Master Gardeners of Lubbock

Trees for the South Plains

This listing is composed from several sources: Lubbock County Extension Office, Texas Association of Nurserymen, Lubbock Arboretum, and personal experiences of several local homeowners. It contains the majority of the trees grown in this area and should be used only as a general guide.

The following trees are proven varieties for the South Plains with few to no problems.

Deciduous Shade

Pecan (50 ft plus)

State Tree of Texas, recommended varieties are Pawnee, Caddo, and Western Schley, possible Zinc problems, attracts Aphids

Cedar Elm (50 ft plus)

Very durable, yellow fall color, resistant to Dutch Elm disease, native

Bur Oak (50 ft plus)

Very tough, does produce a large acorn, resistant to Oak Wilt, native

Chinquapin Oak (50 ft plus)

Hardy, native to Texas, but not drought tolerant

Chinese (Lacebark) Elm (20-50 ft)

Lovely tree, pinkish bark, drought tolerant, resistant to Dutch Elm disease, susceptible to bark beetle

Chinese Pistache (20-50 ft)

Reddish to yellow fall color, drought tolerant

Western Soapberry (20-50 ft)

Native to Texas, low water user, berries poisonous

Desert Willow(up to 20 to 25 ft)

Drought tolerant, white, pink to burgundy flowers, bloom spring-summer, native

Chaste Tree (Vitex) (up to 20 ft)

Drought tolerant, W. Texas answer to Crape Myrtle, lavender and white flowers

Crape Myrtle (up to 20 ft)

Many cultivars including semi-dwarf and dwarf, susceptible to powdery mildew

Chitalpa (up to 20 ft)

Relatively new, blooms spring and summer, considered drought tolerant

Evergreen

Austrian Pine (up to 50 feet)

Slow grower with dense pyramidal form, adaptable to winds and cold

Junipers (Red Cedar) (up to 30 ft)

Many shapes/sizes, tough, drought resistant, adapted to our soils

Pinyon Pine (up to 20 feet)

Slow grower and drought tolerant, edible nuts

Yaupon Holly (up to 20 feet)

Ornamental tree native to Texas, female plants bear red fruit, birds love

The following trees are worth trying but each is known for certain problems

Deciduous Shade

Texas (Shumard) Red Oak (20-50ft)

Tough, stately tree with red to crimson fall colors. Susceptible to Oak Wilt

Texas Redbud (up to 20 ft)

Beautiful Spring color, susceptible to scale and borers

Bald Cypress (50 ft plus)

Beautiful conifer but not drought tolerant, watch for bagworms

Aristocrat/Bradford Pear (20-50 ft.)

Pretty white flowers in spring, suffers from iron deficiency and fire blight

Crabapple (up to 20 ft.)

Widely planted flowering tree, drought hardy. Fruit problem if not picked up, very susceptible to fire blight (bacterial disease)

Evergreen

Eldarica (Afghan) Pine (50 ft plus)

A fast growing and nice looking pine, susceptible to Pine Tip Moth

Live Oak (20-50 ft)

Popular and stately oak, susceptible to Oak Wilt, best choice for our area is Escarpment Live Oak

Other Trees that are available but not recommended

Golden Raintree

Boxelder beetle is a huge bug problem

Willows

Do best in wet conditions, roots very invasive getting into water and sewer lines, canker problems

Fruitless Mulberry

Durable and large tree providing dense shade, roots are invasive. OK in large open area away from structures

Sweetgum

OK if you live in East Texas, iron deficiency

Cottonwood

Tall, fast growing tree with shallow root system, prone to canker and tent caterpillars

Russian Olive

Relatively small, thorny type tree that is very disease prone, very invasive

Sycamore

High water user, problem with iron deficiency

Magnolias

Generally not good for this area, most varieties prefer wetter soils with lower pH

Honey Locust

Over-used in South Plains, not very stately, many are dying from fungal disease killing the bark and from soil borne fungus spores causing root rot brought on by tree weakened by drought conditions/lack of care