SignalsAZ.com Prescott News Podcast - Ten Fast-Growing Trees for Quick Landscapes

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

Send us a text and chime in!This week, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener of Prescott, shares ten fast-growing trees for quick landscapes. Learn which is the quickest-growing tree, which will quickly bring you privacy, and more! As the Mountain Gardener, I often hear folks asking for trees that grow fast. You want shade, privacy, and beauty, and you want it sooner rather than later. Good news, gardeners, there are plenty of excellent, quick-growing trees that thrive here in our mountain climate. Here are my top ten picks for trees that will give you a quick landscape transformation: 1. Prescott Blaze Maple Prescott Blaze Maple (Acer x... For the written story, read here >> https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/ten-fast-growing-trees-for-quick-landscapes/Check out the CAST11.com Website at: https://CAST11.com Follow the CAST11 Podcast Network on Facebook at: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network

Text to Speech Audio articles made possible by Cast 11 Talking Glass Media. This week, Ken Lane, the Mountain Gardener of Prescott, shares 10 fast growing trees for quick landscapes. Learn which is the quickest growing tree, which will quickly bring you privacy, and more. As the Mountain Gardener, I often hear folks asking for trees that grow fast. You want shade, privacy, and beauty, and you want it sooner rather than later. Good news, gardeners, there are plenty of excellent, quick-growing trees that thrive here in our mountain climate. Here are my top ten picks for trees that will give you a quick landscape transformation. 1. Prescott Blaze Maple

Prescott Blaze Maple, Acer X. Freemanii, this is one of my all-time favorites, and for a good reason. The Prescott Blaze Maple is a cross between the fast-growing silver maple and the brilliantly colored red maple. It puts on three feet or more of growth each year and delivers a show-stopping, long-lasting red fall color that genuinely lives up to its name. 2. Aspen. Aspen, populous tremuloids, for those looking for a touch of mountain majesty, the quaking aspen is a great choice. While they prefer higher elevations, they can still do well here in Prescott if given consistent moisture. They grow in clumps, and their distinctive white bark is beautiful year-round. Their leaves flutter in the slightest

breeze, and in autumn, they turn a magnificent golden yellow. Three, red oak. Red oak, Quircus Rubra, is a fantastic shade tree that grows at a good clip, often several feet per year. They are hearty and adaptable to a wide range of soils. Beyond their fast growth, they offer deep green summer foliage that turns a lovely red-brown in the fall. They are also known for attracting wildlife. Four, sycamore. Sycamore, Platinus Occidentalis, if you are looking for a grand, stately tree with impressive size, the sycamore is a strong contender. They can grow quickly, reaching 80 feet tall and 60 feet wide at maturity. Their most distinctive feature is their exfoliating bark, which peels back in jigsaw puzzle-shaped pieces to reveal creamy white inner bark.

5. Golden Locust. Robiniusuto Acacia Freesia. The golden locust is a beacon in the landscape with its brilliant lemon-yellow leaves that hold their color from spring through fall. This tree offers bright, filtered shade. It is incredibly tough, tolerating poor soils and even urban pollution, and is drought tolerant once established. 6. Ornamental pear. Ornamental pear, pyrus choleriana, there are many excellent varieties of ornamental pairs, like Shanaclear and Capitol. These trees burst into dazzling white flowers in spring, providing a spectacular show. They're thick, dark green foliage creates excellent summer shade,

and they are often the last trees to turn brilliant red in autumn. They are very adaptable to our local mountain soils, growing well even in alkaline or clay conditions, and our are idealist specimen trees for lawns or lining driveways. 7. Purple leaf plum. Purple leaf plum, pruniscera. For striking color throughout the growing season, the purple leaf plum is a winner. Its deep purple foliage contrasts beautifully with other greens in the landscape. In early spring, it produces charming, fragrant pale pink to white blossoms.

This tree has a moderate to fast growth rate, typically gaining one to two feet per year, and is also known to be deer and hobelina resistant. 8. Arizona ash. Fraxonis Velatina, a native to the southwest, the Arizona ash is well suited to our climate, tolerating both heat and cold. It has a moderately fast growth rate, often putting on about two feet per year, and forms a pyramidal shape when young, maturing to 30 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Its bright yellow fall color adds a lovely touch to the autumn landscape. 9.

Purple robe locust Purple robe locust, Rubinia Sudo-Occasia, similar to the golden locust in its hardiness, the purple lobeckis offer stunning, long clusters of fragrant purple flowers in May that resemble wisteria. This tree grows briskly, adding two to three feet per year,

and is very drought-tolerant once established. It is a fantastic choice for a fast-growing, flowering shade tree. 10. Ginko Ginko, Ginko Biloba, while some sources list ginko is slow to moderate. Many of the cultivars available, like autumn gold, are considered fast-growing, adding up to two feet per year. These ancient trees are incredibly resilient and virtually pest and disease-free.

Their unique fan-shaped leaves turn a spectacular, pure golden yellow in the fall. Be sure to choose a male cultivar to avoid the messy fruit produced by female trees. When planning any of these fast-growing beauties, remember that proper planning and care are crucial for their long-term health and vigor. Dig a wide hole, Enrich your native soil with Waters Premium Mulch and use Waters Root and Grow at planting to reduce transplant shock. Consistent watering, especially during the establishment phase, helps these trees reach their full potential quickly. Want to learn more about the best trees for our local climate? Join us for our free garden classes. Free garden classes every Saturday at Waters Garden Center. Join us every Saturday morning at 9.30 a.m. for our free garden classes, right here at

Waters Garden Center on Iron Springs Road and Prescott. August is packed with valuable insights to help your garden thrive. Summer class schedule. July 26th, Poolside Paradise with patio tropical plants. Learn to arrange heat-tolerant tropicals in containers to transform your pool area, deck, or patio into a vibrant, resort like oasis. Come learn something new and connect with fellow gardeners. August 2nd, fast-growing trees for quick landscapes. If you're looking for trees that can provide quick shade, establish privacy screens in a hurry, or simply fill out your garden fast, you're in the right place. August 9th, bug-free blooms for stunning gardens. Students learn best practice against hovelina and pack rats, then quickly move to solutions for grasshoppers and

tomato worms. Until next week, I'll be helping gardeners grow fast trees here at Waters Garden Center. This article was written by Ken Lane. He can be found throughout the week at Waters Garden Center, 1815 West Iron Springs Road in Prescott, or contacted through his website at watersgardencenter.com. Get more gardening tips from Waters Garden Center in the Mountain Gardener column on signalsaz.com.