Hardy Trees for St Louis, Mo., Area

Flowering Trees

• Flowering trees add color and fragrance to your St. Louis landscape. Hardy varieties include the fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), a Missouri native that grows to 20 feet tall with a similar spread. This deciduous tree blooms with aromatic white blossoms in late spring. It's hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 and prefers rich, moist soil. Another Missouri native, the green hawthorn (Crataegus viridis), is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. This flowering tree grows to 35 feet tall and blooms in May with white flowers, followed by brilliant scarlet berries. Plant the green hawthorn in sunny, well-draining sites.

Fruit Trees

• Fruiting trees produce edible fruits that attract both humans and wildlife. Hardy varieties for St. Louis include the "Liberty" apple tree (Malus "Liberty"), a dwarf that grows to 10 feet tall. "Liberty" bears fruit in the fall and tolerates air pollution. It's hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8 and grows best in sunny sites with fertile, moist soil. The sour cherry (Prunus "North Star") also grows well in St. Louis. This 9-foot-tall cherry tree blooms in April and produces red and yellow fruits in early summer. It's hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8; plant this cherry tree in sunny, well-draining sites.

Broadleaf Evergreens

• For year-round color and texture, plant a broad-leaf evergreen, so-called to distinguish these plants from narrow-leaved evergreens, or conifers. Hardy varieties for St. Louis landscapes include the American holly (Ilex opaca). Native to North America, this evergreen grows to 30 feet tall and has glossy, dark leaves offset by red winter berries. American hollies are hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9 and grow best when protected from cold winds. Another hardy holly, the "Nellie R. Stevens" (Ilex "Nellie R. Stevens"), withstands cold St. Louis winters, reports the Missouri Botanical Garden. This dark-green tree grows to 35 feet tall and also produces bright red berries. It's hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9 and grows best in slightly acidic soil.

Conifers

• For screening or wind breaks, conifers keep their foliage year-round. Conifers for the St. Louis region include the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani subsp. stenocoma), a 60-foot tall evergreen with a 50-foot spread. This tree has dark-green to blue-green needles and grows well in sunny, acidic planting sites; it's hardy in USDA zones 5 to 7. The Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) also grows well in St. Louis. A North American native, this conifer grows up to 65 feet tall with a 25-foot spread and is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 9. Eastern red cedars grow well in a range of site conditions, from poor to wet soil, drought to urban areas.