The Best Trees for Parking Lots and Paved Areas in Florida

If there’s one thing we know about parking lots in Florida, it’s that they could use some shade. It gets hot in the Sunshine State, and a little reprieve goes a long way.

For commercial properties in the Tampa Bay area, adding parking lot trees has many benefits, making them a valuable addition to your landscape. What are the best trees for parking lots in Florida, you ask? That’s what we’re here to explore!

• Palm trees
• Southern magnolia
• Florida elm
• Crape myrtle
• Red maple
• Spanish stopper

• Ligustrum trees

• Silver buttonwood

   

• Live oak

The Best Shade Trees for Parking Lots

Before we do a deep dive into the top commercial parking lot trees, it’s important to understand all of the potential benefits this landscaping feature can bring.

Investing in your Tampa Bay landscape requires weighing the pros and cons, examining the return on investment, and allocating your budget the best you can. With the many advantages of parking lot trees on full display, you’ll feel more confident making them a part of your landscaping strategy.

• Parking lot trees provide shade and help reduce the heat island effect that large paved surfaces tend to create. This offers a reprieve from Florida’s infamous heat and increases comfort levels for visitors, employees, and so on.
• Large expanses of paved parking lots are unsightly. They can disrupt an otherwise beautiful landscape, and no one enjoys the eyesore they tend to be. Commercial parking lot trees break up this expanse of pavement and make the area look more aesthetically pleasing.
• Trees for parking lot islands can create a noise buffer, reducing the sounds associated with parking areas and nearby roads. If you want to create a more peaceful property, parking lot trees play a significant role in achieving that goal.
• Parking lot trees serve as excellent landscaping features for managing stormwater drainage and limiting soil erosion due to runoff. This keeps your landscape healthier and reduces maintenance costs.

With the benefits of commercial parking lot trees in mind, it’s time to dive into the best trees for parking lots in Florida. Remember, the location of these trees (big areas of pavement) means they need to be hardy, heat-resistant, and unlikely to produce debris.

Palm Trees

Nothing captures the magic of Florida quite like a palm tree. These tropical trees are popular on Tampa Bay properties for many reasons, and they fit right in as parking lot trees.

Not only are palm trees among the most aesthetic trees you can plant in your parking lot, but they also have a host of other benefits going for them.

For example, they are shockingly durable and able to withstand the occasional severe storm and strong winds for which Florida is known. Palm trees also do well in drought and are perfectly suited for Florida’s extreme heat.

With a number of palm tree varieties to choose from, you can pick the perfect palm to welcome people to your property while providing them with a bit of shade. Whether you use them as your primary parking lot trees or as accents to other species, sprinkling some palm trees into your parking lot landscaping is an excellent idea.

Southern Magnolia

As one of the most beautiful trees you’ll ever see, southern magnolias are among the best shade trees for parking lots. They can grow to be quite tall–up to 90 feet–and offer exceptional toughness.

If shade is your priority, southern magnolias will provide plenty of it. Additionally, they are known for being gorgeous, especially when their creamy white flowers are in bloom.

For a pop of color to liven up your parking lot, the waxy green leaves of the southern magnolia are hard to top, making it one of the best trees for parking lots in Florida.

Florida Elm

This salt-tolerant tree is as durable as they come, making it an excellent parking lot tree. If you are looking for a tough, resilient tree to use in your paved areas, the Florida elm should definitely be on your radar.

Not only is the Florida elm able to thrive in salty environments, but it is also drought-resistant. If you have a property in Tampa Bay, both of these features are worth noting–the closer you are to the coast, the more difficult it is for the average tree to thrive.

Crape Myrtle

Known for their vibrant flowers and beautifully textured bark, crape myrtles are more than a pretty accent tree–they are extremely durable. While their spindly branches may look fragile, these trees thrive in the heat and show shocking resilience, making them ideal for the heat of parking lots.

With a minimal need for maintenance, natural resistance to disease, and strong drought tolerance, crape myrtles can make your paved areas nicer to look at while providing reliable shade. They can even grow to 30 feet, making them great for covering parking lots.

Red Maple

Maple trees may conjure images of snowy winters and syrup farms, and for good reason. However, red maple grows well in Florida, giving properties in Tampa Bay a lovely pop of color and a bit of exciting plant diversity.

With a propensity for thriving in poor, dry soil, red maples make excellent parking lot trees. Thanks to their hardy nature, they are stellar trees for parking lot islands, providing broad shade coverage and few (if any) maintenance concerns.

Spanish Stopper

It would be ideal if your parking lot had unlimited space to plant any tree you wanted, but reality is often a far cry from that dream. Instead, you are left with limited soil space and small islands surrounded by large swathes of pavement.

The Spanish stopper is an evergreen tree that can excel with very little soil space, allowing it to thrive in tight spaces. It can grow to 20 feet tall, and once it is established, it is drought tolerant.

You can expect Spanish stoppers to provide a narrow canopy, making them a good choice for those smaller parking lot islands and spots where space is a concern.

Ligustrum Trees

Hardy, versatile, and ready to bring a healthy dose of foliage to your parking areas, ligustrum trees are among the best parking lot trees. They can grow to 15+ feet, be used as a privacy barrier between parking areas and streets or buildings, and are easily shaped with a bit of manicuring.

Whether using the green, gold, or variegated (with white on the leaves) variety, ligustrum trees bring beautiful color to your commercial property and lovely pops of white flowers in the spring.

As evergreen trees that are tolerant of drought and cold, overwatering is about the only maintenance concern to be aware of, making these durable trees a great option for any parking lot.

Silver Buttonwood

Aptly named for its silvery-gray leaves, silver buttonwood is a wonderful parking lot tree for Florida properties. The unique color of this plant provides a beautiful contrast to Florida’s green foliage and blue skies.

In addition to its good looks, silver buttonwood functions well as a parking lot tree thanks to its robust top and rather slim trunk. Salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant, and fast-growing, silver buttonwood thrives in Tampa Bay’s climate.

Live Oak

When it comes to shade, nothing beats a live oak. With tremendous canopies draped in Spanish moss, live oak trees are emblematic of the south, making them a magnificent addition to any Florida property, including your parking lot.

Live oaks are wind-resistant (making them robust for coastal storms), enjoy full sun, and must be planted with proper drainage. The only downsides of this iconic Florida tree are its tendency to be messy (they drop leaves, Spanish moss, and acorns) and its need for space. Live oak roots require room to spread, which can limit the spaces you can plant them in.

Caring for Your Commercial Parking Lot Trees with Landcrafters

Selecting the best shade trees for parking lots will remove a lot of the stress associated with caring for them, but every tree–even the hardiest option out there–requires attention in order to thrive.

Thankfully, maintaining your parking lot trees doesn’t have to be difficult or overly involved. Adhering to some basic maintenance tips and working with an experienced professional landscaper in Tampa Bay can help ensure your trees stay strong and beautiful for years to come.

• Prune your trees to keep them healthy and shapely
• Evaluate their health on occasion and address any concerns early
• Always opt for Florida-friendly trees and shrubs
• Water your trees (preferably with a smart irrigation system)

For more information about the best trees for parking lots in Florida, feel free to reach out to Landcrafters. With 25 years of experience in the Tampa Bay area, we can help you choose the perfect trees for your property and implement a maintenance plan that will help them thrive.

Sources: Silver Buttonwood, Spanish Stopper, Southern Magnolia