A beautifully designed landscape visually enhances your new home while providing curb appeal, privacy, shade, environmental benefits, and an oasis for relaxing and entertaining. Outdoor spaces are anchored by trees, shrubs, perennials, and other plants. Consider climate compatibility, useful attributes, year-round interest, and low maintenance needs when choosing plants tailored to your site and lifestyle. 

Flowering trees

Flowering trees infuse colour and interest during multiple seasons. 

• Redbud – Vibrant pink blooms signal spring. Heart-shaped leaves turn golden in fall. The plant grows well in most soils and climates.
• Dogwood – White or pink spring flowers and red fall foliage. Prefers partial shade and organically rich, well-drained soil. Avoid drought-prone areas.
• Crape myrtle – Profuse summer blooms in white, pink, lavender, or red. Attractive peeling bark for winter interest. Thrives in heat and resists deer. 
• Magnolia – Large fragrant white blooms. Evergreen and deciduous varieties. Provides dense shade. Prefers moist, acidic soil. 
• Japanese tree lilac – Heavily blooming spring flowers. It Withstands pollution and resists pests and disease. Grows in many conditions.

Ornamental trees

Trees are prized for decorative qualities, foliage, and form, such as:

• Japanese maple – Finely dissected leaves in crimson, coral, and green. Graceful form and movement. Protect from harsh sun and wind.
• Birch – Showy white, silver, or gold peeling bark. Yellow fall foliage. Needs ample moisture and cool climates.
• Weeping willow – Long cascading leafy branches. Fast growing with full, soft form. Requires lots of space and moisture.
• Arborvitae – Tall narrow cedar-like trees provide screening and vertical interest. Many cultivars. Grow in sun or part shade.
• Crape Myrtle – Peeling multicolored bark for winter interest. Summer flowers in pink, white, and lavender. Withstands heat and resists pests. 

Evergreens

Evergreens keep landscapes lush year-round. You can check out the following types: 

• Spruce – Dense pyramid-shaped conifers in many sizes and forms. Needled foliage and interesting textures.
• Pine – Long soft needles and large size makes a dramatic statement. Provides shade and wind blocks.
• Fir – Towering narrow trees or smaller compact versions. Fragrant needles and graceful forms.
• Cedar – Tough and adaptable. Cultivars offer diverse shapes and foliage, like blue atlas cedar.
• Yew – Upright branches and flat sprays of needles. Tolerates shade and shearing into shapes.

Screening and privacy plants 

Strategically placed trees and hedges create privacy screens and hide eyesores, like:

• Arborvitae – Tall screening. Many cultivars and textures. Grows quickly in the sun or part shade.
• Leyland cypress – Fast-growing evergreen for narrow or wide screens. Likes sun and well-drained soil.
• Spruce – Forms dense screens. Slow growing but very hardy once established. Resists deer browse.
• Photinia – Hardy evergreen shrub makes thick glossy-leaved hedges. Takes sun or part shade.
• Bamboo – Tropical clumping types create tall, non-invasive privacy screens. Needs warm zones.

Shade trees

Large shade trees cool homes in summer and make inviting outdoor living spaces:

• Oak – Majestic and long-lived. Provides abundant shade and fall color. Tolerates most soils. Slow growing.
• Maple – Dense oval canopies with gorgeous fall foliage. Cultivars offer specific sizes and forms. Withstands wind, pollution, and salt. 
• Elm – Vase-shaped branching habit. Fast growing. Resistant to Dutch elm disease issues. 
• Beech – Broad spreading crown of fine foliage. Smooth pale bark. Grows well in many conditions.
• Sycamore – Massive tree with one giant leaf. Fast growth rate. Tolerates difficult conditions.

By selecting the plants best suited to the conditions and spaces of your property, you help ensure their health, longevity, and intended benefits to your landscape. A mix of flowering and evergreen, shade and ornamental types brings year-round rewards.