Texas dwellers adore their trees and have a great bond with them. The Texas weather allows for tree plantation throughout the year. There are several tree species suitable for growing in any Texas backyard.
If you own a short backyard, you may consider that planting a tree to do the landscaping is out of the question. Most Texas trees grow rather wide, so carefully choose your tree. But there are also shrubs and modest-height trees that are ideal for small backyards.
Check out this list of 10 amazing trees for Texas lawns to see whether any of these possibilities attracts you.
Top 10 Best Trees to Plant in Texas
Several varieties of colorful or attractive trees are available in the Texas region. It makes the decision to buy one for your backyard appear challenging.
Some trees are better suited to Texas’ temperature and ground. And bringing some information with you from the local nurseries can go a long path in choosing a tree that would survive.
Keeping this in mind, I have compiled a list of the top ten trees in Texas.
Crabapple
Crabapple trees are originally from Texas and are renowned for their stunning green leaves and beautiful blossoms. Due to their dense leaves, they make excellent display trees. Their blooms are white, pinkish, or crimson; they change into little fruits that animals consume during the fall.
These trees can withstand droughts and saline grounds. There are various varieties to choose from. If you’ve got a small yard, the home family type, a mini crabapple tree, may be ideal. Consult with a gardener to identify the best type for the lawn.
Crab apples are edible. They are usually too sour to consume uncooked, but the apple flavor improves when cooked. Crab apples have intense pectin concentration, making them ideal for jellies and jams.
Crab fruit contains cyanogenic flavonoid, which produces cyanide. Consuming these crab fruits might result in cyanide poisoning. As a result, pets eating a lot of these fruits may cause problems.
This tree can grow at a moderate speed, gaining 12-25″ in height annually. However, crabapple trees are not noted for their longevity, but they do have an excellent estimated lifetime of 35 to 55 years.
Crepe Myrtle
Crepe Myrtle plants (commonly known as Crape Myrtle) are not initially from Texas but can survive in Texas climate and soil. This tree has grown in popularity in Central Texas over the past century. Throughout the summertime, they grow beautiful clusters of blossoms.
Crepe Myrtles are available in a variety of forms and shades, ranging from light pinkish or violet to pinkish red. Pick a good State Botanical variety as they are more bug-resistant and conditions that affect Crepe Myrtles.
These are tough trees that do not need much watering. They are drought and saline-ground-resistant. They also feature fine, polished wood.
Excessive shadow is hazardous to Crape Myrtles. It’s acceptable if the place gets some sunlight during the day. However, they perform best in direct sunlight. Crape myrtle is usually planted from July to early October when the grounds are moist. Watering throughout warm, drying intervals in the summertime is also suitable for blossoming.
If the crepe myrtle is a small plant, it could not be blooming yet. It might take 2-4 years for a growing tree to become big enough to start flowering. This may appear to be an extended period, but keep in mind that these plants grow in 4-8 years and achieve their full size in 25-65 years.
Persimmon
Texas Persimmon trees are little Texas plants that yield fruit that both animals and humans may eat. They typically grow to be around 8 and 16 feet in height.
They need less watering and are drought and saline-ground-resistant. They contain light, beautiful timber, but as it is softer than other trees, the wood can be severely harmed. On average, Texas Persimmons are simple to care for because they do not have any major insect or fungal issues.
Fruits grown on female plants are edible when they’re ripe and have a taste similar to peaches. This makes them a top choice for many animals and birds. Persimmon fruits are okay for dogs to consume occasionally.
Though dogs may eat persimmon skins, they must avoid eating the seed since they create stomach issues. Texas persimmon can survive for 35 to 65 years when the environment is favorable. Persimmons can take as long as five years to bear fruit before continuing to grow for years.
Persimmons are well-known for their ease of cultivation and tolerance to various environmental climates. They can survive in a variety of ground types. But these trees prefer rich, well-drained clay grounds with plenty of organic material.
Desert-Willow
Desert-Willows may be the appropriate plant for you if the backyard is dusty or you are creating a xeriscape landscape. Xeriscaping eliminates the need for irrigation. Willows grow fast and are pretty drought resistant. Their problems are usually caused by overwatering instead of less watering.
They grow trumpet-shaped pinkish blossoms and thin willow-like leaves in the summer months. Trimming is required to form the layout of these trees.
Fortunately, the root of these trees are not known to pose a risk and are tough. Desert willows may be planted securely near roadways, walkways, and buildings.
One can confuse this willow tree with other willow-named trees. This is why familiar names are so puzzling. The term “desert willow” simply refers to how the tree’s leaves resemble those of a willow shape. But it really belongs to the begonia group.
Holly Yaupon
Yaupon Holly is a popular plant amongst Texas planters. Its reddish fruits make it an ideal decorative tree for various situations. It is a durable tree that can thrive in a range of environments. It can withstand light to severe shading, saline or acidic grounds, dryness, and water-logged soil conditions. A little trimming is required to generate a tree structure.
Many animals appreciate its fruit, but the fruits of the Yaupon Holly are harmful to humans and dogs. The thick Yaupon leaves of yaupon hollies make them suitable for screening or hedging. It also provides a home for birds and other animals.
Fruits of Yaupon plants are not thought to be particularly dangerous. However, the beautiful reddish berries must be avoided by small kids. If the berries are consumed, many symptoms could occur. Those symptoms are vomiting, nausea, dysentery, and drowsiness related to the weakening of the body.
Yaupon Holly green tea is delicious. It must have been smoked, adding to its numerous reputed medical applications. Native Americans and people in the south preferred inhaling Yaupon smoke, which was frequently combined with various plants.
Yaupon holly is the only native caffeine tree in North America. It holds the possibility to be a substitute for tea, coffee, and yerba mates. So growing these trees will undoubtedly benefit you.
Redbud
Redbud trees are wonderful decorative trees that yield pinkish in early spring flowers. These trees are the best if you’d like to add a pop of color to the yard. You have undoubtedly seen these trees in cemeteries, along roadways, and in public parks.
Redbuds attain a mature height of 15 to 25 feet, making them ideal for a limited setting. There are various varieties offered in nurseries in the Texas region. Texas Redbud is considered to be both heat and drought-tolerant. Consult a specialist to determine the ideal Redbud tree for any Texan backyard.
They must be grown in direct sunlight or light shade in wet, drained ground. Redbuds are highly pH tolerant and thrive in acidic and alkaline environments.
To limit the risk of bacterial illnesses, grow redbuds in a location with sufficient air to circulate.
Redbud trees will survive between 55 and 75 years if properly maintained. However,, some infections, notably verticillium wilting, a fungi-caused wilting illness, and stem disease, can severely reduce its longevity. It’s a little flat-topped tree that reaches a height of 8 to 20 feet and has a crown size of 18 to 25 feet. Redbud trees may grow 14 to 22 inches each year.
Western redbud trees are appreciated for their vivid blossoms and golden branches. They are attractive, low-maintenance trees that really are ideal for residential gardening.
Carolina Buckthorn
Carolina Buckthorn is just a lovely Texas native that reaches only 8 to 17 feet in height. It has glossy bright green leaves that will turn yellowish, brown, and crimson in the autumn. These trees tolerate shadow. Therefore it’s ideal for a short yard covered under a structure. It yields a lovely little fruit that indigenous animals enjoy.
As the fruits grow, they appear to be pinkish, then crimson, then at last black. Although it may take some trimming to establish the branching pattern, this resistant tree is drought resistant. It adapts to any ground conditions and can survive acidic grounds as well.
Although birds much desire the berries of these trees, they are hazardous to animals, even to humans.
Firm, well-maintained sandy ground with abundant organic material yields the best growth. Coastal buckthorn may thrive in a variety of poor ground conditions, notably beside banks of the river, steep terrain, and alkaline and acidic grounds.
Buckthorn seedlings left in the ground can sprout for several years. If you wish to eradicate this plant, you will have to check this area of the garden on a routine basis and uproot buckthorn spores as they can develop in the future years.
Mexican Buckeye Tree
Although it can reach 35 feet, the Mexican Buckeye is usually only 10 to 14 feet in height. The beautiful, vivid pink flowers blossom before or together with the leaves in the springtime. These flowers make these trees the ideal key part of a short garden or yard. In the autumn, the leaves become yellowish.
It has little fruit, and the brownish husks persist throughout the winter. It is also drought-resistant and needs minimal water. It is tolerant to a wide range of ground conditions. It frequently has several trunks, although it may be trimmed to form a single trunk if needed.
It may be located as far west as Dallas in New Mexico. It has several trunks and red to brownish bark that becomes wrinkled with time.
Mexican buckeyes thrive in Northeastern Texas. They bear reddish-pink blooms in the springtime and golden leaves in the autumn.
Buckeyes were historically consumed by Native Americans for both nutritive and therapeutic reasons. Trees grown from seeds will bear fruit in approximately three to four years. As a result, it will be extremely beneficial to all Texans.
Japanese Maple Tree
Several of the big trees and shrubs I described do not bear flowers, but they have gorgeous fall foliage that gives them a remarkable focal point in any backyard. Depending on the variety, their autumn leaves might be red, yellow, or orange.
They lay a tiny, fluttering seed. They can tolerate shade and protection and flourish on drained grounds. If you do not have access to well-maintained ground, try to grow a smaller type in a pot first. They must be trimmed often to create their shape.
Japanese maple is a beautiful garden plant. It’s among the most adaptable little trees for landscaping usage.
A location with partial shade is best for them. Japanese maple leaves are vulnerable to leaf burn in warm, dusty, direct sunlight conditions. Blackened leaves have brown borders and frequently fall off the trees by mid or late summertime.
Japanese Black Pine Tree
The Japanese Black Pine is a tiny tree that is widely planted in small groomed areas. It matures into a wide, uneven canopy. It grows thorns as well as tiny, wooden crowns. This drought-resistant tree requires little watering, although it does need well-resistant ground. It may be grown in a pot if necessary. It favors alkaline mud, although it may also grow in acidic soils.
The overall growth can reach 3 feet annually. Watering may be necessary during the establishing stage. But these trees adapt quickly to all grounds except the most severe soil moisture conditions. This plant can withstand rain, humidity, and of course drought.
The Japanese Black Pine is a superb, tiny, regularly-shaped pine that may attain a size of 23 feet and a width of 22 to 38 feet. These trees have deep green, six to eight-inch-long twisting spikes that bloom in pairs.
In a wild state, the Japanese Black Pine may reach heights of 85 to 120 feet. In a normal gardening environment, it’s more likely to grow at approximately 26 feet. It climbs around 3 and 4 feet annually and has a lengthy lifetime, with just some trees surviving up to 175 years in the correct conditions.
FAQ
When is the best time to plant trees in North Texas?
In Central Texas, the best season to plant trees is from late autumn to early spring. Summer heat may be stressful for young plants in this area. Allowing young trees to grow roots when the ground is moist, and conditions are reasonable is ideal.
What measures should I take before growing a tree in Texas?
Firstly consider the top size of the tree since you wouldn’t want it to be too large. Secondly, if the tree bears berries, fruiting bodies, or nuts, it may make a mess or have a bunch of leaves fall after a rainstorm. The third factor to examine is the tree’s resistance to viruses and damaging bugs.
Conclusion
In the summertime, carefully located trees may decrease the temperature of walls and roofs by up to 22 degrees. This may lower summertime power expenses.
Trees get in with winter sunshine and help in the heating of houses. Trees may raise the value of a home. Properties with mature shaded trees are more costly and sell faster than those without.
For all of these reasons, planting trees is important to surround your home. Check out the list I described to know which trees would be great to grow in Texas.