Best Trees for Mid-Atlantic Gardens

Hardy and exquisite-looking trees are important elements in Mid-Atlantic gardens. They are the most permanent and dominant elements in the landscape. There is a tremendous amount of possibilities in terms of trees to pick for your yard: evergreen or deciduous trees, spring or summer blooms, fall color interest, leaf shape, exfoliating bark, growth habit, etc.

Selecting the right tree variety might be daunting for Mid-Atlantic gardeners. If you are looking for beautiful, low-maintenance, and hardy plants that thrive in the Mid-Atlantic region, you may want to consider these top-performing shrubs, which all won the Gold Medal Award of The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The goal of this program is to promote outstanding plants for Mid-Atlantic gardens. The program was originally conceived by nurseryman Dr. J. Franklin Styer, who realized gardeners needed to learn about superior plants for their landscapes. It identifies superior ornamental landscape plants that meet the growing conditions of the region and have proven their performance. When gardeners acquire a Gold Medal winner, they can be assured the plant will exhibit standards of excellence for pest and disease resistance, ease of growing, and beauty through many seasons, whether it be foliage, flower, form, or bark.

Below is the list of some of the prestigious tree winners. As you will note, some have also received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society!