Tulip trees are also under utilized. They are extremely valuable because they grow fast, yet don't have the problem with brittle wood many other fast growers do. And they are native.

OK, I know everyone is going to hate this, and I understand why -- yes, it's a junk tree, relatively short lived, sends up a million suckers.

Quaking Aspen. Beautiful foliage. Beautiful bark. A grove of them with the silvery gray-white trunks and yellow fall foliage is spectacular on a crisp, clear October day.

And yes, I have them in my yard in a couple of spots, and I pull up suckers all the time and mow off many that come up in the lawn.

Still think they're beautiful, though.

On my list -- at least for mid-Atlantic Northern Virginia region -- would be the following evergreen trees (admittedly some are at the northern edge of their hardiness zone):

Ubame Oak (Quercus phillyraeoides)
Darlington Oak (Quercus hemisphaerica)
Escarpment Live Oak (Quercus fusiformis)
Red Bay (Persea borbonia)
Chinese Evergreen oak (Quercus myrsinifolia)
Ilex x virginia
Lusterleaf holly (Ilex latifolia)
Longstalk holly (Ilex pedunculosa)
Carolina Cherry laurel (Prunus caroliniana)
Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill palm)

Smaller trees/large shrubs:
Osmanthus x fortunei
Chindo viburnum
Loquat (Eriobotya japonica)

Red Oak. I don't see very many people planting oak around here. I'd like to see a few more weeping willows on -large- city properties, especially ones on the water.

Around here, any conifer in the family Pinaceae. For some strange reason, almost no-one plants any in parks or gardens.

Some others:
Torreya californica
Libocedrus plumosa
Juniperus drupacea
Sciadopitys verticillata
Populus lasiocarpa
Pterocarya rhoifolia
Juglans ailantifolia
Betula albosinensis
Betula maximowicziana
Quercus frainetto
Quercus macranthera
Quercus myrsinifolia
Embothrium coccineum
Parrotia persica
Acer macrophyllum
Acer trautvetteri
Acer maximowiczianum
Aesculus indica
Tilia mongolica
Tilia amurensis
Tilia oliveri

Resin

Not really differentiating underplanted vs. underappreciated and of course it will be dependent on locale.

Acer pseudosieboldianum
Acer triflorum
Acer griseum
Aesculus octandra (and its cultivars)
Betula alleghaniensis (picky, but wow!)
Carpinus caroliniana
Cladrastis kentuckea
Evodia danielii
Heptacodium miconioides (late bloom is very valuable)
Maackia amurensis
Quercus bicolor

For a list (with descriptions) that was made by a local expert for my locale

Here is a link that might be useful: Trees that merit planting in Seattle

Hemiptelia davidii! haha I just came across that name, and obviously it must be underplanted, since today is the first day I've heard of it.

"Euodia danielii"

Now Tetradium danielii

"Hemiptelia"

Hemiptelea ;-)

Resin

Litte leaf linden.

Pinabetulus macroquercafolia var. chineses 'variegata purpurea'

best tree ever

around here : quercus alba quercus imbricaria quercus bicolor quercus prinus( chestnut oak?) fagus grandifolia not sure of the botanical name for burr oak

"Pinabetulus macroquercafolia var. chineses 'variegata purpurea'
best tree ever"

Spelling? Never heard of it, nor has google.

Although finiky, I agree fagus grandifolia should be added to the list.

I could have misspelled it. I'm going from memory. Someone feel free to correct the spelling.

Not entirely hardy here, but has great foliage and is supposed to be light on seed production (less litter issues): "Burgundy Flush" Chinese Sweetgum.

There are better lindens that those that are generally available (= the Tilia cordata cultivars). Resin mentioned amurensis, oliveri, and mongolica (the latter not very distinct from cordata IMO). Silver linden (tomentosa), and Weeping Silver Linden (petiolaris) should also be used more (though they may be over-planted where you are, Resin). Chinensis and henryana may have possibilities. "Continental Appeal" (T. heterophylla) is a good looking tree, and some larger growers are beginning to carry it.

BTW Resin, I'm also a fan of Acer maximowiczianum. Acer mandshuricum should be grown more as well.

Whaas, which Aesculus cultivars are you talking about?

Agree, I never see Silver Linden planted around by me. Its tough to find one with good but what a beauty.

If I'm not mistaken A. octandra is the same as A. flava.
Hopefully I'm using the cultivar and parent terminology correctly.

Check out 'Homestead' and 'Autumn Splendor'.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Ah, the underused and underappreciated...

Quercus macrocarpa
Quercus muehlenbergii
Quercus michauxii
Quercus lyrata
Quercus marilandica
Fraxinus quadrangulata
Magnolia acuminata
Tilia americana
Betula lenta
Celtis occidentalis
Celtis laevigata
Osmanthus americanus
Ostrya virginiana
Ptelea trifoliata
Carya spp. ALL OF THEM
Fagus grandifolia dittos
Aesculus flava dittos
Cladrastis kentukea dittos
Asimina triloba dittos
Sassafras albidum dittos
Cotinus obovatus dittos
Stuartia (Stewartia) malacodendron
Stuartia (Stewartia) ovata
Franklinia alatamaha
Styrax americana
Viburnum rufidulum
Viburnum sieboldii
Ilex decidua
Calocedrus decurrens
Picea orientalis
Abies cilicica
Abies nordmanniana
Sciadopitys verticillata dittos

I've got both Tetradium daniellii and Hemiptelea davidii here in the yard - going on ten years, and happy as clams.

"Now Tetradium danielii"

Believe it's Tetradium daniellii

Its amazing how locale dependent the lists are. For example Tilia americana and Celtis occidentalis are overplanted in my area. Non the less good list for folks to check out trees they aren't familar with.

Exactly. When I was a child, tilia was a very common city tree. In fact I lived on a street lined with linden trees. Mostly in islands in the center of residential streets or in the ample hellstrips. After moving back here as an adult, one only sees them occasionally and those are the survivors of the old plantings. I never see a young one anymore.

In fact, it is very rare to see any tree, much less a larger tree planted in that strip of land between a sidewalk and a front lawn. Mostly it's because people don't want bird poop or residue on their precious cars, and don't want to sweep a sidewalk. LOL. If you want to park your car in the shade, you can forget it. What a shame.

I too would like to see more sourwood and smoketree (from the OPs list) since they grow well here for the most part.

I'd like to see more bald cypress and have a few in the yard (planted as whips, so still tiny).

I'm a fan of deciduous conifers, and I like to see them anywhere they can grow. They don't seem to be planted in yards and parks so much.

Bald Cypress is another one I can't figure out why no one plants around here. The ones I've ever seen are botanic gardens, arbs and of all places my neighbors yard.

They have such a nice symetrical shape and the leaves/branches sway so gracefully in the wind.

Whaas, I agree that some of the Aesculus varieties should be used more (at least those that are resistant to leaf blotch/scorch). Both Homestead and Autumn Splendor are advertised to be resistant. Homestead is also reported to be seedless and have good fall color (I haven't seen this variety myself). I have seen Autumn Splendor (only smaller trees) but haven't observed very good fall color on it so far (maybe when the trees get a little bigger?).

I've also seen A. chinensis (again, only smaller trees) and it has clean, attractive foliage that is supposed to be disease resistant. Some say that this species is one of the most impressive of the Aesculus in flower as well as foliage.

Speaking of resistance to leaf problems, why isn't anyone growing some of the lesser-known Celtis species (bungeana, jessoensis, julianae) that are supposed to be resistant to leaf galls (and witches broom)?

Add another vote for Sourwood. Wish they would do well here.

Here is my list of underappreciated and under planted landscape trees:

Tops on my list is a common tree, the eastern white oak. It is almost never available at retail nurseries, but in my opinion it is the finest hardwood landscape tree that can be planted in much of the eastern USA.

But for more "unusual" trees, near the top of my list is larch (European larch, Japanese larch, and the hybrid, marschlinsii). Again, virtually never available in retail nurseries, but beautiful trees with wonderful early spring green color and good fall color. Along with the larch, but not so uncommon, is bald cypress.

Next are some fir trees. Here in the "Mid-Atlantic" region of the US the best fir may be A. holophylla. It grows as if native--very big, tall, and lush-- here in the VA Arboretum, near Winchester, and even produces an occasional seedling. Also growing well there is A. nordmaniana. I am trying A. cilicia, numidica, fargasii, bornmulleriana, cephalonica, koreana, and a few others. Those named seem especially promising so far. One that is growing especially vigorously at the national Arboretum in Washington, D.C. is the hybrid, A. X vilmorinii (Cephalonia/pinsapo).

Fir trees are beautiful trees and their complete absence as landscape trees is very, very strange.

Next, I agree with the person recommending Picea orientalis. It is a fine spruce tree, and when relatively young is perhaps the most attractive of all the spruces. With age, Norway spruce from the proper strain grows more beautifully, but P. orientalis should be much more widely grown.

Resin names some of the European oaks on his list. I have not seen mature specimens of those he mentions, but I am growing Q. frainetto and castaneafolia. We have some fine native oaks, but I think some of the European oaks deserve more attention. I have never seen one, except for Q. robur, at a retail nursery.

Of course there are others I could list, but these are the ones that stand out in my mind as grossly under planted. They are underappreciated only because no one ever sees them, except, of course, for the white oaks that grow naturally in woodlands, and those preserved from woodlands when housing developments are built, which is not often enough.

--spruce

Ah speaking of spruces, I have the two sided coin - blue spruce and norway spruce. There are a ton of blue spruces around here, and they just never do well. They get scraggly and never really "thrive". I wish more people would plant the norway spruces, they tend to do considerably better around here. Also, on large lots, I'm surprised more people don't plant canadian hemlock; they are such large, gracious trees.

amen to the hemlock krycek! however, down here at the tail end of the Appalachians, there is Hemlock wooly adelgid that is infesting them.

Last year, at times it looked like light snow when they "spawned" in summer.

Tsuga canadensis is still listed as "secure", and I hope the infestation we have down this way doesn't spread. Sometimes I take the "long way home" from work to see an old house with a towering specimen in the front yard. It looks as if the home existed before the road, and they made a big curve to leave room for his property and the awesome trees! :-)

My understanding is that both Canadian and Carolina hemlock old growth groves have already been pretty much eliminated or soon will be.

We get them on western hemlock out here also, but it does not seem to be as sensitive.

"My understanding is that both Canadian and Carolina hemlock old growth groves have already been pretty much eliminated or soon will be."

What is the real story behind this wooly adelgid outbreak? I have a several of these trees planted in a grove in the back yard. They were probably there for years (I didn't plant them.) They look fine but yes, I do see an occasional branch that seems to have a problem. Only it doesn't seem to spread or even get worse from year to year--even though this year our trees and shrubs are under a lot of stress due to high heat and drought. But usually there is good strong growth on the tree that does not show the problem. And again--most branches don't seem to be affected.

You can tell if you have them by looking for a bunch of white cottony spots on the branches. There are several pictures on the internet detailing what they look like.

Posted by calliope 6 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 9, 10 at 12:55

Litte leaf linden.

While I like the tree it is over planned in the Denver CO area.

Regarding the woolly adelgid, does anyone know of Bayer Advanced is effective against this pest?

My Hemlock is just a baby, and frankly I haven't look at it closely this year.

Seems to me this is the kind of sucking insect that this product would be effective on.

I know I had a bad infestation of those jumbo type, big, juicy scale on my 2 flower peaches, and trees looked bad last year. I put Bayer Advanced on them first thing this spring, the scales are now gone and the trees have a lot of new growth. I was sure I was going to lose them. I now have the same basic type of scale on my yellow magnolia, and need to remember to get the treatment on them!

Sciadopitys verticillata , Umbrella pine

If you plant a Tsuga canadensis 'they will come'. From what I've heard, and relayed to me from a gardener in the Baltimore area, Bartlett or someone, treats woolly a's on her's with a systemic insecticide. Costly, but she had many mature specimens worth saving.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sciadopitys

I've planted several trees mentioned in this thread in recent years - white oak, black gum (tupelo), paw paw, Parrotia persica and American smoketree among them.

I'm also fond of the Kentucky coffeetree, which has interesting bark and compound foliage. There are some sources which gripe about the seedpods dropped from female trees, but I haven't seen this to be a problem (those intent on a perfect lawn might feel otherwise). The tree is also very tough and adaptable.

Moreton Bay figs are our most striking tree

{{gwi:404824}}

Hoop pines and bunya pines ae spectacular as well.

My 2c:

Repeating some of the earlier recommendations in no particular order:

Cladrastus Kentuckea (sp?) (lutea)
Acer triflorum
Parrotia
Sciadopitys verticillata
Quercus muehlenbergii

Cornus mas

I agree about tilia, or basswood. I have made rope cord with the inner bark of this tree. Great smelling flowers too! Also agree about Cornus mas/Cornelian cherry, there was a gorgeous one near my old school. Supposedly the berries are edible, although I hope to never have to rely on them as a food source. And I'll add sweetgum. People are way too afrait of the gumballs. Spend 15 min. out in the yard and pick them up, for heavans sake! I love the purple fall color.

Missed this thread last year while I was working way too much, but here are some I believe fits the theme.

Chalk Maple Acer leucoderme
Southern Sugar Maple Acer floridanum
BigToothed Maple Acer grandidentatum
American Fringe Tree Chionanthus virginicus

The already mentioned.
Yellowwood Cladrastis kentuckea(lutea)
Decidous Holly Ilex decidua (allot of this native locally and it looks great in winter)
Acer pseudosieboldianum
Acer triflorum
Acer griseum
White Oak Quercus alba
Scarlet Oak Quercus coccinea
Chinkapin Oak Quercus muehlenbergii
Carpinus caroliniana

On a related note, here is one to look up.
Ozark Chinquapin Castanea pumila var ozarkensis
Work is ongoing to develop blight resistant trees.

around here i don't see many oaks planted other than the willow, white, and pin oaks. I wish more Northern and Southern Red Oaks were planted. I also like hickories and given ones from seed could take up to 40 years to seed it will be a beautiful large leafed tree to break up the monotony.