It can be difficult to feel like you are choosing the right trees for your backyard. Trees are more than just an aesthetic addition to your landscape—they provide shade, improve air quality, and can boost your property value.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your outdoor space, create a natural privacy screen, or simply enjoy the timeless beauty of nature, we’re here to help kick start your decision making process! Here are six options that we feel will make incredible trees for your backyard.
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TL;DR: Which Trees Are Best for my Colorado Yard?
Answer:
American Holly
Considered both an evergreen and ornamental tree, the year-round foliage adds both visual interest and beauty to landscaping. Small, white springtime blooms give way to red berries in the fall which provide food for wildlife and birds throughout the winter.
Sharp with her wit, the American Holly loves to bask in full sun while providing enough privacy for you to do the same. Wooden fence? Nah, let this vibrant, versatile beauty stand out and stand in for traditional enclosures.
Oak
The oak tree is a well-known, hardy, and large tree, that can live a very long time – between 200 and 300 years. Oak trees grow at a slow rate, but the leaves offer dense shade. With a variety of different types of oak, the leaf colors can be yellow, brown, and red and provide a great environment for wildlife in your backyard.
Gambel Oak (also known as Scrub Oak) is fairly common in the Colorado Springs area, but don’t let that limit your imagination! Plant a Northern Red Oak for those autumn colors we all seek with restless abandon in the fall. Or, consider something like a Crimson Spire Oak to add a little vertical verdancy to your veranda.
Dogwood
The dogwood tree provides year-long pizzaz to your yard, with a variety of varietals to choose from at our local nurseries. As a flowering tree, the dogwood can burst with white, pink, and red blossoms in the spring, a luscious canopy of foliage during the summer, and a beautiful red display of leaves before becoming bare in the winter.
Who says winter has to make your backyard trees boring? (Hopefully no one). Red Twig Dogwoods show off with fiery red bark (someone was creative in naming that one) that streaks beautifully through snowy scenes like nature’s own art installation.
Okay! Taking a quick break – these trees are chosen because they survive in certain USDA hardiness zones. Colorado has a variety of hardiness zones – so it’s important to keep that in mind when you’re looking at plants.
Serviceberry
Native to the area, Serviceberry trees are a great addition to your backyard retreat. Brilliant white flowers will take the place of winter white snow, kicking off the spring with a breath of fresh air. As the name implies, there are berries (sometimes called juneberries) that generate added interest.
This selection is very hardy and accustomed to our (sometimes harsh) climate. She can take it! In addition to her tough exterior, the Serviceberry is elegant, gives us those showy fall colors.
Maple
Maples! There are too many amazing things to say about this tree. For one, the number of varieties that grow well in our area ensures that you’ll find something that feels perfectly “you.” As far as trees for your backyard go, maples have you covered.
Aside from their notable fall colors of reds, oranges and yellows, (which we are not discounting by any means), they are hardy to some of the “rockier” conditions of the Rocky Mountain Front Range. From alkaline soils to resistance to storm damage, we might judge you if you don’t have a maple tree adorning your landscape (just kidding [probably]).
This fast-growing tree can be large to mid-size – definitely more manageable than something like the massive Colorado Blue Spruces. You have options such as Tatarian Hotwings, Columnar Norway, Sensation and Emerald Queen Norway.
Let a maple tree provide you shade and some childhood nostalgia as their helicopters spin down around you.
Juniper
More favorite trees for your backyard: junipers! There are quite a few options to choose from and if the specific one you’ve got your eye on isn’t displayed at your local nursery, there’s a good chance they can source it for you! They boast many shades – from blue and silver tints to bronze or golden hues.
This evergreen is typically rounded or conical, providing shapely year-round interest in your landscape. However, there are also shrub-like varieties that grow low and spread out.
Juniper varieties, like the Rocky Mountain Juniper, are water-wise plants very much accustomed to our dry climate. They are a great choice to create live privacy fences to keep Wilson from peering over the fence.
Are you starting to hone on on the right trees for your backyard? Whether you’re interested in shade, seasonal colors or just want a specific vibe in your landscape, the options abound.
Now that you’ve selected the right species for your particular property and location, it’s important to ensure proper placement and consider expert care. Our professional team at Timberline Landscaping can help renovate your garden, while the Front Range Arborists division can provide quality tree care after installation to help your arbor canopy thrive. With years of experience and a passion for creating stunning outdoor spaces, we’ll help you choose, plant, and maintain the perfect trees for your yard.