Learning to recognize the importance of different shaped trees is a valuable tool for any home gardener. The branching pattern of open-head irregular trees offer wonderful shade, while the branches of weeping trees can accomplish the goal of softening the look of a landscape. The canopies of globe shaped trees are ideal for formal landscapes and fastigate shaped trees provide beautiful hedges to define boundaries. Learn how to utilize these shapely trees to help give your landscape definition and character.
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Live oak is a long-lived, massive, evergreen Southern shade tree. It reaches 40 to 80 feet tall and 60 to 100 feet wide. Its horizontal branches form a broad, rounded canopy. Have mature trees pruned professionally every 5 to 10 years to remove dead wood.
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For an oak, northern red oak grows quickly, ultimately reaching 60 to 75 feet tall and 40 to 50 feet wide. The canopy is rounded and symmetrical. The leaves are long, narrow, and deeply-lobed, turning red in autumn.
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Pin oak is straight-trunked and pyramidal. One of the faster growing oaks, it reaches 60 to 70 feet tall and 25 to 40 feet wide. Lower branches may droop to the ground. Some trees develop good red fall color, others do not.
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