Time for tough native trees to dot the landscape
By Cynthia Schuster-Eakin
Insights
Published Nov. 15, 2006

There must be tons of leaves that about now are covering the tree lawns all around. Raking them is an onerous job. In spring, we can’t wait for the trees to show the first flush of green and now, as these same leaves have completed their life cycle, we are cursing them for our aching backs.

A couple of times I have been asked: What is a deciduous tree? It is a tree that looses all its leaves every year and deposits them on the ground for us to pick up.

This year we bemoan the fact that we were cheated out of our usual extravagant colors and never had an Indian summer. We Ohioans like to brag about our amazing and delightful autumn weather. Yes, we had a decent day here and there, but could not string them together to make them an event.

It made me think of what the tough trees are for our unpredictable growing seasons. Consider the fact that trees do not have an easy life. It is either too hot or we suffer a damaging ice storm that impacts flowering. We know all about draught conditions that do not facilitate healthy growth. Trees become friends in our gardens and when one dies, we are very sad. An established specimen is not easily uprooted and replaced with one of a similar size, color and maturity.

Trees are not impervious to insects and diseases. Some of us remember the Dutch Elm disease that totally obliterated the elm tree.

We also have to consider the somewhat smaller properties where a good tree should not overpower the landscape. For instance, the catalpa tree is very hardy and less prone to diseases, but can easily overpower a small landscape.

There are some beautifully shaped trees that are messy and so should be avoided. The honey locust is as fruitful as a rabbit and shoveling the messy pods is not fun. The sycamore belongs in the same category and is a big mess producer in spring, summer and fall. But we are hesitant to take down a mature tree and replace it with a more suitable species.

One of my favorites on the tough native tree list is the river birch. The graceful branches emerge from its incredible stems. The bark has to be its strong suit. When trees are bare, the bark provides some winter interest and brings life to an otherwise bare landscape.

If you are considering a large and fragrant tree, consider the sassafras. It is a native tree with few pest problems. The Indians were fond of this tree and brewed a tea from its fragrant leaves. The fall colors are striking, ranging from bright yellow, orange, red and purple.

The third tree on my list of favorites is the American smoketree. Although belonging to the same genus, this one is not to be confused with the more commonly planted Eurasian smokebush. This native tree has immense fall color interest with an alligator skin bark. As a small to medium tree, it is versatile for any type of desired landscaping.

There are still some garden chores that should be tended to, even in November. Remember, it is not to late to get your spring bulbs in before the ground freezes. One year I planted some in January and they bloomed in spring without a problem. Please don’t tell me, in the check-out lane at the grocery store, that you could not get your bulbs in. There is no other way to get spring color than to entrust the bulbs to the earth now.

Time to lime. Fall also is a good time to apply lime to your lawn. The rain and snow will carry the lime down to the roots. This is a chore that does not need to be repeated every year. The ground limestone or dolomite should be applied at 20 to 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet. The recommendation is that you go with the upper figure for heavy clay soil.

If you are cultivating a strawberry bed, better mulch it now. These are shallow-rooted plants and can easily be heaved out of the ground by thawing and freezing. Pine needles, hay or wood chips, applied in a 3-inch to 4-inch layer are good.

Store gladiola corms and dahlia tubers in a cool, dry place. It is a good time to take up any perennials that have multiplied too lustily. In my case, there are too many lady’s mantle. While I adore the chartreuse flowers in the spring, I don’t want them to take over the whole flowerbed. A friend heard me tell of how I plan to rip them out and suggested that she would like to adopt some and take them home.