"Your Complete Tree Guide For The Midwest" written over a house with bright red maple trees

Which Trees Will Suit Your Needs & Your Space

The first question you should ask before buying, planting, or growing a tree is: What kind of tree do I want? Usually, the answer is pretty tricky. Some people may like fruit trees because of the benefits they can provide, while others want shade trees to keep their space cooler in the warmer months. Of course, other people may simply want a certain tree to be a focal point of their landscape or garden design. So which type of tree suits you?

We collected information from all four corners of the Midwest and put together a list of some of the most popular trees bought, planted, and grown from Illinois to Ohio, North Dakota to Kansas, and just about everywhere in-between.

Looking up at the canopy of a bright red maple

Red Maple

A number of trees can dwarf Red Maples in size, many can easily compete with their ability to provide shade, and some are certainly more beautiful. However, not many can do all three the way a Red Maple can. It’s not surprising that Red Maples are among the most popular trees bought and grown in the Midwest, as even the sight of one invokes a sense of Americana and reminds us all of our childhood.

Learn to plant, grow, and care for a Red Maple here.

Honeycrisp Apple

This is not too surprising since Honeycrisp Apples were actually developed at the University of Minnesota. While apples themselves are most commonly grown in the Pacific Northwest and Northeastern regions of the United States, Honeycrisps have actually become quite popular around the world, and are steadily among the most popular trees grown throughout the Midwest.

Get the know how on growing a Honeycrisp Apple tree here.

Apples growing on a tree
Branches of an Eastern white pine tree

Eastern White Pine

Sure, as the name implies, the Eastern White Pine is native to the east coast. It’s most common from Canada all the way down to the Carolinas and even into Georgia. Perhaps that’s why it’s so popular among midwesterners looking to bring a bit of the east coast back home.

Find out more about the Eastern White Pine here.

Growing Trees Indoors

When most of us think about trees, we probably first think about backyards, front lawns, maybe parks or forests, but what you probably don’t think about is indoor trees. There are actually a ton of trees that make for wonderful houseplants. Especially in the Midwest, indoors might be the only way for you to grow certain types of trees.

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