Fast Growing Trees and Shrubs

Green Ash

• Fast-growing green ash, or Fraxinus Pennsylvania, matures at 50 to 60 feet high. It leafs out late in spring but drops its leaves in autumn shortly after the first frost. Hardy through USDA Zone 3, green ash is drought resistant and tolerant of alkali soils.

Lombardy Poplar

• Quickly growing to 40 feet high, Lombardy poplar, or Populus nigra "Italica," has an upright form with shiny green leaves and dark-colored bark. Although fast-growing, Lombardy poplar trees have short lives and suffer dieback from disease.

Amur Maple

• Tolerant of poor, dry soil and partial shade, the Amur maple, or Acer ginnala, is a fast-growing shrub with a mature height of 10 to 15 feet. Planted in formal or informal hedges and shrub borders, it has intense autumn color in shades of red, orange and yellow.

American Elder

• Growing just 8 feet high, American elder, or Sambucus canadensis, produces clusters of white flowers in late June, followed by black berries in late summer. Elderberry shrubs grow vigorously and are adapted to a wide range of soils.