Selecting the Proper Tree
by Ohio State University Extension

Deciduous trees are those that drop their leaves in late fall and go dormant for the winter. They re-leaf in the spring with the return of more sunlight and warmer temperatures. While most people choose a tree for its shade, growth rate, or flowers alone, there are other considerations that are equally important. Consider these parameters as you select a deciduous tree for your landscape:
* Be sure that the tree is hardy to the USDA hardiness zone where you live to ensure that it will survive an average Ohio winter.
* Consider how big (height and width) the tree will be when mature. Will it fit the space available? Will it interfere with overhead wires?
* Choose a tree that matches your site conditions. Will it get the proper sun exposure, moisture and soil pH?
* Make sure your selection fulfills the function you want the plant to serve – whether for shade, screening or spring flowers.
* Select a tree that is resistant to known pests and diseases, if possible.
* Finally, be aware of the amount of maintenance required. Some trees require lots of attention to thrive. Others, if misplaced in the landscape, can become maintenance headaches, such as large trees planted in small spaces that constantly need pruning.

by Susie Taylor


It’s July. The summer sun is beating down. You’ve just finished mowing the lawn and would give anything for a hammock rocking in the shade with an ice-cold lemonade and a breeze whirring through the leaves overhead.

A little planning and a few years are all that stand between you and your wish. If you start planning now, you’ll be able to do your homework before planting a few trees this fall.

“The Best Time …”
There’s a canoe paddle decorating the entrance to a barn at Big Tree Plantation near Morrow in Warren County. And painted on that paddle are these words:

The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago.

The next best time to plant a tree is today.

Imagine the cool, lazy Saturday afternoons you’d have in your hammock if you’d just planted a tree at the best time – several years ago. Now think of the great fun you’ll have in several more years after you choose and plant a few trees in your yard this fall.

And if you have the patience and determination, and your local nursery uses a relatively new method of growing trees, you may be able to plant a tree yet this summer.

Either way, you should take some time to figure out the types of trees you like, the place where you’d like to plant them and the varieties of trees that will grow best in your part of Ohio, according to Big Tree’s nursery manager Dave Jackson. Big Tree Plantation is owned by Frank and Ann Antenucci, members of Warren County Farm Bureau.

“What you choose basically comes down to your own individual taste,” Jackson said, adding that maple, oak and ash are some of the most popular.

When Do You Plant?
Traditionally, trees are dug, and then planted, after a killing frost in the fall or before leaves start to bud out in the spring. Digging a tree growing in a nursery while it's dormant causes much less stress – for the tree and the homeowner, Jackson said.

But a relatively new method of growing trees allows nurseries to transplant trees at nearly any time. While this lengthens the selling season for nurseries, it also increases the maintenance required by the homeowner after the tree is planted.

Jackson explained that nurseries plant young trees in containers and drop the containers into the ground. The trees are then watered with a drip irrigation system. “This method really helps nurseries because they can harvest trees year-round, but it’s much more expensive and it requires more work for the homeowner because these trees are used to being watered every day,” Jackson said, “so you’ve got to water religiously until the trees are acclimated to their new location.”

How to Choose
Your choice of a tree reflects your own personality – whether you like purple or green summer foliage color, yellow or orange fall leaf color, small or large leaves, upright or spread branches.

But there are some consistent things to look for and some things to think about when choosing a tree for your home, according to Jackson.
* Choose trees with a “central leader,” or one main vertical branch to create a uniform shape
* Think about how big of an area you have and about how big that tree will be when it’s mature
* Consider summer and fall foliage colors
* Don’t give up on a tree that hasn’t leafed out in the spring. Some trees take some time to leaf out
* Learn the lingo; nurseries measure trees according to their trunk diameter at about six inches from the ground; the bigger the trunk, the older and, usually, more expensive the tree
* Know the nursery’s policy. Most nurseries offer a one-year guarantee if they plant a tree; some offer a 60 percent refund if the tree dies after the homeowner plants it, but “the key is to talk with the nursery staff up front about their guarantee policy,” Jackson said

A homeowner and friends can usually move any tree with a trunk up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter, Jackson said. “Anything bigger than that would necessitate the use of professional moving equipment,” he added.

You can get good trees at your local garden center, home improvement store, discount retailer or through the mail, but a good way to make sure the tree you buy will grow well in your soil is to buy from a local nursery.

“That tree’s been growing in your area with your climate and in your type of soil. It shouldn’t require any special adaptations,” he said.

How Do I Plant?
For balled and burlapped trees, Jackson suggests digging a hole that’s about one foot bigger in diameter than the ball. The hole should be just as deep as the ball with “the top of the soil around the ball of the tree level with the ground.” Try not to put loose dirt directly under the tree, because it will settle and could end up too deep. “Maybe add some soil conditioner or top soil and maybe a little fertilizer,” Jackson said.

After planting, water the tree well. “Don’t think that just because it rained 1/4 or 1/2 inch that you don’t have to water the tree,” he said. Barely turn the hose on so the water is trickling out and leave it on the newly planted tree for about one hour two times a week. Or use a special tree-watering soaker hose.

Be careful. You can water too much. “If you see mold or fungus on the mulch around the tree or if the leaves start turning yellow, it may be because the tree’s been watered too much,” he said.

Think Twice
There are several types of trees Jackson suggests homeowners stay away from – or at least think about twice before deciding to plant. “But again, it all depends on personal preference.”

Stay away from Silver Maples, or other maples that use the Silver Maple as a rootstock, because the roots tend to grow along the surface of the ground and “can make a mess of your yard,” he said.

A pin oak is pretty, “but it holds its leaves all year round so it’s dropping leaves all the time. That makes it difficult to keep the yard clean,” Jackson said. “I prefer a tree that will lose all its leaves at the same time so I only have to clean up my yard once.”

A sweet gum is “kind of messy with its leaves and bark,” and the fruit is a hard ball that “can be rough on a mower.”

Native trees – like the elm and sycamore – are making a comeback in popularity. They’re fast growers, but “when they get big, they tend to shed their bark, which makes them kind of messy, too.”

One tree that’s gotten a bum reputation is the locust. “The wild locust has thorns. I’d stay away from them, but there are several varieties without thorns, and a locust can be a nice tree,” Jackson said.


Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in the July/August 2002 Our Ohio magazine.

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