Red maple is one of the best named of all trees, featuring something red in each of the seasons—buds in winter, flowers in spring, leafstalks in summer, and brilliant foliage in autumn. This pageant of color, along with the red maple's relatively fast growth and tolerance to a wide range of soils, makes it a widely planted favorite.

• Boasts brilliant deep red or yellow fall color with red stems in winter
• Fast-growing tree

Silver is the right word to describe this maple. With even a light wind, the tree produces a lovely shimmery effect thanks to the silvery undersides of its leaves. The bark, too, is silver in color, particularly when the tree is young. Fast growth has become the name of the game in the world of landscaping, and the silver maple is a champ in this department.

• Displays green leaves with silvery-white undersides
• Tolerates a wide range of soils

The sugar maple is one of America’s most-loved trees. In fact, more states have claimed it as their state tree than any other single species—for New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Vermont, the maple tree stands alone. One of its most prominent features is amazing fall color. As the seasons change, the leaves turn vibrant shades of yellow, burnt orange, and red.

• Boasts brilliant fall colors of yellow, orange, and red
• Provides great shade because of a dense crown