Good vs Bad trees to plant in Colorado

The Bad

Austree (Salix alba x matsudana)

Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.)

Willows (Salix spp.)

White-Barked Birches (Betula spp.)

Non-native hybrid poplars/cottonwoods(Populus spp.)

Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila)

 

The Good

Hawthorn species* (Crataegus spp.) Flowers in the spring, small fruit produced, most varieties contain small thorns

Crabapple species* (Malus spp.) Flowers in the spring, most varieties produce fruit, select a variety that has a high resistance to fire blight

Amur maple* (Acer ginnala) Yellow- white flowers, abundant seed, orange to red fall color, does better in lower pH soils

Tatarian maple* (Acer tataricum) Winged seeds good for birds, fall color orange-red, hardy tree

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) Small trees or large shrubs with showy white flowers and edible fruits

Gambel (scrub) oak* (Quercus gambelii) Native acorn-producing oak with great variability in size and shape Japanese tree lilac

Redbud (Cercis canadensis) Early spring magenta-colored flowers followed by heart-shaped leaves, plant only northern strains in protected locations

European mountain-ash (Sorbus aucuparia) Dark green, pinnately compound leaves with silvery