Gardening Tips: Native Trees To Plant Now
Many of us have lost trees this year and this fall provides a great opportunity to increase diversity as we fill those holes in the landscape. I'm Lisa Hilgenberg from Chicago Botanic Garden with your gardening tips for the week.
You know the familiar saying--- plant the right tree in the right place... it's important to think long term when selecting an appropriate tree to plant on your property.
Standing in the spot you'd like to fill, look up, noticing utility lines overhead. Low growing trees well suited for planting under power lines include hawthorns with glossy leaves and red berries attracting birds in the winter.
The ornamental redbud has early spring flowers and nice fall color. Pagoda dogwood is low branched and like Serviceberry is full sized at a height of 20 feet. Shrubs such as Black haw viburnum or hazelnuts are excellent choices.
Larger spaces can accommodate red oaks, hickories. Bald cypress can take wet areas and Kentucky coffee trees close to the street. Sycamore or plane tree 'Exclamation' is a variety with a beautiful pyramidal habit and year round interest with exfoliating bark.
Lisa Hilgenberg is the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Horticulturist. She teaches classes for the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden and mentors interns from the Garden's urban agriculture programs in the summer. Lisa draws on a rich family farming tradition, having spent many summers on her grandparents' farms in Iowa and Minnesota. You can follow Lisa on Twitter @hilgenberg8.
