Choosing the Right Tree

  • Height: Will it come within 10 feet of power lines  or other vertical obstructions when it’s fully grown?
  • Canopy and root spread: How wide will the tree grow?
  • Growth rate: A slow growing-species is typically stronger and lives longer than fast-growing species.
  • Form or shape: A columnar tree grows in less space. Round or V-shaped trees provide more shade.
  • Climate:  Read more about Plant Hardiness Zones below!
The Plant Hardiness Zones divide the United States and Canada into 11 areas based on a 10 degree Fahrenheit difference in the average annual minimum temperature (The United States falls within Zones 2 through 10). For example, the lowest average temperature in Zone 2 is -50 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, while the minimum average temperature in zone 10 is +30 to +40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Suitable hardiness means a plant can be expected to grow in the zone's temperature extremes, as determined by the lowest average annual temperature.  ​Keep in mind that local variations such as moisture, soil, winds, and other conditions might affect the viability of individual plants.

​Check out your Plant Hardiness Zone using the tool on the right.  If you live in Northern Indiana, Southern Michigan, or Ohio, you live in Zone 6.  You'll want to avoid planting trees and plants that can't handle the freezing temperatures we get in the winter.   Some trees that appreciate our weather in Zone 6 are: 
Tulip Tree
Japanese Maple
Red Maple
Colorado Blue Spruce
Eastern White Pine
Douglas Fir
Eastern Redbud
Quaking Aspen
Red Dogwood
Japanese Cherry
Paper Birch​
Thornless Honeylocust
Flowering Crabapple
Common Boxwood
Leyland Cypress
Winter Creeper
English Ivy
American Holly
California Privet
​Giant Sequoia!
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The Arbor Day Foundation developed this U.S. Hardiness Zone Map based upon data from 5,000 National Climatic Data Center cooperative stations across the continental United States.
If you have a question about a tree that's not listed on this page, be sure to call us at the office.  Some trees that aren't technically listed for our hardiness zones do manage to survive in our area with the proper care.  Look at all the flowering Magnolia trees at Foster Park, for example!