North Carolina Trees
When looking at which trees grow well in North Carolina, many people shop for a shade tree that gives quick relief from the sun’s heat in their backyard. Planting trees in North Carolina will depend most on where you live – whether in Raleigh, Asheville, Kill Devil Hills, or Charlotte– and what benefit you want to gain from the tree.

The Best Trees for Planting in North Carolina
When planting in NC, your choices will include specimens that are highly adaptable to the region’s climate conditions, showing good drought-resistance as well as to mildew, insects and diseases.

Look for tree selections that grow fast, are hardy, and perhaps even native such as flowering cherry trees. For shade from that hot Carolina sun, we suggest shade trees such as oak trees, ash trees, or tulip poplar trees. If you’re looking for color, try one of our new hybrid red maple trees.

An excellent North Carolina privacy tree is the willow hybrid, perfect when planted for a quick source for privacy. A Large Variety of Trees for North Carolina

Wherever your location – the Piedmont, Cape Fear, Appalachians, Blue Ridge Parkway or the Great Smokey Mountains – we have the trees for you. Our nursery selection will provide solutions for your unique N.C. landscape needs.

The North Carolina state tree is the Longleaf Pine, a tree that grows up to 100ft. tall on a straight trunk, with a towing open canopy of long, lustrous needles at the top. The most common soil is called Piedmont Clay, a native soil of the Tar Heel state is similar to the red clay found in Georgia, parts of South Carolina and portions of southern Tennessee and Virginia. It is the most extensive soil in the state.

North Carolina is also a beautiful state for flowering trees. Dogwood Trees, Crape Myrtles and Flowering Cherry Trees all bloom profusely in the state.

Older homes will have 6” – 9” of rich gray-brown topsoil which newer developments were stripped of during construction. It takes many years for topsoil to be created naturally. Those NC homes without a consistent layer of rich topsoil will need to intensely amend the planting holes for new trees in the yard to increase drainage in the dense red clay and also to provide nutrients missing from the native subsoil so famous in North Carolina. Adding topsoil and soil conditioner worked in as deeply as possible (6 inches deeper and wider each side of your planting hole than needed for the root ball).

It is wise to plant your trees “high” in the Piedmont clay with the base of the trunk situated at least 4 inches higher than the surrounding grade. Be sure to create a dam with soil around the perimeter of your new tree’s home. While the tree is new this ridge of soil helps keep water for the roots, allowing it to soak into the roots instead of running right off.

Those of you living near the North Carolina coast will have sandy soil to deal with which does not hold moisture, similar to soil around Florida trees. You will need to amend your soil by adding composted organic matter to provide needed nutrients as well as moisture retention properties. Coastal landscapes need a good 3 to 4 inches of organic compost mulch to keep the soil around your new tree’s roots cool in the summer’s heat. You would be wise to work in a thick layer of compost around and under the tree’s root system prior to planting it in the spot you have chosen. Lack of consistent moisture is the number one reason newly installed trees die – no matter where you live.

For a beautiful North Carolina landscape, plant a nice blend of evergreen trees, fruit trees and colorful flowering trees. Be sure that you choose trees that will thrive in NC’s unique soils and climate.