Why Plant Ho-Hum Trees

from The Landscape Contractor AUG.22 Digital Edition

The Pros at Home

Nina A. Koziol

When you know how a product works and it works well, it can be hard to switch. It could be a special brand of tool, an appliance or a car. Why try something new when you have a proven product? That goes for plants, too.

If you’ve been using river birch, red maple, spruces or honey locust as dependable choices, you’re not alone. But, there are many good reasons to try something different, even something better. Your projects will stand out from others, especially in residential subdivisions where these trees appear again and again. And, there’s the need for diversity in plantings. If a serious new insect pest or disease affects red maples and everyone on the block has one—well, you get the picture.

To provide some inspiration and encourage the use of broader plant palettes — especially in light of plant shortages for many of these often-used trees — we asked a panel of experts for their recommendations. Julie Janoski, plant clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Jim Matusik, owner of the Tree Connection, a wholesale nursery stock distribution company in Rochester, Michigan; Jeff Kramer, V.P. and ISA Certified Arborist at Kramer Tree Specialists in West Chicago; and Mike Cook of Cedar Path Nurseries in Barrington and Lockport, IL, all weighed in.

Problematic Evergreens

“We’re seeing a lot of fungal problems on spruces,” Janoski said. “People continue to plant them because they’re beautiful, but the disease pressure is immense because there are so many of them. They’re not happy here because of the humidity and clay soil. We’re not recommending against planting them, but use them with caution.”

Kramer sees the same decline in Colorado spruce and calls it disheartening. “It’s getting needle blight, Phytophthora and we’re not planting them,” he said. “They were certainly a workhorse in the landscape for 80 years and years ago, it was only the older, mature ones that were affected, but now we see way younger trees that are stressed with needle blight and canker.” The list at the end has the panel’s recommendations for both deciduous and evergreen trees.

“The first thing about selection is right plant right place,” Janoski said. “No matter how sturdy a tree is, if it wants full sun and welldrained soil and you put it in a wet or shady site, it’s not going to thrive or survive.” And that’s the case for many declining spruce trees — young and established specimens. Over-Baked “If you’re a contractor and the homeowner already has three maples, let’s plant something else,” Janoski said. “If the neighbors have a ton of honey locust, there are plenty of other good trees out there that will fit our northern Illinois conditions. You can encourage good ecosystems while protecting their investments.”

Kramer calls Linden trees problematic because they’re over planted. “But more than that they develop girdling roots. It’s not a nursery issue at all. I would say 50 percent of them are affected because their genetic code is such that they develop girdling roots.” The other issue is the love affair that Japanese beetles have for lindens. “Generally, they won’t kill the plant but can really defoliate it. Some homeowners want them treated, but you have to be careful and not hurt the bee populations.” Large Shrubs It’s not just certain shade trees that are over planted. “We need something in the spring that’s not forsythia,” Matusik

said. “Hamamelis vernalis — witch hazel — the spring-flowering period is February to March and there’s another species (H. virginiana) that flowers in fall. Witch hazel offers those two different flowering seasons. I’m doing them in my backyard as a filler plant that offers interest, is densely leaved and has cool, very nice spring flowers.” Common witch hazel is one of Janoski’s favorites. “We have Arnold’s Promise at the Arboretum and it’s been blooming for four months (this year) with no regard to snow or freezing temperatures.” At 12 to 15 feet tall and wide, it’s a sturdy, shade-tolerant woody. “The Cornelian cherry dogwood is a nice small tree or large shrub that’s also quite lovely.” And underused. Red-twig dogwood has been around forever, but Matusik gives the cultivar Midnight Fire high marks. “This one has really nice branching that is showy in winter and it’s a good strong shrub. Redtwig dogwoods aren’t used as much as they should be. They don’t die and they’re tough as nails, they’re deerEarly Glow Buckeye tolerant and they attract birds and butterflies. They have really cool fall color, too.” Like many old varieties of trees and shrubs, Snowmound spirea has come in and out of vogue. “But they’re gorgeous and hardy as can be,” Matusik said. “They can handle heavy shearing and they just flower their brains out. At two to four feet tall and wide, they’re great for borders and foundation plantings, and they add an instant punch of color.”

Janoski calls Seven Son’s flower (Heptacodium) another super tough woody that’s not often seen in residential landscapes. “It’s considered a shrub, but it’s big enough that it can be shaped into a small tree. It can get a bit wild and wooly looking, but it flowers late in summer and has good fall interest and peeling bark.” And, it attracts migrating monarch butterflies in late August.

Kramer likes the native American smoketree for its resistance to pests and disease. “Everyone is looking for lower maintenance, too. We had no problems with them so far and I’ve had great experience with it. It could be considered an ornamental.”

Small Spaces

Although serviceberry has been popular as a small, understory spring-blooming native, Cook would like to see more apple serviceberry (Amelanchier grandiflora) planted in residential and commercial projects. “I think that we could use more of these. It’s widespreading, but graceful in habit with beauti-

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ful fall colors.” And berries that attract a variety of songbirds. “We have a whole other part of the industry that plants in urban spaces and smaller lots,” Matusik says. “Think of the brownstones in Chicago where you can’t have anything big.” He encourages landscapers to take a look at hardy Japanese maples. “There are hardy varieties that can work in niche areas and smaller sites. They have a real punch of color, provide density and a focal point. There’s Pixie, a superdense upright form that can go right into a corner and not overtake the area.” (Acer palmatum ‘Pixie’ looks like a small version of Bloodgood Japanese maple.)

“Red Sentinel is another compact plant (Acer palmatum ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel) that has amazing fall colors but spring interest, too, so it has three seasons to it and is super hardy. English Town Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘EngishTown’) is a very nice small tree.” Depending on the conditions, it can reach about 6 by 6 feet tall and wide.

Mix it Up

Instead of the usual red maple, how about planting an interesting oak? “Oaks in general — so far, so good,” Kramer said. “Every plant has its problems like oak wilt, but generally anything in the oak family is good. I like Triple Crown and Regal Prince oaks — both are unique and newer. They’ve been out for a while, but I don’t see them often in the landscape.”

“There’s a buckeye — Aesculus glabra — that’s making a comeback,” Cook said. “Early Glow’ shows a lot of promise — less scorching and it’s underused. Usually they scorch terribly some years with wet summers and they’re denuded by September. Early Glow seems to hold its leaves through August.” A medium-size tree at 30 to 40 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide, it offers bright red fall color.

Expanding your palette helps prevent plant loss to insects. For example, viburnum leaf beetle continues to be a serious problem. “Anything you can do to plant diversely — even in hedges — is important,” Janoski said. Blackhaw

viburnum is a native woody that reaches 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide. “Its leaves are a dark, glossy green and we’ve seen a tiny bit of damage, but it’s pretty resistant because the beetle apparently doesn’t like the heavier, waxier leaves. It’s nothing like the damage [we see] on arrowwood viburnum.”

“That’s why we’re encouraging landscapers to plant diversely — because now we’ve got an insect that will take [many] viburnums down or you’ll have to treat for the beetles,” Janoski said. “It’s so much more interesting and better for the environment if you can plant something varied.”

Try Something New

Looking for something different and perhaps much better than the old standbys you’ve been using? Here are some of the panels picks for great performers among shade and ornamental trees and tall shrubs. Fall Fiesta® Sugar Maple Purple Catalpa (Catalpa x erubescens ‘Purpurea’) Gingko Kentucky Coffee Tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) American Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) London Planetree (Platanus x acerifolia) American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) Regal Prince Oak (Quercus Regal Prince®)

Small Ornamental Trees/Large Shrubs

Large Trees

Swiss Stone Pine (Pinus cembra) Limber Pine (Pinus flexlilis) Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika) Norway Spruce (Picea abies) Concolor Fir (Abies concolor) Princeton Elm (Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’) Frontier Elm (Ulmus ‘Frontier’) Triumph(™) Elm Early Glow Buckeye (Aesculus glabra ‘Early Glow’) Acer ginnala ‘Flame’ and ‘Ruby Slippers’ Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) Acer japonicum ‘Yama Kagi’ Acer palmatum ‘Rhode Island Red’ Pixie Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Pixie’) Twombly’s Red Sentinal Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel’) Spring Flurry Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis ‘Spring Flurry’) Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) American Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus; syn. Cotinus americanus) Beijing Gold Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulata ssp. pekinensis ‘Zhang Zhiming’) Ruby Falls Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Ruby Falls’) Hot Wings Tatarian Maple (Acer tataricum ‘GarAnn’) Great Wall Tree Lilac (Syringa pekinensis ‘Great Wall’) Golden Glory Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mas ‘Golden Glory’) Firebird Crabapple (Malus sargentii Firebird®) Ivory Spear Crabapple (Malus ‘Ivory Spear’)

Resources and Photos: www.mortonarb.org www.thetreeconnection.com http://www.cedarpath.net