What Makes a Tree Great?
It breaks my heart to hear a new gardener making a bad choice in shade trees. They’re the most permanent part of any landscape, and you want to invest for long-term success. Here are the criteria that you should run through your data base before you make that final decision.
Adaptability to local soils…
You can’t truck in enough soil to satisfy a large shade tree as it matures. Its roots will spread far and wide, so even if you prepared a little planting hole with perfect potting soil, the tree would eventually have to grow in the native soil that came with your property. Choose a tree with proven durability to your soil, whether it’s alkaline or acidic, shallow, or rocky. Your new tree has to be adapted to it.
Adaptability to local weather…
You’re not going to build a conservatory just to give your new tree perfect weather. Indeed, that tree is going to have to cope with what comes naturally where you live. Heat in the summer. Cold in the winter. Remember the recent extreme cold spells and the trees that we lost. Drought. Remember the dry summers of the past couple of years. Periods of wet, soggy soils. Perhaps you’re in a part of Texas where those are a periodic concern. Your tree has to be adapted to what nature brings.
Appearance at all seasons…
You want a handsome tree. Nobody goes into the nursery and asks for the ugliest, messiest tree for their landscape. That’s why nurserymen don’t sell catalpas, box elders, or hackberries. No one would buy them. Ask if the tree you’re considering will be good-looking at all seasons. Ask about special features like spring flowers or fall color.
Pest resistance…
This is where a lot of our common shade trees score down. You don’t want to buy a tree that will live a short and hard life. Ask questions of your Texas Master Certified Nursery Professional as you’re buying your tree. You’ll hear plant people referring to “trash trees,” and that’s because they’re the species that are most likely to become infested with something dreadful. You want a tough-old-boot-of-a-tree, one that stands up to adversity and shuns it away.
Rate of growth…
This is at the bottom of our list, and that’s right where it belongs. “Fast-growing” shade trees are usually the ones that crash and burn early. Their wood is weak and vulnerable to wind and ice storms. Plagues and pests seem to single them out. Indeed, a high-quality, moderate-rate-of-growth shade tree is almost always a far better choice. Your new tree will be a multi-generational tree that will add enjoyment to your life and value to your property.