Fastest-growing trees

Fastest-growing trees from Quaking Aspen to Eucalyptus

Here is a list of the fastest-growing trees available to gardeners — especially useful for those who want something that will take root and blossom in as short a time as possible.

Some trees can take a long time to grow from new shoots, but there are some that grow extremely fast. The fastest-growing tree in the world is the Royal Empress or Foxglove tree which features in the Guinness Book of Records. Its seasonal growth is between 10 and 15 feet and after just seven years its crown stands at 85 feet above the ground.

A lot of gardeners want fast-growing trees especially if other trees they have are lost due to age or disease. Fast-growing trees do provide beauty and shade quickly. Not all are easily found in garden stores, but these ones should be readily available for sale in most places.

10 Muskogee Crape Myrtle/Tuscarora Crape Myrtle/Arapho Crape Myrtle

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lagerstroemia Muskogee/Lagerstroemia Tuscarora/Lagerstroemia Arapho
RATE OF GROWTH: 4-5ft per year

The Tuscarora Crape Myrtle has extremely beautiful flowers

There are several species of Crape Myrtle as you can see from the names above and they are all very beautiful trees which grow in a range of soil types. They are native to Asia but these three species now grow in America. The Muskogee Crape Myrtle has light lavender flower clusters that bloom for up to 100 days in summer producing an upright, broad canopy that is 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide.The large oblong dark leaves turn to red and orange in the fall and the bark ranges from tan to gray.

The Tuscarora features deep pink flower clusters like a watermelon and the canopy reaches 16-20 feet tall and 12-16 feet wide.The leaves turn from red to orange in the fall. Meanwhile, the Arapho has an abundance of red clusters and the canopy ranges from 12 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 16 feet wide. The leaves turn to deep maroon in the fall.

9 Quaking Aspen

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Populus Temuloides
RATE OF GROWTH: 4-5ft per year

A row of Quaking Aspen in autumn. Pic credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service HQ CC BY 2.0

Quaking Aspen grow fairly straight and lose their lower limbs over time. Sometimes they are called Trembling Aspen because their leaves tremble in a light breeze. They are the most common range of any native tree in North America and the largest Quaking Aspen is in North Dakota and is 70 feet tall with a spread of 39 feet.

They have reddish brown conical-shaped buds which are a quarter of an inch long and dark green leaves above with dull green leaves below. All the leaves turn golden brown in the fall. The average height is 25-60 feet and the width is 25-30 feet. The bark varies from chalky white to olive grey but the lower trunk becomes furrowed as the trees mature.

8 Tulip Poplar

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Liriodendron Tulipifera
RATE OF GROWTH: 4-6ft per year

The Tulip Poplar is one of the fastest-growing trees. Pic credit: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT CC BY 3.0

This tree is native only to eastern North America from Canada to Central Florida. It grows naturally in loamy soils and along rivers. It is easy to identify by its broad lyre-shaped leaf and large tulip-like flower which has nine yellow to green petals with a bold orange band.

Squirrels love the mature flower buds and the flowers produce a lot of nectar so they are a valuable source of honey. Virgin trees can reach 200 feet high and the oldest living Tulip Poplar is in New York City. It is believed to be 350-400 years old.

7  American Sycamore

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Platanus Occidentalis
RATE OF GROWTH: 4-6ft per year

An adult American Sycamore. Pic credit: TheKohser CC BY-SA 3.0

This huge tree is also known as the American Plane Tree or Buttonball Tree and it is as wide as it is tall. Both measurements are between 75 to 100 feet. The tree is native to the southeastern United States and it is most commonly found in the state of Missouri.

You can tell if the tree is male or female by the color of the blooms — the male blossoms are yellow and the female are reddish. The diameter of the trunk ranges from 3 to 8 feet but some measure as much as 16 feet round. Its signature ornamental feature is its brown bark which exfoliates in places to reveal the creamy inner bark.

6 Weeping Willow

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Salix Babylonica
RATE OF GROWTH: 4-8ft per year

A beautiful example of a Weeping Willow. Pic credit: Przykuta CC BY-SA 3.0

Weeping willows are beautiful tall, wide trees with curtains of sweeping branches that come down to the ground. They have small, narrow leaves that appear in the late winter which give them a golden look. They suffer from brittle wood which means they frequently drop both large and small branches and they are susceptible to high winds, often coming down in heavy storms.

They can tolerate drought, flooding and salt and can be found in the US where the soil is well-drained, loamy, sandy or clay. They grow to 40-50 feet tall and 40-60 feet wide and they are a good wetlands plant. They are an all-time favorite for large landscapes and are traditionally planted near water where they grow the fastest. They will only last about 15 years in the desert across south-west America even with proper irrigation, but they will last 30 years in other areas.

5 Eucalyptus

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eucalyptus Polyanthemos
RATE OF GROWTH: 6-8ft per year

A Eucalyptus tree. Pic credit: Melburnian CC BY 3.0

Eucalyptus trees, also known as gum trees, are native to Australia where the leaves provide popular food for koala bears. Fast-growing species have now been introduced in America and Europe for commercial purposes to produce eucalyptus oil found in the studded pockets on the leaves, and timber. They are extensively planted in California.

The trees have stringy barks and the leaves are leathery and hang obliquely or vertically. Many species of eucalyptus reach a great height, some as much as 480 feet and they survive in any situation providing the temperature does not fall below 27 degrees fahrenheit.

4 Hybrid Poplar

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eg. Populus Deltoides/Poplus Nigra
RATE OF GROWTH:  8-10ft per year

Hybrid Poplars used to disguise a row of homes. Pic credit: Robin Stott CC BY-SA 2.0

These softwood trees are one of the fastest growing species achieving a height of 40 feet in 4-5 years. They are found in North America and are the most planted ornamental tree in USA. These hybrids grow six to ten times faster than similar species and are easy to plant. The drawback is they are susceptible to fungal leaf spots that will defoliate the trees by late summer.

They can also develop a canker that causes them to die an ugly death in just a few years. Farmers use them to protect their soil from wind erosion and to act as windbreaks to protect their livestock. They are very useful trees for the Forestry Commission and can be found in many American forests.

3 Lombardy Poplar

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Populus Nigra “Italica”
RATE OF GROWTH: 8-10ft per year

Lombardy Poplars are extremely fast-growing. Pic credit: Leonora Enking CC BY-SA 2.0

These are the black poplar trees hence the name populus nigra and they are a species of cottonwood poplar. They are best known for growing in columns planted about 8 feet apart and their unusual branches which start close to the ground and grow horizontal to the trunk.

They reach a height of 40 to 50 feet tall and a width of 10-15 feet. They are very popular with people who want a living wall or privacy screen as they grow quickly, approximately 6 feet per year. But they are short-lived — a maximum of 15 years — as they are susceptible to borers, cytospora canker and bacterial wetwood.

They can get disfigured before they die by various pests and diseases and should not be planted near a drain as they can damage the drainage system.

2 Willow Hybrid

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Salix Hybrid
RATE OF GROWTH: 6-12ft per year

Willow Hybrids grow to an average 40ft in height. Pic credit: JoJan CC BY-SA 3.0

If you want to screen off an area you can plant these trees six feet apart and produce a wonderful array of greenery that will block out anything. Their average height is 40 feet and width about 15 feet but if left un-pruned their width can spread to 18 to 20 feet.

They grow very quickly and reach 20 feet within two years of planting. Their mature height can grow to between 50 and 70 feet and they have few problems with insects and other bugs. They can be seen in Minnesota but as they grow well in any type of soil they can be found in many US states. They need to be watered regularly during the first year to ensure their roots can support the trees. They live around 25 years but show signs of decline after 18 years.

1 Royal Empress or Foxglove Tree

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Paulownia Tomentosa
RATE OF GROWTH: 10-15ft per year

The Empress Tree, the fastest growing tree in the world. Pic credit: Petr Filippov CC BY-SA 3.0

Featuring in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest growing tree in the world, the Royal Empress is native to central and western China but is now naturalized in the USA. Its alternative name is due to the flowers which are like a purple foxglove and come out in the spring before the leaves.

An extremely beautiful tree, it is often found in ornamental parks and gardens where it stands alone as it cannot thrive in the shade of other trees. It can grow as much as 20 feet in its first year and as much as 12 inches in just three weeks.