Alternative to Birch & Aspen Trees

White Bark

• If you crave the contrast of white bark with your landscape, plant a "Bloodgood" London plane tree (Platanus × hispanica "Bloodgood"). This hybrid has cream-colored bark and grows to 65 feet tall. Hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8, the deciduous tree has maplelike foliage that turns gold or copper in autumn. It grows best in a moist site.

Showy Bark

• If showy bark tops your list, consider the hedge maple (Acer campestre). A 35-foot tall, deciduous tree, the hedge maple has deeply furrowed, dark-gray bark offset by dark foliage. It's hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8a and tolerates full shade. Another alternative, Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) has bark in shades of reddish brown That tree grows to 35 feet tall and is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7a. It blooms with fragrant flowers and thrives in moist, alkaline soil.

Yellow Fall Foliage

• Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) and European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) are options that offer the fall color common to aspens and birches. Reaching a height of 80 feet, bigleaf maple has leaves that turn bright yellow and gold in autumn. The North American native grows best in well-draining, moist soil, though it tolerates drought. It is hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10. The leaves of European hornbeam also turn yellow and gold in fall. Hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7, the tree grows to 60 feet tall and prefers moist soil. Its dense foliage makes it useful for screening or hedges.

Showy Fall Foliage

• If any fall color will do as long as it's showy like an aspen or birch, then a flowering ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana) is an alternative. The deciduous tree displays red, yellow and purple foliage in fall and an abundance of fragrant flowers in spring. Flowering ornamental pear grows to 50 feet tall and is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. Another option is European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), the dense foliage of which turns bronze, yellow and red in fall. A 30-foot tall tree, it grows well in sunny, well-drained sites and is hardy in USDA zones 3b to 6b.