Shade trees, especially the fast growing varieties are a favorite for providing shade and increasing the aesthetic value of a landscape. Some of the popular fast growing shade trees include the Royal empress tree, Sawtooth oak, Red maple tree, etc.

Shade trees as well as evergreen trees are the essential components for every landscape design. They are also perfect for planting in the backyard and surrounding premises. In addition to the aesthetic value, they also provide certain other benefits. To mention a few, those planted in proper locations effectively regulate the heating and cooling of a house, thus reducing the electricity requirements. They are also used for creating privacy and increasing the property value. During the hot summer seasons, the temperature under their canopies is about 10 percent less than the exact temperature conditions. Their plantation is also an important step for attracting wildlife and reducing environmental problems.

Varieties

While selecting the right variety, there are some important criteria, such as plant growth rate and foliage color. In fact, everyone is in a hurry to provide beauty and shade to the landscape. Other factors include resistance to diseases and pests, longevity, shedding of leaves or deciduousness and the canopy coverage.

Royal Empress
The royal empress grows to an astonishing height of more than 18 feet in the first season. Hence, they are a favorite of many landscapers. They blossom in the winter season with large pink flowers. They are best grown in any type of soil (even in highly acidic soils) and are drought tolerant. Thus, frequent watering is not an issue. Besides this, they are resistant to common plant diseases and pests. At maturity, they attain a height of about 40-50 ft and width of about 30-40 ft.

Sawtooth Oaks
Sawtooth oaks are the fastest growing species of the Oak tree. They are tolerant to any soil type and wide climatic conditions, hence they have gained popularity as a shade tree worldwide. Sawtooth oaks grow best in full sunlight. An advantage of Sawtooth oaks over Maples is the extending longevity of the foliages. The foliages are yellow in autumn, which later turn into golden brown. A mature Sawtooth oak attains a height of about 40-50 ft and a spread more than its height.

Red Maple
There is no doubt that every maple provides beauty to the landscape with its vibrant colored foliages. They are extremely versatile and can be grown in any climate zone. In addition, red maples are also resistant to diseases and pests. They grow best in acidic soil, good drainage with the presence of partial to full sunlight. At maturity, they can reach to a height of 50-60 ft and 40-50 ft spread. You can select from a wide variety of Red maple such as Summer red maple, October glory maple, and Scarlet red maple.

River Birches
River birches are spectacular trees with cinnamon-colored exfoliating bark and medium-green leaves. In the fall, the foliage is yellow in color. They are tolerant to wet soils in the rainy season as well as dry soils in the summer season. River birches require slightly acidic to neutral soil with adequate amount of sunlight. They are resistant to the scorching heat of summer, hence they are often planted as an ideal shade tree in the hot environmental conditions. They attain a height of about 40-70 ft and 30-40 ft spread.

Well! These are some of the fast growing shade trees with beautiful fall foliage. While choosing the plantlet, it is always better to purchase younger and smaller ones, as their growth rate is more than the bigger ones.