The Best Fast-Growing Trees for Homeowners Who Don’t Want to Wait

Most homeowners plant a tree and then wait. Wait for shade on the patio, for the neighbor's fence to disappear behind a green screen, for the front yard to finally look like something special. For many species that wait stretches into decades, which is exactly why the trees on this list exist.

Fast-growing trees are generally defined as those that add at least 2 feet of height per year. The trees featured here go further, each putting on at least 3 feet annually under reasonable conditions, with some pushing well past that. More importantly, every tree on this list was chosen with the U.S. homeowner in mind: practical landscaping value, manageable size for residential lots, and real beauty that holds up across seasons.

A quick note on USDA Hardiness Zones: if you are unsure of your zone, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lets you look it up by zip code. Matching a tree to your zone is the single most important thing you can do to set it up for success.

1. Thuja Green Giant (Thuja plicata x standishii)