MY TOP 5 FAVOURITE TREES TO PLANT IN ALBERTA
Choosing the right tree is crucial to any landscape project; they add height, colour, shade, and habitats for birds and pollinators. Trees give your garden a sense of enclosure, privacy, and visual intrigue. In this blog, I’ve compiled a list of my top 5 favourite trees to use in landscape projects.
Prairie Spire Green Ash - Fraxinus pennsylvanica ‘Rugby’
This prairie hardy tree makes an excellent addition to most urban environments. The narrow canopy, lush foliage, and vibrant fall colours are its primary features. It is also low maintenance, and seedless compared to other Ash varieties.
Spring Snow Flowering Crabapple - Malus x baccata ‘Spring Snow’
A great tree for small yards, you can expect this tree to grow to around 6m in height and 4m in width. It has beautiful white flowers in the spring, and is a fruitless variety, for less mess!
It is also tolerant of many different soil types, and urban environments.
Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac - Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’
Another compact tree with an average height of 7m and width of 5m, it makes a statement with plumes of white fragrant flowers in the spring. It is resistant to deer, and attracts birds and butterflies. Its dense foliage make it great for adding privacy, or to be used as a focal point.
Swiss Stone Pine - Pinus cembra
The Swiss Stone Pine is a spectacular coniferous tree with columnar form. Though its form opens up at maturity, it remains compact at an average size of 10m high and 4m wide, making it an excellent choice for urban landscapes. It is hardy, and drought tolerant once established, making it very low maintenance. Just beware that pine trees will shed, and should be planted in mulch or naturalized beds to avoid an unsightly mess.
Autumn Blaze Maple - Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’
It’s stunning fall colours and signature leaf shape make this a standout tree in any landscape. It is fast growing, with an oval shape and can be expected to grow to 15m tall and 8m wide. It is a seedless variety, and requires little maintenance once established.
I hope you find this list helpful and inspiring for your own projects. As always, it’s important to do your research and determine the light, water, size, and soil requirements for any trees you plan to install. Your local nursery can be a great resource in helping you find the perfect match, and they will have many choices to view and choose from on site.