Information on Shade Trees for Small Yards

Nonnative Trees

• The Chinese maackia (Maackia chinensis) is a small shade tree native to China growing between 20 and 30 feet high. Chinese maackia features compound, dark-green foliage with a silver-gray shade in spring. Maackia thrives in full sun and does well in soil with good drainage. The Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simplex) is suitable for planting next to your patio. It grows as small as 30 feet and hails from Asian nations like Taiwan and Vietnam. The Chinese parasol tree has leaves with three to five lobes, as wide as 12 inches and a bright-green color.

Cold Hardy Trees

• The Acer platanoides "Crimson King" is a cultivar of Norway maple growing to 30 feet. It is suitable for a small yard and has maroon leaves. Crimson King displays excellent tolerance of cold, growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 3. It fares poorly in warmer climates. Boxelder (Acer negundo) is a maple with no outstanding features as a shade tree, but it grows in poor soil and is cold hardy to zone 2. Boxelder supplies food in the form of its buds and seeds to passing wild birds, and the tree grows as short as 30 feet high, allowing its use in a limited space.

Heat Tolerant Trees

• Betula nigra "Dura Heat" is a river birch that holds up in the heat and humidity of USDA zone 9 in Southern states. Dura Heat has many features making it a solid choice for a small yard. It grows between 30 and 40 feet high, has creamy-white, exfoliating bark, and resists insect pests and tree diseases. A tung oil tree (Aleurites fordii) grows in zones 8 through 10 developing to just 25 feet high and flowering in late winter or early spring. Somewhat acidic soil is a good fit for the tung oil tree. The tree is toxic to humans.

Flowering Shade Trees

• The flowers of the dove tree (Davidia involucrata) are not conspicuous, but the bracts surrounding them resemble white birds sitting on the branches, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Suitable for USDA zones 6 through 8, the dove tree's flowers result in round, green fruits that hang as Christmas ornaments. Dove trees provide solid fall colors of red and orange in good years. This species grows between 20 and 40 feet tall. Cold hardy into zone 5, the Sargent cherry (Prunus sargentii) grows between 25 and 40 feet. It generates aromatic, pink flowers early in May, yielding cherries that birds eat. Sargent cherry tolerates pruning, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database, allowing you to keep it small enough for a yard lacking lots of room.