St. Louis, Missouri, climate-wise, has an extremely varied climate. In the summer it can get as hot as 90 to 95 degrees, while in the winter, particularly at night, the temperature will often fall below freezing.

Therefore, it’s critically important that you plant trees that are very resilient and hearty.

You won’t find a lot of citrus trees growing in St. Louis or a lot of flowering dogwoods. Nor will you find any Palm trees.

It is, therefore, highly important when planting trees in St. Louis, to consider trees that are likely to do well. Read on to get more information.

 Maple Trees

Perhaps the most common and hardiest of trees found in St. Louis backyards is some variation of the maple tree.

Whether you consider Miyabe Maples, Red Maples, Sugar Maples, or Black maples, these are trees that are ideally suited for the St. Louis climate. They are hardy and need relatively little maintenance.

 Dogwood trees

The flowering Dogwood tree is the state tree of Missouri. The tree is pretty much guaranteed to live at least 50 years or more in your backyard. Consider some variation of the dogwood tree.

 Eastern Redbud

The Eastern Redbud has been planted throughout Missouri in its parks and recreation sites and has proven itself to be one of the most adaptable trees within the state.

American Elm

American Elms are a real crowd-pleaser and adapt easily to the soils of St. Louis.

White Oak

Valued for its great wood which is used in making furniture, White Oak is one of the best trees to choose from in St. Louis.

Rose trees

See Apples in the grocery store. They are a descendant of the rose tree. These are great, hardy trees, and the fruit is an added bonus.

River Birch

Although these trees need a lot of sunlight and the peeling process of the bark in the winter can tend to be problematic, these are otherwise relatively easy to deal with trees.

Linden Trees


If shade is what you seek, the easy-growing Linden tree is your answer.

Pine trees

Pine trees, particularly Eastern White pine, do extremely well in St. Louis and are quite popular.

 Walnut trees

Walnut trees are extremely popular, although you will need to pick up the dropped walnut fruit as the tree matures. But it is an extremely hardy species.

 American Holly trees

American Holly trees are found throughout the state and provide a bit of color in the winter as well. Linden trees, already mentioned, are a variation of Holly trees.

 Flowering crabapples

These colorful trees in the summer produce flowers throughout the summer months, and later on, if you have a taste for them, you can enjoy delicious but somewhat sour crab apples.

 American Smoke Trees

If fall is your favorite time of the year, you can’t go much better than the American Smoke Tree. Look for leaves of red, yellow, deep purple, and orange to delight your senses.

 Ozark Witch Hazel

If winter has you down in the dumps, consider planting Ozark Witch Hazel. The reason, of course, is that the bright red flowers begin blooming in the winter. Between January and March, you’ll be the delight of the neighborhood with these lovely trees.

Trident Maple

Perhaps the king of the maple trees in St. Louis is the gorgeous trident maple, which produces lovely leaves throughout the year. These are fantastic shade trees, though try to protect them if a serious freeze rolls into St. Louis.

Unsure which to plant?

It can get confusing which trees to plant, but your local nursery can help. After all, you’ll probably buy your plant from a nursery anyway.

Our best suggestion is to call several nurseries, describe what you want in a tree and what conditions you have to plenty them. If you get the same suggestion two, three, or more times, that is probably the best tree for you.

Alternatively, you can call some of the local agriculture extensions or university agricultural extensions. They tend to be friendly people and love it when they get questions from locals as to the best trees to plant.

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