Gray Dogwood

Cornus racemosa

A dense, multi-stemmed, erect growing shrub with short, spreading branches. Suckers from the roots form a large colony extending in all directions. The suckers while useful for making the shrub denser will need to be removed annually once the shrub is as wide as you want it. The reddish brown young stems form a contrast to the older gray bark. The summer foliage is a dull gray-green to dark green turning in the fall to a mixture of green, red, and purple colors. The fall foliage is usually not showy. The panicles of white flowers bloom for 7-10 days starting in late spring. The white fruit matures in late summer or early fall and is inconsistently persistent. The shrub’s best ornamental feature is the reddish pink color of the pedicels (fruiting stalks) that are exposed when the fruit falls. The red color persists into fall and winter. The shrub grows best in moist, well-drained soil in full sun, but is adaptable to adverse conditions including poor, dry, wet, and compacted soils, heat, drought, and heavy shade. It requires only a light pruning to produce a neat, dense, informal hedge. It can be renewed by cutting back to the ground when it becomes too large and woody. It is occasionally grown as a small tree where it can be used for foundations, entranceways, borders, or as a specimen.

Mature Size: The gray dogwood grows to a height of 10–15′ and a spread of 10–15′ at maturity.

Growth Rate: This shrub grows at a slow rate, with height increases of less than 12″ per year.

Sun Preference: Full sun and partial shade are best for this shrub, meaning it prefers a minimum of 4 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.

Soil Preference: The gray dogwood adapts to a wide range of soil conditions and can tolerate wet conditions as well as drought.

Attributes:

Wildlife Value: The gray dogwood is a forage plant for white-tailed deer. The berries appear before most other dogwoods, making it popular with the squirrels and over 100 bird species that eat the fruit. It forms a dense thicket, providing cover and nesting sites for wildlife.

Red Oak

Quercus rubra

Bristle-tipped leaves turn red in the fall. The leaves have 7 to 11 waxy lobes. A good street tree, tolerates pollution and compacted soil. Grows as much as two feet a year for 10 years. Grows to 60′ to 75′, 45′ spread. (zones 3-8)

River Birch

 Betula nigra

As its name suggests, the river birch naturally grows along river banks. But as a landscape tree, it can be planted almost anywhere in the U.S. The species is valued for its relatively rapid growth, tolerance of wetness and some drought, unique curling bark, spreading limbs and relative resistance to birch borer.

The river birch has not yet reached the popularity of many maples and oaks, but it is well on its way. In 2002, one of its cultivars was even named the Urban Tree of the Year by the Society of Municipal Arborists.

Hardiness Zones: The river birch can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 4–9

Tree Type: This tree is considered both a shade tree and an ornamental tree. It features a spreading canopy capable of blocking sunlight and adds visual interest and beauty to landscaping.

Mature Size: The river birch grows to a height of 40–70′ and a spread of 40–60′ at maturity.

Growth Rate: This tree grows at a medium to fast rate, with height increases of anywhere from 13″ to more than 24″ per year.

Sun Preference: Full sun and partial shade are best for this tree, meaning it prefers a minimum of 4 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.

Soil Preference: The river birch grows well in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained, wet and clay soils. It will tolerate moderate flooding as well as some drought.

Attributes Include:

• Features glossy green leaves that are 2–3″ long and somewhat triangular. Margins are double-toothed and leaves are arranged alternately.
• Produces brown and green catkins in April and May.
• Yields a large number of tiny nutlets after female catkins mature, typically in May and June.
• Develops a cinnamon-colored bark that curls and peels (once mature).
• Can grow as either a single- or multi-stemmed tree.
• Is the most borer-resistant birch.
• Works well for holding stream banks and keeping erosion in check.
• Grows in an oval shape.
• Should not be planted in very alkaline soil.

Wildlife Value: The catkins of the River Birch are used by redpolls and pine siskins. The foliage is eaten by deer and other browsers. The small but plentiful seeds are appreciated by a wide range of songbirds.

History/Lore: River birch wood was once used for ox yokes, wooden shoes and other products around the farm. But they were rather distained by loggers as knotty and spindly, therefore often left to grow along the river bank to control erosion.

Information Gathered From: Official Arbor Day Foundation Website – arborday.org

Black Walnut

Juglans nigra

When grown in the open, the black walnut reaches 75′ tall with a round, low branching, open crown that spreads nearly as wide as it is tall. In forests and plantations, the tree may reach 150′ tall with a well formed trunk and lower limbs self pruned from « to 2/3 the distance from the ground. It develops a deep taproot and is difficult to transplant. The hard to crack shell encases a rich flavored nut. However, the crushed black walnut shells can stain fingers, clothing, and concrete. The trees bear in 12-15 years. (Partally self-fertile, plant multiple trees to ensure pollination) (zones 4-9) Alleopathy is the term given to the suppression of growth of one plant species by another due to the release of toxic substances. Black walnut tree roots contain juglone, a toxic substance released when the the roots of other juglone-sensitive species come in contact with walnut roots. You must keep a wide separation between the black walnut tree and susceptible plants. A partial list includes tomatoes, potatoes, peas, peppers, cabbage, alfalfa, serviceberry, chestnut, pine, arborvitae, apples, blueberry, blackberry, cherry, azalea, rhododendron, lilac, hydrangea, privet, members of the heath family. The black walnut’s poison does not work on all species and some even seem to thrive on it.

White Oak

Quercus alba

The white oak is a large, strong, imposing specimen. It has a short stocky trunk with massive horizontial limbs.The wide spreading branches form an upright, broad-rounded crown. The bark is light ashy gray, scaly or shallow furrowed, variable in appearance, often broken into small, narrow, rectangular blocks and scales.The leaves are dark green to slightly blue-green in summer, brown and wine-red to orange-red in the fall. The fall foliage is showy. Oaks are wind pollinated. Acorns are produced generally when the trees are between 50-100 years old. Open-grown trees may produce acorns are early as 20 years. Good acorn crops are irregular and occur only every 4-10 years. The white oak prefers full sun, but has a moderate tolerance to partial shade. It is more shade tolerant in youth, and less tolerant as the tree grows larger. It can adapt to a variety of soil textures, but prefers deep, moist, well-drained sites. High pH soil will cause chlorosis. Older trees are very sensitive to construction disturbances. The deep tap root can make transplanting difficult. Transplant when young. New transplants should receive plenty of water and mulch beneath the canopy to eliminate grass competition. Old oaks on upland sites can be troubled by sudden competition from and excessive irrigation of newly planted lawns. Their root zones must be respected for them to remain healthy. White oak is less susceptible to oak wilt than the red oak species.