No garden should be without trees that provide shade, which is why we present 44 great species for every garden and location - whether small or large, sunny or shady.

In a nutshell

  • for different locations and soils
  • at different rates of growth
  • particularly important: climate trees that can cope with drought
  • some species also for tub culture or for the front garden

Shade trees for small gardens

Even if you only have a small to medium-sized garden or yard, you don't have to do without shady trees. The species presented here remain comparatively small, but form more luxuriant crowns.

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

  • Growth height: 8 to 20 meters
  • Growth width: 3 to 4 meters
  • Growth rate: 40 to 60 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients
  • Special features: bright red autumn colour

Whitebeam (Sorbus aria)

Source: Ivar Leidus, Apis mellifera - Sorbus intermedia - Keila, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Growth height: 6 to 18 meters
  • Growth width: 4 to 12 meters
  • Growth rate: 25 to 35 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: undemanding, permeable
  • Special features: wood for bees and birds, urban climate proof

Fire maple (Acer ginnala)

Source: Famartin, 2014-10-05 15 31 32 Small trees during autumn leaf coloration along Rafter Hat Road near 2 Bottle Bar Lane in Spring Creek, Nevada, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Growth height: 5 to 6 meters
  • Growth width: up to 7 meters
  • Growth rate: 35 to 40 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, does not tolerate lime
  • Special features: tolerates drought, fiery red autumn colours

Common Judas Tree (Cercis siliquastrum)

  • Growth height: up to 6 meters
  • Growth width: up to 4 meters
  • Growth rate: 25 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: ornamental flowering shrub, well suited to dry soil

Bird cherry (Prunus padus)

Source: Anneli Salo, Prunus padus - Tuomi - Marjoja H9256 C, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Growth height: up to 15 meters
  • Growth width: up to 7 meters
  • Growth rate: 40 to 70 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: undemanding
  • Special features: valuable wood for feeding birds

Himalayan birch (Betula utilis)

With a few exceptions, the Himalayan birch is extremely resistant to diseases and pests. Source: Ashley Dace, Himalayan Birch - geograph.org.uk - 2221020, Edited by Gartenlexikon.de (MKr), CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Growth height: 8 to 15 meters
  • Growth width: 5 to 7 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 30 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: extraordinarily white trunk colouration

Notice: The Himalayan birch originally comes from the Himalayas and is mainly at home in Kashmir and Nepal. It impresses with its radiant white bark and its extreme frost hardiness.

Canadian Judas Tree (Cercis canadensis)

  • Growth height: 5 to 8 meters
  • Growth width: up to 8 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 40 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: suitable for tubs and front gardens

Tip: The cultivar 'Forest Pansy' is particularly well suited, which is extremely frost hardy after surviving its youth and also impresses with its beautiful, red foliage.

Cake tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)

  • Growth height: 8 to 10 meters
  • Growth width: up to 7 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, loamy to clayey
  • Special features: bright autumn colors

Notice: The cake tree is also sold under the names katsura tree or (Japanese) gingerbread tree, as its leaves emit a gingerbread scent.

Ball Trumpet Tree 'Nana' (Catalpa bignonioides 'Nana')

Source: Rasbak, Catalpa bignonioides 'Nana' (02), Edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Growth height: 4 to 7 meters
  • Growth width: 4 to 7 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 30 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: dense, spherical crown

Tip: Unfortunately, the decorative ball trumpet tree is quite sensitive to temperature and therefore needs a sheltered place in the garden and frost protection in winter.

Cultivated apple (Malus domestica)

Malus, apple tree
  • Growth height: up to 10 meters
  • Growth width: up to 5 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 40 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil, well drained
  • Special features: edible fruits

Notice: There are hundreds of different apple varieties with different fruits, ripening times and growth forms.

Cultivated pear (Pyrus communis)

Source: Joris Egger, Trübler Baum, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Growth height: 5 to 15 meters
  • Growth width: 3 to 6 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 60 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: undemanding
  • Special features: edible fruits

Persian ironwood tree (Parrotia persica)

Source: A.Savin (Wikimedia Commons · WikiPhotoSpace), Botanical Garden Berlin-Dahlem 10-2014 photo13 Parrotia persica, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Growth height: up to 9 meters
  • Growth width: up to 7 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 40 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil, adaptable
  • Special features: Shallow roots, so do not plant under

Notice: The ironwood tree bears its name for a reason, because its wood is not buoyant due to its extreme density.

Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus)

Prunus cerasus, sour cherry
  • Growth height: up to approx. 6 metres
  • Growth width: up to approx. 4 metres
  • Growth rate: 30 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: undemanding fruit tree with edible fruits, numerous varieties

handkerchief tree / dove tree (Davidia involucrata)

  • Growth height: 6 to 8 meters
  • Growth width: up to 4.5 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 40 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: attractive flowering tree with showy bracts

Rowan / mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia)

  • Growth height: 6 to 12 meters
  • Growth width: 4 to 6 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 70 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: loose, humic, fresh to moist
  • Special features: Valuable wood for feeding birds, bright red fruits

Shade trees for large gardens

There is a huge selection of shady trees for large gardens or even parks.

American honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

  • Growth height: 15 to 20 meters
  • Growth width: 8 to 20 meters
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, fresh to moist
  • Special features: climate tree, strongly fragrant flower clusters from June to July

American red oak (Quercus rubra)

  • Growth height: 20 to 25 meters
  • Growth width: 10 to 15 meters
  • Growth rate: 55 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: undemanding
  • Special features: good for urban areas, fast-growing

Tree hazel (Corylus colurna)

Source: Botaurus-stellaris, Corylus-colurna-20-09-2009-08, edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • Growth height: 12 to 20 meters
  • Growth width: 8 to 12 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 35 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: deep, clayey
  • Special features: broad, conical crown, edible nuts

Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)

  • Growth height: 25 to 30 meters
  • Growth width: 15 to 20 meters
  • Growth rate: 10 to 100 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: fresh to moist, calcareous
  • Special features: wood for feeding birds, extremely hardy

Wych elm (Ulmus glabra)

  • Growth height: up to 35 meters
  • Growth width: up to 20 meters
  • Growth rate: 40 to 60 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, deep
  • Special features: specially developed, wide crown

Tip: Wych elms feel particularly at home in a location along a flowing body of water.

Bluebell tree (Paulownia tomentosa)

  • Growth height: up to 15 meters
  • Growth width: up to 10 meters
  • Growth rate: 40 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: well-drained, moderately dry to fresh
  • Special features: large violet panicles of flowers from April to May

Notice: The blue bell tree not only delights with its magnificent flowers, but also with its large, velvety hairy and heart-shaped leaves.

German oak / pedunculate oak (Quercus robur)

Quercus robur, English oak
  • Growth height: up to 35 meters
  • Growth width: up to 20 meters
  • Growth rate: 25 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, deep
  • Special features: tolerates drought, native species

Fan leaf tree / Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)

  • Growth height: up to 20 meters
  • Growth width: up to 10 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: undemanding, no known diseases

Notice: The ginkgo tree, originally from China, is one of the oldest tree species on earth: it grew 180 million years ago when dinosaurs were still inhabiting the earth.

Field elm (Ulmus carpinifolia)

  • Growth height: 15 to 30 meters
  • Growth width: 15 to 25 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 60 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, likes lime, not too dry
  • Special features: resistant to urban and industrial climates, loves warmth, native species

European white elm (Ulmus laevis)

  • Growth height: up to 40 meters
  • Growth width: up to 20 meters
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, likes lime, fresh to wet
  • Special features: urban climate resistant, hardly affected by the Dutch elm disease

Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

  • Growth height: up to 25 meters
  • Growth width: up to 20 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 45 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: nutrient-rich, moist
  • Special features: native species, ideal for ponds or streams

Green Weeping Beech 'Pendula' (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula')

  • Growth height: 15 to 30 meters
  • Growth width: 20 to 25 meters
  • Growth rate: 25 to 40 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, calcareous, fresh to moist
  • Special features: deeply overhanging branches, becomes very stately with age

Tip: With its dark red foliage, the attractive variety black-red hanging beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Pendula') is particularly eye-catching.

Hornbeam / Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Carpinus betulus, hornbeam
  • Growth height: up to 15 meters
  • Growth width: up to 8 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 75 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: undemanding, also for drier soils
  • Special features: cut-resistant, also suitable for hedges

Hop beech (Ostrya carpinifolia)

  • Growth height: 10 to 15 meters
  • Growth width: 8 to 13 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 45 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to shady
  • Soil: dry to fresh, nutritious
  • Special features: climate tree, for calcareous soils

Japanese cord tree (Sophora japonica)

  • Growth height: 15 to 20 meters
  • Growth width: 10 to 18 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 45 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, deep
  • Special features: good food for bees, climate tree

Sycamore (Platanus hispanica)

Source: Taken by Fanghong, PlantanusAcerifoliaLeaf2, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Growth height: 25 to 30 meters
  • Growth width: 15 to 20 meters
  • Growth rate: 45 to 60 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, deep, fresh to moist
  • Special features: tolerates pruning well, suitable for urban climates

Purple alder (Alnus spaethii)

Source: Katja Schulz from Washington, D.C., USA, Alder (31075683965), edited by Plantopedia, CC BY 2.0
  • Growth height: 12 to 18 meters
  • Growth width: 6 to 8 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: undemanding
  • Special features: climate tree, urban climate proof, hybrid breeding

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

  • Growth height: 25 to 30 meters
  • Growth width: up to 20 meters
  • Growth rate: 45 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: fresh, deep
  • Special features: showy, very large leaves, fruits in autumn

Red maple (Acer rubrum)

  • Growth height: 10 to 15 meters
  • Growth width: 6 to 10 meters
  • Growth rate: 15 to 40 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: grows almost everywhere, with as little lime as possible
  • Special features: impressive autumn colors, tolerates drought

European beech (Fagus sylvatica)

  • Growth height: up to 30 meters
  • Growth width: 6 to 8 meters
  • Growth rate: 20 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, fresh to moist
  • Special features: local species

Tip: The common beech is very tolerant of pruning and can therefore be used as a (high) hedge.

Red alder (Alnus glutinosa)

  • Growth height: 10 to 30 meters
  • Growth width: 8 to 12 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: moist to wet
  • Specialties: valuable for birds and insects

White willow (Salix alba)

  • Growth height: 15 to 20 meters
  • Growth width: 10 to 15 meters
  • Growth rate: 60 to 150 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, likes moist to wet
  • Special features: ideal for ponds or streams, also tolerates drier soil

Notice: The white willow is also known as "head willow".

Small-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos)

  • Growth height: up to 35 meters
  • Growth width: up to 25 meters
  • Growth rate: 40 to 60 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: deep, rich in nutrients
  • Special features: valuable bee nutriment

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium)

Prunus avium, wild cherry, sweet cherry
  • Growth height: up to 20 meters
  • Growth width: up to 15 meters
  • Growth rate: 40 to 60 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: deep, permeable
  • Special features: numerous varieties with edible fruits

Tip: There are hundreds of cultivars of the sweet cherry, many of which remain significantly smaller than the original species and are therefore also suitable for smaller gardens.

Trumpet tree (Catalpa bignonioides)

  • Growth height: up to 15 meters
  • Growth width: up to 10 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, fresh
  • Special features: ornamental flowering tree

Tip: The 'Nana' variety with a spherical crown is recommended for small gardens.

Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

  • Growth height: 20 to 35 meters
  • Growth width: 12 to 20 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 70 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, fresh to moist
  • Special features: Tulip-like flowers from May to June

Walnut (Juglans regia)

  • Growth height: 15 to 20 meters
  • Growth width: 10 to 15 meters
  • Growth rate: 40 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: normal garden soil
  • Special features: edible nuts in autumn

silver birch (Betula pendula)

  • Growth height: up to 20 meters
  • Growth width: up to 10 meters
  • Growth rate: 30 to 45 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: undemanding
  • Special features: grows almost everywhere

Tip: The native species is also known as silver birch or silver birch. It gets along on almost any soil and tolerates drought.

Small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata)

Source: AnRo0002, 20220608Tilia cordata1, Edited by Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • Growth height: up to 30 meters
  • Growth width: 10 to 15 meters
  • Growth rate: 25 to 50 centimeters/year
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: deep, rich in nutrients
  • Special features: valuable bee nutriment

frequently asked Questions

Which shade trees can cope with climate change?

Since the effects of climate change are becoming more and more noticeable in Germany, you should focus more on plants that can cope well with drought. Shade-giving trees for the garden, which have been tried and tested as climate trees, are above all elms, purple alder, black locust, hop beech and the patrician tree.

Which tree species are particularly shade-tolerant?

All beech and maple species in particular are quite undemanding in terms of their light requirements, which is why they can also be planted in places in the garden with less light. Lime trees also thrive well in semi-shade - and still do a good job as shady trees, for example at the afternoon coffee table outdoors.

Which shady trees grow particularly fast?

Shade-giving trees, which are also particularly fast-growing, are above all: the blue bell tree, the trumpet tree and all types of maple. Beech, birch, ash, willow and poplar also grow relatively quickly. In addition, it is not only trees that provide shade that grow better if they are in the best possible location and are well cared for.

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Garden plants