What are the best shade trees for Charlotte? Shade trees offer many benefits. They provide natural shade to help protect your family and pets from the hot sun. Trees will add beauty, character, and privacy for years to your home. They can even save money by cooling your home and reducing your energy bill. Here are some of the best shade trees to plant in Charlotte.
Flowering Dogwood
Flowering dogwoods have gorgeous pink or white spring blooms. They grow more than 12 inches a year and can be 10 to 25 feet tall. In the summer the leaves are green and turn crimson purple in the fall. They like partial sun and well-drained soil. They may need to be watered during hot and dry periods in the summer and fall.
Crape Myrtle
Crape myrtles bloom in the summer adding color to your landscapes after other tree blossoms have ended. They grow quickly at one to two feet a year. The leaves turn to a spectacular red, yellow or orange in the fall. They are heat and drought tolerant and grow well in full sun.
Red Maple
Maple trees provide shade and grow a foot or two each year until it reaches 40 feet. They are low maintenance and are insect and disease resistant. They enjoy full sun to partial shade and prefer moist, slightly acidic soil. Their leaves are a blazing red or orange in the fall.
River Birch
River birch trees are known for its peeling bark which is exfoliated in the fall to reveal colors of salmon and cinnamon hidden under the light taupe outer skin. They grow 13 to 24 inches a year and can reach heights of 40 to 7o feet with widths of 40 to 60 feet. River birches prefer moist, acidic soil and their leaves turn yellow in the fall.
Hybrid Poplar
Hybrid poplar is a fast-growing shade tree that can grow up to 8 feet a year. They are drought tolerant and will grow in any soil. Their leaves turn a brilliant yellow in the fall.
Shade trees spruce up landscapes and clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide. They also produce oxygen. Call Integrity Tree Care today to evaluate your landscape for tree placement.
