Fast-growing trees can transform a landscape in a few years. They can bring shade and privacy to an otherwise open situation. Fast-growing is a relative term when it comes to trees; a fast-growing tree can add 3 to 10 feet (.9-3m) in height and breadth in a year. That means a one or two-year-old sapling […] More
Growing trees and shrubs in shade can be a challenge if you choose plants that prefer sunny conditions. If you choose plants that are adapted to shady conditions, shade gardening is quite enjoyable and barely any work at all. There are many shrubs and trees that prefer shade. They are understory plants that like the […] More
Flowering trees are among the most popular ornamental plants. Spring flowering trees are especially valued for the bold way they signal the start of the warm time of the year. Flowering crab apples, dogwoods, hawthorns, redbuds, and cherries are harbingers of spring. Flowering trees make a tremendous impact in bloom even if many bloom only […] More
Evergreens are plants that hold their foliage from season to season. Evergreen trees are well-suited as privacy plants. They create year-round living walls that can shield a garden or property from outside view. Evergreens can be divided into two classes: conifers or narrow-leaved evergreens and broad-leaved evergreens. Both conifers and broad-leaved evergreen trees can vary […] More
Deciduous trees can be used to create privacy. They can be used along a boundary to protect and enclose a garden or property. Deciduous trees can be used as a wall of green through the warm months of the year; they can still serve as a boundary in the cold time of the year even […] More
Trees with colorful autumn foliage are at their best from mid-to-late autumn. Make the most of trees with colorful autumn foliage by planting them where they can be seen from windows in your house or along well-traveled paths or drives. Autumn leaves will be especially brilliant after a hot summer, but after a mild summer, […] More
Some trees are adapted to clay soil. Planting clay-tolerant trees is a start to growing a garden where the soil dense and dry or waterlogged. You can improve less-than-ideal soil by adding organic matter—aged compost, manure, and commercial organic planting mix. Organic matter lightens heavy clay soil by separating dense clay particles. Organic matter improves […] More
American Planetree, Platanus, is a handsome deciduous tree characterized by its dense maple-like foliage and bark that peels off in large patches. Planetrees are frequently used for street planting and other ornamental purposes—the tree has a massive shapeliness. They are excellent shade trees and mottled white and gray trunks form which the bark falls in […] More
Pine is the common name of the large genus Pinus. There are many species; all are evergreen species. Pines are distinguished from conifers by their needle-like leaves in clusters of definite numbers and by their hard, woody cones that mature the second or third season. Pines are very adaptable to varied climatic conditions. They grow […] More
Spruce is the common name for Picea, a genus of evergreen trees of the Pine Family. Spruce have whorled branches, narrow needle-like leaves, and fruit which is usually a pendant cone. Drooping cones distinguish spruces from firs that bear upright cones. Spruces are exceedingly ornamental. Large spruces are especially valuable for park or estate planting […] More
Royal Paulownia is a rapidly growing deciduous tree. It is a member of a genus of Asiatic trees of the Figwort Family. Paulownia has large leaves that resemble those of the catalpa with large erect clusters of beautiful fragrant violet, gloxinia-like flowers. Paulownia grows to 40 feet tall. It is often planted as a specimen […] More
Persian Parrotia, Parrotia, is a small to medium-size deciduous tree native to Persia. It belongs to the Witch Hazel Family. Parrotia is sometimes grown as a large shrub. The flower of Parroti are without petals but have conspicuous purple stamens and appear before the leaves. Leaves take on a brilliant coloring in fall. Parrotia is […] More
Stephen Albert