Your driveway says a lot about you as a person and your individual style. Not only this, but a well-maintained outdoor area gives an excellent first impression to your guests or if you are trying to market your property. While a beautifully surfaced driveway is a must, it is also essential to consider how you will complement this. Trees provide stunning greenery as well as casting beautiful light and shade over the driveway and giving you a little additional privacy; what’s not to love?

Things To Consider When Choosing Driveway Trees

While in an ideal world, you’d be able to choose any old tree and plant it along your driveway, this isn’t the case in reality. There are some trees that are more suitable for adorning a driveway than others and it is important to keep a few things in mind before getting started.

Don’t Choose Trees That Will Create Mess

We know that you will have spent a lot of time creating a beautiful driveway so the last thing you want are trees that will create a lot of mess or litter on the drive. The worst culprits are those that bear fruits or berries. Not only will these fall from the trees but they also run the risk of staining the driveway surface, particularly if you have gone for a lighter colour. 

Trees that flower and shed quickly should also be avoided. While things like cherry blossoms are stunning during the springtime, the flowers can create a shocking mess once they fall a couple of weeks down the line. 

Choose Low Maintenance Trees

As well as avoiding trees that will create a mess, you should also try to avoid trees that require a lot of maintenance. Things that need constant pruning will be very time consuming although if this is something you enjoy doing, there’s certainly no harm in it. 

Root Systems

After you have spent your hard earned cash surfacing your driveway, the last thing you are going to want are trees with root systems that are invasive and could potentially ruin the surface of your drive. It is far better to go for trees with a compact root system that will stay very local and cause no damage. What’s more, if you ever get sick of the trees and want to replace them, this is a lot easier when you don’t have a vast root system. 

Wind Resistance

It is unlikely that a well established tree is going to fall down in UK conditions, but it isn’t impossible. Although when you see large trees having come crashing down, it is usually because they are old and potentially rotten, there is always a risk so choosing wind resistant and tough trees is a must. 

Moreover, you must think about how fragile they are when first planted. When trees are young, they are more susceptible to wind damage so make sure that you choose as resilient species as possible. 

What Are The Best Driveway Trees And Where Should I Place Them?

It is one thing to think about the types of trees that you want to use but it is also essential to think about where you will put them. Depending on factors such as the size and length of the driveway, whether you want shade and what trees you are using, you may consider several different placement options. 

Shade Trees

Sometimes called wide canopy trees, shade trees often have very large overhead structures that cast wonderful amounts of shade over a driveway. They are ideal for areas that are usually in full sun and also provide a grand statement at the entrance to your property.

Since they will be protecting the driveway from the harsh sun, they are known for their ability to improve the lifespan of the surface which is great if you’re looking to get the most of your drive. Moreover, wide canopy trees come in many different types including birch and maple. The only downside is that they will shed their leaves in autumn which will leave you with a bit of sweeping to do. 

Ornamental Or Flowering Trees

As we mentioned earlier, the biggest problem with flowering trees is that they will leave behind a significant mess once they flowers fall. However, on the flip side, you will benefit from a beautiful floral display, so it is worth weighing this up and deciding if an ornamental tree is for you. 

These types of trees are ideal for placing at the entrance to a driveway to make a stunning statement and improve the curb appeal of your property. Another reason that people often go for this type of tree is that it is a huge draw for birds; if you want to be close to nature while on your driveway, this is a viable option. 

Evergreen Trees

One of the biggest draws of the evergreen tree is that since the trees don’t drop their leaves, they are very low maintenance and won’t create a lot of mess on your driveway. What’s more, they’ll give you that lush green aesthetic all year round. For this reason, many people choose to use these types of trees to line a driveway in what is known as an allee. 

That said, it is also possible to create an allee using shade trees as this will create an almost tunnel-like effect when the trees mature. What’s even better is that, over the course of the year, you will get a vast array of colour changes giving you a new aesthetic for every season, which you won’t get with an evergreen. 

Ways To Boost The Aesthetic Of Your Driveway Trees

Lining trees along the driveway or planting one or two at the entrance to welcome you and your guests is certainly one way of improving the visual appeal of the area. However, you can go one step further and add in a few additional features to really boost the driveway’s aesthetic. 

One of the simplest ways to do this is to use uplighters at the base of the tree. This will give an incredibly luxurious and sophisticated look that can totally transform your property.

Top Driveway Trees

1. Dogwood trees are perfect if you want something that will bloom and blossom. They will grow between ten and twenty-five feet.

2. Maple trees are great if you want something colour changing. But keep in mind that they can grow as high as 60 feet in the right conditions. 

3. Pear trees are great for cooler conditions as they are frost-resistant and will flower in spring. They can grow up to 40 feet but there are dwarf varieties available. 

4. Quaking aspen trees are exceptionally fast growers at around two feet a year. They will change colour throughout the year and have a decent spread as well as growing up to 40 feet.

5. Purple Leaf Plum trees need a good amount of sunlight to enhance their colour. They will spread as far as they are tall, around 25 feet so make great shade trees.

6. The Sugar Maple Tree will give you a beautiful display especially in autumn and can grow up to 70 feet tall. They can also have a spread of up to 40 feet so they make excellent shade trees. However, you should keep in mind that they grow slowly so will need years to mature.