Good Shade Trees for the Street

Flowering Trees

• A cloud of white flowers covers the bare branches of "Chanticleer" callery pear (Pyrus callereyana "Chanticleer") in early spring. Glossy pointed leaves appear soon after flowering, giving shade well into fall, when leaves turn reddish-orange before falling. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, "Chanticleer" is 25 to 35 feet tall and 15 feet wide. For small spaces or tight areas, "Oklahoma" eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis ssp. retisus) has bright magenta flowers in early spring followed by glossy green heart-shaped leaves providing moderate shade. It reaches 20 to 30 feet tall in USDA zones 6 through 9.

Evergreen Trees

• A slow-growing leathery-leaved tree for areas with limited space, sweet bay or laurel (Laurus nobilis grows 20 to 25 feet tall and as wide. Native to the Mediterranean area, it grows in USDA zones 8 through 11. Fragrant leaves last for a long time, and little maintenance is needed. The large leaves provide year-long shade. A smaller more compact cultivar of southern magnolia, "Glen St. Mary" (Magnolia grandiflora "Glen St. Mary") produces large white fragrant flowers when as young as three years old. Broad evergreen leaves grace an upright pyramidal or oval canopy that reaches 25 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide in USDA zones 7 through 10. Lower branches don't bend to the ground as they do in the species.

Deciduous Trees

• European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus "Fastigiata") typically grows to 40 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide in USDA zones 4 through 8. Early growth is narrowly upright, but the tree matures to a teardrop or open vase shape. Ovate toothed leaves furnish shade and turn yellow-orange in fall, revealing a fluted gray bark when deciduous. Showy yellow male catkins and green female catkins appear in spring before leaves emerge. Ironwood hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), a medium-sized tree native to the Midwest, can reach 25 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide. Hardy to USDA zones 3 through 9, it is suited both as a street and ornamental shade tree. The canopy is pyramidal at first, becoming rounded with age.

Fall Color

• For red, orange and yellow fall leaves, Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) produces reliable bright color. It usually grows from 25 to 35 feet tall, but can achieve 50 feet tall. It tolerates drought, urban pollution, and common street-side conditions of compacted soil and poor drainage. It provides summer shade in USDA zones 6 through 9. Another Chinese native, "Autumn Gold" maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) has fan-shaped leaves that cast moderate summer shade. They turn bright gold in autumn and all drop off at the same time. Trees usually are 25 to 30 feet tall, but can reach 50 feet high and spread 25 to 35 feet wide. Trees tolerate urban conditions, growing in USDA zones 3 through 8.