The selection of trees for gardens and public landscaping should be made responsibly. The climatic particularities in Colorado make some trees better to be planted than others. Besides resistance to local weather conditions, other tree planting considerations must include the growth rate, the form of the trees and their size at maturity, as well as pest resistance and maintenance issues.
As such, some of the best trees to plant in Colorado are evergreens. However, the larger ones, such as blue spruce and the various pine and fir types are not suitable to be used as street trees; on the other hand, smaller evergreens like Piñon (Pinus edulis), Hawthorn species (Crataegus spp.) or Bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) are.
Small ornamental trees are also successfully used for landscaping. Canada red cherry and Mayday tree with their white flowers, Canyon maple (which is a Rocky Mountain native), Ginkgo biloba, American linden and Sycamore trees are only a few examples.
The trees recommended for Colorado front range communities include many species of large shade trees, such as English oak, Hackberry, Bur oak, Swamp white oak, Honeylocust and American elm.
On the other hand, there are also a few species that are not recommended to be planted in Colorado, for various reasons: their susceptibility to diseases, their tendency to spread and out-compete native species etc. We are talking about Silver maple, Russian-olive or White-Barked Birches, among others.
Before planting any trees in your yard, call professional Colorado utility locate technicians to ensure buried cables are undisturbed and functional throughout your landscaping project.