Fast Growing Trees to Plant in Your Wisconsin Landscape
Fast-Growing Trees to Plant in Your Wisconsin Landscape
Many tree enthusiasts are put off by having to wait for trees to mature. Some trees can take up to ten or twenty years to reach a size where they can offer shade. However, this may not be the case, here is a list of Fast-Growing Trees to Plant in Your Wisconsin Landscape
1. Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis
Hackberry is a fast-growing tree that any landscaper in Wisconsin can grow. It is cold hardy to even the most frigid parts of the states.
Hackberry produces attractive dark-red berries, which are popular with winter birds. Also, the tree attracts a wide range of butterfly species.
Expect your hackberry tree to grow from 13 to more than 24 inches each year. For the most growth, it needs at least six hours of direct unfiltered sunlight each day.
2. Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
Northern red oak is a classic Shade tree One of the most beautiful, cleanest, and stateliest trees in North America.
The revered native tree gained popularity in colonial times. Today, you can find it planted throughout the country and in Europe.
Northern red oak can grow more than two feet per year during the first ten years. The shade tree has a rounded growth habit.
The tree’s large (4 to 8 inches long) waxy green-lobed leaves turn to an intense red in the fall. During the spring, it produces pale yellow-green catkins. Catkins are long slim clusters of tiny flowers. They appear at the same time as the new foliage. By the fall, the tree yields many acorns, which attract birds and wildlife.
For best results, northern red oak needs six hours of unfiltered sunlight each day. It prefers average soil moisture and can tolerate some drought. It grows best in acidic, clay, loamy, moist, sandy, and well-drained soils.
3. Pin Oak (Quercas palustris)
The fast-growing pin oak provides dense shade. Forming a pyramidal shape, it is a perfect tree for a large lawn. Expect the tree to grow more than 24 inches annually if you plant it in full sun.
Pin oak boasts large 3- to 5-inch-long leaves with at least 5 lobes. The glossy dark green leaves turn to stunning shades of scarlet and bronze in the fall. Each fall, the tree produces many acorns. They attract wildlife such as ducks, deer, and small rodents.
Pin oak can tolerate wet conditions and some moderate flooding. It prefers rich and moist soils. Also, it can tolerate sandy and clay soils. But it does not do well in dry soil, especially during the first years. If you have alkaline soil, you should not plant pin oak as it will not survive.
4. Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
In early spring this beautiful Maple tree displays clusters of red, sometimes yellow, small flowers. The seeds provide food for squirrels and other rodents.
With its stately presence, red oak grows in an oval, rounded, upright, or erect shape. For this reason, it makes an attractive street tree. A row of red maple trees offers a stunning visual impact in the fall.
This tree is fast growing at about two feet or more each year. For best growth, it requires at least six hours of direct unfiltered sunlight each day.
On soil, red maple prefers acidic, clay, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty, and well-drained soils. It prefers wet soil over dry soil but will do fine in mild drought.
5.River Birch Tree (Betula nigra)
A River Birch is a fast-growing tree. It can grow more than two feet each year. But its signature feature, like other Birch, Trees its ornamental exfoliating bark. The peeling bark reveals shades of white, salmon, and cinnamon. The leaves are glossy green.
River Birch grows along riverbanks throughout many areas of the United States. For this reason, it is an excellent landscape tree for those with wet soils. Yet it also tolerates some drought.
On care, avoid planting river birch in areas with alkaline soil. Besides wet soils, it does well in loamy, sandy, and clay soils.
6. Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)
This rapid grower can grow between 3 and an impressive seven feet per year. Some landscapers report it reaching maturity in as little as 6 years.
Silver maple’s rapid growth is sometimes a curse. It prevents the branches from becoming dense. Such frailty results in weak branches that fall in heavy wind.
Despite its drawbacks, this is a beautiful specimen with its vase shape. The leaves are green on top and silver underneath, turning pale yellow in fall. The tree produces clusters of small flowers in early spring.
Caring for silver maple is easy. It adapts to a wide range of soil types. But it will grow faster in stronger in deep, moist, acidic soil. The tree requires a minimum of four hours of direct unfiltered sunlight each day.
For a free tree consultation and to see the variety of Legacy Trees in our nursery, to create the landscape of your dreams. Contact Johnson Ops Tree Care at 608-526-6297.