Sourwood, Oxydendrum, is a hardy, slow-growing deciduous tree also known as sorrel tree. Sourwood has thick, fissured bark, long slender, pointed leaves with a sour taste. Small white flower bloom on semi-drooping panicles. Sourwood is often planted as a background for the shrubbery border. Its bright, glossy green leaves turn a brilliant scarlet in fall. […] More
Deciduous trees require minimal pruning. Pruning begins at planting time and continues with regularity for three years or so. Once the form of a tree has been established with initial early pruning, there will be occasional pruning in the years that follow–mostly maintenance pruning to ensure the health and form of the tree. General guidelines […] More
Pruning involves trimming out unwanted or unhealthy plant growth to benefit the remaining portions of the plant. Pruning is always secondary to the constant good management of plants. Why prune Pruning can do the following: When to prune The time for pruning varies with the type of plant and the results you want to achieve. […] More
American Hop Hornbeam, botanical name Ostrya, is small to a medium-sized deciduous tree that belongs to the Birch Family. Hop Hornbeam is very slow growing but worth considering as an ornamental especially for dry places. It has bright green attractive oval or lance-shaped leaves turning yellow in fall. There are male and female catkins on […] More
Black Tupelo, Nyssa, is a deciduous tree that grows to 50 feet tall or more. Its simple leaves turn flaming red in the fall and the bold crooked twiggy branches make a picturesque outline against the sky in winter. Nyssa is a genus of North American deciduous leaves. Small greenish-white flowers are followed by purple […] More
Trees are the largest and longest-lived plants in the landscape. They bring beauty and serenity to the garden. The time and effort spent in tree care are minuscule compared to the decades of pleasure they give. Trees are relatively self-sufficient once established. Once a tree is established its care is mostly a matter of protecting […] More
Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia, is a pyramidal tree with small cones and soft, pale green needles that turn light bronze in autumn. The needles drop in winter to reveal an attractive silhouette. Young dawn redwoods have reddish bark; older trees have darker fissured bark and buttressed and fluted trunks. Branches grow upright. Dawn redwoods grow to […] More
Golden-rain tree, Koelreuteria, is a deciduous tree that grows to 30 feet tall. It bears compound leaves and large clusters of showy, star-like yellow flowers. Seedpods follow the flowers; they ripen from green to pinkish-tan in fall and resemble Japanese lanterns. Golden-rain tree has a rather compact rounded head. The leaves emerge with a pinkish […] More
Black walnut, Juglans, is a deciduous tree. It has a wide-spreading, ruggedly picturesque outline growing to 75 feet tall. Plant walnuts in large open areas–open lawns, park, or large field. Juglans is a genus of deciduous trees commonly called walnuts. The genus includes the Black Walnut, Butternut, and some strains of the English or Persian […] More
Carolina silverbell, Halesia, is a deciduous tree or large shrub of North America valued for its handsome, drooping, bell-shaped white flowers in early spring. Silverbell thrives in any well-drained soil. It northern, cold-winter regions it grows best in a sheltered position. Carolina Silverbell grows to 40 feet with spreading branches; in cold winter regions, it […] More
Honey Locust is the common name for the genus Gleditsia, a member of the Pea Family. Honey Locusts are deciduous trees, often spiny, which are used for shade trees and other ornamental purposes. Sweet Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos grow to 70 feet (21m); the trunk and branches are armed with stout, rigid, 3-forked spines 3 to […] More
Ginkgo is an Asiatic genus of hardy deciduous trees represented notably by one species, Ginkgo biloba, often called Maidenhair tree because of its attractive foliage that resembles in form that of the popular Maidenhair fern (Adiantum). Ginkgo biloba tree grows to 35 feet (10.6m) tall with a characteristic diagonally upright form and flowers in loose […] More
Stephen Albert