Archive for the ‘Green ash (Fraxinus)’ Category

List Of Messy Trees To Avoid

When purchasing trees and shrubs for their yard, many gardeners should avoid species that drop lots of litter (fruits and/or leaves) all spring and summer long. Landscape trees, among them crabapples, mulberries and Chinese (kousa) dogwoods produce fleshy or pulpy fruits that mess lawns, walkways and stained & sticky parked cars. Many, not all, are […]

Don’t Plant These Trees In Your Landscape

Invite landscape trees to your property that will be long-lived, seasonally beautiful, and low maintenance. Gardeners are looking for all kinds of plants that invite pollinators and songbirds to their property. We also wish to avoid critter proof and invasive plants. Below is a list of notoriously bad tree choices in most urban yards and […]

Deciduous Trees With Yellow Fall Leaf Color

While there are numerous trees that offer wonderful yellow fall foliage, some make extraordinary specimens in residential and park landscapes. Enjoy the beautiful yellow and gold tones on a crisp fall day.  Caveat: the quality of fall color may vary from year to year. Big-leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) – this West Coast Native grows 60-75 […]

25 Trees For Autumn Leaf Color

Fall leaf colors of woodland and landscape trees vary from one year to the next. Foliage colors are determined by monthly weather conditions and several environmental factors. Rainfall amounts and daily temperature levels during August and September are key determining factors. Best autumn leaf colors develop as daytime hours are shortening, daytime hours are sunny and […]

Selecting A Good Landscape Shade Tree

Medium to large shade trees increase the value of your property. Their summer shade and wintry wind protection may also reduce utility bills by 20 to 25%. Trees attract wild birds for nesting, protection, and as a food source. Some deciduous species will brighten up the landscape with dazzling fall color.  Choosing a fast growing tree, yet some may not […]

Common Street and Landscape Trees

Across the U.S. and Canada, city planners, landscape architects, and property owners now enjoy a wide selection of landscape trees to plant on city streets, along roadsides, and in yards and gardens. Over the past half century new and improved varieties (cultivars) are disease and pest resistant and exhibit better branching and architecture. We now know to avoid […]

Five Simple Pruning Tips For DIYers

Gardeners are frequently scared about making pruning mistakes. There are lots of gardening books filled with lots of before and after photos. Let’s face facts…your yard tree or shrub does look like the ones pictured in the pruning book. Here are my simple 5 steps for pruning: Why and When to prune: You can prune a […]

List Of Dioecious Trees And Shrubs

              Some tree species are dioecious, that is produce single sex flowers (either male and female). Male flowers produce pollen and no fruits. Female flowers bear seeds or fruits.  You may purchase male clones to avoid picking up messy seed pods or capsules in the fall. If you are allergic to certain tree pollens, avoid […]

Pest Alert: Japanese Maple Scale Becoming A Serious Problem

  Japanese maple scale is a new pest in Tennessee and surrounding states. It infests many more plant species than just Japanese maple. The insect’s small size and ability to blend in naturally with tree bark makes it challenging to detect until populations are high and it has infested large landscape and neighborhoods. Japanese maple scale […]

Trees And Shrubs That Grow In Poorly Drained Soils

If a section of your landscape is poorly drained, there are a number of trees and shrubs that will adapt over time to short periods of wet or soggy soils. Plant roots must survive in low oxygen soils. Your choices of plants are not lengthy; few landscape plants will not tolerate root suffocation for even […]