Birds & Blooms

Top 10 Fastest Growing Trees

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Photo: Parkseed

Crape myrtle

Crepe paper and crape myrtles have more in common than their pronunciations. Crape myrtle blooms not only resemble the delicate craft paper, but they come in almost as many colors, with flowers that can be shades of pink, red, white, or purple.

Crape myrtles are year-round beauties in the South, where they thrive in the warm climate and bloom from July to September.

But the show isn't over when summer ends. Fall brings a kaleidoscope of leaf colors, with reds, oranges and yellows mingling on the same tree. In winter, the smooth peeling bark adds a subtle charm to the landscape.


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Photo: Parkseed

Dawn redwood

Dawn redwood is a fast-growing, deciduous conifer that even does well in waterlogged soils. The conical tree produces small, light brown cones and soft, needle-shaped green leaves that become orange-brown in fall.


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Photo: Parkseed

Empress tree

Don't wait decades for the relaxing shade of a large flowering tree. Plant a fast-growing empress tree. Empress tree will shoot right up, soon dangling panicles of foxglove-like blooms even before foliating. You'll delight in the rich scent and marvel at its vigor. Just be sure to check if empress tree is invasive in your area.


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Photo: www.maphistreefarm.com

Leyland cypress

For a natural privacy fence, plant these pretty trees all in a row. Each will grow very quickly (about 3 feet per year) to look very similar to the others thanks to its compact, symmetrical cone shape. Just be prepared to prune heavily, as this is an especially eager conifer.


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Photo: Parkseed

Lombardy poplar

Lombardy poplar grows fast, its parallel to its trunk as if reaching to the sky. And since all good things turn to gold, you can expect similarly brilliant foliage from this showpiece in fall. The only downside to this tree is its often short-lived nature.


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Photo: RDA GID

River birch

Birches are appreciated for their papery, peeling layers of bark and river birch is no exception. Distinctive curling, blackish bark exfoliates to reveal varied shades of orange, gray, and lavender, depending on the cultivar.


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Photo: Parkseed

Sweet gum

Sweet gum is a fast-growing, conical shade tree with glossy green lobed foliage. Leaves turn in fall, producing spectacular fall color. Yellow-green flowers blooming in spring are inconspicuous, but watch for the abundance of spiky, spherical fruit clusters that follow.


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Tulip tree

Though hard to see from a distance, the tulip tree's unique early-summer flowers will definitely dress up your backyard. The wax-like cup-shaped blooms have six greenish-yellow petals with orange bases. But be patient - for most varieties, flowers won't appear until the tree is 10 to 12 years old. The name comes from the distinctive shape of the leaves.


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Photo: RDA GID

Willow

The classic beauty of the weeping willow is well-established as is the popularity of the fuzzy catkins of the pussy willow. But don't stop there. With more than 300 species, this fast-growing tree could produce a forest of distinctive beauties - or at least, one spectacular specimen.


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Photo: Parkseed

Japanese zelkova

Although often confused with elms, Japanese zelkova are in a league of their own. These fast-growing, often vase-shaped tree produces elliptical dark green leaves in the spring which turn yellow, orange or red in fall.

Works well in many areas due to its tolerance for drought as well as a variety of soil conditions. Mature gray bark exfoliates to reveal vibrant orange.