What are the best shade trees for Albuquerque?
The answer to this will depend, in part, on the space available for the tree and the amount of water you can consistently give it. In the small-to-medium size tree catergory, consider the following: flowering crab apple, desert willow, purpleleaf plum, golden rain tree, Bradford pear, Chinaberry, Arizona ash (Modesto ash is a cultivar of this species), Chinese elm (recently allowed in Albuquerque city limits), Ginkgo (select male trees), common hackberry, honey locust, Horsechestnut, cork oak, osage orange, Mimosa, Chinese pistache, Arizona walnut. Largest options would include: Japanese pagoda, pecan, western catalpa, Arizona sycamore (high water!), Rio Grande cottonwood. As a rule, larger trees will be higher water users, and definitely need space to root. Note: For those residing in the Albuquerque City Limits, remember that City Ordinance No. 0-51 prohibits the following trees: All Cypress, all male Juniper that reach higher than 2 feet when mature, all Mulberry, all Cottonwoods an
