Jul 31, 2018 3 min read

By Carry Hansberry

We have a new house, so all of the older trees were torn down and we are in the process of developing our own landscape design. The soil on our property is mostly acidic.

The dawn redwood is a tree that can get very tall and can grow three feet or more a year. It was planted on the left side yard in a garden bed to protect it from any mowers or kids. It can handle full sun, urban stress and has little problems to disease and insects. We recently put in a French drain on this part of the yard so that it will not sit in any large amounts of water. I love this tree because of the fine needles and great fall foliage. The red bark is an extra bonus.

The Japanese maple, bloodgood, we planted on the opposite side yard. I chose this side because the house shades the tree for most of the day. It will grow to 20 feet tall by 20 feet wide. Once established, it will give us some privacy from neighbors and traffic flow from the street. The tree has few problems with disease. We did have a Japanese beetle problem last summer, and this tree was attacked, but a treatment with Sevin killed the beetles. Bloodgood maples have great fall foliage. Note to self: This tree needs a garden bed around it to protect it from kids and the mower.

The Japanese Lace Leaf, Inabe Shidare, is an ornamental tree. We planted it in the front yard in a corner where it can be viewed from inside the house. It will grow to six to eight feet tall. It is five feet tall right now, and it’s in a garden bed with full sun. I know that this tree would benefit from shade, but it will have to wait and survive until the sugar maple grows to a mature height. This tree has little disease and insect problems and adapts to most soil conditions. Another tree chosen for its fall color and silver bark.

I do not want to replace any of the above trees, but would love to add more to this new garden. One of the three new trees I chose is a dwarf bald cypress. It has the same characteristics of the bald cypress, but will only get to six to 10 feet tall. I am placing it in the new front bed so that it can be viewed from the house and can tolerate the salt from the street in winter. It, too, has an attractive fall color, bark and fine needles like the dawn redwood.

The second tree is a sourwood. It is native to this area. It has moderate growth rate and has medium height, and can take full sun or shade. It likes acidic, moist but well-drained soil with a high organic matter. It can tolerate dry soil, but you need to irrigate. It, too, has fall color and flowers in summer. I’m not sure where I would put this tree. I just know that I want it.

The last tree is cherry purple leaf sand. This is an ornamental tree that will grow to seven to 10 feet tall. It likes full sun, but shade helps it maintain fall color. It can tolerate many soils. There is seldom a serious problem with insects and disease. I will put this tree in the front garden bed to enjoy the fragrant flowers and fall color.

Have you figured out what my favorite season is?