Shade trees are some of our favorite trees to plant around Cincinnati homes. These workhorse trees offer benefits all year long. In the summer, a carefully placed shade tree can cool your deck, patio or house and give your air conditioner a break.

Colorful foliage is a visual treat every fall. And when the leaves drop, you can thank these trees for allowing winter sunshine to filter in and warm your home. Here are a few of our favorite shade trees:

Red Sunset Maple

A moderately fast-growing tree, this red maple cultivar shades a yard with green glossy leaves that turn first orange-red then brilliantly red in the fall. A moist site makes this tree happy. It adapts to a range of climates and tolerates full sun to partial shade. This is one of our top picks because you can’t beat the gorgeous foliage of the Red Sunset. It’s a showstopper.

Choose Red Sunset Maple for:

• Superior fall color

• Good branch structure

• Reddish winter buds and winged summer fruits

• Small red and yellow flowers in the spring

• Impact: A full-grown tree will reach 45 to 50 feet in height with a 35- to 40-foot spread

• Its ability to stand up to the cold

Japanese Lilac Tree

If you’re looking for a shade tree that stands out, this one is for you. Also known as a Chinese tree lilac, this species grows to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It’s a trouble-free, low-maintenance lilac that prefers full sun. Don’t let the gorgeous flowers and beautiful shape fool you: This tree is tough and hardy.

What we love about this shade tree:

• Showy, fragrant white flowers in panicles (long flower clusters) reaching 12 inches long

• Rounded oval crown

• Blooms after other lilac blooms have passed

• Reddish-brown peeling bark on younger branches

• Dark green leaves

• Hummingbirds and butterflies love Japanese lilac trees

Lacebark Elm

Make space in your yard for this tree—it will reward you with shiny dark green leaves all summer long. Lacebark elm is a tough tree with a graceful rounded shape. It’s medium- to fast-growing and easily reaches 40 to 50 feet in height with a 40-foot spread. With Cincinnati’s hot summers, we like a tree that can tolerate drought.

You’ll love this tree’s:

• Multicolored bark that flakes to show gray, cream, orange, brown or green patches

• Leaves that turn in shades of yellow to reddish purple in the fall

• Good resistance to Dutch elm disease

• Small dark green leaves

• Adaptability to a variety of soil conditions

• Durability

Shade Trees and More

If you would like to add more shade to your front or back yard, contact us for a no-obligation consultation. Our landscape designers are thrilled to share their tree expertise.