How to know what tree to plant

Planting a tree is not a complex thing, but deciding what to plant and where to plant it is. Here are a few good hints for not only trees, but a few perennials, grasses when mentioned and perhaps a shrub or two.

If you have poor soil then consider planting Green Ash, Northern Bayberry, Black Eyed Susans, Dwarf Rose Hedge-Sandy, Black Locust, Osage Orange, Black Oak, Chestnut Oak, Eastern White Pine, Japanese Black Pine, Southwestern White Pine, Hybrid Poplar (for fast shade trees or for screens and windbreaks) and Virginia Pine. These trees will usually survive anywhere.

An Eastern White Pine is fast growing to about 100 ft. It is a five needled pine, with soft, light green-blue needles, about 4 inches long and it can tolerate dry, rocky soil. It grows well in normal moisture condition, but can even tolerate wet, swampy areas. It makes an excellent ornamental tree for naturalizing, windbreak or dense screen and can be easily restrained to a manageable height by pruning. For screen or Christmas trees just shear when new growth appears. This tree is easily controlled and is a good planting tree for small properties as well as field planting for those who want to grow trees for Christmas trees and timber. It grows well in zones 3 to 8.

If you live near a highway where your property will get salt spray from highway salt in the winter then consider planting Northern Bayberry, Dwarf Rose Edge-Sandy, Black Locust, Red Oak, White Oak, Japanese Black Pine or Colorado blue spruce.

When you think you might like to have a screen of Evergreens then any of these trees will easily do the trick: Canaan Fir, Canadian Hemlock, American Red Pine, Austrian Pine, Eastern White Pine, Black Hills Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, Serbian Spruce and White Spruce.

When you want to cultivate wildlife to your property then consider planting any of these trees: Northern Bayberry, Wild Black Cherry, White Flowering Dogwood, American Elder (Elderberry) American Mountainash, Black Mulberry, Chestnut Oak, Pin Oak, Red Oak, Sawtooth Oak, Northern Pecan, Persimmon, American Plum and Shadblow Serviceberry.

Nut trees take a long time to grow, but are worth the effort for the future and you might consider these trees: Butternut, Chinese Chestnut, American Hazelnut, Shagbark Hickory, Chestnut Oak, Pin Oak, Red Oak, Northern Pecan and Black Walnut.

When one has wet areas then consider these trees: European Alder, American Pyramidal Arborvitae, Buttonbush, silky Dogwood, Red Maple, Silver Maple, Pin Oak, Red Oak, Swamp White Oak, Eastern White Pine, American Sycamore, American Cranberrybush Viburnum, Bankers Dwarf Willow, Black Willow, Dappled Willow and Streamco Willow.

When you want brilliant fall color consider these trees: Burning Bush, Chinese Dogwood, Silky Dogwood, White Flowering Dogwood, Red Baron Grass, Black Gum, Washington Hawthorn, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Red Oak, Shadblow Serviceberry, European Spindle Tree, Smooth Sumac, Stag horn Sumac and Witchhazel.

Don’t forget to plant some shade trees. They will keep your home cool in the summer, give your kids a place to lie under and use their imagination, give you a place to put your hammock and get a half hour rest from your busy day. These shade trees are winners: Catalpa, Sweet Cherry, Black Gum, Thornless Honeylocust, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Silver Maple, American Mountainash, Red Mulberry, Pin Oak, Red Oak, Scarlet Oak, White Oak and Hybrid Poplar for a fast growing shade tree.

When you have a place with a soil erosion problem, plant a tree! These work well: Northern Bayberry, Crownvetch, Black Chokeberry, Gray Dogwood, Siberian Dogwood, Silky Dogwood, Dwarf Rose Hedge-Sandy, Black Locust, Osage Orange, Bankers Dwarf Willow, Black Willow and Steamco Willow.

One of life’s greatest pleasures is to see a flowering tree and these trees fill the bill: Catalpa, Mahaleb Cherry, Purpleleaf Sand Cherry, Sweet Cherry, Sargent Crabapple, Chinese Dogwood, White Flowering Dogwood, Cucumbertree Magnolia, Paulownia, American Plum, Eastern Redbud and Shadblow Serviceberry.

When you have a wooded area on your property and want to plant some shade tolerant trees then consider these trees: White Flowering Dogwood, Canadian Hemlock, English Ivy, Red Maple, Myrtle, Mountain Laurel, Pachysandra, Rosebay Rhododendron, Densiformis Low Spreading Yew and Wardii Spreading Yew.

A good Evergreen hedge can be formed using Elegantissima Pyramidal Arborvitae, Emerald Green Pyramidal Arborvitae, Green Giant Pyramidal Arborvitae, Threadleaf Arborvitae, Green Mountain Boxwood, Canadian Hemlock, Norway Spruce and Serbian Spruce.

Seeing deer out on your property is a pretty sight, but not to a gardener who is watching those critters eats their plants and gardening efforts. Here are some good deer resistant trees: Elegantissima Pyramidal Arborvitae, Dwarf Rose Hedge-Sandy, Blue Pacific Juniper, Blue Star Juniper, Saybrook Gold Juniper, Sea Green Juniper, Spartan Juniper, Black Hills Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, Serbian Spruce and White Spruce.

As one can see as one reads along that many of these trees fit in many of the various categories. Also you will notice that occasionally I mentioned a perennial or a grass or shrub for a solution to a problem when I wrote the word trees. I know it and it is just a suggestion about what type of plant works in that area.

Also nowhere in this article did I mention the Bradford or Cleveland Pear tree which is a wonderful tree for lining your driveway. It gives you wonderful white flowers in the spring, beautifully green pear shaped trees in the summer and grand red leaves in the fall. It is a fast growing tree and very graceful.

I did not mention fruit trees, but they are great trees to plant also especially the dwarf fruit trees that will give you fruit within 4 to 5 years.  We have an orchard that was planted by me and my late son Fred who unexpectedly passed away in August 2000. These trees are a living legacy to that dear boy and give me many memories of him and especially of the days we worked together planting those trees.

Just remember to read the directions on your trees when you plant them. Once you get them started they usually require no care. Also remember that as your tree grows taller it will grow wider, so make sure you allow for that.

In the fall, the leaves do exactly that on most trees, they “fall” to the ground. Leave them there. They are biodegradable and you will not see them in the following spring as they will have either blown away or disintegrated into the soil, thus building up top soil.

“Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… may your day be filled with….Peace, light and love, 

Arlene Wright-Correll 

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