Native Trees Good for Full Sun Areas

Is there a spot in the landscape where it is sunny all the time? Wondering what native tree will work best there? These are five of the top native trees to plant in a full sun area of the landscape. Basic information about the tree is given, plus three pictures are provided at the end of the article.

Southern Sugar Maple

The Southern Sugar Maple (Acer barbatum) gets as tall as its spread of twenty to thirty feet. It tolerates heat well and is a great shade tree for the sunniest spot. It has yellow foliage with orange or red in the fall. It is also a good choice to bring birds into the landscape, as its seeds are a favorite food source. There are flowers that are on long hairy stalks on the sugar maple. It is a great choice, has moderate growth, and is a source of maple sugar. It is part of the Maple family of plants.

Boxelder

The Boxelder (Acer negundo) gets to fifty feet tall and can have a spread of forty feet wide. It is a fast growing tree that does very well in full sunny spots in the landscape. It has greenish yellow flowers and is also a good shade tree. It can also make syrup but it isn't as sweet as the Southern Sugar Maple. It is part of the Maple family of plants.

Painted Buckeye

The Painted Buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica) gets to six to twelve feet tall and will spread to the same six to twelve feet. It will take average watering needs and is hardy in a full sun landscape. It can have flowers that are pink, green, or yellow. This tree has poisonous seeds, so care should be taken around pets, livestock, and small curious children. It is part of the horse chestnut family.

River Birch

The River Birch (Betula nigra) gets up to one hundred feet tall and is known for its resilience. It is good in tough soil conditions, in floods, or droughts. It is only for full sun spots and will give you plenty of game birds as the seeds of a River Birch are its food. It has gorgeous paper like peeling bark and is usually planted for this uniqueness. It is part of the Birch family of plants.

Sugarberry

The Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) gets up to eighty feet tall with the trunk of the tree getting around two to three feet in diameter. It has good growth patterns, and loves full sun in the landscape. The fall foliage of the Sugarberry is greenish yellow and has blue black or orange fruits. These fruits will give both wildlife and birds into the landscape. It makes for a good shade tree. The Sugarberry is part of the Elm family of plants.


This article appeared first on Suite 101 on January 1, 2009.