Do you ever wonder what it would be like to take all of your favorite trees and have them integrated into your landscaping? Well, that doesn’t have to be a dream of yours for much longer. South Dakota is filled with beautiful flowering trees that you don’t have to leave your house to see if you don’t want to. The key to adding more trees to your landscaping is finding the trees you love and then choosing the trees that will fit your landscaping. And once you’ve found your perfect tree, you can rest assured – the experts at Eagle Lawn and Landscape offer top-notch tree and shrub care.
Choosing A Tree For Your South Dakota Yard
You might be wondering – Why should I add trees to my landscaping? Well, it is a fairly simple answer. Adding valuables like strong trees to your lawn and garden is an incredible return on investments on your property. Actually, anything you improve on your home – inside or out – can greatly increase the value of your home. So not only will you enjoy the flowering trees of South Dakota, but you can rest assured that it will never be a wasted investment.
Small Trees 
Cockspur Hawthorn
Cockspur hawthorns do well in hardiness zone 4b. They like moist, well-drained soils and will reach about 15 – 20 feet in height. Their spread is about equal to their height, so if you’re looking for a good shade tree, this will certainly do the trick. They grow at a slow to moderate pace and will produce clusters of white flowers in the spring, which adds a lovely touch of color to your yard. It’s a deciduous tree, so you’ll have plenty of leaves to jump around in once the fall arrives. And that foliage will turn a vibrant orange or red in fall, so you’ll really get a show! Keep in mind it’s not called Hawthorne for nothing! The branches have thorns, and these will sweep the ground if not pruned back. Your lawn care services technician can help you maintain the tree’s shape, so you don’t have to worry.
Pekin Lilac
Pekin lilac trees grow at a medium pace – about 13 – 24″ per year. At maturity, you can expect them to reach a 15 – 20 feet height with a spread of about 15 feet. It likes either full sun or partial shade, but make sure to plant it in an area with at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. It is adaptable to various soil, including slightly alkaline to acidic and moderately drought tolerant. It’s considered a pest-resistant lilac, so you may not have to opt for pesticide applications as often as you would other trees. This tree produces small white flowers that give off a honey-like scent in late spring or early summer. These flowers are known for attracting butterflies as they provide a good food source for caterpillars. It’s also tolerant of urban areas with higher pollution rates.
Medium Trees
Homestead Buckeye
This tree is a hybrid created by our very own South Dakota State University in 1990! This tree is medium-sized and grows between 25 – 40 feet tall and about 15 – 20 feet in width. It likes full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil that’s clay-heavy or high in organic matter. In fall, you’ll love the vibrant red foliage with a hint of orange. The leaves are known for their high resistance to summer scorching and powdery mildew, making this one of the hardier tree choices. It’s also known for tolerating more urban areas and is a favorite of public parks. It can produce either yellowish-gold or reddish-burgundy flowers in the spring and summer.
Ussurian Pear
Reaching up to 30 feet, the ussurian – or Harbin – pear likes full sun and is a good tree for our colder climate. It’s both attractive and hardy and will produce white flowers with shiny green leaves. In fall, these leaves turn a reddish-purple color. Unfortunately, these pears are not considered edible. It’s a favorite nesting place for birds, so you might get some lovely wildlife if you opt for this tree. It prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade. It’s highly resistant to fire blight, a common condition that affects fruit trees after high winds or storms.
Large Trees
Boxelder
This fast-growing maple tree is drought resistant, easy to grow, and very adaptable. Expect blossoms that turn bright green when they are pollinated in early spring. It’s on the larger end of the size spectrum – between 35 and 60 feet. It likes lots of direct sun and is highly drought tolerant. Like the other trees we’ve discussed, it prefers moist, well-drained soil. It’s also good at 
tolerating our frigid winters. As a fast-growing tree, it’s popular with homeowners looking to add shade quickly. However, keep in mind that an ice storm could break some branches as the boxelder’s wood is not as strong as other trees. Still, it makes a beautiful, shady addition to any South Dakota yard.
Northern Red Oak
This mighty tree is one of the largest you can have – reaching a height of 60–75′ and a spread of around 45′ at maturity. It’s also one of the fastest-growing trees at more than 24″ per year! Make sure to give your red oak at least 6 hours of direct sunlight every year. It’s fairly adaptable and will tolerate acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained, and clay soils. It has some drought tolerance but prefers regular watering. In autumn, you’ll be dazzled by the bright red foliage. And with a dense crown, you’ll have ample shade in no time! It’s also fairly tolerant of air pollution and compacted soil.
Call Eagle Lawn & Landscape Inc. Today!
Call Eagle Lawn & Landscape Inc. to take care of your South Dakota trees and shrubs. If you have any of the trees and shrubs we have talked about above, you will want to keep them healthy to enjoy them in the long run. We are experienced in what we do, so don’t hesitate to call us as soon as you need us. To really get that return on investment we talked about earlier, it is important to keep up with the flowering trees you planted as not to let them go to waste. For more tips and tricks on these services each month, you can keep up with our monthly blog, which can be found here. You can also check us out on Facebook!