The fall color at the nursery has been beautiful and the blackgums are especially amazing. Nyssa sylvatica, commonly known as Black Tupelo and Blackgum, is available both single stem and multi-stem. It is adaptable to a wide range of conditions including poor drainage. Mature size is 35 x 25'.
Green Mountain, Acer saccharum 'Green Mountain', Sugar Maple has yellow and orange fall color. Avoid wet sites and sugar maples will do well. Green Mountain matures 45 x 35'.
Several of the oaks will also add color to the fall landscape. Scarlet Oak, Quercus coccinea, is a tough tree that matures 50 x 40'.
Not a shade tree but colorful and useful for screening, Crimson Spire, Quercus alba x robur 'Crimschmidt', is a columnar oak that matures 45 x 15'. A cross between White Oak and English Oak, it has mildew resistant dark green summer foliage with red fall color.
The foliage of the Zelkovas are starting to turn orange and red for fall. Green Vase, Zelkova serrata 'Green Vase', is a great choice for tough urban areas including street trees and parking lot islands. The upright vase shape form also works well on residential properties. The dappled shade of the foliage allows grass to grow under the canopy. Green Vase is a fast growing tree that matures 60x40'.
By the time August rolls around at a nursery, it is very evident the trees that hold up well through summer. The foliage of Legend Linden, Tilia americana 'DTR 123', is still deep green and glossy.
Included on Iowa State's Community Trees List, the American Lindens' "neat, pyramidal growth habit makes this tree perfect for boulevard plantings."
Legend Linden is cold hardy to zone 3 and matures 40 x 30'. It has yellow fall color.
The East Campus of the University of Nebraska was the site of the field day last Friday. We toured the Maxwell Arboretum with Tim McDonnell and Jeff Culbertson. Over fifty years ago, Earl G. Maxwell began planting many of the trees we learned about during our tour of the five acre arboretum. As we came around a corner, the view opened up to a majestic cottonwood. Its shadows stretched across the lawn.
Catalpa is just
one of the many flowering trees on the campus. Paw paw, magnolias, fringetrees, crabapples, dogwoods and
horsechestnuts are also included.
During the afternoon
break, I hurried from
the air conditioned
meeting room and went
for a quick walk.
On the walk I came across a large mass of sculpted steel. Around the base is Blue Gramma Grass. I love the contrast of the modern art sculpture with a native grass.
The highlight of the field day for me was Tim McDonnell's presentation on the Regreening of Greensburg. Tim McDonnell is the Community Forestry Coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service. I'll have a posting on it in the near future.
The fall color at the nursery has been beautiful and the blackgums are especially amazing. Nyssa sylvatica, commonly known as Black Tupelo and Blackgum, is available both single stem and multi-stem. It is adaptable to a wide range of conditions including poor drainage. Mature size is 35 x 25'.
