Great Small Trees for Houston To celebrate The Garden Club of America's Centennial in 2013, The Garden Club of Houston has created a list of great small trees for Houston. The trees were selected based on three criteria: 1) native to our area and likely to thrive with little maintenance, 2) exceptional beauty and the widest possible range of seasonal interest, and 3) habitat benefits, particularly for birds.
Thumb	Species	Characteristics
	Acer leucoderme Chalk Maple, Whitebark Maple	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Part-shade Water: Dry
	Carpinus caroliniana American Hornbeam, Blue Beech, Water Beech, Musclewood, Ironwood	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Shade, Part-shade Water: Moist
	Cercis canadensis Eastern Redbud, Redbud	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Shade, Part-shade Water: Moist
	Chionanthus virginicus White Fringetree, Fringe Tree, Snowflower Tree, Flowering Ash, Old Man's Beard, Grandfather Graybeard, Grancy Graybeard	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Part-shade Water: Moist
	Cordia boissieri Mexican Olive, Texas Wild Olive, Anacahuita, Anacahuite	Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub, Tree Light: Sun, Part-shade Water: Moist, Dry
	Crataegus marshallii Parsley Hawthorn, Parsleyleaf Hawthorn	Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub, Tree Light: Part-shade Water: Dry
	Halesia diptera Two-wing Silverbell, Two-winged Silverbell, Silverbell, American Snowdrop Tree, Snowdrop Tree, Snowbell, Cowlicks	Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub, Tree Light: Part-shade Water: Dry
	Ilex decidua Possumhaw, Possumhaw Holly, Deciduous Holly, Meadow Holly, Prairie Holly, Swamp Holly, Welk Holly, Deciduous Yaupon, Bearberry, Winterberry	Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub Light: Sun, Part-shade Water: Moist
	Ilex opaca American Holly, White Holly, Prickly Holly, Evergreen Holly, Christmas Holly, Yule Holly	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade Water: Wet, Dry
	Ilex vomitoria Yaupon, Yaupon Holly, Cassina	Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub, Tree Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade Water: Moist, Dry
	Magnolia virginiana Sweetbay, Sweetbay Magnolia, Southern Sweetbay, Swampbay, Swamp Magnolia, Sweet Magnolia, Small Magnolia, Laurel Magnolia, White Bay, White Laurel, Swamp Laurel, Beaver Tree	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Part-shade Water: Moist
	Morella cerifera Wax Myrtle , Southern Wax Myrtle, Southern Bayberry, Eastern Bayberry, Bayberry, Candleberry, Tallow Shrub	Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub Light: Sun, Part-shade Water: Wet, Moist
	Prunus mexicana Mexican Plum, Bigtree Plum, Inch Plum	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Sun, Part-shade Water: Moist, Dry
	Viburnum rufidulum Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum, Rusty Blackhaw, Southern Blackhaw, Blackhaw, Bluehaw, Downy Viburnum, Southern Nannyberry, Rusty Nannyberry, Nannyberry	Duration: Perennial Habit: Tree Light: Part-shade Water: Dry