Malus ‘Adams’

A gorgeous spring flowering crabapple, ‘Adams’ is a great Colorado tree and perfect for small yards or spaces due to its smaller stature than other crabapples. Adams Crabapple is a strong tree with good disease resistance. The foliage has a reddish tint in spring, is green all summer, and turns golden yellow in late autumn. It produces 5/8” bright, glossy red fruit that persists all winter. This crabapple grows to 20′ and does best in full sun and moist, well drained, slightly acidic soil.

Hardy to -30°F
Maximum Elevation: 6,000 ft.

Prunus avium ‘Bing’

The Bing Cherry is one of the best and most famous cherry tree varieties. This is ArborAdvisor's SWEET cherry tree recommendation for Colorado. The Montmorency Cherry tree is the SOUR variety recommendation. The main difference between the two is the Montmorency is self-pollinating so you can plant just one to get fruit, the Bing however, requires a pollinator tree nearby to help it produce fruit. (Yes, both cherries taste great in pies.)

The Bing Cherry is a beautiful small fruit tree with spring flowers and delicious sweet cherries. In early spring, this tree is covered in beautiful white flowers.  Later in the spring and through the summer bright green leaves persist with deep garnet, almost-black looking fruit. At maturity this tree will reach 16-20 feet but can be held to any height with pruning. The cherries are very large, dark, delicious—great for baking and preserves. It's cherries will be ready to harvest in mid to late June.

Note: The Bing Cherry does require cross-pollination, so another variety cherry tree nearby is necessary if you want it to produce fruit. Although almost any other sweet cherry will cross-pollinate with a Bing, we recommend the Black Tartarian Cherry tree which does well in Colorado and is a great pollinator tree. You may consider looking at existing trees within 100 feet of your property to see if a pollinator tree already exists.

As with all cherry trees, the Bing has a beautiful round shape for a featured spot in the landscape. It is extremely winter hardy and very adaptable. Fruiting time can take a couple years depending on soil and weather.

Hardy to -30°
Maximum elevation: 6,000 ft

Fagus sylvatica 'Roseomarginata'

The Tricolor Beech is a great shade tree with unusual foliage which thrives best in partially sunny and mostly sunny areas. Its early spring leaves are marbled with silvery-white and cream, changing to purple leaves edged in pink and white in the summer. Up close its leaves are purple with a border of blushing white and rose.  This tree blazes with color for a stunning effect— it really stands out with its unique color. The Tricolor Beach becomes a large tree at around 30 feet tall at maturity, so it needs adequate room to grow. It can be a versatile tree but it's mostly ideal for lawns—possibly as a front yard statement tree or possibly as a backyard shade tree in a city environment.

This is a slow-growing tree so it can be used in landscapes, but be thoughtful when planting as it will become a large tree. Requires regular watering especially during the summer months. This is a cold-hardy tree ready to stand up to Colorado winters. It should be planted in well drained areas.

Hardy to -30°F
Maximum Elevation: 7,000 ft.

Amelanchier alnifolia

The Saskatoon Serviceberry is a deciduous shrub or small tree which typically grows to 15-20 feet tall, and 6-8 feet wide in Colorado. Its growth form varies from single stem to clumped. It has leaves which are nearly circular and has clusters of white flowers which appear in the spring. These flowers are quite fragrant and appear on the upright arching branches as deep green leaves develop. Around mid summer, small purple-black fruit appears. The fruit tastes similar to blueberries and can be eaten many ways. They are delicious raw and can also be used in pies and jams. The Saskatoon Serviceberry's fall foliage is yellow to red. This tree is very adaptable and has low water needs once established.

Hardy to -30°F
Maximum Elevation: 9,000 Feet