Garden Resources

Trees are perhaps the least troublesome of all plants you’ll grow on your carefree property. Once you plant a tree you have something, Once you take the initiative to plant a tree, you will pass on something to your grandchildren and even your great grandchildren. For gardening the easier way, choose trees that are not only attractive but also self sustaining and generally well behaved.

Here are some gardening tips. Your trees should:

1) Develop leaf early

2) Cling foliage late

3) Let plants or grass grow beneath

4) Withstand insect and pests

5) Be drought resistant

6) Be winter-resilient

7) Be adapted to your soil and climate

One tree may not possess all these advantages but each one should have a reasonable number. One thing to note is to refrain from growing trees that are not easyto transplant, like tulip and sour gum. Also avoid elms (even the so-called “resistant” forms) until the Dutch elm disease problem is solved.

No matter what type of plants you nurture, trees can set a tone and create an atmosphere. If yours is a carefree life in a casual meadow, Lombardy may not be appropriate for you. If your area is under sized, neat and formal, avoid planting hemlocks if you are not inclined to cut their trailing.

Growing trees in tangle exhibits more appeal although actual landscaping can achieve the same effect by employing one or two specimens. How graceful is the intermingling of different varieties thriving casually along a country lane or an old stone wall. Nature does this so beautifully. Why shouldn’t we try it?

Getting Trees of Your Choice

Whether you decide on a tangle or a more conventional tree planting, here are a number of suggested kinds of trees-at least several of which should ideally suit your situation. (The list considers those trees often classified as tall shrubs.)

Most of the maples are fine trees for shade on lawn, terrace, or woods walk. Bright red buds chasing the last snows are followed by tiny furry scarlet flowers, dusty pink pointed young leaves, and finally deep green mature summer foliage. Attractive winged fruit pods, like twirling ballerinas, spin to earth-here two, there five, and now a dozen. No trees are giddier in autumn than maples as they toss their flaming golds, reds and scarlets over a chilling landscape.

The orange-re autumn leaves of the swamp maple tree prevail clearly against the gray trunk and the blue sky while the gold maple leaves in the woods show up with glowing brilliance in the area. Sugar and Norway maples are among the most desirable and easiest. Keep lower branches pruned off to let in the light and encourage grass to grow beneath them. The silver maple and similar types look attractive when silver undersides of the leaves are turned up by the wind breeze.

The sycamore is a fast maturing hearty tree with large, heavy-textured leaves which provides shades during summer time. Its brown spiny seed pods made possible its name button ball. The limbs as they grow, develop into eye catching elbows and angles while during winter the dotted brown and white and branches radiate in the sunlight.

Lovely Oaks

The solid and long-lasting oak attracks squirrels with their merry antics while in search for acorns. The many-fingered leaves not only turn to rich coppery and maroon autumn tones, but also cling during the winter, bringing a fine hue of rosy brown to the scene. The pin oak, the red oak, and the scarlet oak are among the best. Oaksare not fast growing trees but are attractive in the process. Grow one tree, if for no other reason than to be able to go out and contemplate it when you feel the need of something solid. Weight wise, an oak is heavy since it can reach as much as fifty pounds per cubic foot!

One of the easiest and most beautiful of all shade trees is the sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua). The many pointed leaves are fragrant when crushed and, in autumn, turn deep yellow and rich red.

The graceful beech has smooth gray bark that folds in a neat tailored manner around its trunk.. The tree is not only fine to walk or relax under in summer but in winter the yellow-tan leaves cling and turn gold in the sun.

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