Top Shade Trees for Tennessee

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.”

I’m sure you’ve heard this quote many times and it’s 100% true. The success of the tree depends on time and effort. The faster a tree grows, the quicker it dies. I always prefer the ones that grow slower because they have less of a tendency to suffer from a disease or some type of other issue.

Bradford Pear is a good example of this. It grows so fast that the wood is considered weak and thus it splits easily when we get heavy winds and rain. Since we are heading into a great planting time this fall, let’s look at some of my favorite shade trees for Tennessee landscapes.

The king of the forest is the oak family. We have quite a few species that are native to Tennessee. Most oaks do fine except for the Pin Oak. It has one main disease that seems to plague it, called bacterial leaf scorch, and it is the reason I don’t recommend pin oaks anymore.

If you are looking to plant some oaks that will look great for the next generation try Nuttall, white, scarlet, or Shumard. These are all deciduous and do have acorns which will benefit the local wildlife.
Southern magnolias need room to grow. I hate seeing them planted directly next to a house. The homeowner must constantly trim to keep them out of the gutters. Give them the space and they will reward you with evergreen leaves and flowers in the summertime. In time, they can actually reach 80’ tall.

My great-great-great-grandfather planted a southern magnolia in 1893, the year after his first wife died. This tree is still standing in Bascom Cemetery in Warren County, TN today. It is not cared for and it is only fertilized by my relatives who are buried under the tree.

If you are looking for good cultivars of southern magnolia, try ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’, ‘D.D. Blanchard’, or ‘Claudia Wanamaker’.

Baldcypress are known as the trees that form knees in the edge of lakes and streams. They generally never form them when they are not near a water source. I have seen some beautiful forms of bald cypress in areas that are rarely cared for and they look fantastic. Even though they look like an evergreen trees, they are deciduous and will lose their leaves. They can reach a height of anywhere to 50-70’, but it will take them a fair amount of time to reach that tall. In the fall you get the added interest of the seedpods hanging on the trees before the leaves fall.

As always, if you have any questions regarding any horticulture facet, feel free to contact Lucas Holman, Horticulture UT-TSU Extension Agent, Wilson County at 615-444-9584 or Lholman1@utk.edu.