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.

Cladrastis Kentukea

The American Yellowwood is a medium sized, low branching deciduous tree which features a broad, rounded crown and typically grows to around 30 feet tall in Colorado. This tree has 7-11 leaflets per stem which open in the spring as yellowish green, turn bright green in summer, and then turns beautiful yellow or orange in the fall. The Yellowwood has intensely fragrant white flowers appear in late spring and early summer, often in alternate years. These white, pea-like flowers form in 8 to 14 inch long clusters, followed by a flattened pod 2 to 4 inches long. This tree may or may not flower for the first handful of years, depending on the soil and conditions, but once the bloom begins it is a spectacular sight. Most often these trees are multi-trunked and have a smooth light gray bark. Even though this tree is native to North America it is uncommon which makes it even more unique when you see it in a landscape.

The Yellowwood is a moderate to slow growing tree which has a rounded bloom at maturity. Once established this tree is drought tolerant and would be considered a low maintenance tree. Basically just occasional watering in the middle of summer months and pruning as needed for shape (prune this tree in the summer). The roots of the Yellowwood grow deep so other plants can be grown underneath where they will get filtered shade. This tree is very adaptable and can be planted in urban areas, used as a medium-sized shade tree near patios, or as a landscape tree.

This tree is a top choice among horticulturists and does very well in Colorado.  ArborAdvisor gives you a tip-of-the-cap for originality to all of our clients who choose this tree.

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