15 Easy-to-Maintain Trees for Your Home Landscape

Trees anchor our landscapes and provide intrinsic value in their beauty, ecological services, and cooling shade. All the better if they can do it with adaptability, easy care, and minimal maintenance. Standout selections become the key components around which to build our gardens. From small specimens to broad branches, canopies, and skirts, easy-to-maintain trees grow across garden scales.

While all trees require the appropriate climate, sun exposure, and adequate moisture to thrive (especially young trees as they establish strong, healthy roots), our list includes resilient species and cultivars that need few extra resources as they mature. While pruning helps retain form and maintain health, they aren’t fussy about shaping or thinning. They’ll keep a good form with attractive aesthetics as they do. And, they’ll offer shelter and forage for wildlife and pollinators that inhabit our home landscapes.

From the straight species to its attractive cultivars, heart-shaped leaves in rich green to chartreuse to purple enhance their appeal. They’re available in different forms, from broad and spreading to compact and weeping, and suit a variety of garden scales. Look to ‘Forest Pansy’ as a strong performer. The Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit recipient has burgundy-purple new growth that transitions to gray-green as temperatures warm. The showy cultivar has a red-orange to purple fall color.

Cercis are easy-to-maintain trees. They adapt to various site conditions, from poor soils to shifting sunlight. They perform best in average, well-draining soils with consistent moisture, especially during prolonged dry spells.

Cornelian Cherry

	botanical name Cornus mas
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15-25’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Cornelian cherry dogwood joins redbuds as one of the first to flower in early spring, when clusters of bright yellow flowers emerge before the leaves. Post-bloom, little edible red cherries develop and ripen in late summer. Tart and sour off the stem, the fruits mellow in reductions for preserves and syrups.

This dogwood species boasts Award of Garden Merit status and is a Gold Medal Award recipient from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Its award-winning performance is due to cold hardiness, disease resistance, and ornamental value. Cornelian cherry has excellent resistance to dogwood anthracnose.

Cornelian cherries are large shrubs or small specimen trees. They start flowering as early as February and March. A rounded habit, multi-trunks, and exfoliating bark at maturity add all-season appeal.

Star Magnolia

	botanical name Magnolia stellata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15-20’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Star magnolias make excellent, easy-to-maintain trees with ornamental blooms and interesting forms. The dwarf flowering trees show color in early spring with milky white, strappy starbursts. The buds develop and open along silvery branches before the leaves appear.

Star magnolia is one of the smallest in the genus and is a graceful, multi-trunked specimen. Fuzzy buds develop in winter and reveal the starry four-inch flowers later in the season. Pink fruit capsules emerge after flowering and open to orange-red berries.

Unlike other magnolias, M. stellata retains a densely branched, compact form. Other spring-flowering hybrids like ‘Ann’ and ‘Jane’ bear pink saucer blooms a little later in the season (a good pick for cold climates to reduce frost-damage to full buds). 

Native magnolias like sweetbay (M. virginiana) and southern (M. grandiflora) are also easy-to-maintain trees. Sweetbay has vanilla-scented blooms and silvery green leaves and is another small-scale favorite. M. grandiflora is a grande dame of the landscape, growing large and broad with glossy leaves and massive lemony blooms in summer. Southern magnolias have a tendency to drop leaves in spring and fall, as well as their large seed pods.

Arborvitae

	botanical name Thuja occidentalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-60’
	hardiness zones 3-7

Arborvitae brings numerous cultivars of the Eastern U.S. native species that are versatile across growing zones and site conditions. The evergreens have dense, flat foliar sprays on forms that range from columnar and upright to low and rounded. 

‘Emerald Giant’ is a pyramidal evergreen that adds about three feet of growth each year. It reaches 50 to 60 feet tall. ‘Emerald Green’ (Thuja ‘Smaragd’) reaches 10 to 15 feet, and quickly. Both are vigorous and durable with low maintenance requirements.

Arborvitae becomes a year-round anchor. Their structural habits need little pruning.

River Birch

	botanical name Betula nigra
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30-70’
	hardiness zones 4-9

River birch brings high visual interest in an easy-care tree. Papery, colorful, peeling bark lines multitrunks for all-season appeal, especially interesting in winter. Textured leaves emerge in spring and flutter until they turn yellow in the fall and drop. The form is symmetrical with upright branches and a pyramidal canopy. 

Betula nigra is native to Eastern North America. Durable cultivars bring easy care and strong form. ‘Heritage’ is a top-performer with vigorous growth and showy exfoliating bark in cinnamon, beige, and peach. ‘DuraHeat’ is heat and drought-tolerant with good disease and pest resistance. It has full foliage on a densely pyramidal form and is a good option for southern climates. 

River birch is a fast-growing specimen. It adapts to various growing conditions, is heat tolerant, and is pest resistant. While easy to grow and with low maintenance requirements, the species naturally sheds twigs and small branches as they die back. 

American Hornbeam

	botanical name Carpinus caroliniana
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 20-30’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Also called musclewood or ironwood, this North American native has fluted and sinewy bark for limbs with organic musculature. Handsome foliage emerges with red tinges and ages to dark green, turning yellow, orange, and red in the fall. Bark is smooth and grey brown as it stretches around the trunk and branches.

American hornbbeam is a hardwood that tolerates various soils, from clay to alkaline, and periods of moisture and dryness. It does best in moist, well-draining, acidic, sandy loams. 

American hornbeam is a host plant for the Eastern tiger swallowtail and the Red-spotted purple butterflies. Its spring buds and fall seeds are a food source for songbirds, fowl, and small mammals.

Holly

	botanical name Ilex spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-60’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Known for their architectural forms, shapely leaves, and showy fruits, hollies anchor a landscape. Their clusters of red berries offer high winter interest, and birds appreciate the fruits as a cold-season food source. Hollies are rugged and maintain a tidy form through various site conditions, including sandy soils, high heat, humidity, and dry spells. 

American holly, Ilex opaca, is a stately native with dark, matte leaves and bright berries. Female trees bear fruit after pollination, so a male is needed nearby for the berry yield.

Ilex ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ grows in a classic pyramidal form with dark, glossy leaves and vibrant burgundy-red berries. A carefree performer, ‘Nellie’ adapts to a variety of landscape conditions and has been a staple for over a century.

Red Maple

	botanical name Acer rubrum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 40-120’
	hardiness zones 2-9

Red maples have a broad, leafy canopy in striking shades of scarlet in spring and fall. Rosy-pink winged flowers emerge in spring, followed by fresh green leaves that turn shades of crimson, orange, and yellow in autumn. Red maples establish quickly, gaining 10 to 12 feet in five to seven years, to become solid shade specimens.

The North American native species has a wide range. It adapts to various soils, from sand and clay to poorly draining and compacted (though rich, loose, and well-drained compositions are ideal). 

Pest and disease-resistant cultivars bring high form and extended color. ‘Red Sunset’ is a prize performer with an upright habit and early, rich red color. ‘Autumn Flame’ has a rounded, pyramidal form with early red to orange fall color.

Serviceberry

	botanical name Amelanchier spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-15’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Serviceberries are easy-to-maintain trees that we should grow more of. They have an ornamental form, plus they flower and fruit to yield edible berries. Several species and naturally occurring hybrids are native to North America, with a number of cultivars available.

Showy white flower clusters appear in spring before the leaves. The small berries follow, ripening to purple-black over the summer with a blueberry flavor. The green leaves have pale undersides and turn shades of gold and burgundy as temperatures drop. In winter, bare branches show a soft, gray bark. 

The multitasking specimen bridges the ornamental and edible as a singular specimen or small grouping. The blossoms are a valuable early food source for pollinators, and birds and wildlife enjoy the berries.

Smoketree

	botanical name Cotinus coggygria
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Smoketree is a waterwise selection, loosely arranged with multi-stems. It stands apart for its dramatic foliage with deep plum leaves that turn red in the fall. In addition to the foliar interest are delicate, hairy stems with flower clusters that turn dusky pink. The airy clusters persist all summer and create a soft, hazy cloud of “smoke.”.

‘Royal Purple’ is a compact variety prized for holding its rich purple-maroon color throughout the warm season. It adapts to different soils and is drought-tolerant once established. Prune to form a single trunk, or allow multi-trunks to develop. Or, keep it small and shrubby by cutting back stems each year.

The North American native species, Cotinus obovatus, is widely adaptable, even in rocky soils (though loose, lean loams are best). It boasts some of the best fall color among native trees.

Juniper

	botanical name Juniperus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-50’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Junipers range in shape and size from trailing groundcovers to tall, columnar trees. With foliage from deep green to blue to gold, they add year-round visual interest. Their blue, waxy berries add to the winter aesthetic.

Often overlooked as common or scrubby (because junipers are tough and grow almost anywhere), tidy juniper varieties like ‘Blue Arrow,’ ‘Spartan,’ and ‘Moonglow’ are versatile across garden scales and add richness in form, color, and texture.

Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is native to North America and reaches 30 to 40 feet tall. Foliage is blue-green with overlapping scales. With exceptional drought tolerance and ease of growth, this is a rugged evergreen. Cultivars like ‘Brodie’ offer a more refined look with slender, columnar forms.

Japanese Maple

	botanical name Acer palmatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-25’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Japanese maples are highly ornamental with distinct leaf shapes and colors on spreading, upright, or weeping branches. Despite their delicate appearance, they’re easy-to-maintain trees once established.

‘Bloodgood’ is a standard for an adaptable maple with higher sun and heat tolerance. The purple-red palmate leaves turn scarlet in the fall, and even the bark stands out in reddish-black. ‘Crimson Queen’ has a weeping form with low branching. Like ‘Bloodgood,’ leaves are deep red and palmate with a scarlet flush in cool weather. Both varieties are Award of Garden Merit recipients.

Japanese maples slowly reach their mature height. To guide their form, prune them in winter over the first several years. In cool climates, they tolerate more sun, given ample moisture. In warmer growing areas, dappled shade is best. Morning sun is ideal for bringing out the best color.

Fringetree

	botanical name Chionanthus virginicus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-30’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Fringetree is another North American native that makes a low-maintenance tree. It bears masses of creamy white, strappy flowers in late spring. Fluffy, airy clusters droop from the tips of stems with a light fragrance to draw pollinators. Dark berries become forage for birds.

Fringetree develops a spreading, leafy canopy that transitions to deep gold in autumn before the leaves drop. Fringetrree adapts to urban settings and seldom needs pruning. For the best vigor, provide supplemental irrigation during drought situations.

Arizona Cypress

	botanical name Hesperocyparis arizonica
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 40-60’
	hardiness zones 7-11

Arizona cypress is a pyramidal evergreen with a narrow form and rugged appeal. It has bright, silvery needles on strong, full branches, for an overall soft and hazy look.

Native to the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, the conifer withstands heat and drought once established. Low maintenance, it forms roots easily in various soils. Pruning needs are minimal, with attractive full skirting to the ground. 

Arizona cypress grows well in warm climates where it makes an easy-care windbreak, privacy screen, or erosion control selection. The cool blue needles cool down the display and contrast with green-leaved neighbors.

Silverbell

	botanical name Halesia carolina
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-40’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Carolina silverbells make pretty woodland and naturalized plantings with delicate blooms and quiet grace. The understory species is native to the Appalachian Mountains and southeastern U.S. White bell blooms appear in spring and hang from stems in clusters. Four-winged nuts emerge in fall and last into winter for extended seasonal interest.