Discover tree options that require less cleanup.
Tired of Raking Leaves? Plant These Trees Instead
Published on Nov. 11, 2024
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Why Do Trees Lose Their Leaves?
Trees typically lose their leaves seasonally before the winter to conserve water and energy during the dormant winter months. Shedding leaves is also a protective strategy for trees. With fewer surfaces for snow and ice to cling to, there’s less risk of broken or damaged branches. Empty branches also allow winter winds to easily pass through.
Trees will also lose their leaves when they are diseased or stressed.
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Are There Any Leafy Trees That Don’t Lose Their Leaves?
Unfortunately, there aren’t any deciduous or leafy trees that don’t lose their leaves. So, if you’re looking to avoid a big fall cleanup, you’ll have to turn to evergreen trees. These trees have needles instead of leaves and stay, well, evergreen all year long. While they do shed their needles, it’s a slower process throughout the year instead of a single event each fall, making it less noticeable.
That’s not to say that evergreens can’t make a mess. White Pines experience a significant shedding of needles in the fall, produce large amounts of pollen, and also drop pitch, a sticky substance, along with pine cones. Among the least messy evergreens, consider Arbor Vitae and Blue Spruce trees.
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Deciduous Trees You Can Plant for a Low-Maintenance Yard
While there may not be any trees that don’t lose their leaves, there are some that create less mess.
Japanese Maple
Able to grow in USDA Zones 5 to 8, the Japanese Maple is a mid-sized (33 ft. maximum height) tree that produces beautiful star-shaped leaves. The leaves are small and light, making clean-up efforts less strenuous. “Likewise, the flowers and the fruit, a pair of small, winged samaras, disappear with one pass of the lawnmower,” Corbett says.
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Red Bud
Red Bud trees have a maximum height of 25 feet, so they produce fewer leaves that will later drop. The leaves they do produce are an attractive heart shape that turns a brilliant yellow before dropping in the fall. “Even if it had an abundance of leaves, one can’t complain about heart-shaped leaves,” Corbett says. “And the fruit are flattened pea-like pods, which the lawn mower easily removes.”
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Dogwood
Another mid-sized tree that only grows to 33 feet, Dogwood trees are cherished for their spring blooms throughout Zones 5 to 9. With its shorter stature, you get all the benefits of a tree without excessive fall cleanup. Dogwoods do produce berries, but “birds love [them], which makes them disappear quickly,” Corbett says.
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Ginkgo Biloba
Grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8, Ginkgo Biloba trees reach 80 feet tall with a large canopy and fan-shaped leaves. Male Ginkgo trees are a better option if you’re after less mess, as female trees of the species drop seeds in the fall. Unlike most deciduous trees that lose leaves slowly, Ginkgo trees drop all their leaves in one day, making cleanup quicker.
About the Expert
- Joyce Corbett is the owner of Classic Courtyards in West Springfield, Massachusetts. She has over forty years of landscaping design and installation experience.
