There are hundreds of beautiful trees that grow well in Oklahoma. For our region and soil make-up, the trees that we plant need to be able to withstand our summer heat and prefer neutral alkalinity and ph. Our soil is primarily clay and/or shale so to gain the best results while planting trees, we need to find trees that are adaptable to our type of soil. Below you will find a variety of trees recommended for planting in our area by the OSU Extension office. I will add italicized notes to each tree species that I have personal experience growing:
Large Trees that mature at 40 feet or more for our area. These species are fast growing at a rate of 2 feet or more unless otherwise stated:
Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). Grows well in a variety of soils and has good fall colors.
American Beech (Fagus grandiflora). Beautiful tree in spring and summer. Prefers moist, well-drained, sandy soils. Slow growing at 12” or less per year.
Boxelder (Acer negundo). Adaptable to a wide variety of soils. Can attract Boxelder bugs.
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum). Wonderful fern-like foliage and strong, pyramidal form. Found in swampy conditions, but is very drought tolerant and grows in many soils. No serious pest problems. Oklahoma Proven Selection.
American Elm (Ulmus americana). Very hardy tree that grows wild in most parts of Western Oklahoma. Best pruned when used in the landscape. Canopy can become thin in hot summer months.
Lacebark Elm/ Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia). Exfoliating, multi-colored bark. Extremely tough and drought tolerant. Golden and upright forms available. Medium growth rate of 1-2 feet per year.
Turkish Filbert (Corylus colurna). Tolerant of adverse conditions; pH adaptable. Handsome tree with broad pyramidal habit with interesting leaves, fruit and bark. Medium growth rate of 1-2 feet per year.
Hackberry (Celtis occidentalils & Celtis laevigata). Small, purple to black fruits appear in fall and are relished by birds and wildlife. Yellow fall color. Grows in about any soil type imaginable. Hackberry nipple gall insects can lessen overall appearance.
Honeylocust, Thornless (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis). Thornless Honeylocust has multiple fern like leaves. This type of tree does seem to grow where unattended so be vigilant to remove seedlings before they get too large to dig out.
White Mulberry (Moros alba). Choose a fruitless variety to avoid the mess. Beautiful sturdy (fruitless) tree that grows in the harshest area of my landscape.
Water Oak (Quercus nigra). Moisture loving, bottomland tree, native to wetlands. Semi-evergreen foliage. Fast growing and matures to very large dimensions so site accordingly. This tree is great around low bottom areas and around ponds. P e c a n
P e c a n (Carya illinoinensis). Native to deep, rich, moist, welldrained soils. Not a good tree for poor soils. Recommend adding compost in planting area. Provides excellent shade, but will often drop large limbs as it becomes older. Plantings in the understory area will need to be able to tolerate the juglone that enters the soil from falling pecan leaves and the shells of decaying fruit.
American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). Large tree and should be used in large open areas. Anthracnose is most common problem. Adapted to a wide range of soil conditions. The favorite shade tree in my landscape. This tree is very messy, leaving behind numerous small limbs after every windy day. The benefits of the shade it provides outweighs the mess these guys make for me but not everyone will feel the same way. In fall, the large leaves create a wonderful mulch for all of my deciduous plants in the gardens around my sycamores.
Tulip Poplar or Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera). Produces an orange-yellow, tulip-like flower in spring, usually high in the tree so it often goes unnoticed. Best for large and open landscapes. More narrow and upright selections available. My experience with this tree is that it does not get as large or grow as fast as stated in Western Oklahoma. It is also listed as an undesirable species on the OSU webpage because it is weak-wooded and has many disease and insect issues.
Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica). The prettiest tree in my landscape with majestic branching. These are wonderful trees that have proven hardy in the most harshness of summers. These large and fast growing trees need to be strategically planted away from water and sewer lines as they can wreak havoc if there is the slightest crack in a line. Weeping Willows and other Salix species are also wonderful trees to use when trying to repair soil erosion.
Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata). Elm relative with similar characteristics, thus sometimes planted as replacement for American elm. Dutch elm disease resistant. Once established is very wind and drought tolerant; pH adaptable. Good for streets and urban areas. Subject to elm leaf beetle feeding damage. Several cultivars and related species available.
Here is a quick list of small to medium size trees that I think make wonderful trees in the landscape and I have found that they grow well in our climate and soil:
Southern Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides). Will grow in just about any soil. Flowers in spring are quite showy. Tree is rather weak wooded and messy. Grows at a rate of 1-2 feet yearly and matures at around 25’.
Chitalpa (× Chitalpa tashkentensis). An inter-generic hybrid cross between desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) and southern catalpa (Catalpa bignonoides). Although drought tolerant, trees generally perform best with consistent and even moisture. Bell-shaped, pink to white, catalpa-like flowers bloom at the branch ends in summer. Medium growth rate of 1-2’ per year.
Flowering Crabapple (Malus spp.). Excellent spring flower. Attractive fruit. Tolerant of most soil conditions. Height and growth habits widely vary depending on selections. Choose disease resistant varieties.
Crepemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). Very adaptable. Excellent summer flowers, fall color; some have great bark color and texture. Select mildew resistant varieties. Depending upon selection, they may have a shrub type habit.
Desert-Willow (Chilopsis linearis). May grow asymmetrically. Requires well-drained, dry soils. Exceptional pink, purple, or white flowers in summer. Desert Willows are our #1 selling tree. These beauties are very adaptable, drought resistant and summer showy. Highly recommended. Matures at around 25 feet but easily pruned.
White Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus). Excellent specimen tree with white, fragrant flowers appearing in spring, and a nice yellow, fall color. Should be planted in soils that are fertile, moist, and well-drained. Will not tolerate windy, exposed, or harsh conditions.
Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii). Drought tolerant. Medium growth rate of 1-2 feet per year. Highly adaptable and grown in trouble areas in my landscape.
Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). Edible fruit. Prefers moist, welldrained, sandy soils, but will do well on low fertility and dry soils; pH adaptable. Will sucker forming thickets. Wildlife attracted to fruit. More of a novelty type plant. Attractive alligator hide bark.
I could go on and on about additional varieties of trees that grow successfully in our area but that list is to long for my column. I have not included some of my own favorites and I am sure I have missed some of yours. There are so many types of trees for us to plant to help repair our soil and reduce the carbon in our air. The fall season is fast approaching so now is a great time to research the varieties of trees that you would like to plant this fall.