The Top Trees for Winter Landscaping
The Top Trees for Winter Landscaping
Winter can definitely be a hard time for landscaping and keeping your trees looking lively and beautiful. It definitely makes a big difference to have trees with splashes of color throughout the cold seasons.
To help with this in your own backyard, here are some of our favorite options for trees that blossom and still have color in the colder fall and winter months, as well as some tips for choosing the best options for yourself.
Tips for Choosing Winter Trees
If you decide to plant specific trees for your winter landscaping, make sure you choose the placing of it in your yard carefully. Since it is going to be a focal point when no other trees, plants, and shrubs, are blooming, it should have a decent spot in your backyard to be seen easily. This is really true of any seasonal trees – they should all be easily seen during the parts of the year that they are blossoming.
Also, before you invest in any specific type of tree, you will also want to consider your local climate , the spacing of your yard, and how big the mature tree will get. On top of that, you should definitely think about how the new tree(s) will fit in with the rest of your landscaping as well. While you may like the look of certain trees, it may not be appropriate for your hardiness zone or even for the rest of your landscaping.
Our Favorite Winter Trees
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Now let’s take a look at some beautiful options for winter-appropriate trees.
1. Sargent Crabapple
The first tree on our list is the stunning Sargent Crabapple , also known as the Malus sargentii. This tree is a fantastic option for both the winter and spring, as it has gorgeous bark throughout the colder months and delicate white blossoms starting around May. It has a dense and spreading crown as well as branches that zigzag, making this tree a lot wider than it is tall.
Due to this fairly unusual shape and size, this tree can even be planted under utility lines and other smaller spaces, and also works really well as a privacy hedge between yards too. Many people also like to use these trees to create bonsai tree as well.
This tree thrives in Hardiness Zones 4 through 8, and can easily handle cold weather without any issues. The Sargent crabapple tree grows up to be between 6 to 10 feet tall, and spreads out to be between 6 to 12 feet wide when fully mature.
They do grow at a fairly slow rate for trees, the height increases a little less than a foot a year. If you decide to plant this tree in your landscaping, make sure it is in a spot where it gets at least six hours of direct sunlight.
2. Winterberry Holly
Next up, we have the Winterberry Holly tree .
This is a visually stunning and colorful tree that will look incredible in any yard. It has bright red berries that stay on the bare tree branches throughout the cold winter months, and grows into a 6-7 feet tall shrub when fully matured.
You can really grow this tree in any kind of soil, but it is going to be better off in moist areas – winterberry holly can even be planted along a stream or pond and thrive.
During the warmer seasons of spring and summer, the tree has dark green leaves that are fairly small. It is actually much more colorful and visually appealing during fall and winter.
This tree is able to thrive in any climate, and is even fine in freezing temperatures down to negative 40 degrees. On top of that, it works well in warmer areas too. We love how versatile this plant is and how it works well in any type of climate.
3. Colorado Blue Spruce
Another great option for winter trees is the Colorado Blue Spruce . This is one of the most popular ornamental conifers out there, and is very easy to plant and grow in your own backyard.
The tree has a visually stunning silver and blue/green color, and a very broad, tall Christmas tree shape. This gives your yard a regal, majestic look and gives you some amazing views as well. Because it is such a large size, you can use these to shield your yard and home from the wind, or for privacy.
In the wild, these trees are absolutely massive. They will grow up to be about 135 feet tall and 30 feet wide. This growth is rather slow however, and can take anywhere from 30-50 years to get to that final size. For trees that you plant in your own yard, they are much smaller – typically they will grow up to 50 feet tall and 20 feet wide.
4. Birch Trees
Last but not least, we have birch trees . These are very common, and are a great staple for your winter trees in your landscaping.
These trees have absolutely gorgeous and unique bark in the winter, it is splotchy and ranges from a stark white to a deep, dark brown. Depending on the type of birch tree you go with, as there are over 40 different kinds, they grow to different lengths and widths as well. No matter what size you need for your backyard, you can easily find a birch tree that works for you.
Our Final Thoughts on Winter Trees
We hope you enjoyed our guide to choosing winter trees for your backyards. If you do need any assistance with knowing what trees are best for your situation or actually planting them, feel free to contact us for assistance .
What are your favorite winter trees? Did any of your top choices make our list?
