14 Inexpensive Landscape Plants

'October Glory' maple is a perfect large shade tree for USDA zones 4-9. It grows to 50 feet tall and 35 feet wide at a moderate to fast rate. It has gorgeous red-orange fall color.

Flowering cherries are hardy in zones 5-8. Upright forms grow to 25-40 feet tall, and a bit wider than tall. Choose from pink or white, upright or weeping varieties for the best fit for your landscape.

Flowering dogwood is derived from the native eastern North American tree. This compact tree grows to 25 feet tall and wide. Hardy in zones 5-9, it provides mid-spring flowers in either white or pink.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) joins azaleas and magnolias as Southern staples. The small- to medium-sized tree, growing to 15 to 35 feet depending on the variety, comes in numerous cultivars, which feature flowers in lavender, pink, purple, red or white. The crape myrtles that bloom in mid to late summer are especially valuable for the landscape’s “dog days,” but there are also some that bloom in early summer. The fast-growers are also prized for their beautiful, shedding bark during winter.