To help in your decision making for selecting a tree, these entries have been divided three categories:
Our Best of Trees for Parker County recommends only drought tolerant specimens. Granted, every tree needs an ample amount of water the first year of growth or during the time the tree is getting established. After that period, the tree should be able to do well with rainfall, and minimal irrigation. When picking a tree for your lawn, take time to do your homework. Decide if you want the tree for aesthetics, privacy, or have a purpose, such as, blocking an unsightly view. Consider the growing rate of the tree. All trees will take some time to mature and accomplish your goal. Some will take much longer than others. Remember, you do not want a tree that will over power the surrounding landscape or be a burden by needing continued attention. The list provided are trees that Parker County Master Gardeners prefer.
The Chinkapin or Chinquapin, is a fair sized deciduous oak in the white oak group. At maturity this tree will reach 70 feet with a 30 foot canopy. A positive feature is that it can take up to 30 years to produce a substantial crop of small acorns.
A large deciduous tree being able to reach 80 feet in height; however, the spread is generally less than 30 feet when mature. The leaf of a Bur Oak can be 12 inches long and over 4 inches wide and have different shapes on a single tree.
Texas Mountain Laurel Sophora secundiflora
This small evergreen is a great tree for small to medium areas. It will work well in partial shade to full sun. This is a showy Texas native with clusters of fragrant purple flowers in the spring and velvet seed pods later in the fall.
Bigtooth maple Acer grandidentatum
The Bigtooth maple is native of the Edwards Plateau and the Parker County area. This is an interesting small to medium tree. It can grow up to 50 feet and have a canopy of 30 feet. It works well in rough terrains and fairly drought tolerant.
