Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
16 Shade Tree Selections
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Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'
Width: 40'-50'
Sun: full, part
Soil Moisture: wet, wet-mesic, mesic
Soil Types: tolerates most
Bloom Period: April-May
Flower Color: pink, magenta, red, yellow
Fruit Period: May-June
Fruit Color: red
Fruit Type: samara
Fall Color: red, orange
Zone: 3-6
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Shade Tree
Comments: Dioecious. Ascending branch pattern. Gray to red twigs in winter. Grows in swamps or moist woods. Found in northeast and southeast MN. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003-4'
#15 Cont.: $195.008-12', 1.25"C
#25 Cont.: $279.001.5"Cal.
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'
Width: 40'-50'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: medium
Soil Moisture: wet-mesic
Soil Types: well-drained, loamy, sandy over clay
Bloom Period: April-June
Flower Color: yellow
Fruit Period: August-October
Fruit Type: samara
Edible Parts: sap
Fall Color: red, orange, yellow
Zone: 3-5
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Buckthorn Replacement, Shade Tree, Edible Garden
Comments: Dark green foliage. Upright oval to rounded form. Fairly shade tolerant. Flood intolerant. Fire sensitive. Protect from wind. Sap is source of maple syrup. Very high wildlife value. One of Minnesota's finest over story trees.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003-4'
#5 Cont.: $89.006'+
#15 Cont.: $195.008-12', 1.25"C
Black Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum nigrum
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'-75'
Width: 40'-60'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: medium
Soil Moisture: wet-mesic, mesic, mesic-dry, dry
Soil Types: well-drained, calciferous
Bloom Period: April-May
Flower Color: yellow
Fruit Period: September-October
Fruit Type: samara
Edible Parts: sap
Fall Color: red, orange, yellow
Zone: 4-8
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Buckthorn Replacement, Shade Tree, Edible Garden
Comments: Shade tolerant. Common on floodplains; moderate flood tolerance. More drought/heat tolerant than standard species.
Retail Pricing
#1 Cont.: $18.0036"
Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensis
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'-70'
Width: 30'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: medium
Soil Types: sandy, loam, rocky/peat tolerant
Bloom Period: May-June
Fruit Period: August-September
Fruit Type: samara
Fall Color: yellow
Zone: 2-4
Recommended: Shade Tree
Comments: Catkins. Scratching young twigs gives wintergreen odor. Shade tolerant. Fire sensitive. Found in cool, moist woods in northern MN. Important timber tree. Yellowish-bronze, exfoliating bark. Resistant to birch borer. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#15 Cont.: $189.008-12', 1.25"C
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 50'-60'
Width: 35'-40'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: medium, low
Soil Types: acidic, rocky/gravelly/sandy, loam, shallow peat tolerant
Bloom Period: April-June
Fruit Period: August-September
Fruit Type: samara
Fall Color: yellow
Zone: 2-4
Recommended: Shade Tree
Comments: Catkins. White exfoliating bark. Shade intolerant. Drought intolerant. Grows on north and east facing slopes in southeastern MN; most prevalent in north. Single or multi-stemmed form.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.004'+
#5 Cont.: $52.004-6'
#10 Cont.: $159.008'+
#15 Cont.: $189.0010', 1.25"C
Bitternut Hickory
Carya cordiformis
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 50'-75'
Width: 50'-75'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: medium
Soil Moisture: wet-mesic, mesic, mesic-dry
Soil Types: deep, nutrient-rich loam, sandy clay
Bloom Period: May-June
Fruit Period: August-September
Fruit Type: nut
Fall Color: yellow
Zone: 2-7
Recommended: Shade Tree
Comments: Catkins. Bright yellow buds. Bitter nuts in leathery husks eaten by wildlife. Moderate flood & drought tolerance. Fire sensitive. Ascending, picturesque branching habit. Grows in moist woods, stream banks, and rolling uplands.
Retail Pricing
#1 Cont.: $16.456-9"
Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 50'-75'
Width: 50'-75'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: medium, low
Soil Moisture: mesic, mesic-dry, dry
Soil Types: non-acidic, well-drained, sandy, silty, clay, loam, tolerates polluted
Bloom Period: April-May
Flower Color: yellow, green
Fruit Period: August-September
Fruit Color: red, purple, brown
Fruit Type: drupe
Fall Color: yellow
Wildlife: Bird
Zone: 3-5
Recommended: Shade Tree
Comments: Flood tolerant, tolerates most non-peat soils. Drought & wind tolerant. Deep-rooted. Long-lived. Disease resistant. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#1 Cont.: $18.0024-36"
#10 Cont.: $189.006-10', 1"Cal.
Kentucky Coffeetree
Gymnocladus dioicus
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'-75'
Width: 40'-50'
Sun: full
Water Use: high, medium
Soil Moisture: wet, wet-mesic, mesic
Soil Types: rich, tolerates most
Fruit Color: yellow, green, black
Fruit Type: pod
Fall Color: yellow
Zone: 4-6
Recommended: Shade Tree
Comments: Dioecious. Does not fix nitrogen. Grows on river bottoms; locally, in Mississippi River Valley and Minnesota River Valley southward. 4-8" pods with large seeds.
Retail Pricing
#15 Cont.: $189.008', 1.25"C
Wild Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 50'-60'
Width: 23'-30'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: high, medium, low
Soil Moisture: wet-mesic, mesic, mesic-dry, dry
Soil Types: loam
Flower Color: white
Fruit Period: August-September
Fruit Color: black
Fruit Type: drupe
Edible Parts: fruit
Fall Color: orange, yellow
Wildlife: Bird
Zone: 3-7
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Buckthorn Replacement, Shade Tree, Fragrant Garden, Edible Garden
Comments: Flood intolerant. Columnar to ovoid form. Edge of woods, savanna, and alluvial bottomlands. Fragrant flowers. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003'
#5 Cont.: $89.006'+ JUNE 2025
White Oak
Quercus alba
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'-80'
Width: 60'-80'
Sun: full
Water Use: medium, low
Soil Moisture: mesic, mesic-dry, dry
Soil Types: non-alkaline, tolerates most
Fruit Type: nut
Fall Color: red, maroon
Zone: 4-7
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Shade Tree
Comments: Uplands. Persistent leaves in winter. Extremely sensitive to soil compaction. Salt resistant. Fire intolerant. Taproot. Very long-lived. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003-4' 2025
#5 Cont.: $110.006'+
#15 Cont.: $195.008', 1.25"C
Swamp White Oak
Quercus bicolor
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 50'-60'
Width: 50'-60'
Sun: full
Water Use: high, medium
Soil Moisture: wet, wet-mesic
Soil Types: acidic required, tolerates most
Fruit Type: nut
Fall Color: orange, yellow
Zone: 4-5
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Shade Tree
Comments: Exfoliating bark. Persistent leaves in winter. Fibrous root system. Salt resistant. Soil compaction resistant. Flood tolerant. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003-4'
#5 Cont.: $110.006'+
#15 Cont.: $195.008-12', 1.25"C 2025
Northern Pin Oak
Quercus ellipsoidalis
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 50'-75'
Width: 35'-55'
Sun: full
Water Use: medium
Soil Types: well-drained, loam, tolerates most
Fruit Type: nut
Fall Color: red
Zone: 3-4
Recommended: Shade Tree
Comments: Persistent leaves in winter. Shade and flood intolerant. Ovoid canopy. Found in uplands and savannas. Taproot. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#5 Cont.: $110.006'+
#15 Cont.: $189.008', 1"C
Bur Oak
Quercus macrocarpa
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'-80'
Width: 60'-80'
Sun: full
Water Use: medium, low
Soil Types: sandy loam, clay pan
Flower Color: green
Fruit Type: nut
Fall Color: yellow
Zone: 3-8
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Shade Tree
Comments: Catkins. Acorns with fringed caps. Globular canopy form. Found in prairies, savannas, and upland forests in the Twin Cities. Taproot. Very high wildlife value.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003-4'
#5 Cont.: $110.006'+
#10 Cont.: $185.008', 1.25"C
#15 Cont.: $195.001.25"C
#25 Cont.: $375.001.5"C
Chinquapin (Chinkapin) Oak
Quercus muehlenbergii
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 40'-60'
Width: 50'-70'
Sun: full
Water Use: medium, low
Soil Moisture: wet-mesic, mesic, mesic-dry
Soil Types: well-drained, rocky, fertile loam
Bloom Period: April
Flower Color: yellow, green
Fruit Type: nut
Edible Parts: fruit
Fall Color: red, yellow, brown
Recommended: Shade Tree, Edible Garden
Comments: Drought tolerant. Long-lived. Interesting leaf shape. Very high wildlife value. Sweet acorns.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003-4'
Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 60'-80'
Width: 40'-50'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: medium
Soil Moisture: mesic
Soil Types: well-drained, sandy, loam
Fruit Type: nut
Fall Color: red
Zone: 4-7
Recommended: Deer Resistant, Buckthorn Replacement, Shade Tree
Comments: Fast growth rate. Ovoid to globular form. Very high wildlife value. Do not prune in May-June.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.003-4'
#5 Cont.: $110.006'+
#15 Cont.: $195.008-10', 1.25"C
American Basswood
Tilia americana
Category: Deciduous Trees
Height: 50'-60'
Width: 30'-40'
Sun: full, part
Water Use: high, medium
Soil Moisture: wet-mesic, mesic
Soil Types: loam
Bloom Period: June-August
Flower Color: yellow, cream
Fall Color: yellow
Wildlife: Bee
Zone: 3-6
Recommended: Buckthorn Replacement, Shade Tree, Fragrant Garden
Comments: Clump-forming. Ovoid form. Shade tolerant. Flood intolerant. Fragrant flower clusters.
Retail Pricing
#2 Cont.: $28.004'+
#5 Cont.: $64.006'+
#15 Cont.: $195.0010'+, 1.25"C
#20 Cont.: $225.0012', 1.5"Cal.
