Trees and shrubs
Find advice on selecting and caring for trees and shrubs for your home landscape.
See Recommended trees for Minnesota for comprehensive tree lists by region.
Keeping trees and shrubs healthy
Hiring a tree care professional - Finding and hiring a professional arborist or forester can help you diagnose problems and get professional care for your landscape trees.
Planting and transplanting trees and shrubs
Storm damage to landscape trees
Water wisely to conserve water and keep plants healthy.
Winter care for trees and shrubs
Anthracnose in trees and shrubs — Anthracnose is a generic term for a variety of symptoms caused by fungi that attack the leaves of some Minnesota trees and shrubs. Keeping trees healthy is the best way to ward off this disease.
Apple scab on ornamental trees and shrubs.
Non harmful tree conditions include burls, lichens, smooth patch, sooty mold and wetwood.
Leaf spot diseases of trees and shrubs includes leaf rusts, downy mildew, shoot blight and canker.
Aphids create honeydew on trees and shrubs that can leave a sticky mess and encourage the growth of sooty mold.
Eastern spruce budworm is a native insect that infests spruce and balsam fir needles. This article includes forest management information as well as strategies for yard trees.
Eastern tent caterpillars feed on the leaves of fruit trees like apple, chokecherry, crabapple, plum and cherry.
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive species that feeds on the tissue of ash trees, eventually killing the tree after several years of feeding. Several state agencies work together to identify EAB activity and help Minnesotans properly remove and dispose of infested trees.
- Insects that may be confused with emerald ash borer (comparison chart)
- Emerald ash borer risk status in Minnesota
Forest tent caterpillars can defoliate a large number of broadleaf trees and plants, like quaking aspens, balsam poplar, basswood, oaks, ashes, birches, alder and fruit trees.
Sawflies are related to wasps and bees. Their larvae feed on the leaves or needles of many trees and shrubs. Sawfly damage affects the appearance of plants but they generally do not harm plant health.
Deciduous trees and shrubs
Deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves in the fall and can provide color, texture and interest to your yard.
Blue beech has smooth bluish-gray bark that provides multiple seasons of interest. The fluted “muscle-like” wood on the branches and trunk is a striking feature of this plant.
Red maple is highly valued as a landscape tree for its flowers and fall foliage that light up spring and autumn landscapes.
Boxelder is a hardy tree, not commonly grown for ornamental value, but it's yellow-green flowers can provide interest to spring landscapes.
Common hackberry is a popular native shade and boulevard tree that is durable and provides fruit to wildlife.
River birch is popular for its ornamental peeling bark.
Black chokeberry provides fruit for wildlife well into the winter. It tolerates wet conditions and can be used to control erosion in very wet soils.
Redosier dogwood is native to Minnesota with colorful red or yellow winter bark.
Serviceberry, or juneberry, is a shrub or small tree native to Minnesota. This plant provides interest to the yard all year long.
Tatarian dogwood has colorful winter bark and provides a popular fruit for songbirds.
Winterberry is known for its bright red berries that last through the winter. Don't eat them, though! they are poisonous to humans and pets.
Forsythia is known for its yellow flowers that bloom in early spring.
Mockorange is grown for its fragrant white spring flowers.
Bush honeysuckle is grown for its graceful foliage and flowers that bloom spring through fall.
Evergreen trees and shrubs
Evergreens keep their leaves or needles throughout the year and can act as windbreaks and provide shelter for animals.
Evergreens can be conifers (cone-bearing, needle-like foliage) such as pine, spruce, juniper or arborvitae. They can also be broadleaf (leaf-like foliage) such as boxwood and rhododendron.