The following are trees that are recommended or approved for being planted on residential and commercial properties in Nashville.
Canopy Trees
Trees that normally achieve an overall height at maturity of 30 feet or more – not for use under power lines. If tree matures greater than 50 feet high, plant no less than 45 feet from power line; if tree matures 30-50 feet high, plant no less than 35 feet from power line.
Deciduous Canopy
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Florida Maple/Southern Sugar Maple | Acer barbatum |
| Black Maple | Acer nigrum |
| Red Maple 'Armstrong,' 'Bowhall' | Acer rubrum |
| Sugar Maple and varieties | Acer saccharum |
| Ohio Buckeye | Aesculus glabra |
| Yellow Buckeye | Aesculus flava |
| Common Alder/Black Alder | Alnus glutinosa |
| River Birch | Betula nigra |
| Katsura Tree | Cercidiphyllum japonicum |
| American Yellowwood | Cladrastis kentukea |
| Common Persimmon | Diospyros virginiana |
| Hardy Rubber Tree | Eucommia ulmoides |
| Gingko | Gingko biloba 'Princeton Sentry' |
| Honeylocust | Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis |
| Kentucky Coffeetree | Gymnocladus dioicus |
| Sweetgum 'Slender Silhouette' | Liquidambar styraciflua |
| Yellow Poplar/Tuliptree/Tulip Poplar | Liriodendron tulipifera |
| Dawn Redwood | Metasequoia glyptostroboides |
| Black Gum/Black Tupelo | Nyssa sylvatica |
| Amur Corktree | Phellodendron amurense |
| London Planetree | Platanus x acerifolia |
| Sawtooth Oak | Quercus acutissima |
| White Oak | Quercus alba |
| Swamp White Oak | Quercus bicolor |
| Scarlet Oak | Quercus coccinea |
| Southern Red Oak | Quercus facata |
| Cherrybark oak | Quercus facata var pagodafolia |
| Overcup Oak | Quercus lyrata |
| Shingle Oak | Quercus imbricaria |
| Bur Oak | Quercus macrocarpa |
| Chinkapin Oak | Quercus muehlenbergii |
| Nuttall Oak | Quercus nuttallii (texana) |
| Willow Oak | Quercus phellos |
| Chestnut Oak | Quercus prinus |
| English Oak | Quercus robur |
| Northern Red Oak | Quercus rubra |
| Shumard Oak | Quercus shumardii |
| Baldcypress | Taxodium distichum |
| American Basswood | Tilia americana |
| White Basswood | Tilia americana var heterophylla |
| Littleleaf Linden | Tilia cordata |
| Silver Linden | Tilia tomentosa |
| Winged Elm | Ulmus alata |
| American Elm 'Valley Forge' | Ulmus americana |
| Chinese Elm | Ulmus parvifolia 'Bosque' |
| Slippery Elm | Ulmus rubra |
| September Elm | Ulmus serotina |
| Japanese Zelkova | Zelkova serrata 'Green Vase' |
Evergreen Trees
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Cryptomeria | Cryptomeria japonica |
| American Holly and cultivars | Ilex opaca |
| Eastern Redcedar | Juniperus virginiana |
| Southern Magnolia | Magnolia grandiflora |
| Norway Spruce | Picea abies |
| Shortleaf Pine | Pinus echinata |
| Scots Pine | Pinus sylvestris |
| Japanese Black Pine | Pinus thunbergiana |
Understory Trees
Trees that normally achieve an overall height at maturity of 15 to 30 feet, can be planted at a distance of no less than 15 feet from power lines.
Deciduous Understory Trees
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Trident Maple | Acer buergeranum |
| Hedge Maple | Acer campestre |
| Amur Maple | Acer ginnala |
| Paperbark Maple | Acer griseum |
| Japanese Maple | Acer palmatum |
| Red Buckeye | Aesculus pavia |
| Serviceberry | Amelanchier arborea |
| American Hornbeam | Carpinus caroliniana |
| Eastern Redbud and cultivars | Cercis canadensis |
| Chinese Fringetree | Chioanthus retusus |
| White Fringetree | Chioanthus virginicus |
| Flowering Dogwood 'white cultivar' | Cornus florida |
| Kousa Dogwood | Cornus kousa |
| Washington Hawthorn | Crataegus phaenopyrum |
| Green Hawthorn | Crataegus viridus |
| Franklin Tree | Franklinia alatamaha |
| Possumhaw | Ilex decidua |
| Saucer Magnolia | Magnolia x soulangiana |
| Star Magnolia | Magnolia stellata |
| Sweetbay Magnolia | Magnolia virginiana |
| Crabapples | Malus cultivars/varieties |
| Apples (Heirloom) | Malus domestica spp. |
| American Hophornbeam | Ostrya virginiana |
| Sourwood | Oxydendrum arboreum |
| Chinese Pistache | Pistacia chinensis |
| American Plum | Prunus americana |
| Chickasaw Plum | Prunus augustifolia |
| Japanese flowering apricot | Prunus mume |
| Flowering Cherry | Prunus serrulata |
| Yoshino Cherry | Prunus x yedoensis |
| Fruiting Pear | Pyrus spp. |
| Japanese Snowbell | Styrax japonicus |
| Japanese Tree Lilac | Syringa reticulata |
| Littleleaf Linden ‘Green Globe’ | Tilia cordata 'Green Globe' |
Evergreen Low Growing Trees
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Foster’s Hybrid Hollies | Ilex x attenuata ‘Fosteri’ |
| Burford Holly -tree form | Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordi’ |
| Nellie R. Stevens Holly | Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ |
| Little Gem Magnolia | Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ |
| Cherry Laurel – tree form | Prunus caroliniana |
Shrubs
Shrubs are woody plants with multiple stems capable of growing to a height of no more than 15 feet. Shrubs for Buffer Yards: One half of required shrubs must be evergreen species and reach a height of 5 feet within 5 years of planting.
Deciduous Shrubs
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Glossy Abelia | Abelia x grandiflora & cultivars |
| Red Chokecherry | Aronia arbutifolia & cultivars |
| Japanese Barberry | Berberis thunbergii & cultivars |
| Flowering Quince | Chaenomeles speciosa |
| Flowering Forsythia | Forsythia x intermedia |
| Oakleaf Hydrangea | Hydrangea quercifolia & cultivars |
| Finetooth Holly | Ilex serrata |
| Winterberry | Ilex verticillata |
| Virginia Sweetspire | Ilex virginica |
| Beauty Bush | Kolkwitzia amabalis |
| Viburnum | Viburnum species & cultivars |
Evergreen Shrubs
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese Hollies | Ilex cornuta cultivars |
| Japanese Holly | Ilex crenata |
| Meserveae hybrid Hollies | Ilex x meserveae |
| Chinese Juniper | Juniperus chinensis |
| Leatherleaf Mahonia | Mahonia bealei |
| Otto Luyken & Schip Laurels | Prunus laurocerasus |
Best choices for perimeter evergreen shrubs
(must be maintained at 2½ feet)
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| American Boxwood | Buxus sempervirens |
| Otto Luyken & Schip Laurel | Prunus laurocerasus |
| Dense Yew | Juniperus chinensis |
Non-Recommended Trees
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum |
| Tree-of-Heaven | Ailanthus altissima |
| Minosa | Albizia julibrissin |
| Paper Mulberry | Broussonetia papyrifera, syn. Morus papyrifera L |
| Sugarberry | Celtis laevigata |
| Hackberry | Celtis occidentalis |
| Leyland Cypress | Cupressus x leylandii |
| Russian Olive | Elaeagnus angustifolia |
| Ash spp. (green, white, blue) | Fraxinus spp. |
| Chinese Parasol Tree | Firmiana simplex |
| Goldenrain Tree | Koelreuteria paniculata |
| China Berry | Melia azedarach |
| Royal Paulownia/Princess Tree | Paulownia tomentosa |
| White Poplar | Populus alba |
| Bradford Pear | Pyrus calleryana (all varieties) |
| Pin Oak | Quercus palustris |
| Chinese Tallow | Triadica sebifera |
| Eastern (Canadian) Hemlock | Tsuga canadensis |
| Siberian Elm | Ulmus pumila |
Prohibited Shrubs
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Shrub Althea | Hibiscus syriacus |
| Nandina/Dwarf Nandina | Nandina domestica |
Commercial Use Only
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Green Giant' arborvitae | Thuja standishii x plicata |