Tree Selection Tips For Landscaping

Tree selection will take time. They come in many mature shapes and sizes so don't rush out and buy the weekly special without first investigating what size and shape it will become.

It's not much fun trying to move one after it has been growing for a few years. Save your back and your pocketbook by choosing wisely at the beginning.

Deciduous or Evergreen

Evergreens keep most of their needles or leaves all year long. They do shed some during spring and early summer but they keep enough of them to retain their coloring and shape.

Deciduous Trees drop all their leaves or needles in the fall. In the winter you have the structural shape of the branching showing in all its' glory.

Shapes

All trees when they are first born will be upright in shape. They don't start taking on their mature shape for several years.
When purchasing a young tree that is suppose to be rounded, don't be too alarmed that the tree selection at your nursery isn't showing the mature shapes.

Upright and narrow varieties have their main branches and stems pointing upward in a columnar manner.

Tall Vase Shaped varieties are typically wide at the top and taper near the base.

Rounded varieties are more like a flattened oval but some may be circular like the sun.

Weeping varieties have branching structures that point downwards.

Sizes

The technical definition of a tree is a woody plant having a single trunk and growing greater than 15' tall. I like to leave off the height on the definition as there are now many hybrids that won't reach a mature height of 15'.

Dwarf is a term that is often misunderstood. Dwarf does not mean small in the sense that the plant, tree or shrub will stay tiny. It means the hybrid, cultivar or variety is going to be smaller than the natural species. A species that reaches a natural height of 150' might have a cultivar that reaches 50'. That cultivar would be considered a dwarf.

Consider the size of your garden when making your tree selection. Large open gardens look best with large trees. Small city gardens look better with small trees.

Fast Grower or Slow Grower

Some varieties will mature at a faster rate than others.
Japanese maples take forever to show an inch of growth. Poplars grow several feet every year.

While slow growth means you won't see the desired results as quickly there are advantages to having patience.

Fast growing species tend to have a weaker branching structure. You can try thinking of it as if you were pulling taffy. If you pull slowly it will stretch evenly and form a nice thick roll. If you pull quickly it becomes thin in spots and will snap.

A branch is much stronger if it grows thick and evenly from the trunk. Thick growth takes time.

Flowering or Non-Flowering

The flowering period is typically just a few weeks long. So consider what the non flower looks are when making your tree selection.

Consider the size and amount of the flowers when picking a location. A Magnolia produces multitudes of large flowers. You probably don't want the petals falling onto a walkway. They typically fall during a wet rainy season. Stepping on one would be like slipping on a banana peel!

Bees visiting summer flowers hanging over your patio during a cookout might make your guests uncomfortable.