Choosing the right tree for your property isn’t always simple—especially with Ontario’s climate, soil conditions, and space limitations. Whether you’re a landscaper, contractor, or property owner, the right tree can bring shade, privacy, structure, and long-term beauty to your space.
At Uxbridge Nurseries, we grow large caliper field-grown trees across our six farms in Uxbridge, Ontario, and this guide will help you choose the perfect tree for any type of landscape project.
🍁 1. First Consider Your Landscape Goal
Before choosing a tree, ask:
“What do I want this tree to do?”
Common goals:
✔ Provide shade
Choose wide-spreading canopies or fast-growing species.
✔ Add privacy
Narrow, upright, or evergreen species create year-round screening.
✔ Line a driveway or boulevard
Look for strong trunks, uniform branching, and limited mess.
✔ Add seasonal color
Maples, flowering trees, and ornamental species offer spring or fall interest.
✔ Low-maintenance landscaping
Hardy, drought-tolerant species thrive with minimal care.
Once you define your purpose, the options become much clearer.
🌡️ 2. Know Your Hardiness Zone (Most of GTA is Zone 5–6)
Ontario landscapes fall mostly into Zone 5a, 5b, and 6a.
Choosing trees suitable for your zone ensures long-term survival.
Examples:
- Zone 5: Maples, Oaks, Spruce, Honeylocust, Birch
- Zone 6: Flowering Pear, Serviceberry, Japanese Tree Lilac
If you’re unsure, choose species with a broader zone range.
🪵 3. Consider Tree Size & Space at Maturity
A common mistake is selecting a beautiful tree without considering how large it becomes.
A) Large Shade Trees (40–60 ft)
Best for: Large properties, commercial lots, parks
Examples:
- Autumn Blaze Maple
- Red Oak
- Honeylocust
- Freeman Maple
- Linden
B) Medium Trees (20–35 ft)
Best for: Small yards, boulevards, driveways
Examples:
- Chanticleer Pear
- Ivory Silk Lilac
- Serviceberry
- Japanese Maple (protected areas)
C) Small Ornamental Trees (12–20 ft)
Best for: Entrances, garden beds, under power lines
Examples:
- Flowering Crabapple
- Redbud (Zone 6)
- Amur Maackia
Tip: Always check the spread (width), not just the height.
🛣️ 4. Best Trees for Driveways, Boulevards & Streets
For spaces beside roads and driveways, choose trees that are:
- Salt-tolerant
- Upright and strong
- Low-mess (minimal fruit drop)
- Resistant to pests and disease
Top recommended trees:
- Skyline Honeylocust – light shade, non-messy
- Chanticleer Pear – beautiful shape, hardy
- Autumn Blaze Maple – fast-growing, brilliant fall color
- Ivory Silk Lilac – compact, hardy, great flowers
- Swamp White Oak – durable and urban-tolerant
These choices are favourites for city boulevards across the GTA.
🌲 5. Best Trees for Privacy & Screening
If your goal is year-round privacy, evergreen species are the best choice.
Top evergreen picks for Ontario:
- White Cedar – classic privacy hedge
- Black Cedar – thicker and darker foliage
- Norway Spruce – fast-growing, excellent screen
- Serbian Spruce – elegant, narrow habit
- Colorado Blue Spruce – striking blue color (needs space)
For a more natural, woodland look, mix different evergreen species for variety and resilience.
🌸 6. Best Trees for Seasonal Color and Ornamental Beauty
For Spring Flowers:
- Japanese Tree Lilac (Ivory Silk)
- Flowering Crabapple
- Serviceberry (white spring flowers + berries)
- Redbud (Zone 6, protected areas)
For Fall Color:
- Red Maple (brilliant red)
- Sugar Maple
- Autumn Blaze Maple
- Amur Maple
For Year-Round Interest:
- Birch (beautiful bark)
- Hornbeam (strong structure)
- Kentucky Coffeetree (unique texture)
🏠 7. Low-Maintenance Trees for Busy Properties
If you want something tough, reliable, and low-effort:
✔ Honeylocust
Thrives almost anywhere.
✔ Swamp White Oak
Adapts well to clay soils.
✔ Freeman Maple
Fast-growing, hardy.
✔ Serviceberry
Great structure, low maintenance.
✔ Kentucky Coffeetree
Extremely durable; excellent for commercial landscapes.
These species perform extremely well on Ontario sites with poor soil or irregular watering.
🌳 8. Why Field-Grown Trees Perform Better in Landscapes
Field-grown trees (like the ones we grow across our farms) offer important advantages over container-grown stock:
- Stronger root system
- Sturdier trunk and branching
- Less transplant shock
- Better wind resistance
- Larger caliper options (2”–6”+)
- Natural outdoor conditioning
This makes them ideal for municipal, commercial, and estate-scale projects.
9. Need Expert Recommendations? We Can Help.
Whether you need 5 trees or 500, our team can help you choose the perfect species based on:
- Soil type
- Sun exposure
- Property size
- Landscape purpose
- Hardiness zone
- Maintenance expectations
We grow thousands of field-grown trees and evergreens across our six farms in Uxbridge and the GTA.
