# Uncommon Yard Trees

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

Ninety 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 eighty-nine of them as seed to sow. Saplings ship while dormant, in spring and fall. 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).

60 of 364 plants matching native to Florida. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/shop/yard-trees/?native=FL. 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 current price, 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 |
| [American Basswood (Linden)](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-basswood/index.html.md) | *Tilia americana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–90 | 3–8 | Full, Part, Shade | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Cucumber Magnolia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/cucumber-magnolia/index.html.md) | *Magnolia acuminata* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 50–80 | 4–8 | Full, Part | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Flowering Dogwood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/flowering-dogwood/index.html.md) | *Cornus florida* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–30 | 5–9 | Part, Full, Shade | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Downy Serviceberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/downy-serviceberry/index.html.md) | *Amelanchier arborea* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–25 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Sourwood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/sourwood/index.html.md) | *Oxydendrum arboreum* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 25–50 | 5–9 | Full, Part | Average | 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 |
| [Sweetbay Magnolia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/sweetbay-magnolia/index.html.md) | *Magnolia virginiana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–35 | 5–10 | Full, Part | Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [American Hornbeam (Musclewood)](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-hornbeam/index.html.md) | *Carpinus caroliniana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 20–35 | 3–9 | Part, Shade, Full | Average, Wet | 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 |
| [White Fringetree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/white-fringetree/index.html.md) | *Chionanthus virginicus* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 12–20 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Washington Hawthorn](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/washington-hawthorn/index.html.md) | *Crataegus phaenopyrum* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 20–30 | 4–8 | Full | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Bald Cypress](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/bald-cypress/index.html.md) | *Taxodium distichum* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 50–80 | 4–10 | Full | Wet, Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Common Hackberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/common-hackberry/index.html.md) | *Celtis occidentalis* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 40–60 | 3–9 | 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 |
| [Ashe's Magnolia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/ashe-magnolia/index.html.md) | *Magnolia ashei* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–30 | 5–9 | Part, Full, Shade | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Two-wing Silverbell](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/two-wing-silverbell/index.html.md) | *Halesia diptera* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–30 | 4–9 | Part, Full, Shade | Average, Wet | 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 |
| [Ogeechee Tupelo](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/ogeechee-tupelo/index.html.md) | *Nyssa ogeche* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 25–45 | 6–9 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Water Hickory](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/water-hickory/index.html.md) | *Carya aquatica* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 80–100 | 5–10 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Nuts | 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 |
| [Painted Buckeye](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/painted-buckeye/index.html.md) | *Aesculus sylvatica* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–20 | 6–8 | Part, Full, Shade | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Atlantic White Cedar](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/atlantic-white-cedar/index.html.md) | *Chamaecyparis thyoides* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 40–60 | 3–9 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Loblolly Bay](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/loblolly-bay/index.html.md) | *Gordonia lasianthus* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 35–60 | 7–9 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | 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 |
| [Water Elm](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/water-elm/index.html.md) | *Planera aquatica* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 30–40 | 6–9 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Umbrella Magnolia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/umbrella-magnolia/index.html.md) | *Magnolia tripetala* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–30 | 4–9 | Part, Shade, Full | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Fevertree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/fevertree/index.html.md) | *Pinckneya bracteata* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–20 | 7–9 | Full, Part | Average, Wet | 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 |
| [Swamp Tupelo](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/swamp-tupelo/index.html.md) | *Nyssa biflora* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–80 | 6–9 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Water Tupelo](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/water-tupelo/index.html.md) | *Nyssa aquatica* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–100 | 6–10 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | 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 |
| [Swamp Privet](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/swamp-privet/index.html.md) | *Forestiera acuminata* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 8–30 | 6–9 | Part, Full | Wet, 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 |
| [Pagoda Dogwood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/pagoda-dogwood/index.html.md) | *Cornus alternifolia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 15–25 | 3–8 | Part, Full, Shade | Average | 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 |
| [Spruce Pine](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/spruce-pine/index.html.md) | *Pinus glabra* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 40–80 | 7–9 | Full, Part, Shade | Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Sand Pine](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/sand-pine/index.html.md) | *Pinus clausa* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 25–40 | 7–10 | Full | Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Longleaf Pine](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/longleaf-pine/index.html.md) | *Pinus palustris* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–120 | 7–10 | Full | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Pond Pine](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/pond-pine/index.html.md) | *Pinus serotina* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 40–70 | 7–9 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | 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 |
| [Water Locust](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/water-locust/index.html.md) | *Gleditsia aquatica* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 40–60 | 6–10 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Swamp Cottonwood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/swamp-cottonwood/index.html.md) | *Populus heterophylla* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 70–90 | 6–9 | Full | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Southern Magnolia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/southern-magnolia/index.html.md) | *Magnolia grandiflora* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 60–80 | 6–10 | Part, Full | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Red Buckeye](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/red-buckeye/index.html.md) | *Aesculus pavia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–25 | 4–9 | Part, Full, Shade | Average | 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 |
| [Dahoon](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/dahoon/index.html.md) | *Ilex cassine* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 20–30 | 7–10 | Full, Part, Shade | Wet, Average | 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 |
| [Buckthorn Bully](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/buckthorn-bully/index.html.md) | *Sideroxylon lycioides* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–45 | 7–9 | Full, Part | Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Florida Torreya](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/florida-torreya/index.html.md) | *Torreya taxifolia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 30–50 | 5–9 | Part, Shade, Full | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Florida Yew](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/florida-yew/index.html.md) | *Taxus floridana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 12–25 | 6–10 | Part, Shade, Full | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Eastern Red Cedar](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/eastern-red-cedar/index.html.md) | *Juniperus virginiana* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 30–50 | 2–9 | Full | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [River Birch](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/river-birch/index.html.md) | *Betula nigra* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Medium tree | 40–70 | 3–9 | Full, Part | Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Pyramid Magnolia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/pyramid-magnolia/index.html.md) | *Magnolia pyramidata* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 10–30 | 6–9 | Part, Shade | Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |