So anyway, I love those dark maples with the leaves that are so blue they’re almost black in certain light. I call them goth maples.

Picture:

I don’t think its very common in the US but The pōhutukawa tree

The pōhutukawa tree is a special part of New Zealand culture, often called the “New Zealand Christmas tree” because of its bright red flowers that bloom in December. It’s seen as a symbol of strength and resilience, especially since it grows along rugged coastlines. For Māori, it has deep spiritual meaning—there’s even an ancient pōhutukawa at Cape Reinga where spirits are believed to begin their journey to the afterlife. Plus, it’s great for the environment, providing food and shelter for native birds and insects.

Japanese Maple. Had one by the front door of the house I grew up in. Reminds me of my childhood home.

Despite being really really invasive here in Europe, I love the Staghorn Sumac.

It’s very pretty, with great flowers and soft furry branches (like antlers). You can make an amazing “lemonade” from the fruits and you can eat the shoots raw.

And eating the shoots raw is a great idea, because it branches out like crazy. If your neighbors have one of these, you’ll soon have half a dozen too.

They also grow pretty fast, and the wood is super pretty (and super curvy, so you won’t be making any boards out of it)

Love me a magnolia tree

Number three…

The larch.

Balanced binary tree

Real answer: Japanese maple and willows

I’ve got three and I’ve been trying to grow each from seed:

1. Dawn Redwood because it has an incredible backstory, it is a true redwood contrary to popular belief, and It easily grows where I’m at.
2. Giant Sequoia because they are massive, it is also a true redwood, and it can allegedly grow where I’m at.
3. Cedar of Lebanon because I grew up in one of the many U.S. towns of Lebanon named for the trees as referenced in that religious book and I remember the original Cedar of Lebanon referenced in that story I linked.

Unfortunately, I can’t get the Giant Sequoias past a few inches tall while even acknowledging their infamous 20% germination rate. The Cedar of Lebanon seeds I can’t even get to germinate but I also haven’t found as much academic literature on cultivating them from seeds.

Shoutout to the Ginkgo Biloba for being one of the OG trees, also.

Everything about the Gingko tree is pretty cool

Red-black tree https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red–black_tree