Trees & Shrubs,

Landscape Trees by Karla Basallaje, Master Gardener

“I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.” No doubt you have read or previously heard this famous couplet by Joyce Kilmer, and without waxing too poetic, or straying too far off topic, I agree with the poet’s sentiment. Trees are spectacular plants offering a wide range of size, color, shape and function, making them a great addition to any landscape design.

Before choosing a landscape tree, determine your soil’s drainage and water holding capacity by conducting a “hole-test”. First dig a hole 6-8 inches wide and 2 feet deep. Fill the hole with water and allow the water to saturate and drain. Fill the hole again only this time halfway and make note of the time. Monitor how long it takes for the water to drain from the hole: 15 minutes – excessive drainage; 15-30 minutes – adequate drainage; more than 30 minutes – poor drainage. Use these guidelines to make decisions and to make modifications. Visit the aggie horticulture website for more ideas and solutions.

A little bit of research before deciding on a landscape tree will save you time and money. Trees are most definitely a long-term investment. Choose a tree that is suited to your climate, soil, and available space. Texas A&M Agrilife has designated hardy, reliable, disease-resistant plants with the Texas Superstar designation. Currently there are six trees designated Texas Superstar trees which include: Basham’s Party Pink Crapemyrtle; Deciduous Holly; Shantung Maple; Lacey Oak; Chinkapin Oak; and Chinese Pistache, visit texassuperstar.com to learn more about these trees and other Texas superstar plants. If you are looking for a wider range of choices visit the Texas Tree Planting guide website at texastreeplanting.tamu.edu and you can customize your choices with the tree selector option.

Once you have selected a tree, it is time to plant it. Fall is a great time to plant your tree when the temperatures are milder. Remove the tree from its container and dig a hole that is 2 to 3 times the width of the rootball (a wide hole allows ample drainage for the roots), make sure that the depth of the hole is 1-2 inches shallower than the rootball. In other words, the top of the ball should be sticking out at least an inch. Loosen outside roots from the ball and remove excess soil from the top and water it thoroughly. Place the tree in the hole (most experts agree that there is no need for staking as it might damage the bark) backfill with just the soil that was dug up from the hole but before the backfill is complete, water it in, then complete the backfill. Continue to water it in thoroughly and mulch. Make sure that only a thin layer of mulch is near the trunk, saving the thicker layer of mulch for the outside edge. Fertilizers are not recommended until the tree has had an opportunity to become established, which is about 6-8 months. For more helpful ideas visit the Texas A&M horticulture websites.

Gardening with Native Plants by PJ LaRue Smith.

Landscape designers with an eye toward a more cost efficient, water-wise, landscape for their customers are incorporating more native plants in their designs. A “native” plant, is one that evolves in a local area with no human intervention, particularly, that it grew in that location prior to European contact. Such native plants have evolved with animals, fungi, and microbes to form a complex network of relationships. As such, these plants are the foundation of native ecosystems, or natural communities.

Why native plants? Simply put, they are acclimated to a given geographical area, its amount of rainfall, heat, winter temperatures, storm levels, soil type, soil depth, and pH. These plants will naturally be resistant to the local fungal, viral, and bacterial pathogens that other, non-native plants, may not be. Economically, they benefit the homeowner (and community) in that, once established, these plants will require little, if any, supplemental care or water to thrive and look beautiful in the landscape.

This time of year, if you look closely while driving in your local area, many trees and small shrubs are in bloom in the woods or along fence rows. Native crabapples, plums, redbuds, and blackhaws are the first to display their blooms in spring and are quite spectacular when used in the landscape. Native trees that bloom later in the spring are magnolias, sophoras, and privets. Wild rose bushes (five-petal, pink, once-blooming), and honeysuckle, can be found blooming along fence rows in early summer.

The Texas native tree/shrub list is quite extensive. To illustrate, some of the tree species that can be found in various wooded areas of Hunt County include varieties of: Ash, Cedar, Elm, Cottonwood, Crabapple, Oak, Hackberry, Hawthorn, Hickory, Holly, Juniper, Locust, Maple, Mesquite, Mulberry, Pecan, Persimmon, Redbud, Sophora (Eve’s Necklace), Walnut, and Willow! While all of these trees or shrub species are not necessarily desirable for use in the home landscape (for assorted reasons), many of these can and do make wonderful additions to the landscape.

How do you acquire these native plants? This author enjoys hiking through the woods, identifying the various plants and harvesting seeds to grow at home. For those who would rather “cut-to-the-chase” there are several Texas nurseries that specialize in native plants.

It is important to note at this juncture a criteria that must be remembered when looking for native plants to grow in the home landscape – soil type and pH. Hunt County has many types of soil – sand, loam, silt, and clay or some combination of these. Just as there are various types of soil, there is also a wide range of pH levels that are associated with those soils. If you do not know the type of soil, or its pH, it is recommended that you perform a soil test. Testing information and bags are available from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension located at 2217 Washington St., in Greenville.

If you would like to know more about the above listed tree/shrub species and what might be suitable for your landscape, visit the http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/ website. Listed there you will find detailed descriptions, photos, soil type preferences, water needs, and other caveats for native Texas trees and shrubs. Explore and enjoy!