Trees are often one of the most desired, and frustrating, part of any home landscape design. The frustration for many home landscapers and gardeners is that trees can take an incredibly long time to mature and grow to their full potential. However, with some planning and careful selection, you can have the large and beautiful trees that you desire in no time.
Here is a list of the 8 fastest growing trees that will be sure to get you started on the right foot!
Northern Red Oak
This striking deciduous tree will grow at least 50 feet tall and prefers to be planted in moist, well-drained soil where it can get full sunlight. This tree is a great shade providing tree, perfect for lazy summer days.
Japanese Cedar
This selection is a great choice if you want to create a natural barrier in your landscape design, often used to create privacy to your yard. This tree grows to about 16-20 feet in 10 years, and once fully mature can reach up to 50 feet tall and 10 feet wide. These trees will also easily tolerate partial shade.
Hybrid Poplars
These trees are very common for landscapers and in the lumber industry as they are right near the top of the fastest-growing trees list, able to grow about 10 feet in 1 year. They are great shade trees.
‘Green Vase’ Zelkova
The ‘Green Vase’ Zelkova is characterized by its dark green leaves that turn a deep burgundy color in the fall. They grow very large, reaching approximately 70’ tall x 50’ wide at maturity. One distinguishing trait of this tree is that they are very tolerant of wide and lower/poor air quality and can thrive in a large variety of soil types and conditions.
Bald Cypress
If you have a wet spot in your landscapes that is in partial to full shade then the Bald Cypress may be the perfect fit. This tree looks like a traditional evergreen, but in the fall the foliage turns orange and red, then the needles shed in the late fall/early winter. A mature Bald Cypress can easily reach 70 feet tall!
Bamboo
This tree sits near the top of the fastest growers list! If you are looking to cover a wide area in your landscape, then Bamboo may be the right choice for you as it has a root structure that spread horizontally providing for new growth across a wide area.
Amur Maple
This beautiful maple tree will reach 15-20 feet in the first 10 years. The Amur Maple is a lovely all season tree as it produced petite yellow flowers in the spring, has dark leafy foliage throughout the summer, and pops with bright red colors in the fall.
European Black Alder
Our final tree on the list is a great choice for low lying, wet areas that may have proven difficult for other trees to thrive in. The European Black Alder is a stately, beautiful tree that does very well near standing water. You should avoid planting this tree near any hardscape elements in your landscape such as sidewalks and sprinkler/sewer lines.
