Bald Cypress (Taxodium Distichum)
Dinosaurs shaded themselves under the canopies of the soft-textured Bald Cypress. Fifteen-hundred-year-old specimens of this ancient tree are found in North Carolina. While it grows naturally in swamps and bogs, the tree can thrive in any soil condition. Its smooth red bark contrasts beautifully with its light-green, thread-like foliage.
Ultimate size: Up to 100 feet; 35 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Medium to fast
Exposure: Full sun
|
 |
Chinese Pistachio (Pistache)
The Chinese Pistachio's Pecan-like foliage bursts with beautiful color in the fall. This graceful, non-fruiting ornamental is drought-tolerant and resists pest problems in Southeast climates. Its hardiness makes it a popular boulevard tree.
Ultimate size: 60 feet; 30 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Medium
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia, indica/faurei)
North Carolina's hundred days of summer are marked by the blooming of its familiar Crape Myrtles. The blooms of this beautiful Southern tree span a spectrum of pastel colors, from white to purple. The tree features smooth bark, which on some varieties exfoliates to cinnamon-brown. Crape Myrtles come in a wide variety of cultivars. Those ranging from 15 to 30 feet are most common.
Ultimate size: About 20 feet
Growth rate: Extremely fast
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia Glyptostroboides)
Thought to be extinct until specimens were found in China in the 1940s, the Dawn Redwood is a real comeback story. Like the Ginko and Bald Cypress, it once grew over the entire planet. A large-growing deciduous conifer, this tree has fern-like foliage that contrasts beautifully with its deep red wood. It is an excellent choice for providing shade, as well as beauty.
Ultimate size: Unknown due to lack of native specimens; 40 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Extremely fast
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Deodar Cedar (Cedrus Deodara)
The Cedrus Deodara takes the soaring temperatures of a North Carolina summer in stride. A striking ornamental, this large Southern evergreen is blue foliaged and fast growing. Its graceful habits allow it to thrive in Southern heat.
Ultimate size: Up to 50 feet
Growth rate: Fast
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Red Bud (Cercis Canadensis)
Red spring foliage is the hallmark of this blooming ornamental, which is found wild along the coast and in the mountains of the Eastern United States. Often referred to as the Judas tree, it has bright fuchsia blooms that appear to seep from the wood of the branches, like the tears of Judas after he betrayed Christ. The heart-shaped leaf of the Forest Pansy cultivar is red from spring to mid-summer, extending the ornamental value of this popular tree.
Ultimate size: 25 feet
Growth rate: Very fast
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade |
 |
Red Maple (Acer Rubrum)
Contrasting the Red Bud's springtime red foliage, the Red Maple's vibrant red foliage appears in the autumn. Quickly becoming a favorite shade tree, the Red Maple features green summer foliage.
Ultimate size: 80 feet; 40 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Fast
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
River Birch (Betula Nigra)
The most outstanding features of this large-growing shade tree are its adaptability - it will grow in all conditions - and its ornamental peeling bark. Native to North Carolina, the tree is found naturally in flood planes, but will also flourish in dry soil. It is an excellent choice for providing light shade on decks and patios in a relatively short time.
Ultimate size: 75 feet; 40 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Fast
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia Grandiflora)
On a hot summer day in North Carolina, the coolest place to be is under a Magnolia tree. One of the oldest blooming plants on Earth, the Magnolia is the ultimate in Southern evergreen ornamentals. It produces heavy shade and dinner-plate-size fragrant blooms. The brown-velvet-back leaf of the D.D. Blanchard cultivar makes for a darker, lush look.
Ultimate size: Up to 80 feet
Growth rate: Medium
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
The Little Gem cultivar offers the same beauty, fragrance and shade on a smaller scale. A prolific bloomer, the Little Gem's blooms and velvet-back leaves are proportionate to its smaller size, making it a good alternative to hollies for hedging.
Ultimate size: Up to 40 feet
Growth rate: Fast-growing in youth, slow in old age
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Sugar Maple (Acer Sacharrum)
The Sugar Maple's deep green summer foliage turns vibrant orange and red in autumn, making it the queen of fall color. It is abundant in the Blue Ridge Mountains and produces strong hardwood. While the heat of Southern climates inhibits its syrup production, specimens of the Sugar Maple yield the famous maple syrup of Vermont.
Ultimate size: 80 feet; 30 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Medium
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Intermedia)
The winter bloom of this small-growing ornamental makes it an unusual garden specimen. Orange ribbons appear from the wood of the tree in late February to early March, and are then replaced by bluish-green foliage ornamental in its own right. The tree's multiple trunks give it a shrub-like appearance.
Ultimate size: 15 to 20 feet
Growth rate: Slow
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade |
|
Darlington Oak (Quercus Laurifolia)
The Darlington Oak is semi-evergreen and will retain its leaves until mid-February. The medium-size tree features small, dagger-shaped leaves.
Ultimate size: 60 feet; 35 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Fast
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana) Willow Oak (Quercus Phellos)
The Live Oak is a totally evergreen, graceful Southern ornamental. The strength of the tree's wood led to the depletion of many of North Carolina's oldest specimens. In the 1700s, ship hulls were built of the sturdy wood of 400- to 500-year-old coastal Live Oaks.
Ultimate size: 80 feet; 25 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Slow
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
Willow Oak (Quercus Phellos)
The most abundant Oak in the Triangle, the Willow Oak earned Raleigh its designation as the "City of Oaks." Because it is one of the fastest-growing Oaks and an easy transplant, this tall, graceful variety adorns the streets of many Southern cities.
Ultimate size: 100 feet; 40 feet at 20 years
Growth rate: Fast
Exposure: Full sun |
 |
