effectively and with distinction.
Crabapple
A flowering crab apple or two is a necessity in any Midwestern planting. Despite the confusing number of varieties currently available, our choice would be from among the following:
The ever dependable early blooming Manchurian crab-apple (Marius baccata mandshurica) is an annual bearer with large, fragrant cup-shaped white flowers.
The dark purple crab apple (Marius purpurea) has striking purplish-red blooms that are among the deepest toned of all crab apples.
The Adstringens crab-apple (Marius adstringens) is a spectacular beauty with blooms of a rare shade of rose pink.
At the same time, the free-flowering Japanese zumi crab (Marius zumi calocarpa), has picturesque wide-spreading branches with pink buds, profuse white flowers, and small yellow or red fruits the size of a garden pea.
The latter cling to the branches throughout the winter, furnishing welcome food for the birds.
Where space is at a premium, the flat-topped Sargent crab-apple (Marius Sargenti) is another splendid plant to know about.
The pigmy of the clan never grows taller than 7’ feet, presenting a dramatic picture both when massed with late white flowers or bejeweled with small wine-red fruit.
Hawthorns
The hawthorns also rank as essentials, contributing as no other native trees to such a pleasing succession of interest.
Most typical of the picturesque, horizontal branching habit exemplifying the genus is the dotted hawthorn (Crataegus punctata), a flat umbrella-headed tree (to 20’ feet) with white flowers in late May, deeply veined foliage, and dotted red or yellow fruit.
Although attractive whatever the season, winter snow accentuates the beauty of its lovely structural form most effectively.
The cock-spur thorn (Crataegus crus-Galli) is another favorite. It is of a more rounded contour and has especially fine glossy green foliage.
The white flowers are late appearing, and the wine-red fruits hang on the branches well into the winter.
Less typical inhabitant is the good-looking Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum), whose uniformly columnar juvenile form broadens into a symmetrical globe with age.
Small white flowers in June, fine textured foliage which assumes beautiful orange-red or purplish autumn tints, and small, persistent Chinese red fruit number among its attractions. Remarkably tolerant of clipping, its pyramidal or columnar form may be maintained easily.
Juneberries
Familiar features of the spring landscape in many parts of the country are the misty shadows or Juneberries, small trees of woodland margins, or the forest understory.
The best and least familiar of the group is the lovely apple or snowy shadblow (Amelanchier Grandiflora), a natural hybrid known to occur only in a few localized areas of western New York.
Everything about it is pleasing, the graceful way it extends its gray-harked branches, the color of its foliage in spring (bronzy red) and fall (terra cotta), and its pendulous racemes of white flowers, which are the largest, whitest, and latest of all shadblows.
To the sweet-flavored, blue-black fruits ripening in June, the common name refers to blueberry-sized pomes relished by man and bird alike.
Magnolia
Although limited by climate to the milder parts of the Midwest, several magnolias are indispensable for early spring bloom.
Everyone knows the semi-arborescent star magnolia (Magnolia vellum), famed for its early narrow petaled flowers of white and the widely used rose-pink saucer magnolia (Magnolia. soulangeana), the hardiest of conspicuous large-flowered types, but few are acquainted with the anise magnolia (Magnolia salicifolia) from Japan.
This very desirable small tree claims distinction on three counts: its narrow pyramidal outline (a form unique among magnolias), its abundant white flowers which open the magnolia season, and its narrow anise-scented foliage of medium green. Under ideal conditions, this species eventually reaches 25’ feet, forming an accent plant of unparalleled symmetry.
Tree Lilacs
Two of the tree lilacs also warrant attention in Midwestern areas both because of their hardiness and summer-flowering season.
The tallest and latest blooming of these, the Japanese tree lilac (Syringa amurensis japonica), grows erectly to 20’ or 25’ feet and has smooth cherry-like bark and quite coarse foliage.
Most attention is attracted to the large horizontal panicles of creamy white flowers, which make such a spectacular showing in late June and July.
The Peking lilac (Syringa pekinensis) preceding it in blossom is similar but has more narrow foliage and decorative exfoliating bark.
Its smaller flower panicles are looser and creamier in color and more inclined to droop. The flowers of both are heavily scented.