# Uncommon Yard Trees

> Native shade and flowering trees that deserve far more use than they get.

Blue Whale Trees, a native tree nursery in the United States. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/shop/yard-trees/?moisture=dry&sun=part

104 native shade and flowering trees for yards, from small trees such as [flowering dogwood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/flowering-dogwood/index.html.md), [eastern redbud](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/eastern-redbud/index.html.md), serviceberry and [white fringetree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/white-fringetree/index.html.md) to canopy trees such as [black gum](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/black-gum/index.html.md), [American basswood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-basswood/index.html.md), [bald cypress](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/bald-cypress/index.html.md) and [Kentucky coffeetree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/kentucky-coffeetree/index.html.md). Mature heights run from about 10 to 120 feet and hardiness from USDA zone 2 to zone 10 depending on the species. All are sold as saplings, and 100 of them as seed to sow. Most saplings ship while dormant, in spring and fall. A few ship in spring only, among them black gum and most of the magnolias, and sand pine ships in fall only. Each plant's page gives its own season. Which of them belongs near a house is its own question: see [six trees not to plant near a house, and what to plant instead](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/trees-not-to-plant-near-a-house/index.html.md).

34 of 423 plants matching part sun, dry soil. Each plant links to its own Markdown page with the full facts, description and growing guide.

Columns: Zones are the USDA hardiness zones the plant takes, from the coldest to the warmest it is rated for (zone 2 is the coldest, 10 the warmest); Height is mature height in feet; Sun and Soil list every condition the plant takes; Grown from is what the nursery offers it as (saplings, or acorns, nuts or seed to sow); Price is the lowest price for sale, a plant size's first and a packet's apart, or Sold out for a priced plant with nothing for sale, or "ask" when the plant is not yet priced online (email captain@bluewhaletrees.com or join the waitlist on the web page).

This table accepts the shop's filters as query parameters on this address: size (shrub, small-tree, medium-tree, large-tree), sun (full, part, shade), moisture (dry, average, wet), zone (2 to 10), native (a state's two-letter code in capitals, such as PA: the plants native to that state by the USDA PLANTS records), want (a trait: flowers, fall-color, wildlife, honey, edible, evergreen, rare, drought, wet-tolerant, shade, early-bearing, screening, nitrogen-fixing, salt, winter-interest, street-tree, erosion-control; rare means uncommon in the wild or in nurseries, honey a nectar source for bees), as (acorns, seed, nuts, saplings) and q (a search word). Several values may be joined with commas.

| Plant | Botanical name | Group | Type | Height (ft) | Zones | Sun | Soil | Grown from | Price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Black Gum (Tupelo)](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/black-gum/index.html.md) | *Nyssa sylvatica* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 40–70 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Dry, Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Northern Catalpa](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/northern-catalpa/index.html.md) | *Catalpa speciosa* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 40–70 | 4–8 | Full, Part | Dry, Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Eastern Redbud](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/eastern-redbud/index.html.md) | *Cercis canadensis* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 20–30 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Hop Hornbeam](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/hop-hornbeam/index.html.md) | *Ostrya virginiana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 25–40 | 3–9 | Full, Part, Shade | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Common Hackberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/common-hackberry/index.html.md) | *Celtis occidentalis* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 40–60 | 2–9 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Sassafras](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/sassafras/index.html.md) | *Sassafras albidum* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 30–60 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Common Hoptree (Wafer Ash)](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/common-hoptree/index.html.md) | *Ptelea trifoliata* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–20 | 4–9 | Part, Full, Shade | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Chalk Maple](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/chalk-maple/index.html.md) | *Acer leucoderme* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 25–30 | 5–9 | Part, Full, Shade | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Dwarf Hackberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/dwarf-hackberry/index.html.md) | *Celtis tenuifolia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–30 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Florida Maple](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/florida-maple/index.html.md) | *Acer floridanum* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 20–60 | 5–9 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Devilwood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/devilwood/index.html.md) | *Cartrema americana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–30 | 5–10 | Part, Full, Shade | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Rock Elm](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/rock-elm/index.html.md) | *Ulmus thomasii* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 70–90 | 2–9 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [September Elm](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/september-elm/index.html.md) | *Ulmus serotina* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–70 | 4–8 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Winged Elm](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/winged-elm/index.html.md) | *Ulmus alata* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 40–60 | 6–9 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Cedar Elm](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/cedar-elm/index.html.md) | *Ulmus crassifolia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 50–70 | 6–9 | Full, Part | Average, Dry, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Gum Bumelia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/gum-bumelia/index.html.md) | *Sideroxylon lanuginosum* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–45 | 5–10 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Hercules' Club](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/hercules-club/index.html.md) | *Zanthoxylum clava-herculis* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–40 | 6–10 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Sugarberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/sugarberry/index.html.md) | *Celtis laevigata* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 50–80 | 5–10 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Black Maple](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/black-maple/index.html.md) | *Acer nigrum* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–75 | 3–8 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Gray Birch](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/gray-birch/index.html.md) | *Betula populifolia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 20–40 | 3–8 | Full, Part | Average, Dry, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Pond Cypress](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/pond-cypress/index.html.md) | *Taxodium ascendens* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 30–70 | 5–10 | Full, Part | Wet, Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Redbay](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/redbay/index.html.md) | *Persea borbonia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 30–60 | 7–10 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Sweetleaf](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/sweetleaf/index.html.md) | *Symplocos tinctoria* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–30 | 7–9 | Part, Shade, Full | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Clammy Locust](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/clammy-locust/index.html.md) | *Robinia viscosa* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 30–40 | 3–8 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Carolina Laurelcherry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/carolina-laurelcherry/index.html.md) | *Prunus caroliniana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–40 | 7–10 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Southern Catalpa](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/southern-catalpa/index.html.md) | *Catalpa bignonioides* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 30–60 | 5–9 | Full, Part | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Georgia Plume](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/georgia-plume/index.html.md) | *Elliottia racemosa* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–16 | 6–9 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Tough Bully](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/tough-bully/index.html.md) | *Sideroxylon tenax* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 12–30 | 8–10 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Red Pine](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/red-pine/index.html.md) | *Pinus resinosa* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 50–80 | 2–5 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Western Soapberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/western-soapberry/index.html.md) | *Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 20–50 | 5–9 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [American Elm](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-elm/index.html.md) | *Ulmus americana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–80 | 2–9 | Full, Part | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Slippery Elm](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/slippery-elm/index.html.md) | *Ulmus rubra* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 40–70 | 3–9 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Dry, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Eve's Necklace](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/eve-necklace/index.html.md) | *Styphnolobium affine* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–30 | 7–9 | Full, Part, Shade | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Cabbage Palmetto](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/cabbage-palmetto/index.html.md) | *Sabal palmetto* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 30–60 | 7–10 | Full, Part | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |