Archive for the ‘Hickory (Carya spp.)’ Category

Bird Friendly Trees And Shrubs

Birds visit trees, shrubs, and vines for five things: fruits (berries), sweet nectar (flowers), insects (particularly caterpillars), nuts and seeds, and shelter. This list is a compilation from the North Carolina and Tennessee chapters of the Audubon Society of ornamental plants common in the Southern Appalachian region. Trees and Shrubs (26) Maples (Acer spp.) Downy Serviceberry […]

Deciduous Trees With Yellow Fall Leaf Color

While there are numerous trees that offer wonderful yellow fall foliage, some make extraordinary specimens in residential and park landscapes. Enjoy the beautiful yellow and gold tones on a crisp fall day.  Caveat: the quality of fall color may vary from year to year. Big-leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) – this West Coast Native grows 60-75 […]

Trees That Age Gracefully

Trees transition from youth (seedling), middle age and old age (maturity) before requiring a chain saw and replacing. Some age gracefully, actually appreciating in $$ value. Many ginkgo, hickory, beeches, sugar maples, and Southern magnolias live 100 years plus. Oaks such as such as white (Q. alba) and live oak (Q. virginiana) mature in majesty  over several hundred years.   It’s […]

25 Trees For Autumn Leaf Color

Fall leaf colors of woodland and landscape trees vary from one year to the next. Foliage colors are determined by monthly weather conditions and several environmental factors. Rainfall amounts and daily temperature levels during August and September are key determining factors. Best autumn leaf colors develop as daytime hours are shortening, daytime hours are sunny and […]

Eliminating Messy Fruits From Large Landscape Trees

Messy fruit from yard trees are dreaded by property owners as well as park and city employees. Some notorious culprits are sweetgums, sycamores (planetrees), oaks, mulberries, persimmons, and (female) ginkgoes. Fruits include hundreds of hard nuts or pulpy, smelly, and potentially hazardous covering sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. Foliar sprays are available to reduce or eliminate […]

How Drought Affects Our Landscape Trees*

Long term drought can be devastating on landscape and woodland trees. An environmentally stressed tree must expend additional energy to survive. Extremes of drought leads to decreases in trunk diameter and height growth, declining resistance to pests and diseases, less food production via photosynthesis, and in flower and fruit production. Symptoms of drought stress include wilted […]

Should You Plant In Fall?

            Should you plant in the Fall? It depends what region you live in, what month in fall, and what species you’re planting. If you live in the mid-Atlantic, coastal New England, or Southeastern U.S., fall is an excellent time to set most hardy plants. Most (not all) trees, shrubs, perennials, […]

Shagbark Hickory

Most tree lovers don’t plant U.S native shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). Instead, they often inherit one when purchasing property. Shagbark hickory is notoriously difficult to transplant and grows very slowly in its early years. Like oaks (Quercus spp.) and beeches (Fagus spp.), hickories are long-lived, often standing tall in an open […]

Moving Large And Mature Trees

Perhaps tree lovers can’t plant wonderful trees such as shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), or white oak (Quercus alba). They can purchase property with the tree(s) growing on them. Most nurseries do not grow these difficult species or guarantee their success after planting. But, all is not lost! Modern nurseries, backed by […]

Planting Trees for Future Generations

Oaks, beeches, hickories, ginkgoes, bald cypresses, redwoods, chestnuts and others are trees that future generations inherit from previous generations. In human terms, it takes a lifetime to grow an acorn into a mighty oak. Many tree species live hundreds of years, often asking little and contributing much beauty, summer cooling shade, winter heating comfort as windbreaks, and a […]