12 Great Trees For Utah

A lot of people ask our team which are the best trees to plant in Utah.  It is never an easy task to choose only a handful out of the hundreds of trees we carry, but, we’ve done it.  Below are Glover Nursery’s Top 12 Trees that are great choices for Utah’s climate and soil conditions. 

All of these are in stock now.  We will continue to bring in more fresh plant material throughout the growing season; we don’t stop until winter is upon us.  So, if you are looking to add to your landscape, now is a great time to plant a tree for instant summer shade, the coming fall colors and beauty for years to come.

Oh – and if you want a tree but don’t want to do the hard part, we offer delivery and planting services to make it super easy for you. 

Evergreen Trees for Utah

1.  Austrian Pine

   • While the Austrian Pine is native to Austria and the surrounding areas, it is a hugely popular tree in Utah and does extremely well in our conditions. At maturity it reaches a height between 50–60 ft with a spread between 20–40 ft. It’s an extremely hardy tree that can handle heat, drought, alkaline and clay soils.

2. Blue Atlas Cedar

   • Blue Atlas Cedar is a slow growing tree that will top out between 40-60 ft. It’s a popular conifer due to its attractive evergreen blue/silver foliage. Once established, which takes 2-3 growing seasons, the Blue Atlas Cedar is quite drought tolerant. 

3. Bosnian Pine

   • This evergreen is slightly smaller at around 40 feet tall and 10 feet wide when it reaches maturity. It gets unique purple cones and is great a great shape for narrow areas.  It can be helpful with noise control when planted in a cluster.

4. Deodar Cedar

   • The Deodar Cedar is native to the Himalayas and gets its name from the Sanskrit words meaning “timber of the gods”. These have been documented to have grown up to 240 feet in the wild, but will more than likely reach around 70 feet at maturity with a spread of 20-40 feet in our climate. 

5. Oregon Green Austrian Pine

   • Another variety of Austrian Pine, the Oregon Green is another popular landscape features. Short and stout, a mature Oregon Green Austrian Pine will reach a height of about 10ft and 6ft wide.  It has dark, green, glossy needles that hold tight to the branch giving the appearance similar to a pipe cleaner.

Deciduous Trees for Utah

1. Goldenrain Tree

   • Goldenrain trees are delicate and graceful in appearance with yellow blossoms and “paper lanterns” dangling from its branches.  Don’t let the delicate look fool you as it is actually quite hardy. It will grow to a height around 30-40ft with an approximate width of 35ft. These beauties are native to Asia but made their way to the US in 1763.

2. Norwegian Sunset Maple

   • If you’re looking for a tree with absolutely stunning fall color, this is your tree. Norwegian Sunset Maples grow to about 35ft tall.  In the autumn, the leaves turn an ombre orange tone that is truly picture perfect. But, don’t think the fall is the only season for this tree, oh no!  These make for a fantastic shade tree in the hotter months.

3. Pacific Sunset Maple

   • This is another beautiful fall tree. The beautiful glossy green leaves of spring and summer turn shades of orange, red, and yellow in the autumn. It’s a nice medium size tree growing to about 30ft when fully grown. The Pacific Sunset Maple is adaptable to a range of growing conditions and temperatures.

4. Zelkova (All Varieties)

   • Any variety of Zelkova will be a great addition to your Utah yard. They are easy to grow, drought tolerant, cold hardy, and used for ornamental purposes or as a shade trees. The Green Vase and City Sprite varieties are two of the most popular in Utah, their unique shapes add some beautiful dimensions to add contrast and visual interest in your landscape. 

5. Crabapple (All Varieties)

   • Crabapple trees offer great choices for a smaller yards, in park strips, or as a focal point in a garden bed. Their blossoms and fruit will provide lovely pops of color to your landscape, the spring flowers are truly stunning and the fruit will keep the birds visiting throughout the year.  However, if the fruit is not something you want, we have fruitless varieties as well. These blossoms are valuable to pollinators, plus, there are all sorts of recipes you can use with the crabapples! As if that weren’t enough, Crabapples do well with Secondary Water. 

6. Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry

   • Despite its name Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry is brilliant all year round. In the spring you’ll appreciate the sweet white flowers followed with purple berries in the summer.  For their grand finale, they display brilliant autumn colors. These shrubby trees are historically significant as they made their debut to fame having been planted on George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.

7. Streetspire Oak

   • As their name suggests, the Streetspire Oak grows thin and tall which makes them more storm resistant. Their acorns attract wildlife and their dark green leaves turn a lovely rusty red hue in the fall.  A great selection for a narrow areas. 

If you have any questions about what tree may be right for your yard, just ask! Our team of experts at Glover Nursery love to help. Before you come into the nursery to pick up your new tree, it is always a good idea to measure the space you’re looking to fill, the kind of water the tree will receive (culinary or secondary) and the type of soil native to your yard.  We will work with these elements in mind to make sure your selection will thrive for years to come. 

We can’t wait to help you pick out your new tree!

Other useful links and resources:

Real Christmas Trees Journey From Farm To Your Home

How Planting Trees Affects Air Quality