• Evergreen trees add year-round interest to the garden and provide a windbreak.large pine tree image by Shannon Workman from Fotolia.com
  
  A shade tree is a long-term investment. When selecting a tree, it's important to choose a variety that grows in your area. Utah boasts USDA growing zones from 4, in the northeast, to 9 at the southern tip of the state. Planted well, deciduous shade trees provide shade for homes in the summer and allow the sun to filter through the branches and warm homes in the winter. Evergreen shade trees can provide shelter from cold winter winds.
  
  

Bur Oak

• Hardy from zone 2 to 9, Bur Oak also is known as the Mossycup Oak. Bur Oak grows to 85 feet tall and 61 feet wide. Water well the first year to promote healthy roots. This deciduous tree is drought-tolerant but prefers moist, well-drained soil. The Bur Oak develops catkins in the spring and edible acorns in the fall. In the autumn, the leaves turn a beautiful reddish-brown before falling.
  
  

Maple

• Growing to 60 feet tall and 40 feet wide, the maple tree will provide dense shade in the summer and vibrant red foliage in the autumn. This deciduous tree grows in well-drained soil from zone 3 to 7. Water well and deeply the first year to promote good root formation. In following years, the maple is somewhat drought-tolerant. Applying a general-purpose fertilizer in the spring before new growth emerges will assure the tree's health. If necessary, prune in the winter when the tree is dormant, removing dead or dying branches or branches growing toward the center of the tree.
  
  

Blue Atlas Cedar

• The blue green leaves of Blue Atlas Cedar make a striking contrast to other green trees. This evergreen tree grows from zone 6 to 9 in full sun. Reaching a height of 50 feet and width of 25 feet, it has a slight pyramidal growing pattern. Once established, the Blue Atlas Cedar is drought-tolerant but water well the first year to encourage a healthy root system. Prune to shape or remove dead branches in the winter.
  
  

Ponderosa Pine

• Growing to 73 feet tall and spreading 26 feet wide, the Ponderosa pine makes an excellent wind break. Ponderosa pine is hardy from zone 3 to 9 and needs full sun and well-drained soil. Although this evergreen tree tolerates drought, it cannot survive in poorly drained soil. Its needles are dark green and smooth, and the cones are about 4 inches long. The Native Americans used the tree's sap as a type of chewing gum. Prune to shape in the winter.