Spring is here, and this is the best time to start planting beautiful trees. Warmer weather and longer days are waking up our trees of spring. Trees can create a better living environment, from urban landscapes to coastal and inland valley properties. Trees will always be a welcome addition to the SoCal landscape. In fact, before we know it, the temperatures will start to rise, and we are going to want to find a beautiful place to chill - and what better place than under a shade tree!

Trees of Spring Provide Shade, Privacy, and Beauty!

Flowering trees, shade trees, privacy trees – all these types of trees can provide a burst of color, and they can help increase property value, too! From trees for small spaces to drought-tolerant varieties, you can find the perfect tree at any of our SoCal Moon Valley Nurseries locations.

Chinese Elm ‘True Green’ (Ulmus parvifolia). We have the ‘True Green’ strain, which features an upright, rounded growth habit that helps to make it an excellent tree for a wide range of properties. Specimen size trees will grow a wide, natural umbrella-shaped canopy that can provide plenty of shade. If you are looking for a tree to attach a tire swing or climb and explore, a larger Chinese Elm is the right choice! Its camouflage-like mottled bark is an added attraction that helps to make this a favorite tree for any landscape.

Raywood Ash (Fraxinus oxycarpa ‘Raywood’). These ash trees are an excellent choice for any Southern California yard - they are seedless and tolerant of smog! Specimen size trees can grow a bold, round-headed form that can provide the right amount of shade, too. It is a deciduous, so it can put on a show when the attractive dark green foliage transforms to an eye-catching burgundy color in the fall. In addition to being excellent deciduous shade trees, we also like to use them as a screen to block unwanted views.

Arizona Ash (Fraxinus velutina). These trees are native to the Southwestern United States, and they are smog tolerant, so they are ideal for yards in SoCal! These are deciduous shade trees with gray-green leaves that turn to a bright yellow color in the fall. They are also cold hardy and heat resistant. Since they are a seedless variety, we like to use them as a street tree that can add much-needed curb appeal.

Majestic Ash (Fraxinus uhdei ‘Majestic’). This seedless variety features large, glossy green leaves and stays greener than other ash trees. They are low-maintenance, virtually pest-free trees and are ideal for yard and street plantings. A specimen size tree can provide plenty of shade to cool off hotter parts of a home or create a cool resting spot during sunny, hot days.

Modesto Ash (Fraxinus velutina ‘Modesto’). These are excellent shade trees with a high canopy and smog tolerance so that they are ideal for Southern California neighborhoods. It is a deciduous shade tree with glossy green foliage that turns to a bright golden yellow color in the fall before dropping its leaves in winter. Bonus points for heat and cold tolerance.