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Recommended Trees

There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding to plant a new tree on your property. Are you interested in a shade tree, privacy, windbreak, spring blossoms or fall color? The following list of trees are recommended for a variety of reasons, among them: resistance to insects and disease, tolerance to pollution, ability to withstand drought and soil conditions, as well as landscape and ornamental value.  There are many valuable trees that may not appear on this list, but it’s always a good idea to consult with your lawn and garden specialist to make sure the tree you select is well-suited to your home.
Download the Recommended Trees List as a PDF

Large Trees are in blue, Small to Medium Trees are in green, and Evergreens are in brown.

Name Botanical name Height (ft) Flowers Color Urban USDA Zones
Basswood Tilia americana 60-80   √   3 to 8
Beech Fagus grandifolia 50-70 √ √   4 to 9
Blackgum Nyssa sylvatica 30-50   √ √ 4 to 9
Buckeye Aesculus glabra 80-100       3 to 7
Catalpa Catalpa speciosa 40-70 √ √ √ 4 to 8
Chesnut Oak Quercus prinus 60-70   √ √ 4 to 8
Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba 50-80   √ √ 4 to 9
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis 75-100   √ √ 3 to 7
Hickory Carya ovata 70-90   √   4 to 8
Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum 80-100 √   √ 3 to 8
Kentucky Coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus 60-76   √ √ 3 to 9
Littleleaf Linden Tilia cordata 60-70 √ √ √ 3 to 7
Pecan Carya illinoinensis 70-100     √ 5 to 9
Post Oak Quercus stellata 30-50     √ 5 to 9
Red Maple Acer rubrum 60   √ √ 3 to 9
River Birch Betula nigra 70   √ √ 4 to 9
Silver Maple Acer saccharinum 60-80   √ √ 3 to 7
Sugar Maple Acer saccharum 60-75   √   3 to 7
White Oak Quercus alba 75-100   √   4 to 8
Willow Oak Quercus phellos 50   √ √ 5 to 9
Yellow-poplar Liriodendron tulipifera 70-90       4 to 9
American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana 20-30   √   3 to 9
Black Birch Betula lenta 45-55       3 to 7
Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus 25 √ √ √ 4 to 9
Honeylocust (thornless) Gleditsia triacanthos 40-60       3 to 9
Kousa Dogwood Cornus kousa 20-30 √ √ √ 5 to 8
Persimmon Diospyros virginiana 20-60 √     6 to 10
Redbud Cercis canadensis 15-30 √ √ √ 4 to 9
Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea 15-25 √ √   4 to 9
Sassafras Sassafras albidum 30-60 √ √   4 to 9
Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana 20-50 √ √   5 to 9
Washington Hawthorn Crataegus phaenopyrum 25 √ √ √ 4 to 8
American Holly Ilex opaca 15-30     √ 5 to 9
Eastern Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana 50-60     √ 3 to 8
Norway Spruce Picea abies 40-60       3 to 7
White Pine Pinus strobus 70       3 to 7
Loblolly Pine Pinus taeda 60-90       6 to 9
Yew Taxus canadensis 5-10       2 to 6

Trees “Not Recommended”

The trees on this list are very likely to develop serious issues with the pests and diseases listed here:

  1. Ash (emerald ash borer, an exotic insect that kills ash trees, is now in Delaware)
  2. Northern red oak, pin oak (a fatal disease: bacterial leaf scorch is common in these)
  3. Leyland-cypress (many disease and insect problems affect this tree)
  4. Hemlock (a non-native insect, hemlock woolly adelgid, infests this tree)
  5. Japanese black pine, Austrian pine (a pest called pinewood nematode, which is only an issue in non-native trees, has killed thousands of these pines since 2005)
  6. Any white-barked birch (the bronze birch borer, an insect pest, prefers white-barked species in our area)
  7. American elm (except for new resistant varieties, nearly 100% of these trees have been killed by Dutch elm disease)

Invasive Trees – “Do Not Plant”

Invasive trees are not native to Delaware. Some non-natives, such as Norway spruce and ginkgo, are acceptable as new plantings. However, invasive trees tend to grow quickly and they can displace our native vegetation. Experts devote large amounts of time and money each year to control these invasive trees.

  1. Norway maple
  2. Tree of Heaven
  3. Paulownia
  4. Mimosa
  5. White mulberry
  6. Bradford Pear
  7. Chinese Elm