Small trees an attractive option
It’s Arbor Day in the Inland Northwest, time to celebrate all the good things that trees do for us.
What better way to celebrate than by planting a tree? With the trend toward larger houses and smaller landscapes, it seems appropriate to look at some smaller trees that grow well here. These won’t grow more than 25 to 30 feet tall, which makes them ideal for most yards.
When choosing a tree, match the species to your landscape, rather than trying to change the growing conditions. You and your tree will be happier if you put the right plant in the right place.
The Amur maackia is a great tree for open sunny spots. While they will always need irrigation, once they are established, they are more drought tolerant than most plants their size. The tree grows 15 to 20 feet in height and width. The leaves emerge almost silver in the spring, followed by white flowers in July. What they lack in fall color, they make up for in winter interest with a shiny orange-brown bark that peels off similar to birch trees. Hardy to minus 40 degrees, they have no serious pests in our area.
For a narrow planting space, the Sargent cherry ‘Amanogawa’ grows 25 feet tall, but only 6 to 8 feet wide. The pink spring flowers are lightly scented, making it small but powerful. Another narrow tree that rarely grows tall, is the weeping Larch ‘Pendula.’ It can be trained for a graceful shape and has the same eye-catching fall color as our native tamaracks.
For a small street tree, consider the Ivory Silk Japanese lilac. Unlike its shrubbier cousins, this lilac grows as a more rounded tree, eventually reaching 25 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide. It doesn’t have the fragrance of our common lilacs, but the flowers are just as showy when they open in mid-June. For more small tree ideas, contact the Master Gardener Plant Clinic, 477-2181 or online at http://spokane-county.wsu.edu/spokane/eastside/plant_clinic.htm.
When it comes time to plant, remember to dig a wide, shallow hole three to five times as wide as the root ball. The root flare, where the trunk widens out into the root system, should be at ground level. Too many trees are still being planted with this flare below ground. Doing this opens them up to disease and shortens their lifespan.
This week in the garden
“Add compost to your ornamental beds. Till it in to areas free of shrubs and trees. Use it as mulch around trees and shrubs, but don’t pile it up around the main trunk. Add two to four inches for maximum benefit.
“Plant or transplant trees, shrubs and perennials. For best results, do it on an overcast day when it’s cool.
“If you grow fruit, now is the time to spray for disease control. Contact the Extension Office for specific recommendations.
“Speaking of pest control, any weeding you do now will mean less work this summer.
“Hold off on pruning your trees and shrubs until after the leaves have emerged and grown to their full size. Pruning now can cause excessive sprouting which means more work later.