Selecting the Right Landscape Trees
Now is an ideal time to select shade and ornamental trees for planting, before you forget where shade was most needed in your summer landscape. Fall planting allows newly planted trees ample time to become well established prior to spring growth. The autumn season is usually more reliable in providing moisture and coolness for plant establishment.
The ideal landscape tree does not exist. Trees with desirable features also have undesirable ones. A tree may have beautiful flowers in the spring, only to be followed by undesirable fruit or seedpods. Carefully select the best trees to fit your particular landscape needs and situation. Learn about a tree's characteristics, growth habits and requirements, and its qualities (both good and bad), before making a final selection. Choose a tree that offers the best characteristics to fit your landscape needs with the least undesirable features.
Study your landscape carefully to determine the landscape needs. Determine where a tree is needed and for what purposes. Note how much growing room is available; any restrictions imposed by existing conditions, such as walks, drives, overhead lines, water lines, and drainage; and the overall effect the new tree will have on existing plantings in the landscape.
Consider the sun's affect on your home and landscape when locating a tree. The sun travels from east to west, high in the sky in the summer and low in the winter. The amount and location of shade cast by a tree are related to the sun movement and characteristics of the tree, such as height, density of foliage, and if it is deciduous.Shade needs, or protection from the sun, are determined by the sun's movement or pattern in relation to indoor and outdoor living areas.
Trees may be selected for screening, as garden accents, for wind protection, or to provide a pleasing environment for the home and increase the property value. When selecting the best tree for your landscape, choose a tree that will tolerate the local weather and is adaptable to local soil. Observe local native trees, as they are often the most adapted to area conditions. Research the tree's growth requirements, possible insects and diseases, and whether it prefers companion trees or space all to itself.
Consider whether you prefer an evergreen or deciduous tree. A deciduous tree can provide shade in the summer and welcomed sun in winter; whereas, evergreens usually provide dense shade year round and do not offer the interest of seasonal change, such as fall color, new leaf buds in spring, or the interest of bare branches in winter. They do, however, put green into the landscape all year long, a desirable sight in the middle of winter. In addition, they are more effective as sound barriers. If you want a tree for screening, an evergreen is usually best as it provides a permanent, year‑round screen.
A local nursery can offer you a choice of small trees ‑‑ those that grow no higher than 35 feet, and large trees ‑‑ those growing 60 to 80 feet or more in height. Small trees usually grow fast to provide quick shade and offer a choice of seasonal bloom, fall leaf color, and landscape interest. They need less growing room and can be planted in groups or masses. Small tree selections for Virginia include redbud, dogwood, holly, crapemyrtle, and crabapple.
Large trees provide more shade, yet need a greater growth space over time. Commonly planted large trees include maple, sweetgum, pine, spruce, magnolia, sycamore, oak, and blackgum. Often the best landscape combination is one that includes large and small trees ‑‑ the small trees provide quick shade and seasonal interest while the larger trees slowly mature to size.
A tree choice is a personal choice to fit a specific landscape need. All trees have their good qualities and their bad; yet, they provide a natural beauty, a source of shade and outdoor interest unmatched by any man made creation.