Buy Trees for Quality, Not for Velocity

‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple in front of Neil’s home office is a family favorite. Photo by Neil Sperry.

It’s a question I’m asked several times every week: “Neil, I want a good, fast-growing shade tree. What would you suggest?”

That question is hard for me to answer, because I can understand gardeners’ desire to have shade from the summer sun as fast as they can. But, the real truth is that each and every fast-growing shade tree has at least one fatal flaw. They all have short life expectancies – as few as 10 to 20 years. Every one of them is a bad landscaping decision, and I’m the messenger who gets to deliver the news.

For all my career, I’ve encouraged Texas gardeners to buy for quality instead of speed. Great trees like oaks, cedar elms, pecans, Chinese pistachios and magnolias last for decades. Many decades. While they may take a few more years to give you that shade, they’ll perform their cooling magic with far fewer problems.

Fall is the best time of the entire calendar year to set new trees into your landscape. Nurseries are well-stocked. You can easily measure the trees’ health and vigor if you shop before they lose their leaves for the winter. And, best bonus of all, trees that are planted now will have eight months to get established before next summer boils into town.

If this is the fall that you’ll be investing in your landscape via a new tree, start shopping now. As always, I’d suggest a local independent retail garden center where you can talk to the owner and manager. Look for a Certified Nursery Professional, and let him or her help you pick the best species for your needs. Ask for assistance as you walk through their tree lot. Look for the very best specimen that’s a fit for your budget. Ask, too, what the added fee will be to deliver, plant and guarantee the tree for you. You’ll want that with any tree with a trunk that’s two inches in diameter or larger.

Some have threatened to carve into my headstone: “He never recommended a fast-growing shade tree.” They wouldn’t be far from the truth.