Alders are sometimes hard to find in local garden centers and tree nurseries around the country. It can be a valuable asset in a yard with landscaping problems such as wet soil or just plain lousy soil. Just like peas in the vegetable garden, Alders are legumes which means their roots fix atmospheric nitrogen, consequently it makes much of its own fertilizer. Most species are fast growers and when grown as a multi-stemmed plant, they can create a sound barrier screen in just a few years.

While there are some native Alders in the United States, the two best species come from Europe. European Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is probably the most commonly grown Alder in American home landscapes. However, there is a significant vocal minority who say the Italian Alder (Alnus cordata) offers some terrific landscape values overlooked by growers up to this point.