Below is some information on most of the tree species and varieties grown by Higgins Tree Farm. This may help you in choosing the right tree(s) for your home, business or other project. For more detailed information on each tree species we recommend an internet search to learn more. We are also glad to offer our advice and opinion on tree species and varieties for your particular planting site. Please note that some of the trees listed below might not be currently available. Please check our “availability and price list” for current availability.
Maples | Oaks | Other Deciduous | Flowering Crabapples
Other Flowering & Ornamental | Conifers (evergreens)
Maples
Autumn Blaze maple – This is our most popular and best selling shade tree most likely due to its extremely fast growth and great fall color. Autumn Blaze is a hybrid cross between red maple and silver maple. As a hybrid it does not get the “whirly-bird” seeds common with other maples. Mature height is 50’ and spread is 40’ |
 Red Sunset maple – A red maple cultivar selected and propagated for its brilliant red fall foliage. For decades one of the most widely used trees in the landscape. A truly classic red maple cultivar! Red Sunset is slower growing than Autumn Blaze but a denser branching structure. Mature height is 45’ and spread is 35’ |
 Sun Valley red maple - A red maple cultivar that is a result of a Red Sunset and Autumn Flamecross, this USDA selection shows all of the exceptional fall colors of both trees. Sun Valley is one of our favorite trees for brilliant fall color. Most years the foliage will be an almost florescent red color in the fall. Mature height is 35’ and spread is 25’ |
 Crimson King Maple – A variety of Norway Maple that has brilliant maroon foliage throughout the growing season. Extremely slow grower. Mature height of 50’ with a 30’-35’ spread |
 Sugar Maple – Also known as “hard maple”. Fall color ranges from yellow to deep orange. Sugar maples grow slower than the red maple cultivars but are longer lived with hard wood that is more resistant to storm damage. Mature height is up to 80’ with spreads to 50’. |
Oaks
 Pin Oak – One of the most popular oaks amongst homeowners, probably due to their fast growth and good shape. Pin oak leaves turn red in the fall and then brown. They hold their leaves throughout the winter until new bud growth pushes them off in early spring. Pin oaks do not do well in soils with high pH levels. Mature height is 60’-70’ and spread is 35’-40’ |
 Red Oak – A fast growing oak that transplants easily. It has red fall color and the leaves hang onto the tree into winter. Red oak is a great tree for larger yards or other similar areas. Mature height is 60’-80’ with a spread of up to 50’ |
 White Oak – Has blue-green summer foliage with long lasting reddish purple fall color. Acorns are very attractive to wildlife. They are very strong and stately with good disease resistance and drought tolerance. Mature height is 60’-80 with spread of 60’-80’. |
 Swamp White Oak – Grows well on either wet soils or drier upland sites. Has a unique peeling bark on its branches and is becoming more popular amongst some landscapers and homeowners. Foliage turns yellow and then brown in fall. Mature height is 50’-60’ with a spread of 40’-50’. |
 Chinkapin Oak - A worthy specimen for larger lawns, estates, or parks. A medium to large size oak with dark green leaves in summer turning yellow-orange to orangish-brown in fall. The acorns are at the top of the food preference list for many wildlife species. Grows 40'-50' high with a similar spread |
 Bur Oak – Tolerates a wide range of soil types and will do well on wetter sites as well as dry upland areas. Bur oaks are large stately trees with deeply grooved “corky” bark. Fall color starts yellow and turns brown. Matures at 60’-80’ tall with a matching spread |
 Swamp Chestnut Oak - Swamp Chestnut Oak strongly prefers soils that are moist, permanently moist, or permanently wet, and tolerates standing water for several weeks at a time although it will grow on drier sites. Its sawtooth-edged leaves turn red in fall. A unique specimen tree that matures to 70’ with a 40’ spread. |
Other Deciduous Shade Trees
 River Birch- Many folks fall in love with the peeling bark of the river birch which gives it a year round attraction in any yard or landscape setting. It thrives and grows rapidly on wet sites but also does well on drier sites once its roots are established. River birch is resistant to the borer which decimates other birchs. It matures to 60’ with a spread of 40’. |
 Skyline Honeylocust- An excellent street and lawn tree that does well in extreme heat and cold and seems to almost thrive where seasons are defined. Not picky about soil. A fast grower, but wood is not brittle. The small ferny leaves provide a light mottled shade and turn yellow before dropping in the fall. Matures to 50’ with a spread of 30-35’. |
 Tulip Poplar- Tulip Poplar is a fast growing shade tree with unique “tulip-shaped” leaves. Does well on either a wet or drier planting site. In fall, its foliage is spectacular, turning yellow. Tulip Poplar can grow to heights of 75-100’ with a spread of 35-40’. |
 Weeping Willow – A unique shaped tree easily spotted by its long cascading branches which droop to the ground. Very tolerant of wet sites and extremely fast growing. An excellent specimen tree or for planting on sites too wet for other species. Matures to heights of 50’ with similar spreads. |
 Bald Cypress- A “deciduous conifer”, bald cypress actually has needles rather than leaves yet it loses its needles each year, thus the reference to “bald” in its name. This unique tree can grow in standing water or on much drier sites. Mature heights are 50-70’ with 30-40’ spread. |
 Gingko- Ginkgo trees are the oldest tree species on earth. Their leaves are uniquely shaped and their golden fall foliage makes them nice specimen trees. Ginkgos are disease-resistant and tolerate urban pollution. They mature to 50-80’ with 30-40’ spreads. |
 Sycamore- American sycamore is a massive tree and can attain the largest trunk diameter of any of the Eastern U.S. hardwoods. Its bark is unique among all trees being a combination of mixed green, tan and cream. Some sycamore trees can reach mature heights of over 100’. |
Flowering Crabapples
 Prairiefire – Developed at the University of Illinois, Prairiefire is a very disease resistant crabapple. It has very bright and deep pink colored blooms and a reddish tint to its bark. Matures to a height of 15’-20’ with a similar spread. |
 Spring Snow – Has a large number of pink buds that open to very fragrant white flowers in spring. Does not develop fruit and has good heat tolerance. Matures to 25’-30’ tall with a 15’ spread. |
 Red Jewel – An upright pyramidal tree offering a different shape from most other crabapples. Red Jewel has an abundance of white spring flowers. Red fruit hangs on into late winter. Matures to 15’ tall with a 12’ spread. |
Other Flowering & Ornamental Trees
 Cleveland Pear – very similar to Bradford Pear but not as prone to the splitting and limb breakage as Bradfords, a much better alternative. Cleveland Pears are very fast growing, loaded with white blooms in the spring, have great shape with no pruning and one of the last trees to lose its leaves in the fall. Mature height is 30-40’ and spread is 25-30’. |
 Canada Red Cherry- a very unique tree as its new leaves emerge a bright green and then turn maroon as they mature. In the spring Canada Red Cherry trees will have clusters of small white blooms. They are smaller ornamental trees that will work in tighter spaces. Mature height is 25’ with a 20’ spread. |
 Red Bud – a native tree that is loaded with dark pink blooms in the spring. Red Bud trees are an understory tree that do better in locations that are shaded for part of the day. Mature height is 20-30’ and spread is 15-30’. |
Conifers (Evergreens)
 White Pine – by far the most popular evergreen tree for this region. White pines exhibit very fast growth and have long soft green needles. When planting as windbreak or in a row, spacing should be 15’ – 20’. Mature height is 50-80’ with a spread of 20-40’. |
 Norway Spruce – an alternative to the more popular white pine, Norway spruce have shorter and stiffer dark green needles. Growth is a bit slower than white pine but once the roots are established after transplanting they will grow at a good rate. Mature height is 80’ with a 40’ spread. |
 Colorado Blue Spruce – a more colorful evergreen with short prickly needles that range in color from a bluish-green to almost silver. Slower growing than either white pine or Norway Spruce; A good choice on sites where deer damage is a problem. Mature height is 30-60’ with a 15-20’ spread. |
*Images are shown only as a reference. Each tree may mature differently depending on environment.
