“What tree should I plant in my yard?” is perhaps one of the most frequent questions we get. It’s a perfectly legitimate question, but one that can be difficult to answer. Difficult because there are so many choices, and the fact that not every tree will succeed in every landscape situation. It’s a little bit like choosing a companion animal (dog, for example) for your family. There are an endless array of breeds, but not all will be suitable for any given family unit. Similarly, trees must be matched to the site. Spatial, environmental, and aesthetic needs and features top the list of important considerations.
Tree lists like the ones provided are a good first step, but they must be interpreted and understood. So, if you see a species or cultivar that sounds interesting, do some research to find out what the tree needs in terms of space and growing conditions. Remember, tree lists are not like restaurant menus. Not every entrée or tree is suitable for every occasion.
Recommended Shade Trees for Iowa
| Deciduous Shade Trees | Height | Width | Growth Habit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acer ×freemanii – Freeman maple | |||
| 'JFS-KW78' (Armstrong Gold™) | 40' | 12' | Upright-narrow |
| 'Jeffersred' (Autumn Blaze®) | 50' | 45' | Broad-oval |
| 'Marmo' | 50' | 30' | Upright-oval |
| 'Bailston' (Matador™) | 40' | 30' | Upright-oval |
| 'Sienna' (Sienna Glen®) | 45' | 35' | Pyramidal |
| 'UMNAF#1' (Firefall™) | 50' | 30' | Upright-oval |
| Acer miyabei – miyabe maple | 40' | 30' | Upright-oval |
| 'Morton' (State Street®) | 45' | 30' | Upright-oval |
| 'JFS-KW3AMI' (Rugged Ridge™) | 55' | 40' | Upright-oval |
| Acer truncatum – Shantung maple | 25-30' | 20-25' | Rounded |
| 'WF-AT1' (Main Street®) | 25-30' | 20-25' | Upright-oval |
| Acer truncatum × platanoides – hybrid maple | |||
| 'Warrenred' (Pacific Sunset®) | 30' | 25' | Upright-spreading |
| 'JFS-KW202' (Crimson Sunset™) | 35' | 25' | Upright-oval |
| Acer rubrum – red maple | 50' | 40' | Oval |
| 'Franksred' (Red Sunset®) | 45' | 35' | Upright-oval |
| 'Magnificent Magenta' (Burgundy Belle®) | 50' | 40' | Oval |
| 'Frank Jr.' (Redpointe™) | 45' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| 'New World' | 40' | 20' | Narrow-oval |
| 'Somerset' | 45' | 35' | Broad-oval |
| Acer nigrum – black maple | 60' | 60' | Round-spreading |
| Acer saccharum – sugar maple | 60' | 40' | Rounded |
| 'Barrett Cole' (Apollo®) | 30' | 10' | Narrow-columnar |
| 'Bailsta' (Fall Fiesta™) | 50' | 50' | Upright-rounded |
| 'Commemoration' | 50' | 35' | Oval-rounded |
| 'Legacy' | 50' | 35' | Oval |
| 'Green Mountain' | 45' | 35' | Broad-oval |
| 'Sugar Cone' | 25' | 15' | Conical |
| 'Whit XLIX' (Powder Keg®) | 50' | 40' | Upright-oval |
| Aesculus ×carnea – red horsechestnut | 30' | 25' | Broad-Rounded |
| 'Briotii' | 30' | 35' | Round |
| 'Fort McNair' | 30' | 30' | Round |
| Aesculus glabra – Ohio buckeye | 30' | 30' | Rounded |
| 'LavaDak' (Lavaburst®) | 25-30' | 15-20' | Upright-oval |
| 'J.N. Select' (Early Glow™) | 30' | 20' | Oval-round |
| Aesculus hippocastanum – common horsechestnut | 60' | 50' | Upright-oval |
| 'Baumannii' | 50' | 40' | Broad-oval |
| Alnus hirsuta – Manchurian alder | 20-40' | 20-30' | Upright |
| 'Harbin' (Prairie Horizon®) | 40' | 30' | Upright |
| Betula nigra – river birch | 70' | 60' | Pyramidal-oval |
| 'Cully' (Heritage®) | 45' | 30' | Oval |
| 'Dickinson' (Northern Tribute®) | 35' | 30' | Upright-oval |
| Betula populifolia – gray birch | 40' | 30' | Narrow-irregular |
| 'Whitespire Sr.' | 40' | 25' | Pyramidal-oval |
| Catalpa speciosa – northern catalpa | 60' | 35' | Oval |
| Celtis occidentalis – hackberry | 50' | 50' | Oval |
| 'JFS-KSU1' (Prairie Sentinel™) | 45' | 12' | Columnar |
| 'Chicagoland' | 50' | 40' | Broad-pyramidal |
| 'Prairie Pride' | 50' | 40' | Oval |
| 'Windy City' | 45' | 40' | Upright-spreading |
| Cercidiphyllum japonicum – katsura tree | 40-50' | 20-30' | Upright-spreading |
| 'HSl1' (Claim Jumper™) | 18-24' | 10-12' | Upright-irregular |
| Cladrastis kentukea – yellowwood | 30-50' | 40-55' | Broad-round |
| Corylus colurna – Turkish filbert | 40' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| Ginkgo biloba – ginkgo | 50' | 30' | Broad-rounded |
| 'Autumn Gold' | 45' | 35' | Broad-pyramidal |
| 'Blagon' (Goldspire™) | 45' | 12' | Narrow-columnar |
| 'PNI 2720' (Princeton Sentry®) | 40' | 15' | Narrow-pyramidal |
| 'JFS-UGA2' (Golden Colonnade®) | 45' | 25' | Narrow-oval |
| 'The President' (Presidential Gold®) | 50' | 40' | Broad-pyramidal |
| Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis – honeylocust | 30-70' | 30-70' | Upright-spreading |
| 'Draves' (Street Keeper™) | 45' | 20' | Narrow-upright |
| 'Harve' (Northern Acclaim®) | 50' | 35' | Upright-spreading |
| 'JFS-GMorgenson1' (Northern Sentinel®) | 45' | 25' | Narrow-upright |
| 'Skycole' (Skyline®) | 50' | 35' | Pyramidal |
| Gymnocladus dioicus – Kentucky coffeetree | 60' | 40' | Oval |
| 'Espresso' | 50' | 35' | Oval |
| 'Stately Manor' | 50' | 30' | Oval |
| 'UMNSynergy' (True North®) | 55' | 35' | Oval |
| Liquidambar styraciflua – sweetgum | 60' | 40' | Pyramidal-Oval |
| 'Clydesform' (Emerald Sentinel®) | 30' | 12' | Narrow-pyramid |
| 'Moraine' | 40' | 25' | Pyramidal |
| 'Slender Silhouette' | 60' | 8' | Columnar |
| Liriodendron tulipifera – tuliptree | 60' | 30' | Oval |
| 'JFS-Oz' (Emerald City®) | 55' | 25' | Upright-oval |
| Magnolia acuminata – cucumbertree | 50-80" | 40-60' | Upright-oval |
| Nyssa sylvatica – black gum | 50' | 30' | Pyramidal-oval |
| 'David Odom' (Afterburner®) | 35' | 20 | Upright-oval |
| 'JFS-red' (Firestarter®) | 35' | 18' | Upright-oval |
| 'JFS-PN Legacy1' (Gum Drop®) | 30' | 20' | Upright-oval |
| 'Haymanred' (Red Rage®) | 35' | 20' | Broad-pyramidal |
| Phellodendron spp. – cork tree | 45' | 45' | Broad-rounded |
| 'Longenecker' (Eye Stopper™) | 40' | 35' | Rounded |
| 'His Majesty' | 40' | 35' | Vase-shaped |
| Platanus ×hispanica – London planetree | 70' | 65' | Broad-pyramidal |
| 'Bloodgood' | 50' | 40' | Broad-pyramidal |
| 'Morton Circle' (Exclamation™) | 55' | 35' | Upright-pyramidal |
| Quercus alba – white oak | 50-70' | 40-80' | Spreading |
| Quercus bicolor – swamp white oak | 60' | 60' | Round |
| 'JFS-KW12' (American Dream®) | 50' | 40' | Broad-pyramidal |
| 'Bonnie and Mike' (Beacon®) | 40' | 15' | Narrow-columnar |
| Quercus ×bimundorum – English × white oak | |||
| 'Crimschmidt' (Crimson Spire™) | 45' | 15' | Columnar |
| 'Midwest' (Prairie Stature™) | 50' | 40' | Broad-pyramidal |
| 'JFS-KW2QX' (Skinny Genes®) | 45' | 10' | Columnar |
| 'JFS-KW1QX' (Streetspire®) | 45' | 14' | Columnar |
| Quercus imbricaria – shingle oak | 50' | 40' | Broad-oval |
| Quercus macrocarpa – bur oak | 50-80' | 40-80' | Spreading |
| 'JFS-KW3' (Urban Pinnacle™) | 55' | 25' | Narrow-pyramidal |
| 'JFS-KW14' (Cobblestone®) | 55' | 45' | Broad-oval |
| Quercus muehlenbergii – chinkapin oak | 45' | 45' | Round |
| Quercus rubra – red oak | 60-75' | 60' | Spreading |
| Quercus ×warei – English × swamp white oak | |||
| 'Long' (Regal Prince®) | 45' | 18' | Narrow-oval |
| 'Nadler' (Kindred Spirit®) | 40' | 10' | Narrow-columnar |
| Styphnolobium japonicum – Japanese pagodatree | 50' | 50' | Round-spreading |
| Taxodium distichum – baldcypress | 70' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| 'Mickelson' (Shawnee Brave®) | 55' | 20' | Narrow-pyramidal |
| 'JFS-SGPN' (Green Whisper®) | 55' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| 'Skyward' (Lindsey’s Skyward™) | 25' | 10' | Upright-columnar |
| Tilia americana – American linden | 60' | 40' | Pyramidal |
| 'Boulevard' | 60' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| 'Kromm' (Sweet Street™) | 50' | 25' | Pyramidal |
| 'McKSentry' (American Sentry®) | 45' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| 'Lincoln' | 35' | 25' | Pyramidal |
| 'Redmond' | 50' | 35' | Pyramidal |
| Tilia cordata – littleleaf linden | 60' | 40' | Pyramidal |
| 'Baileyi' (Shamrock®) | 40' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| 'Corzam' (Corinthian®) | 45' | 15' | Narrow-pyramidal |
| 'Ronald' (Norlin®) | 40' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| 'PNI 6025' (Greenspire®) | 40' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| Tilia ×flavescens – American × littleleaf linden | |||
| 'Glenleven' | 50' | 30' | Pyramidal |
| Tilia mongolica – Mongolian linden | 40' | 30' | Rounded |
| 'Harvest Gold' | 30-40' | 25-30' | Upright-oval |
| Tilia tomentosa – silver linden | 70' | 50' | Pyramidal-oval |
| 'PNI 6051' (Green Mountain®) | 45' | 35' | Broad-pyramidal |
| 'Sterling' | 45' | 35' | Broad-pyramidal |
| Ulmus americana – American elm | 70' | 50' | Vase-shaped |
| 'Jefferson' | 70' | 50' | Vase-shaped |
| 'Princeton' | 60' | 40' | Vase-shaped |
| 'Lewis & Clark' (Prairie Expedition™) | 60' | 50' | Umbrella-shaped |
| 'New Harmony' | 70' | 70' | Vase-shaped |
| 'Valley Forge' | 70' | 70' | Vase-shaped |
| Asian Elm Cultivars and Hybrids | |||
| 'Morton' (Accolade™) | 70' | 60' | Vase-shaped |
| 'Morton Glossy' (Triumph™) | 55' | 45' | Vase-shaped |
| 'New Horizon' | 55' | 40' | Upright-oval |
| 'Prospector' | 40' | 30' | Vase-shaped |
| 'Discovery' | 50' | 40' | Vase-shaped |
| 'Burgundy Glow' (Northern Empress®) | 30' | 25' | Round |
| 'JFS-KW2UD' (Greenstone™) | 60' | 40' | Vase-shaped |
| Zelkova serrata – Japanese zelkova | 50-80' | 30-40' | Vase-shaped |