Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
Considerations Before Purchasing Your Tree
It’s easy to be inspired to plant a tree when you visit a nursery and see the rows of saplings begging to be purchased. But just as for any other plant you want to add to your landscape, the tried and true “right plant for the right location” must be considered prior to making a selection.
Consider features such as size, shape, growth habit, color and flowering or fruiting elements. Do you want a fast-growing tree or one that grows slowly? How big will it ultimately be? Where will it be situated in your yard? Do you want it to shade your house or be a focal point in your overall landscape?
Selecting a Site for a Shade Tree
You probably have a pretty good idea of where you want to place your tree – one that will eventually provide shade for your home. Here are some points to help you decide if the site you’ve selected is the right place.
- Light. Does the area get full sun, full shade or some of both?
- Soil drainage. Newly planted trees cannot tolerate standing water. Make sure the site you’ve selected has good drainage.
- Soil compaction. If the soil in the area where you plan to plant the tree hasn’t been worked recently, you may have to break it up ahead of time.
- Space. Is there adequate space for the tree to grow to its mature size and spread its roots? Is it clear of power lines that might compete with branches? Far enough from the house or another structure?
- Soil fertility. Most soils in our area are primarily clay. The addition of organic materials to the planting site will facilitate the growth of your tree.
A mature oak tree provides wonderful shade.
How Quickly Do You Need the Shade?
Fast growing trees grow more than two feet per year. Medium growing trees grow about 13-24 inches per year. Slow growing trees grow less than 12 inches per year.
If shade is your objective, a fast-growing tree would be a good choice. Fast growing trees that would provide good shade include:
- Pin Oaks (more than 25 inches per year with a mature height of 60-70 feet)
- Tulip Trees (more than 25 inches per year with a mature height of 79-90 feet)
- Sycamores (more than 25 inches per year with a mature height of 75-100 feet)
- Red Maples (more than 25 inches per year with a mature height of 40-70 feet)
These trees also offer additional benefits such as beautiful fall color, spring flowers, acorns, interesting bark and abundant leaf drop to provide leaf mulch for other garden areas.
Don’t Pass Up Free Trees
My former house was situated on an acre of land that included a grove of mature maple and tupelo trees that, fortunately, were left intact when the house was built. However, an adjoining section of the yard was cleared of trees to facilitate construction equipment being transported from the road to the building site. A couple of years after I moved there, a friend offered me a dozen foot-tall volunteer maple and oak trees that she needed to remove from her yard. We planted them (without much preparation of the compacted and infertile soil because we were novice gardeners then) in two staggered rows in the open space, about 12 feet or so apart.
We purchased tree tubes (available on the internet) to put around each tree to keep the deer from destroying them; netted them until they were tall enough to prevent the deer from nibbling on the foliage; and pretty much left them up to Mother Nature to grow. Six of the trees grew to beautiful maturity, nicely spaced and matching the height of the trees in the adjoining grove. We planted a couple of pine trees in the open spaces, which added attractive variety and texture. We also planted a two-foot-tall pin oak nearby that my father had nurtured from an acorn in a container. That tree, when I moved some 30 years later, had also grown many feet tall into a beautiful shade tree.
Trees and Forests Provide More Than Shade
Trees and forests provide habitat for wildlife, birds and pollinators in an ecosystem of diverse plants and animals which ensures the whole forest thrives. Trees help fight climate change. Through photosynthesis, trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, slowing the buildup of gasses in the atmosphere. Spending time in nature – a walk in the woods – can reduce anxiety and depression. The shade of a tree is natural air conditioning. Trees filter water, making the drinking water supply cleaner and easier to filter. Planting even one shade tree will not just shade your house but will provide multiple benefits.
Selecting a Flowering Tree
Back to step one. Consider the site for the tree. The best choice will enhance the appearance of your home and landscape and thrive in our hardiness zone (5 or 6a), survive winter temperatures and summer humidity and our clay soil. Is it to be a focal point in a garden or situated to draw attention to your house? If it will border your home, be sure to consider the tree’s mature height and width and plan its placement far enough away from the foundation to allow for full growth and spread.
Considering today’s concern about natives vs non-natives, what are the advantages of selecting an Ohio native vs non-native tree? Native trees are better adapted to local soil and weather. They support native pollinators and birds and help maintain a balanced local ecosystem. And they require less maintenance. On the other hand, non-native trees may offer a flower color or form you desire and may be more ornamental. They may also require more maintenance. You’ll also want to consider bloom time and the presence of wildlife, both positive (pollinators) and negative (deer and rabbits).
Native Eastern Redbuds and Flowering Dogwoods draw attention in the landscape.
Ideal Native Flowering Trees
- Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis): Bright purple-pink flowers bloom directly on bare branches in early spring. It typically reaches 20–30 feet in height.
- Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida): Has white or pink “blooms” (bracts) and red berries that attract songbirds in the fall.
- Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra): Ohio’s state tree, it produces greenish-yellow flower clusters in spring. The Red Buckeye has red flowers and is a popular ornamental alternative.
- Serviceberry (Amelanchier): Serviceberries have delicate white flowers in early spring, followed by edible purple-red berries – if you can pluck them before the birds find them.
This OSU Extension web page has a wealth of information on Ohio native trees.
Non-native Options
Magnolias and Flowering Crabapples are popular non-natives.
- Flowering Crabapples: Varieties like ‘Prairifire’ are prized for their deep pink-magenta flowers and disease resistance.
- Magnolias: The Star Magnolia and Saucer Magnolia are popular for large, early spring blooms. Beware of spring frosts that kill the flowers.
- Flowering Cherries: The Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry provides a cascading “waterfall” of white blossoms, while the Kwanzan Cherry is known for its double pink blooms. Weeping cherries are particularly popular, although once the blossoms are gone, they are just drooping green trees.
- Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus): This tree has pendulous, bell-shaped white flowers that bloom later in late spring.
Shopping for the Perfect Tree
After you have decided on the tree to plant, keep these elements in mind when shopping.
- Check the general appearance. The tree should have a single main stem, a balanced shape with no foliage bare spots, damaged limbs or discolored leaves.
- Check the crown. It should not be top heavy in relation to the root ball. The closer to 90 degrees branches extend from the trunk, the stronger they will be. Branches should be evenly distributed with 6-8” between them on the main trunk and not longer than one fourth of the height of the tree. No wound should be larger than ¼ of the trunk circumference. Any wounds should be well callused over.
- Check the trunk. It should be straight and free of discoloration, swelling or sunken areas. Look for insect damage.
The Last Consideration – When to Plant
Bare-Root Trees should be planted in early spring before the tree leafs out. If available, bare-root trees are a good choice because they usually have more roots and roots have not been contained for a long period of time and circled within the container. Keep the roots moist.
Balled-and-Burlapped Trees should be planted in spring in NE Ohio. Pre-dig the hole. The trunk should be centered in the root ball and move with the root ball. Look for root flare at the top of the ball, which indicates a larger portion of the root system vs one with the root flare buried in the ball.
Containerized Trees should be planted in the fall in NE Ohio. Avoid this type, as trees may have been in the container for too long a time. Check for roots coming out of the container’s holes or circling on the surface. Girdled roots are difficult to loosen and may continue to circle even after planting.
For information on how to plant a tree, check this website.
There are also numerous YouTube videos with tree planting instructions.
While it may take years for your tree to reach its mature height, you can enjoy watching it grow, knowing that you have provided many benefits for yourself and for future generations.
Below is the entire poem “Plant a Tree” by Lucy Larcom, the inspiration for this blog post.
Born March 5, 1824; Died April 27, 1893
“PLANT A TREE”
He who plants a tree
Plants a hope.
Rootlets up through fibres blindly grope;
Leaves unfold into horizons free.
So man’s life must climb
From the clods of time
Unto heavens sublime.
Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree,
What the glory of thy boughs shall be?
He who plants a tree
Plants a joy;
Plants a comfort that will never cloy;
Every day a fresh reality,
Beautiful and strong,
To whose shelter throng
Creatures blithe with song.
If thou couldst but know, thou happy tree,
Of the bliss that shall inhabit thee!
He who plants a tree,–
He plants peace.
Under its green curtains jargons cease.
Leaf and zephyr murmur soothingly;
Shadows soft with sleep
Down tired eyelids creep,
Balm of slumber deep.
Never hast thou dreamed, thou blessed tree,
Of the benediction thou shalt be.
He who plants a tree,–
He plants youth;
Vigor won for centuries in sooth;
Life of time, that hints eternity!
Boughs their strength uprear;
New shoots, every year,
On old growths appear;
Thou shalt teach the ages, sturdy tree,
Youth of soul is immortality.
He who plants a tree,–
He plants love,
Tents of coolness spreading out above
Wayfarers he may not live to see.
Gifts that grow are best;
Hands that bless are blest;
Plant! life does the rest!
Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree,
And his work its own reward shall be.
Article References
The Root Newsletter – October 2024 – “Which Tree to Plant” by E Barth-Elias
Holden Forests & Gardens Website – Tree Planting Guide-7-14-2021-Urban Forestry
Flowering Trees – AI Synopsis and https://www.seilerslandscaping.com/blog/flowering-trees
Trees and the Environment – https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/build-healthy-cities/cities-stories/benefits-of-trees-forests/
Photos from Pexels and OSU Extension
