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These Trees Quickly Add Privacy and a Sound Barrier
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QUESTIONS: "I have two problems that I hope you can help me with. I live in zone 4/5 and I am looking for a fast growing, sturdy tree or hedge to plant at the back of my yard to provide privacy and a sound barrier. What trees would you suggest? Would the cedar Green Giant be a good choice? I also own 5 acres of waterfront property. I am looking for a fast growing, sturdy tree or hedge that can provide privacy and withstand some high winds. I would also like to plant some nice hardwood tress on the property as well. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated." - Brandon M. Adams
ANSWER: Yes, the Green Giants will grow in your region. They are fast growing plants and should provide you with privacy in about 3 years.
For your waterfront property, you might consider the hybrid poplars or hybrid willows for a fast growing privacy screen and plant other, longer growing plants in the area. For a more natural look, plant varieties of plants that are already growing on the property or on neighboring property. Elm, Siberian peashrub and lilacs make nice hedges with a natural look also.
Trying to keep a natural look on the property would also hold down the maintenance. To add a little "spice" you might plant some specimen plants near the house. Suggestions: Forest Pansy redbud (which needs full sun) or any of the other redbud varieties, dogwoods, hydrangeas, dwarf bald cypress or Gold Leaf Dawn redwood. Hope this gives you some food for thought!
QUESTION: "We recently logged off around our cabin which left us open to the road front. We have already replanted with red pine, but would like to plant a border to shelter or block the view from the road. Is there something that you would suggest that the deer wouldn't just decimate immediately after planting?" - Joe Jett
ANSWER: Some deciduous plants that deer aren't fond of are barberry, burning bush, green ash, forsythia, lilac, viburnum, ornamental grasses and rosa rugosa. One evergreen that they don't care for is the cedar Green Giant. The green giants would fully block the view from the road. Just a reminder that planting oaks or other food-producing plants will encourage the deer to come onto the property, so you still run the risk of having them damage any type of planting, whether by eating or stomping.
QUESTION: "I have two large pots on my front porch. Every year we have been putting large ferns in the pots. I am ready for a change. What do you have to plant or put in the pots that would look good inside the pots? Something that is rather large or will become large. (But not elephant ears!) Our front porch has limited shade. It faces north with trees on the west side of the house." - Walter Shepherd
ANSWER: Here are a few ideas: Ninebark Diablo, redbud Don Egolf, trailing (creeping) redbud and hostas will work better in the shaded area. The redbuds will grow a bit taller than the ninebark or hostas, so it's just a matter of preference. You should take into consideration what color your house is (as a background) and go from there. For example, if it is a red brick, the Ninebark would visually disappear!
QUESTION: "I have a problem area on the side of my house where grass does not grow well. The area has a northern exposure and clay soil with some tree roots too. Can you suggest a ground cover that would work here?" - Corinne Crownover
ANSWER: You don't mention whether or not the area is shaded. Either way, the hardiest groundcovers (in my opinion and experience) are pachysandra, ajuga, vinca, Corsican mint, golden thyme, and woolly thyme. If you have decent drainage in this area, you could add some sand to the clay soil and plant one of the thymes or the mint. They don't like moist ground and will not do well if it stays wet. However the pachysandra, ajuga and vinca are a little more forgiving in that regard.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org
THEY'RE BACK! AMERICAN ELMS ARE ON THE REBOUND
After several decades, when many horticulturists believed it was heading for extinction, the American elm is making a comeback.
Along with other icons such as the Bald Eagle and the Grand Canyon, the majestic American elm seemed to stand as a homegrown hero, representing this great nation. But then the unthinkable happened.
In 1930, a stowaway beetle clinging to a log arrived in Cleveland on a ship from England. (Or it was on a ship from France in 1931. Both versions of the story have circulated for years, Take your pick!) The little bug brought Dutch elm disease to America. It's a disease that has killed hundreds of millions of trees worldwide and wiped out at least 96% of our lofty American elms as they had no resistance to this foreign invader.
Rapidly, tree-lined boulevards and avenues in almost every American city and suburb were stripped of their shade and elegance as elm after elm succumbed to the disease. Total extinction, the end of the species, seemed a real possibility.
But the search began for ways to develop disease-resistant elms, and evidence suggests that, at long last, a healthy American elm is a reality. Nowhere is this more evident than on the streets of Washington, DC.
The Casey Tree Endowment Fund (CTEF) is dedicated to "re-greening" the nation's capital and set itself an objective to fill 23,000 empty tree spaces within ten years. The folks at Casey are centering their efforts on a species known as the "Princeton" American elm, because of its apparent resistance to the dreaded Dutch elm disease.
The Princeton is named in honor of a giant elm tree that stands in a cemetery on the corner of Witherspoon and Wiggins streets in Princeton, NJ.
It has grown there for more than 300 years, and photos from 1854 show it, tall and healthy, near to Aaron Burr's grave. This massive tree is believed to be the progenitor of a whole generation of disease-tolerant elms that are now finding their way around the country.
Thanks to that old tree in Princeton, and to the dedication of people such as those at CTEF, disease-resistant elms have taken root on the pedestrian mall along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, as well as on the grounds of the White House itself.
However, Dutch elm disease is by no means eradicated and is still a threat. If you are fortunate enough to have a healthy elm tree as part of your landscape, you need to keep watch for signs of the disease. It is caused by a fungus that grows in the tree's xylem tissue and attacks its "plumbing system", causing yellowing and discoloration of leaves, twig and branch dieback, premature defoliation, and often the death of the tree.
What are the signs that should alert you to a potential problem?
In addition to the discolored leaves, look for brown streaks if you cut into the sapwood of infected branches. This disease may progress slowly or kill the tree within a week after you notice symptoms, according to http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=31481 a Web site hosted by the Forest Conservation Portal. You can click on a direct link when you visit my Web site www.landsteward.org and find this column under "The Plant Man" heading.
According to the Forest Conservation people, the only positive way to determine if your tree has the disease is to isolate and culture the fungus. Send samples from suspected trees to a diagnostic laboratory. Select twigs about 6 inches long that show brown streaking of the wood just below the bark.
Dutch elm disease spreads rapidly from tree to tree via intertwined roots below ground. Roots are more likely to intertwine when elms are growing less than 40 feet apart. I recommend a visit to this site if you have any worries about Dutch elm disease or its detection. As always, I'm happy to answer personally any questions or comments you send me via e-mail.
Yes, we still need to be aware of the dangers of this deadly disease. But the good news is indeed VERY good. Disease-resistant American elms are making a comeback. I'm looking forward to a stroll along Pennsylvania Avenue someday, looking up at the sun-dappled canopy of health American elms!
The Plant Man is here to help. Send you questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org.
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