Native Trees For The State of Washington DC

Protect native trees in your state by planting your own! Find the best selection of indigenous species for Washington DC right here at Nature Hills Nursery! 

Choosing native trees means you know your tree will thrive where it is well suited to the climate and soil in your area because they originated there! They need less water once established. Native selections establish faster and tolerate local growing zones, climate, weather, and anything else your region may make your trees endure.

Plus you’ll feed pollinators, and songbirds from trees and plants they recognize!

Best Washington DC Native Trees

Washington DC is USDA growing zone 7a, and Washington DC's weather is relatively warm in the summers, sometimes humid, and the winters are mild with the occasional hurricane coming up the coast and some flooding from the Potomac River areas.

Find plants in your state by first knowing your Hardiness Zone, and then choose any tree that has a range that includes yours! Check with your local County Extension Office for more information if needed and for the many microclimates within these zones.

Best Native Evergreen Trees For Washington DC

Native Evergreen Trees in Washington DC are both coniferous and broadleaf evergreen, keeping their leaves year-round for privacy, slowing down the wind and drifting snow, and adding color throughout the snowy winters.

• American Holly
• American Larch (deciduous conifer)
• Bald Cypress Tree (deciduous conifer)
• Balsam Fir
• Black Spruce
• Eastern Hemlock
• Eastern Red Cedar Tree (Redcedar)
• Eastern White Pine
• Loblolly Pine (southern regions)
• Possomhaw Holly
• Red Pine
• White Spruce

Native Flowering Trees to Grow in Washington DC

Despite being known for its Flowering Cherry trees and Festival each spring, only the Black Cherry Tree is native to the District of Columbia. Feed pollinators and hummingbirds nectar and pollen they evolved alongside in your State! Many of these trees are host plants for native pollinator larvae too!

• Bigleaf, Cucumber Tree, Sweet Bay & Southern Magnolia
• Dogwood - Pagoda, White, Pink & Red Flowering, Gray, Silky, Swamp & Roughleaf 
• Eastern Redbud Tree
• Black Cherry Tree
• Fringetree/White Fringetree & Grancy Greybeard Tree
• Pussy Willow Tree
• Tulip Poplar/Tulip Tree
• Wax Myrtle Tree (Waxmyrtle)
• Witch Hazel (American Witchhazel)

What Are Native Shade Trees in Washington DC?

Our nation’s Capital can have hot days in the summer, so a good shade tree that handles snow load, gives your backyard lush relief from the sun, and goes big with an autumn show is a must-have! Plus being heavily populated, the harsher city environment needs trees that clean the air, calm the spirit, and help you slow down despite the hectic world of politics swirling around you! There are few mightier shade trees than the state tree of Washington DC - the Scarlet Oak!

• American Basswood/Linden Tree
• American Beech Tree
• American Chestnut
• American Elm Tree
• American Hornbeam 
• American Hop Hornbeam
• American Sycamore
• Ash - Mountain, White & Green
• Birch Trees - River, Paper Bark, & Sweet
• Black Gum (Blackgum) Tree
• Black Locust Tree
• Black Willow
• Box Elder Tree (Boxelder)
• Cottonwood/Eastern Cottonwood Tree
• Hackberry/Common Hackberry Trees & Sugarberry Tree
• Kentucky Coffee Tree
• Maple Trees - Silver, Red, & Sugar
• Northern Catalpa Tree
• Oak Trees - Black, Blackjack, Bur, Cherrybark, Chestnut Oak, Chinquapin, Overcup, Pin, Northern Red, Scarlet, Shingle, Shumard's, Swamp White, Willow & White & Swamp White
• Sassafras Tree
• Sourwood Tree
• Sweetgum Trees
• Washington Hawthorn Tree
• Yellow Buckeye
• Yellowwood Tree

Native Fruit & Nut Trees in Washington DC

We love edible landscaping trees that look great and feed you! Feed wildlife and songbirds throughout Washington DC as well! These trees also feed our Washington DC’s adopted bird - the Wood Thrush!

• American Persimmon
• American Plum/Wild Plum Tree & Chickasaw Plum
• Black Cherry Tree
• Black Walnut Tree
• Hazelnut/Native American Filbert
• Bitternut, Butternut, Pignut, Red, Shellbark & Shagbark Hickory Trees
• Paw Paw (Pawpaw) Trees
• Red Mulberry Tree
• Allegheny, Downy & Shadblow Serviceberry

Much Needed Natives!

Whether you are adding shade or flowers, privacy, or a long-lasting legacy to your landscape, Nature Hills is here to help you find the perfect tree for your Washington DC landscape! Being so highly populated and urbanized, you need trees that can handle almost anything!

Help keep your State's ecology intact by planting trees native to your area! Nature Hills is committed to helping you preserve your flora and fauna with plants and trees that thrive in your garden without impacting your native biodiversity!