THE MAGIC OF GARDENING
Great Small Trees for Alabama Landscapes – PART 2
Last month my article was about good replacement small trees for the much overused crapemyrtles. I listed the following 10 small trees that I think are worth consideration and I covered the first five in some detail. I will pick up in this article and cover the remaining five trees. 1. Sevenson flower (Heptacodium miconioides) 2. Titi (Cyrilla racemiflora) 3. Buckwheat Tree (Cliftonia monophylla) 4 Chastetree (Vitus agnus-castus) 5. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) 6. T ree-formed Loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense) 7. Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum) 8. Deciduous Holly (Ilex decidua or I. verticillata) 9. Flowering Crabapple (Malus spp) 10. Redbud (Cercis Canadensis) Loropetalum runs a similar risk of being overused in Alabama landscapes. Like crapemyrtle, the loropetalum is a very beautiful and tough plant that is available in many sizes from small trees all the way down to very low-growing groundcover. I first saw this plant used as a large shrub and it was often planted in locations that 56
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it quickly outgrew. Later breeders developed the semidwarf and very dwarf forms that were more appropriately sized for foundation plantings. However, I believe this plant is at its most beautiful form when trained as a multitrunk small tree. The first loropetalums in America were green-leaf, white-bloom forms. Later purple foliage and purple blooms became available and popularity exploded for these easy-care plants. One advantage loropetalums offer over crapemytles is that they are evergreen. The blooms occur in late winter much like their American cousins the witch hazels which are a great native alternative to consider planting as well. This family of plants prefers a well-drained slightly acidic soil and are fairly drought tolerant once established. Possumhaw viburnum does not roll off the tongue easily but it is a great native Viburnum species. Unfortunately, the next plant on my list (Ilex decidua) also is commonly called Possumhaw. Make sure you know which Possumhaw you are talking about when you go shopping at the nursery. That is why scientific names are so important. According to a North Carolina State website, it is a great “native deciduous shrub to small tree growing in
