Are you looking for something unique to help set your home apart from all the rest? We've got the top 10 Most Unique Shade Trees for the Chicagoland area right here.
Choosing a tree with unique features will help to set your home apart from the rest. Planting something different from your neighbor is a great way to help out with local ecology, and it will add unique beauty to your home. To be more specific, diversification is a great way to prevent the complete wipeout of trees in a neighborhood, i.e., the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and Ash Trees.
Be sure to think about placement and any existing structures before selecting your tree. Is your tree going on the parkway, or do you need shade for your deck? Is this going to be a conversation piece to boot? Is this something you want to add a spotlight to in your front yard? Ask yourself some questions about what you want and need out of your tree. What ornamental features might be of value to you, and so on.
Our Top 10 List of Unique Shade Trees for the Chicagoland Area →
Purple Catalpa leafs out in the spring with beautiful deep purple, heart-shaped leaves. These unique leaves provide welcome shade in open areas of your yard or along the parkway. Large panicles of yellow and purple-spotted white flowers crown the canopy in late spring as the foliage begins its transition to bronze-green summer color. It's a beautiful sight to see!
Choose this tree if you want to make a statement. This tree is truly a unique specimen shade tree. Purple Robe Black Locust's bluish-green foliage emerges burgundy in spring, and the oval leaves turn yellow in the fall. It has chains of fragrant rose pea-like flowers with yellow eyes hanging below the branches in late spring.
03 Shawnee Brave Bald Cypress →
Shawnee's adaptability to unpredictable urban conditions makes this a top contender. This unique narrow shade tree grows in a variety of soil conditions and is tolerant of wet locations.
04 Armstrong Gold® Red Maple →
A new favorite selection at iTrees.com— Armstrong Gold® Red Maple ticks all of the boxes. This columnar shade tree is a statement maker. Bright fall colors of orange and golden hues shine in the landscape come fall.
This large shade tree shines in summer with glossy, green leaves. Its narrow form at only 25 ft wide at full maturity allows it the versatility to be planted along the parkway and in smaller landscapes. Bonus! In late spring, unique tulip-like flowers top the leaves.
We can't say enough about this standout maple variety. Not only does it thrive in hot and humid weather conditions, but it will hold its rich glossy deep purple color throughout the summer. Also worth mentioning is its mature size, reaching about 35 ft tall and 25 ft wide. This tree's an ideal candidate for narrow locations, parkways, and any open area of the landscape.
Princeton Sentry only grows to have a mature spread of about 15 ft wide. This shade tree selection is a top pick for narrow parkways. It's unique fanlike leaves turn a stunning gold in the fall.
This hot pick will brighten your yard come fall with its magnificent yellow to orange fiery fall color. Celebration maple grows to have a broadly oval mature form that offers sufficient shade in the summer months. Bonus! This maple is seedless!
This shade tree is tough stuff! Built by its tight, stiffly upright branching, it boasts a storm-resistant structure. Plant this oak in narrow parkways, near walkways, or anywhere in your landscape that needs a unique statement.
10 Musashino Japanese Zelkova →
This tree's unique upright branching offers much-needed shade to any passersby, and its branches won't intrude on nearby automobiles. Medium green, serrated leaves transition in the fall to an array of tones from yellow to rusty-red.
Browse our selection of available trees today!
