Ash Fraxinus 1/3/5 40-60 ft The Ash is found in almost every state in America and is used commerci- ally as hardwood lumber. Its use in the average garden is somewhat limited due to its size, but it is an attract- ive tree and the flowering ash to be found in Texas and New Mexico has fragrant white flowers. Generally, the Ash prefers a cooler climate as in Oregon and Washington. Beech Fagus 1/3/5 50-100ft The American Beech, F.grandifolia is a large tree with light gray bark. It requres a lot of space and the clo- sely packed leaves results in dense shade. The European Beech is slightly smaller in size and more suited to the garden. The Copper Beech, F.s. atrop- unicea is a beautiful tree and like the other European Beeches tolerates warmth.Birch Betula 1/3/5 20-50ft The European Birch has distinctive white bark and umbrella like branches. All of the Birch trees do better in the northern parts of the country and are most successful when planted very young. The Sweet Birch, B.lenta, differs in that it has dark brown bark. This variety prefers rich and moist soil. Dove tree Davidia 2/4/6 25-50 ft This is a beautiful tree with white bracts that look like doves in flight. Although it is a deciduous tree, the leaves remain green through the fall. It sometimes takes two or three years before this tree blossoms for the first time. Hackberry Celtis 2/4/6 25-50 ft The Hackberry has three forms, none of which are hardy, preferring the climate of the southern or pacific states. They are: European, Sugarberry and the Mississippi Hackberry. They like moist, fairly rich soil and are resistant to insects and diseases. The European (C.australis) is a fair substitute for the American elm. An easy to grow tree giving dense shade. Hawthorn Crataegus 2/4/6 10-25 ft A hardy tree which will grow in northern areas once it gets established. There are several varieties, a par- ticularly attractive one is C.o.plena, which has pretty, double white flowers in summer. C.o.punicea has single red blossoms. The variety Lavalle has reddish colored fruit that stays on the tree into winter. Honey locust Gleditsia 2/4/6 30-65 ft The Honey locust is a gerneral purpose tree that is easy to grow and maintain. It has thorny branches that can be a problem in some gardens. The varieties Moraine, Rubylace and Sunburst do not have thorns and are therefore perhaps preferable. The Honey locust is not fussy about soil or sun conditions and provides a limited amount of shade. Hornbeam Carpinus All 20-30 ft Although the American Hornbeam is hardy the European and the Japanese are less so. It is a slow growing tree that needs shade and protection from the wind. It has a smooth, gray bark and develops fruiting catkins. It turns red in the fall. It is an attractively shaped tree and is an asset to any small garden. Katsura Cercidiphyllum 2/4/6 25-40 ft This is a fine leaved tree that gives a garden a feeling of airiness. It usually grows with two or more trunks springing from the base. It has blueish -green leaves that turn yellow, then scarlet, in the fall. It requires a lot of watering. Maple Acer 2/4/6 20-60 ft The height depends on the type of Maple which includes, Japanese, Sycamore, Full Moon, Sugar and Trident. All of the Maples have a characteristic appe- arance and make fine ornamental and shade trees. Check with your local garden nursery to determine the type of requirements for various trees. For instance, Trident suffers droughts very well, Sycamore is a good coastal tree. Oak Quercus 2/4/6 40-60 ft Of all the Oaks, the best one for the garden is probably the White Oak (Q. alba). It is completely hardy, slow growing, easy to transplant and attra- ctive in the fall. (Transplant when small). The Red Oak (Q.borealis) is less hardy, but a nice shade tree. Soil requirements are simple, comp- ost when young, average density, sligh- tly acid. Water well until established. Plane tree Platanus 2/4/6 50-80 ft The Plane tree is a Sycamore, but the London Plane (P.acerifolia) is partic- ularly suited to the outer-city garden. It has cream colored bark which peals attractively to reveal an inner yellow bark. It is easy to grow and slightly more hardy than the Western Plane tree (P.Californica). Paulownia Paulownia 2/6 35-50 ft The Paulownia, also known as Empress tree is not hardy and more suited to the southern and Pacific zones. It is an attractive tree with large, hairy leaves providing plenty of shade. Prior to the leaves appearing in spring the tree is covered with sweet scented violet flowers. These are followed by seedpods that remain on the tree. Paul- ownia likes a humus rich soil. Poplar Populus All 50-70 ft The Poplar, also known as Aspen or Cottonwood has some half a dozen diff- erent varieties, most of which need plenty of room. The Quaking aspen (P.tremuloides) is the one with shimm- ering yellow leaves in the fall. The Berlin poplar (P.berolinensis) is very hardy and often used for windbreaks. They require average soil and once est- ablished are easy to grow. Sourwood Oxydendrum 2/4/6 15-40 ft The Sourwood, also known as the Sorrel tree, is a ruggedly shaped tree ideal for shade in the smaller garden. It has dark green leaves on drooping bra- nches. In the fall, the leaves turn to brilliant red. The flowers which appear in spring are fragrant, white and bell shaped, like lilies of the valley. It prefers an acid soil to be at its best. Walnut Juglans 2/4/6 60-90 ft The Walnut tree is easy to grow. All it asks is a rich soil and a great deal of water. Its roots will not allow the growth of any other trees nearby. The Black Walnut has extr- emely hard shells and is slightly more hardy. The English or Persian Walnut has better tasting fruit and much thinner shells. You really need two trees for the most fruit. Willow Salix All 15-50 The Willow is hardy in most zones, depending on the variety. The Pussy Willow is very hardy, the Weeping Wil- low, not quite as hardy. There is almost a dozen different varieties. Generally speaking, all the Willows require lots of moisture and will provide ample and attractive shade. The Golden Willow is perhaps the most attractive in winter. Zelkova Zelkova 2/4/6 50-60 ft The Zelkova is included here because it has an extermely attractive shape, it is a good shade tree, fast growing and very disease resistant. It is fairly hardy and is often used in larger gardens as a substitute for the American Elm. It has no particular soil reqirements.
