A practical guide to floraTop 5 Trees to Plant in Calgary

Planting season is upon us, the great May long weekend frost fear has past, and its time to get those green thumbs full of dirt. However there’s still one question that remains, what trees are best to plant in Calgary climate?

We have funny weather in southern Alberta, no one will argue that, but with trees running $150 and up, it’s nice to have a good idea of which trees can take advantage of our temperamental weather and gives us years of shade and beautiful ambience.

So we’ve compiled a list that references several of Calgary’s great landscaping resources such as the City of Calgary and Sunnyside Home & Garden, just to name a few.

Amur Maple• Height: 20 to 30 feet

• Spread: 20 to 25 feet

• Crown uniformity: symmetrical

• Origin: not native to North America

• Leaf blade length: less than 2 inches

• Leaf color: green

• Fall color: red

• Fall characteristic: showy

• Roots: not a problem

• Winter interest: yes

• Outstanding tree: yes

• Ozone sensitivity: tolerant

• Verticillium wilt susceptibility: susceptible

• Pest resistance: resistant to pests/diseases

Scientific name: Acer ginnala

Scots Pine• Height: 40 to 50 feet

• Spread: 25 to 30 feet

• Crown uniformity: irregular

• Origin: not native to North America

• Leaf blade length: less than 2 inches

• Leaf colour: green

• Fall colour: no colour change

• Fall characteristic: not showy

• Roots: not a problem

• Winter interest: yes

• Outstanding tree: no

• Ozone sensitivity: sensitive

• Verticillium wilt susceptibility: resistant

• Pest resistance: sensitive to pests/diseases

Scientific name: Pinus sylvestris

Bur Oak• Height: 70 to 90 feet

• Spread: 60 to 80 feet

• Crown uniformity: symmetrical

• Origin: Native to North America

• Leaf blade length: 4 to 8 inches

• Leaf colour: green

• Fall colour: copper, yellow

• Fall characteristic: showy

• Roots: not a problem

• Winter interest: no

• Outstanding tree: yes

• Ozone sensitivity: tolerant

• Verticillium wilt susceptibility: resistant

• Pest resistance: resistant to pests/diseases

Scientific name: Quercus macrocarpa

Siberian Larch• Height: 40 to 70 feet

• Spread: 20 to 40 feet

• Crown uniformity: symmetrical

• Origin: Not native to North America

• Leaf blade length: less than 2 inches

• Leaf colour: green

• Fall colour: yellow

• Fall characteristic: showy

• Roots: not a problem

• Winter interest: yes

• Outstanding tree: yes

• Ozone sensitivity: unknown

• Verticillium wilt susceptibility: resistant

• Pest resistance: free of serious pests and diseases

Scientific name: Pseudolarix kaempferi

Ussurian Pear• Height: 25 to 40 feet

• Spread: 20 to 25 feet

• Crown uniformity: symmetrical

• Origin: Not native to North America

• Leaf blade length: 2 to 4 inches

• Leaf colour: green

• Fall colour: Semi-glossy, dark green; orange to yellow

• Fall characteristic: showy

• Roots: Medium in depth

• Winter interest: no

• Ozone sensitivity: tolerant

• Pest resistance: resistant to pests/diseases

• Food: The fruit is hard, but may have use for jams

Scientific name: Pyrus ussuriensis

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