Plant a Tree This Arbor Day!

Tip of the Week: Planting a Tree for Arbor Day!

There’s no better time to plant a tree than spring, and it just so happens there’s no better excuse than Arbor Day. With Arbor Day this Friday, April 26, consider hitting the nursery or reaching out to a landscaper to pick out and plant at tree.

Trees are a great way to add a backdrop to your landscape, but with so many varieties and purposes, selecting a tree can seem a bit overwhelming. A couple of key considerations can ease this pain before planting a tree.  For instance, how big is the space where the tree will reside? How much light will the tree get? What
features and characteristics do you desire – flowering, fruit, screen, shade, or color? Once you’ve determined what you want in a tree and where it will go, it’s then easy to narrow the field.

While there are a wide variety of trees to choose from here are a few types and varieties that do well in our area.

Fast Growing: If privacy is your reason for planting trees there are great varieties of fast growing evergreens. Often, I will plant these for my clients who are seeking
privacy in their back yards or as a natural screen or barrier from their neighbors. Green Giant Arborvitae, American Holly, and Cryptomeria are all great fast growing evergreen trees that add texture and height to your landscape – and most importantly they keep their needles or leaves all year long.

Fruit Trees: As with anything, some fruit trees do better than others in certain soil conditions. So take note of your location and soil condition (wet, normal, and drought prone) before planting. Other considerations include height and space - fruit
trees come in dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard. Some fruit trees may produce flowers, but never any fruit. And, as with anything in nature, some fruit trees require pollination to bear fruit (usually from the same kind of tree only a different variety), with some that are self-pollinating, or partially self-fertilizing. If you are considering a fruit tree, you would be wise not to plant it in a high traffic area, as they can get a bit messy as fruit begins to drop.

Flowering: Some of the best flowering trees can be seen in our area throughout spring and summer. The prettiest and most popular are Crape Myrtle, which comes in a variety of bright cheerful colors from hot pink to purple and flowers and blooms in the summer. Southern Magnolia trees produce big white flowers or yellow, pink or white flowers in the spring blooming varieties. Red Bud trees produce beautiful deep purple flowers in spring. Dogwood trees produce big white flowers in spring – the state flower of Virginia, and of course Cherry Blossoms produce a range of color from white to hot pink in the spring.

How to plant: While the tree you buy will likely come with directions and its own individual care guide, there are some general guidelines for planting any tree. First, be careful not to dig a hole that is too deep or too narrow, the tree should be placed in a hole that is no deeper than the container or soil in which it came, with a hole at least two times as wide. Secondly, to be sure the tree gets proper nutrients and can establish a hardy root structure by mixing LeafGro with soil from the hole before backfilling the hole.  Add a little soil to the bottom of the hole to raise the level of the tree just slightly so that water does not pool around the base or root of the tree. Finally, be sure to water your tree well once planted and often until the tree is well established, but refer to the individual tree instructions for best results.

Question of the Week: What is a planting zone and what is the
zone for Northern Virginia?  

A planting zone is a guide. More specifically planting zones are illustrated in a map produced by the United States Agriculture Department used by garden enthusiast and landscapers to determine the best plants, trees, and flowers to plant in a specific area or “zone.” Northern Virginia is considered zone 7, and Alexandria, more specifically, is a zone 7a.  So when selecting your plants be sure to check out the information tag often attached to the plant, which will tell you the zone(s) the plant or tree does well. Generally, garden shops will only stock plants and trees that do well in your area; however, the plant may fit several zones and have specific bloom times or peak color schedule based your zone.

Got a landscaping question?  Send it my way: mailto:PatchQuestions@GreenerSideLLC.com

Happy Planting!

Aaron Gorski

Owner, The Greener Side Lawn & Landscaping LLC