 | What could be grander than a full size tree—where the children swing from, where shade can be found, where its beauty changes season by season. But, the trees we love don’t always reach maturity on their own. Sometimes gardeners and landscapers need to give nature a helping hand. The following article offers tips about growing and caring for your favorite trees.
When selecting trees for your garden, you may want to consider some that provide attractive fall foliage. Most people generally think of maples for this purpose, but other wonderful autumn trees include the flowering dogwood, birches, hickories, white poplars, gray dogwood, pin oak, etc…Also, keep in mind that some trees and plants don’t get along so well. Gardeners may tell you that some trees “poison” the ground. For example, the black walnut emits a substance that may retard the growth of other plants, so check with a garden expert before selecting a particular tree for your area.
Of course, there are many reasons why you’d choose one tree over another—autumn colors may have little to do with your choice, after all. There are different sizes and shapes of trees which may have the greatest impact with choice. Remember that great trees will produce great root systems, so planting well away from you home’s foundation is important and will save you headaches down the road. Typically, trees come in shapes that include conical, weeping, columnar, spreading, and round. Naturally, you’ll need to consider your climate, soil and lighting and find out what trees do best in your area.
Deciduous trees lose their leaves in fall but there is such a variety as to fulfill every garden need. Many have four-season appeal. Even bare trees provide interest in winter with interesting shapes and uniquely textured bark. Evergreens stay green and alive throughout the year so they are a great choice even though they are so closely associated with winter. But, even with evergreens, there are many colors, shapes and sizes to choose from.
Generally speaking, when you buy a tree from a nursery or garden center, it is ready to be planted coming in a container or balled and burlapped. It can be planted almost anytime of the year (late spring and summer are not ideal times to plant trees) so long as the ground is not frozen. Deciduous trees with bare roots are best planted in early spring, however, before growth begins.
To plant a tree from your garden center, you’ll need to dig a hole wide and deep enough to accommodate the roots. It’s a good idea to add some compost of manure to the bottom of the hole mixed in with some of the topsoil. Near the center of the hole, you should hammer in a stake to help support the young tree as it grows. Add your tree to the hole—cut it and the soil out of the plastic container or loosen the burlap if that is the case before planting. As you fill in the hole with soil, add water and tamp down on the soil to eliminate any air pockets. Then, create a water well and a three to four inch layer of mulch around the base of the tree.
If you are bringing home an older tree, you can usually safely transplant even very large ones—up to about thirteen feet tall and some even taller. This is probably a job for an expert—with the proper equipment, but it can certainly be accomplished. On the flipside, propagating trees from seeds or cuttings is labor-intensive and slow, but the results can be gratifying. Keep in mind that the newly germinated seeds generally need some exposure to the cold.
When caring for your newly planted tree, you’ll want to keep grass and weeds away. Grass is a hungry plant and will rob your tree of the water and nutrients it needs to maintain health. Watch out for animals around your tree too. Don’t let the dog stake it out in its territorial markings and watch for small animals that claw and chew—young trees are particularly vulnerable. Be sure to give it an adequate water supply as well. Finally, keep a look out for insect pests and diseases which can often overwhelm a new tree quickly; mature trees are better capable of coping.
Other tips include protecting your youngster for the winter. One method is to encircle the base of the tree with a wire mesh cylinder. To protect them from the icy winter winds, you could also encircle them with staked sides of burlap. Keep in mind that even winter sunshine can damage your new tree when it is devoid of leaf cover. Sometimes snow will act as a natural insulator, but be sure to mulch before the freezing weather.
Eventually you will need to prune your tree and some tools to have handy include several types of saws, loppers, shears and scissor-type hand pruners. Gardeners prune for several reasons—to remove damaged limbs, refine the trees growth habit or simply to reshape. Your reasons for pruning will certainly depend on the type of tree. When to prune is also dependant on the particular tree. Just remember that every time you prune back to the bud, you will encourage new growth, but mind your cut so that your pruning guides the growth in the direction you want it to take.
Trees are wonderful for the environment, but they also enhance your landscape by providing, beauty, shade and privacy for years to come—depending on the care you give them. For information about particular species of trees, check with your local garden center or landscaping service.
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