The right tree for where you actually live

Zones are matched to your account. Trees that won't survive your winter are dimmed — flip the toggle to see the whole continent's worth.

The trees, by region

Tree	Zones	Region	Good for	Notes
Sugar & red maple	3–8	Eastern	Shade, syrup, and blazing fall color	A true landscape workhorse.
Oak	3–9	Widespread	Acorns feed nearly everything — the keystone wildlife tree	Slow but generational; plant it for your grandkids.
American beech	3–9	Eastern	Smooth gray bark; beechnuts feed wildlife	Beech leaf disease is spreading — watch for banded leaves.
American elm	2–9	Eastern	The classic arching street-shade tree	Dutch elm disease — plant resistant cultivars only.
Slippery elm	3–9	Eastern	Inner bark is a traditional soothing remedy	Harvest bark in patches — girdling the trunk kills the tree.
Basswood (linden)	2–8	Eastern	Fragrant, bee-covered flowers; soft carving wood	Edible young leaves and a superb pollinator tree.
Black cherry	3–9	Eastern	Wildlife fruit and prized furniture wood	Wilted leaves and twigs are toxic to livestock (cyanide).
Black walnut	4–9	Eastern	Prized dark timber and edible nuts	Roots release juglone — toxic to tomatoes and many garden plants nearby.
Hickory (shagbark)	4–8	Eastern	Edible nuts and tough, shock-resistant wood	Big taproot — transplant only when very young.
Hackberry	2–9	Central	A tough, adaptable urban tree; berries feed birds	Shrugs off poor soil and city conditions; underrated.
Sweetgum	5–9	Eastern	Star-shaped leaves and brilliant fall color	The spiky "gumball" seed pods are a real cleanup chore.
Sassafras	4–9	Eastern	Mitten-shaped leaves; aromatic; fiery fall color	Root beer's old flavor — but safrole is now known to be unsafe internally.
Witch hazel	3–8	Eastern	Late-fall spidery flowers; the classic skin astringent	A shade-loving understory tree — blooms when nothing else does.
Eastern redbud	4–9	Eastern	Pink spring bloom right along the bare branches	Edible flowers; a small, easy ornamental.
American holly	5–9	Eastern	Evergreen with red winter berries for the birds	Berries are toxic to people; needs a male and female to fruit.
Mulberry	4–9	Widespread	Heavy sweet fruit and fast shade	Fruit stains everything below it; can seed around weedily.
American persimmon	4–9	Eastern	Sweet fruit after frost; a wildlife magnet	Mouth-puckering until dead-ripe; usually needs male + female.
Willow	2–9	Wetlands	Fast, water-loving; erosion control and early bee forage	Aggressive roots — keep it far from pipes, drains, and septic.
Cottonwood	2–9	Wetlands	Very fast shade along rivers and ponds	Weak wood, thirsty roots, and a cottony seed mess in June.
Paper birch	2–7	Northern	Peeling chalk-white bark; a fast pioneer	Short-lived, and prone to bronze birch borer in warm zones.
Quaking aspen	1–7	Northern	Fast clonal pioneer; shimmering gold in fall	Suckers aggressively — not for a small tidy yard.
Eastern white pine	3–8	Northeastern	Fast soft-needled shade and timber; wildlife cover	Watch for white pine blister rust in humid areas.
Eastern hemlock	3–7	Northeastern	Shade-tolerant evergreen; dense shelter for wildlife	Threatened by hemlock woolly adelgid — inspect for the white pest.
Balsam fir	3–6	Northern	The fragrant classic Christmas tree; very cold-hardy	Struggles and short-lived in warm-summer regions.
Spruce	2–7	Northern	Windbreaks, timber, and year-round wildlife cover	Prefers cool climates; suffers in heat and humidity.
Tamarack (larch)	2–5	Northern bogs	A deciduous conifer — needles turn gold and drop each fall	Wants consistently moist, acidic ground.
Northern white cedar (arborvitae)	2–7	Northern	Hedges, screens, and windbreaks	Deer browse it hard — protect young trees through winter.
Bald cypress	4–10	Southeastern	A wet-site champion with "knees"; feathery and deciduous	Thrives in standing water yet handles ordinary yards too.
Live oak	7–10	Southern	Massive spreading evergreen oak; utterly iconic	Give it room — a true multi-generation heritage tree.
Southern magnolia	6–10	Southern	Glossy evergreen with huge, fragrant white flowers	Dense shade and steady leaf drop make a bare patch beneath.
Longleaf / southern yellow pine	7–10	Southern	Timber, pine straw, and a fire-adapted ecosystem	Needs periodic fire or thinning to truly thrive.
Cabbage palmetto	8–11	Coastal South	Salt- and storm-tough coastal palm	Cold-limited — a genuinely warm-climate tree.
Yaupon holly	7–10	Southern	A native holly — its leaves make the only caffeinated native tea	Only the leaves are used; the red berries are toxic.
Ponderosa pine	3–7	Western	Big timber pine; puzzle-piece bark that smells of vanilla	Drought-tough once its deep roots are established.
Lodgepole pine	4–8	Mountain	Straight and slender; fire-adapted (heat-opened cones)	Vulnerable to bark beetle in stressed, crowded stands.
Pinyon pine	5–8	Southwest	Edible pine nuts; slow, tough, and very drought-hardy	Very slow-growing — but the nuts are worth the wait.
Western juniper	4–9	Western	Drought-tough; berry-cones for wildlife (and gin's flavor)	Can spread into and take over open rangeland.
Manzanita	7–10	Western	Sculptural red bark, early bee flowers, edible berries	A shrub-tree built for dry, lean, rocky soil.
Mesquite	6–11	Desert Southwest	Edible pods (mesquite flour); nitrogen-fixer; fine dappled shade	Thorny, with deep aggressive roots that chase water.
Palo verde	8–11	Desert Southwest	Green photosynthetic bark; gold spring bloom; light shade	Arizona's state tree; branches are brittle in wind.
Desert willow	7–11	Desert Southwest	Trumpet flowers that hummingbirds love — and not a true willow	Extremely drought-tolerant once established.
Creosote bush	7–11	Desert Southwest	The scent of desert rain; ancient and tough	A defining desert shrub, not a tree; folk medicinal use is cautioned against.

Hover any illustration for a closer look. Pair this with the perennial & fruit and native plants guides to build a whole zone-matched landscape.

Trees to know apart: safe vs. toxic look-alikes

A · Edible Pine vs. YewDEADLY

The tell: Never brew needle tea from an unconfirmed conifer — bundled needles plus a woody cone means pine.

B · Edible Juniper vs. Savin JuniperTOXIC

The tell: Take foliage and tips only from common juniper — never from the spreading ornamental kind in yards.

C · Yaupon vs. American HollyTOXIC

The tell: Brew yaupon leaves only — and remember every holly's berries are toxic.

D · Desert Willow vs. OleanderDEADLY

The tell: Whorls of three stiff leaves and flat flowers mean oleander — one of the most poisonous shrubs there is.

E · Hickory & Oak Nuts vs. BuckeyeTOXIC

The tell: A glossy nut with a pale eye and a hand-shaped leaf is buckeye — not edible, even after leaching.

F · Tree Hemlock vs. Poison HemlockDEADLY

The tell: Same name, opposite fate — the tree is a conifer, the killer is a soft herb. If it isn't woody, walk away.