Submitted by Knoxquerious on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 9:13am.
Call me crazy, but bradfords don’t really bothered me anymore. I also used to hate the way the Chinese chestnut trees smelled in my backyard growing up. But now I find that aroma quite nostalgic as I have moved away from them since my childhood. You know it is summertime when you drive by a blooming chestnut grove.
Submitted by Les Jones on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 9:54am.
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.
I read once that Cary, NC had the shits of the beautifully awful Bradford pear and outlawed them. People would plant them in their easements and the town would deal with the limbs in the street.
Now I just hope our plum tree comes back this year. About the middle of July, it leaves turned brown and fell off. It didn't give up any fruit.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Submitted by Andy Axel on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 10:01am.
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.
____________________________
People getting rich. Some people saying "Markets!" More death. Neil Young. Death.
Submitted by SayUncle on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 10:23am.
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?
Submitted by Knoxquerious on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 10:32am.
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.
Redbuds maybe, but dogwoods around here are really battling the dogwood anthracnose. Shortly after the leaves have expanded (mid-late May and June), spots and blotches of varying shape and size appear on infected trees. These spots have a tan center and a purple or reddish margin.
Dogwoods are lower storey trees, so if planted in conjunction with shading, this disease isn't as bad. I think it occurs at lower elevations, not higher.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Submitted by R. Neal on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 10:34am.
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.
You'll love it. You'll hate spraying the trees. But you'll love it. Go with a heartier plum or heirloom apple. My mom has an heirloom apple tree that we make schnapps with. You can't eat the apples, but after a long soak in clear liquor...
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Submitted by Les Jones on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 10:48am.
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.
Submitted by R. Neal on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 10:50am.
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.
Submitted by Les Jones on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 11:26am.
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.
Submitted by Knoxquerious on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 12:18pm.
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.
Nice find, however I can post a pic of my HUGE dogwood in the Fort in full sun with the disease. There are exceptions to every rule I guess.
As far as the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, I have been reading really good things about an injection called IMICIDE. You can use it on Hemlocks not normally injectable due to the close proximity of streams or rivers where the roots leach the chemical into them. This treatment evidently stays in the trunk and works its way up, staying out of the roots and area streams. I am not too crazy about introducing a beetle in the park, but we gotta do something. My dendro professor predicted in 100 years the Hemlock will go the way of the American Chestnut. The Hemlock is probably the most important tree specie the Smokies have.
Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 8:24pm.
Oh--I mentioned referring to one of my Ortho guides earlier and failed to share a tip: those softcover Ortho guides on 101 various topics, that cost $10.95 or $11.95 each at Lowes or Home Depot, are available by the dozens for $.75 or $1.00 each at McKay's Used Books. I own about 20 now! They have deep discounts on many pricey hardcover gardening books, too.
Also, you may enjoy losing *hours* on Better Homes and Gardens extensive (encyclopedic) website at:
Submitted by Factchecker on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 11:48am.
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.
Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 12:00pm.
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...)
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!
Submitted by Les Jones on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 1:44pm.
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.
Submitted by Stick Thrower on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 2:07pm.
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.
My granny has made jelly from crab apples as well. Pretty good stuff. Probably no different from making jelly from any other fruit. Of course, that doesn't mean I could do it. I think you can make jelly from anything, just use copious amounts of sugar.
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.
Submitted by Mykhailo on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 8:48pm.
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.
However, crosses between the various cultivars are fertile and are often extremely prolific, and hence they're now abundant, especially along interstates.
Ah, that's why you see all the "wild" trees blooming. I wondered about that. There is a virtual forest of them in the detention pond between the interstate and celebration station (or whatever it is) near Cedar Bluff.
Submitted by Les Jones on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 9:07pm.
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.
Submitted by Mykhailo on Thu, 2007/03/22 - 9:22am.
Ok, 47 replies on trees. That's too much. Are there any I can just stick in the ground and forget about? Seriously.
Me: Hey, I'd be happy to spend 30-45 minutes, for free, trying to help you out with something I have a fair amount of experience, because I'd like to maybe save you some money, time, and aggravation.
You: Wow, you're really a faggot nature-loving loser. Ha ha!
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.
Submitted by SayUncle on Thu, 2007/03/22 - 10:01am.
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.
Submitted by Factchecker on Thu, 2007/03/22 - 11:28am.
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.
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.
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.
Yes, fruit trees especially need more care. Evergreens are usually pretty carefree.
There are a lot of shrubs that you can propagate by just sticking a branch in the ground.
And, while we are talking about plants--don't plant that damn vinca major either. It is worse than English ivy for spreading. I spend half my time pulling vinca major out of the ground. And, it makes no difference, cause there is twice as much the next day. Vinca minor is not the same (periwinkle). It behaves pretty well.
Submitted by Factchecker on Thu, 2007/03/22 - 5:57pm.
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!
Submitted by Carole Borges on Fri, 2007/03/23 - 2:25pm.
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.
They should outlaw those things.
Call me crazy, but bradfords don’t really bothered me anymore. I also used to hate the way the Chinese chestnut trees smelled in my backyard growing up. But now I find that aroma quite nostalgic as I have moved away from them since my childhood. You know it is summertime when you drive by a blooming chestnut grove.
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
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
I read once that Cary, NC had the shits of the beautifully awful Bradford pear and outlawed them. People would plant them in their easements and the town would deal with the limbs in the street.
Now I just hope our plum tree comes back this year. About the middle of July, it leaves turned brown and fell off. It didn't give up any fruit.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
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.
My mom has a magnificent red bud tree in the front yard. I remember my dad letting me dig the hole when I was 10.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
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.
____________________________
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?
---
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
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.
Redbuds maybe, but dogwoods around here are really battling the dogwood anthracnose. Shortly after the leaves have expanded (mid-late May and June), spots and blotches of varying shape and size appear on infected trees. These spots have a tan center and a purple or reddish margin.
I'm familiar with dogwood anthracnose, but I didn't think it was a problem here at low elevations.
www.lesjones.com
Dogwoods are lower storey trees, so if planted in conjunction with shading, this disease isn't as bad. I think it occurs at lower elevations, not higher.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
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.
---
SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?
You'll love it. You'll hate spraying the trees. But you'll love it. Go with a heartier plum or heirloom apple. My mom has an heirloom apple tree that we make schnapps with. You can't eat the apples, but after a long soak in clear liquor...
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
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
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.
Nice find, however I can post a pic of my HUGE dogwood in the Fort in full sun with the disease. There are exceptions to every rule I guess.
As far as the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, I have been reading really good things about an injection called IMICIDE. You can use it on Hemlocks not normally injectable due to the close proximity of streams or rivers where the roots leach the chemical into them. This treatment evidently stays in the trunk and works its way up, staying out of the roots and area streams. I am not too crazy about introducing a beetle in the park, but we gotta do something. My dendro professor predicted in 100 years the Hemlock will go the way of the American Chestnut. The Hemlock is probably the most important tree specie the Smokies have.
I was confused as it seems that dogwoods growing as understory trees have less incidence.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Les,
Jim Cortese's new tree injection web site has some good info about anthracnose.
disclosure: I developed the site for him.
Oh--I mentioned referring to one of my Ortho guides earlier and failed to share a tip: those softcover Ortho guides on 101 various topics, that cost $10.95 or $11.95 each at Lowes or Home Depot, are available by the dozens for $.75 or $1.00 each at McKay's Used Books. I own about 20 now! They have deep discounts on many pricey hardcover gardening books, too.
Also, you may enjoy losing *hours* on Better Homes and Gardens extensive (encyclopedic) website at:
Link...
Lots of planning and hardscape ideas, too.
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.
I think these are very invasive. They send up shoots that come up all over the place. In a couple of months you'll have a veritable forest.
Here's a link to info about them.
Link...
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.
no, crabapples are republicans. they're not good for anything either. sorry, Chad, you set yourself up for that one.
"no, crabapples are republicans. they're not good for anything either. sorry, Chad, you set yourself up for that one."
Well, apparently the beautiful and sweet singing birds love to eat them.
Crabapples make good jelly. But I don't have a clue how to do it.
My granny has made jelly from crab apples as well. Pretty good stuff. Probably no different from making jelly from any other fruit. Of course, that doesn't mean I could do it. I think you can make jelly from anything, just use copious amounts of sugar.
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.
However, crosses between the various cultivars are fertile and are often extremely prolific, and hence they're now abundant, especially along interstates.
Ah, that's why you see all the "wild" trees blooming. I wondered about that. There is a virtual forest of them in the detention pond between the interstate and celebration station (or whatever it is) near Cedar Bluff.
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.
birds eat bugs and worms, too.
Special sale on Bradfords at Home Depot, $19.98. In the paper today
They sell mimosas at Kmart too, but that doesn't mean you should buy them.
I got a ton of bamboo sprouts if anyone wants em.
Bamboo will, if given the chance, shoot runners through asphalt, concrete and the astral plane. Wicked stuff.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
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?
Redbuds.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Ok, 47 replies on trees. That's too much. Are there any I can just stick in the ground and forget about? Seriously.
Me: Hey, I'd be happy to spend 30-45 minutes, for free, trying to help you out with something I have a fair amount of experience, because I'd like to maybe save you some money, time, and aggravation.
You: Wow, you're really a faggot nature-loving loser. Ha ha!
Me: Ok, then.
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.
---
SayUncle
Can't we all just get a long gun?
Maybe I'll get some fake trees. While I'm at it, i'll pave my yard and paint it green.
Or maybe I'll plant some real trees, AND SHOOT THEM, HOMOS!!! HA HA!
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.
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.
Yes, fruit trees especially need more care. Evergreens are usually pretty carefree.
There are a lot of shrubs that you can propagate by just sticking a branch in the ground.
And, while we are talking about plants--don't plant that damn vinca major either. It is worse than English ivy for spreading. I spend half my time pulling vinca major out of the ground. And, it makes no difference, cause there is twice as much the next day. Vinca minor is not the same (periwinkle). It behaves pretty well.
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.
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
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