Organic Answers Column – February 15, 2023 – Trees to Request
Trees to Request and Shun
Red oaks, live oaks, cedar elms and crape myrtles are great trees, but there are other choices that should be used for variety and interest. They are even better in many respects. Only problem is that these trees are much more difficult to find.
Lovely glossy leaves of Canby oak – a very good tree
Let’s change that. If trees in the “rarer” category are asked for at garden centers and from the landscape contractors, word will get back to the growers and things might start to change. The trees I would ask for include Canby oak, Mexican white oak, loquat leaf oak, Lacey oak, big tooth maple, Montezuma cypress, Mexican sycamore and Persian ironwood. The links below will take you to our updated information on each in dirtdoctor.com
On the other hand, there are some oft used trees that should not be encouraged by homeowners or the industry. The naughty tree list includes Chinese pistache (the females especially), lacebark elm, Callery and hybrid ornamental pears (such as Bradford) and of course the thin-barked, short lived hybrid maples such as October Glory. See the links below for our updated info on the web site.
Callery Pear and Bradford Pear
