Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Wednesday - September 11, 2013

From: Ellicott City, MD
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Shrubs, Trees
Title: Shade Tree for Baltimore Patio
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

I am looking for a deep-rooted shade tree (or a tall shrub) for near my patio in Baltimore, Md. I desire shade in summer, but with minimum impact to the patio. The tree would be about 20 feet from the house. Any suggestions?

ANSWER:

The first place to go to find a list of potential plants is our Native Plant Database. Use the Combination Search feature instead of Recommended Species. This will provide a bigger selection with much more choice to narrow down. The volunteers and staff at the Wildflower Center who maintain the database have partners in different regions to help with these recommended species lists based on what is easy to access in local nurseries.
Under Combination Search, select the following categories: State – Maryland, Habit – tree, Duration – Perennial, Light Requirement – Sun, Soil Moisture – Moist, Size – 12-36 ft. You can narrow down this search further by indicating leaf retention, blooming time and bloom color too if you like.
These search criteria will give you trees to consider. Some of the trees have fruit that may have an impact on your patio (Morus rubra, Prunus serotina, Prunus virginiana) so take this into consideration. You can also redo the search for the larger trees and shrub category too. Follow each plant link to our webpage for that plant to learn its growing conditions, bloom time, etc. At the bottom of each plant webpage, under Additional Resources, there is a link to the USDA webpage for that plant. Take a look there for more specific details about suitability before you put them on your final planting list.

Some of the potential trees (12-26 ft) to consider are:

Acer spicatum (mountain maple)

Alnus incana (gray alder)

Amelanchier laevis  (Allegheny serviceberry)

Asimina triloba (pawpaw)

Pinus virginiana (Virginia pine)

Ptelea trifoliata (wafer ash)

Sassafras albidum (sassafras)

Sorbus americana (American mountain ash)

 

From the Image Gallery


Mountain maple
Acer spicatum

Gray alder
Alnus incana

Allegheny serviceberry
Amelanchier laevis

Allegheny serviceberry
Amelanchier laevis

Pawpaw
Asimina triloba

Pawpaw
Asimina triloba

Virginia pine
Pinus virginiana

Wafer ash
Ptelea trifoliata

Sassafras
Sassafras albidum

American mountain ash
Sorbus americana

American mountain ash
Sorbus americana

More Trees Questions

Native trees for horse pasture in eastern Washington
October 15, 2008 - Hi. I live in Washington State (eastern)What type of trees can I grow in a pasture for horses? Best Regards,
view the full question and answer

Variegated leaves on Ungnadia speciosa (Mexican buckeye)
April 11, 2007 - I grew some mexican buckeyes from seed last year and one of them has variegated leaves. I haven't seen this before- have I just not looked at enough mexican buckeyes up close or is this an uncommon f...
view the full question and answer

Arborvitae thinning in Bucks County, PA
April 09, 2010 - My arborvitae trees are about 11 ft. tall. I had them put in about 3 years ago. They were 8 to 10 ft. when planted. After the first year, I have noticed they are thinning to the point where you can se...
view the full question and answer

Will the sea water from Hurricane Ike residually affect Galveston's soil
December 06, 2009 - Most of the trees on Galveston Island died following Hurricane Ike, apparently as a result of the sea water that covered the island. Will the sea water that soaked the soil have a residual effect on...
view the full question and answer

Yellowing leaves on young bur oak
August 06, 2007 - I saw your response on 7/25 about leaves on mature live oaks turning yellow, then brown because of excessive rain. The same thing is happening to our young burr oak. Leaves are turning yellowish, th...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.