Beech trees (botanical name Fagus) are tall deciduous shade trees with lime green ovate leaves, creating a dense, rounded crown. All varieties of beech trees produce small clusters of yellow-green flowers, followed by beech tree fruit or beechnuts. In the fall, beech tree foliage turns from green to beautiful autumn shades of orange, yellow, and golden brown. Beech trees are grown in large landscapes. The tall trees provide shade or are planted in rows to create privacy hedges or screens.

Catalpa trees are deciduous ornamental shade trees with large, heart-shaped leaves, white or yellow fragrant flowers, and long dangling seed pods. Trees in the genus Catalpa are native to North America. The two most common species are the southern catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) and the northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa). Catalpa trees are also the food source for catalpa worms.

Hawthorn trees (Crataegus) are small fruit-bearing deciduous trees with thorny branches, dark green leaves, and clusters of small white pungent flowers. The fruit from hawthorn trees are small red pome fruits that look like clusters of miniature crabapples. Hawthorns are popular ornamental landscape trees that grow in confined spaces where there are poor soil and drainage.

Acacia trees and shrubs are an evergreen plant species with unique fern-like leaves and showy clusters of fragrant yellow or white fuzzy flowers. The unusual feature of feathery acacia leaves is that they are a type of modified stem or petiole. Acacias are fast-growing thorny trees and shrubs with many uses in a garden landscape.

Poplar (Populus) trees are large deciduous trees with rounded to triangular leaves, attractive grayish bark, and small clusters of drooping flowers. Many poplar trees are identified by their bark’s color—white, gray, or black—and triangular, ovate leaves. The white poplar is the most common poplar tree and has white bark and white and green leaves that seem to ‘twinkle’ in gentle breezes. Some species of poplars also have a fresh balsam scent.

Birch trees (genus Betula) are flowering medium-sized deciduous trees with thin papery bark and egg-shaped pointed leaves. Birch trees have spectacular fall colors that can be golden yellow, vibrant orange, or fiery red. Common birch trees get their names from the bark’s distinctive colors, which can be white, silver, black, gray, or yellow.

Aspen trees are medium-sized deciduous trees with rough gray-white bark and large round leaves with toothed margins. The quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) are the most common aspen trees in North America. Aspen trees have a unique spreading root system that produces new clone trees. You can find aspens growing as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico.

Mesquite trees are short, thorny shrub-like trees with feathery leaves, white or yellow flowers, and seed pods containing peas. Mesquite trees commonly grow in shrublands in Texas, Arizona, and other states in the southern US. The most common types of mesquite trees are the honey mesquite tree (Prosopis glandulosa), velvet mesquite tree (Prosopis velutina), and screwbean mesquite tree (Prosopis pubescens).

The ornamental flowering pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) blossoms with spectacular white flowers every spring. The small deciduous pear tree species has a rounded shape, oval, glossy green leaves, and five-petaled white flowers. Apart from the landscaping tree’s beautiful flowers, ornamental pear trees have striking yellow, orange and red fall colors.

The hibiscus tree is a flowering ornamental plant with large, showy, trumpet-shaped flowers. Hibiscus trees have large tropical flowers between 3” and 8” (7 – 20 cm) across that grow in hues of pink, red, lilac, purple, blue, and white. Hibiscus trees are easy to grow in gardens as long as they get plenty of sunshine. Plenty of light means that the sizeable shrubby tree blooms continuously throughout the summer.