They should outlaw those things.

I cringe when I see someone planting symmetrical sets or rows of Bradford Pears. I just know one of them's going to break or blow down one side and screw up the whole symmetry. If a storm is going to break a tree, it'll break the Bradfords.

www.lesjones.com

Bradfords are now considered invasives. Planting an exotic may be fine if it cannot spread but that's not the case here.

I'd rather see Shadbush, red buds and dogwoods.

There's a line of them down the median on Old Hickory Blvd. separating Davidson & Williamson County in Nashville, and the electric service has done an interesting job of pruning on one side, and the trucks driving by on the other side have cut a permanent 90-degree angle into the foliage.

It's a postmodern form of bonsai.

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People getting rich. Some people saying "Markets!" More death. Neil Young. Death.

Tree snobs!

Seriously, I don't know jack about trees. Think we had bradfords at the old house. gonna start the mass landscaping project for the new pad in he next couple of weeks. I don't want to look like a tree-tard. Any suggestions?

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SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?

Can't go wrong around here with redbuds and dogwoods. They're pretty in spring and fall, and they don't have problems with diseases.

I also like Chinese/Saucer Magnolias, which are short, bushy ornamental trees. They're the ones with big purple blooms right now.

www.lesjones.com

I'm familiar with dogwood anthracnose, but I didn't think it was a problem here at low elevations.

www.lesjones.com

We've planted dogwoods, river birch, a hemlock, a cypress, dwarf apple and peach trees, a lob lolly pine, a Japanese black pine (I think), some other kind of pine I don't know the name of and the Mrs. isn't here, a couple of Japanese maples for ornamentation.

I don't remember how we settled on all those. Looking to plant another pine and possibly a maple of some kind or another (looking for something fast growing that will provide shade in one spot) and maybe a redbud.

One thing to consider is the soil (type, moisture) and the light it will get. You have to match the tree to what will grow where you want to plant it, which may not be as obvious as it sounds.

I bet Rikki can give us all some good advice on trees.

Mmmm, peaches.

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SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?

Speaking of diseases, avoid cherry and plum trees. The black creeping crud will get them.

Pines and hemlocks are under attacks by insects these days. We've lost a couple of white pines and our neighbor has lost half a dozen. I need to get our hemlock sprayed to keep the hemlock adelgid off of it.

www.lesjones.com

They have pretty blossoms, but I think we've only ever gotten one tiny peach. None last year. I guess the birds and squirrels and bugs like them, though. We talked to someone at the UT Ag extension, after we planted them of course, and he said to do fruit trees right you need a degree in chemistry and a garage full of dangerous chemicals and plan to spend a lot of time on them. So we don't even try.

The Bradford pear is the WORST if you suffer from spring allergies. Might as well suck up a lung-full of lint.

I think the hemlock is a nice tree. It is evergreen and has pretty, lacy, foliage.

The crab apple is good for the birds, and it has pretty, but not noxious blossoms in the spring.

Crepe myrtles have become really popular around here too. I have come to appreciate them. They are pretty and don't stink. :)

Just don't plant your trees too close to your house. I notice that all the time. Think about how big they are going to get when you put them in the ground.

I'll have to contradict you. You know how I hate doing that.

According to this study anthracnose was found to be more likely to occur in dogwoods when the test plots were at higher elevations (defined as above 460 meters vs. about 300 meters for most of Knoxville), in full shade, growing on north-facing slopes, or when near water. Anthracnose is a mold, so it makes sense that cool, wet conditions would encourage it.

www.lesjones.com

I think I posted recently that we just had our Hemlock treated for adelgids. It needed it, but I wouldn't have been able to tell by looking at it. I understand all of them need treatment.

There's a bank near me that has some pretty old (20+ years)bradfords that have never split. How? They pretty much cut them back to the trunk every year.

Tess: "Crepe myrtles have become really popular around here too."

(That's spelled "crape" myrtle, Tess, but don't be embarrassed--I had to look it up!)

We're tremendously pleased with two very fast-growing crape myrtles planted in our backyard 7 and 2 years ago. The older one, which was about 3 or 4 feet tall and very spindly when it went in, was taller than the house (12 or 15 feet?) in just 3 seasons, and was a very lush 8 or ten feet in diameter!

They're deciduous, but leave berries for the birds in fall and have leaves again early in the spring. Ours are so volupuous with tiny blooms in August, the branches bend under their weight.

They enjoy full sun and acidic soil. Ours are even thriving in that awful red clay. Recommended!

(Edit: Well, I'm unsure now about that "berries" part--those may be pods that produced August's blooms that I'm looking at. My Ortho shrub guides don't mention berries...)

We've got a couple of crape myrtles, too. They grow fast. I'm not terribly fond of them, but the Mrs. likes them.

Uncle, another thing to consider is when you plant.

I think most experts say you should plant trees in the fall or winter when they are dormant. Not sure that applies to all species, though.

My spelling has gone to the dogs lately.

I wish that 20 some years ago someone would have mowed down the poplar tree in my front yard. Out back the pear and it's hundreds of suckers are the only thing controlling erosion.

Would a Dawn Redwood live in TN? That would be a nice addition to the California Live Oak tree I have growing. I am a bit afraid to move the oak it from it's pot to the ground.

R- check out a contorted filbert to add to your tree collection.
and-
Happy First Day of Spring!

And that's probably true. Full shade is bad, but full sun is probably bad, too. The authors of that study recommend mulch in general and watering the roots during droughts to reduce water stress.

www.lesjones.com

If you want a really fast-growing species, try the Ailanthus altissima, a.k.a., Chinese Sumac, a.k.a. Tree of Heaven, a.k.a. Stink Tree. Before you know it, you'll have 14 million of them.

The Mrs. and I have several trees in the yard (one reason we bought in an older part of the subdivision), 4 large maples, a large oak, nine tall redbuds which form a row at the back of the yard, four crabapples, three very large japanese maples (15-20 feet), a dogwood, a crape myrtle and a dwarf magnolia of some sort. There's a big cedar tree in the very back corner that doesn't seem good for much. The big maples and oak trees offer nice shade. I like the redbuds and crabapples in spring.

Speaking of which, my crabapples bear a lot of fruit, but I'm not sure it's good for anything. We've never done anything with it. My granny can make jelly out of most anything. But, I don't think I want to try that. Are crabapples good for anything?

If Bradfords were Republican trees, you'd think I'd have a few. Alas, I don't care much for them.

Why yes, the crab apple fruit is good for something--birds and critters eat the fruit. I wouldn't even think about trying to make jelly, but, the birds need to eat too, so it is good to plant things that will feed them.

Bradfords are now considered invasives.

It's not Bradford pears, exactly. Bradfords are self-infertile, and hence don't produce viable fruit by themselves.

I haven't looked into the situation very closely, but the story I was told is:

It became obvious 25 years or so ago that Bradford pears sucked as an ornamental, and other callery pear cultivars (Aristocrat, Chanticleer, Redspire, etc) started being heavily promoted. I believe these are also clones, like Bradford, so they also don't produce fertile fruit -- supposedly that was one of their selling points. However, crosses between the various cultivars are fertile and are often extremely prolific, and hence they're now abundant, especially along interstates.

Redbuds are pretty, but while they're not as bad as Bradford pears, they're prone to breaking in ice storms or heavy snows too, once they start to get large.

I think most experts say you should plant trees in the fall or winter when they are dormant. Not sure that applies to all species, though.

I'm not an expert, but the general rule of thumb is to plant shrubs and trees in the fall, after the heat has broken, but early enough to let the roots grow some before they go dormant.

Would a Dawn Redwood live in TN?

A friend of mine had one that was 40-50 ft in her backyard in Rocky Hill.

I don't want to look like a tree-tard. Any suggestions?

Do you want big trees? Small trees? Large shrubs? Is your yard shady or sunny, or in-between? Do you have good soil, or shallow, stony soil, or crap the builder dumped down? Any need for erosion control? Do you want lots of flowers? Evergreens? Etc. I've got lots of suggestions, but my list would be more helpful for you if I had more details about your property and what you're looking for.

That's a nice-looking Web site. Good stuff.

Mykhailo (do I really have to call you that?):

I may have to pick your brain some time. We've got the money saved up to hire a landscaper to do major landscaping work. We just need to get off our butts and get on the phones.

www.lesjones.com

And for jelly...but, I think I'll do like every other year, just let the birds and critters feast.

Link to pix of different birds enjoying crab apple fruit.

(link...)

I do not know how to post pix here. Tried and failed.

Special sale on Bradfords at Home Depot, $19.98. In the paper today.

Ok, 47 replies on trees. That's too much. Are there any I can just stick in the ground and forget about? Seriously.

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SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?

It has been my experience that if you "stick a tree in the ground," you have to tend to it.

If you plant in the fall (best) or spring (second best), you need to water, fertilize,and mulch at least until it is able to fend for itself. Then, at some point, it may require trimming, in the case of fruit trees especially.

(link...)

Maybe I'll get some fake trees. While I'm at it, i'll pave my yard and paint it green.

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SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?

Mykhailo

Dude, it was a joke. Chill out. I appreciate the responses.

ETA: i just didn't realize trees were so much work. As i said, we planted bradfords last time. I mulched then tended and watered for the first month. After that, they required no effort.

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SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?

You'd never know this corporate whore for Bush cared, by the way they ignore customers. The treatment in this article is consistent with my experiences in the local stores in the last few years (--crickets). I don't boycott them, but I favor Lowe's.

Maybe I'm supposed to wear a Bush/Cheney cap when I need to shop there.

Bamboo is evil stuff. Instructions for removing established bamboo begin with "Step 1. Rent a backhoe."

More plant trivia: The movie "Hard to Kill" was about Steven Seagal's attempt to rid his property of mimosa trees.

Factchecker: and is it just me, or have Home Depot's prices gone through the roof?

www.lesjones.com

If you get a discount at Home Depot for wearing a Bush-Cheney hat, I'm in luck. I have extras if any of you would like to borrow one.

Maybe it is that the "pretty" trees require more care?

Bought a forsythia last fall. A branch fell off and I just stuck the branch in a pot of soil sitting around. The branch is now blooming and ready for leaves. Must be pretty easy, although a weedy bush and not much to look at except when blooming.

I haven't noticed, Les. I wouldn't be surprised if all of those type of products have gone way up, but would expect everybody else's to have, as well. I guess I don't repeat buy enough of anything there to take notice. I would notice price changes better at a place like the grocery.

I have extras if any of you would like to borrow one.

Good one! Would they then give me the secret GOP discount? If so, I might need to trade the Kool-Aid hat I got from Tom Tomorrow's blog!

This is the second year I've had it. I'm probably going to put it in the ground in the fall. It's a nice compact tree that bursts into white blossoms, then it goes green, kind of like a weeping willow. I've done nothing special for it. The National Arbor Day Foundation will give you 10 trees free if you buy a membership. I gave nine away & planted a red bud and though it is TINY, it is growing. There's also lots of good information about trees there.
(link...)

By the way those Cortese people rock! They did a beautiful job of saving a big oak I have. It seems incredible the way they can be so graceful with their big equipment. Too many tree people are hackers. All they want to do is hack everything down. I wouldn't use anyone else.

(link...)

Can anyone tell me why my Bradford pear is blossoming in
September? Albuquerque, New Mexico

I asked the owner of a nursery for a beautiful blossom in the summer and fall colors in the fall and a medium sized tree. He lead me to the Bradford pear (before checking the internet). Well I bought my little tree home, planted it one month ago. Was very careful and followed all the rules given, but now many of the leaves are turning brown and it looks like it is dieing.
Have I over watered it? We have not had very much rain here in central Texas since spring started so every other night I would go and soak the tree with about 5 gallons of water.
I am so new at this and would love to send someone a picture of my tree so you can help me. I do want it to live, despite what everyone feels about this tree. It deserves my best efforts, and I want it to live.
Help, me help my tree, please.