September 10, 2006

Summer is almost over, officially ending in couple of weeks. Labor Day

is past and the children have begun a new school year. For some folks

the holiday weekend is a chance for one last trip to the beach or the

mountains. In our family it is traditionally a project weekend- a

chance

to paint the spare room or dig up a new garden bed. This year the plan

was to relocate the over-crowded irises and find the garage. That’s the

room that should shelter the car but has become the storage area for

the

college debris of three sons and the treasures from three elderly

relatives’ lives. It’s just another benefit of being a member of the

“sandwich generation”.

The garage project was moving along quite well until a storm named

“Ernesto” blew in with another idea. The Bradford pear tree that shades

our outdoor eating area went down during the worst of the storm. These

trees are commonly damaged in storms with high winds. Large limbs tend

to break off leaving a lop-sided or unsightly tree needs to be removed

from the property. We spent the better part of a day cutting up the

limbs with a chain saw and cleaning up debris.

The Bradford pear is a variety of callery pear that was developed over

thirty years ago. It was widely planted in landscapes because of its

rounded shape, snow-white spring flowers, deep red fall color and

resistance to pests and disease. The weakness turned out to be the

highly developed branching habit that creates the beautiful crown. Once

the tree reaches maturity it is susceptible to storm damage. Our tree

was almost thirty years old. We had considered replacing it, knowing

that it would most likely suffer the same fate all the neighbor’s pear

trees had succumbed. But we chose to enjoy it for as long as it would

stand.

There are several other varieties of trees that have been commonly

planted in the home landscape that are not suitable. Many landscapers

and homeowners choose trees that grow fast, looking for something to

provide shade quickly. Norway and Silver maples are two varieties that

grow quickly but are both undesirable. Silver maple loses large

branches

in storms because of a weak branching habit. Norway maple is

susceptible

to disease, girdling root and seeds prolifically in the yard and

woodlands crowding out native species. It grows to be a very large tree

that overwhelms the average home landscape.

When selecting trees for the landscape mature size, light requirements

and growth habit all need to be considered. It is important to choose

the right plant for the right place. Trees with a slow to moderate

growth rate are better choices. And trees with multi-season interest

are

the most desirable. Spring flowering trees are beautiful but the ones

that also have good fall color, colorful berries or unusual bark are

even better.

The patio area looks very different without the Bradford pear and we’re

now contemplating whether or not to replace it. It’s unlikely that we

will be here long enough to see a new shade tree grow to maturity and

shade the patio. But it is something to consider planting for future

generations. More than likely we’ll choose a tree that we can enjoy in

all seasons.

At the top of the list is Acer griseum, the paperbark maple. This tree

is highly rated for the average sized lot. Pest free, it grows to

thirty

feet in height, its small leaves turning red in the fall and the

exfoliating bark stands out in all seasons. Golden rain tree is another

small tree that is recommended. It has a pleasant rounded habit, small

leaves, pest resistance and blooms in the summer. Ivory Silk tree, the

tree lilac, has similar attributes. The Kousa dogwood blooms a month

later than our native dogwood and is resistant to pest and disease.

There are the smaller varieties of magnolia to consider or perhaps a

flowering cherry or one of the disease resistant crabapples. My tree

wish list is quite long- I actually need to live in an arboretum to

grow

them all!

Many of the candidates are best planted in the spring, so I will have

all winter to mull this decision. Cherry, dogwood, Japanese maple and

birch are a few of the trees that don’t establish well if planted in

the

fall. If you are planning to add one of them to your landscape,

postpone

the planting until early spring.