Plant Smart
Suggestions for: Midwest / Chicagoland
Tough, long-lived native oak; drought tolerant.
Brilliant fall color, adaptable to wet soils.
Classic shade tree; avoid road salt.
Great for clay soils and parkways.
Urban-tough native, few pests.
Small native with spring flowers and berries for birds.
Fast for an oak; great fall color.
Majestic native; feeds hundreds of species.
Extremely tough urban native.
Fragrant flowers, bee favorite.
Peeling bark; loves wet spots.
Deciduous conifer, handles flooding.
Pink spring blooms on bare branches.
Understory classic with spring bracts.
Shade-tolerant small native.
Wildlife favorite; fast growing.
Tall, fast, tulip-shaped flowers.
Huge native with mottled bark.
Nuts for wildlife; shaggy bark.
Choose disease-resistant cultivars.
Filtered shade; thornless varieties for streets.
Spring flowers, winter fruit for birds.
Fast evergreen screen.
Striking blue needles; needs airflow.
Soft needles, citrus scent.
Big leaves, orchid-like flowers.
Native fruit tree, tropical-tasting fruit.
Native fruit; sweet after frost.
Valuable timber and nuts; allelopathic.
Alkaline-soil tolerant native oak.
Soft-needled evergreen; Ontario's tree.
Sugar maple cousin, very hardy.
Smooth gray bark; beechnuts feed wildlife.
Very fast; weak wood, give it room.
Planting guide
- 1Pick the spot
Check overhead wires and underground utilities (call 811 in the US). Give the full-grown canopy room.
- 2Dig wide, not deep
Make the hole 2–3× as wide as the root ball and only as deep. The root flare should sit at or slightly above grade.
- 3Backfill & water
Use the native soil, firm gently, and water deeply. A 2–3" ring of mulch — never touching the trunk.
- 4Care the first 2 years
Water weekly in dry spells (about 10 gal per inch of trunk). Skip fertilizer in year one.
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