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Published on 10/25/05

It's fall -- don't delay planting landscape trees

By Jim Midcap
University of Georgia

The tree-planting season is here. Let's not put it off any longer. You can miss years of tree growth by waiting for the perfect time or mood.

Fall is the best time to plant because new trees have all winter to establish new roots. Soils are wetter in winter, and temperatures are cooler, while the plants are much less active. These are ideal conditions for getting plants off to a great start.

To successfully plant a tree in your landscape, first select the best place to plant it. Select a site that's big enough for a tree to develop. A large, mature tree will need 30 to 40 feet of space. Small trees will need 15 to 20 feet. So the amount of room you have will determine the kind of tree you should plant.

Think ahead

Remember to base your planting-site decision on the tree's mature size. All those baby trees in 7-gallon containers don't grow up to be the same size. Some grow into large trees and others into small ones. Not all of your space should be planted to trees, either. You need some sunny, open areas and shady nooks.

Trees are a long-term investment. You need trees that can survive and grow with few problems. Always select and plant trees that are cold-hardy, heat- and drought-tolerant and pest-resistant. An adapted large tree on a good site with a little care should live 50 to 100 years.

You plant trees for your own reasons. You may need some fast shade to cool the drive or air-conditioner unit. You may want to improve your landscape with spring flowers or brilliant orange fall color. You may need to screen your neighbor with an evergreen planting. All of these are good reasons to select a tree to fit the space and need of the site.

Suggestions

Here are some trees that can fill your special needs:

  • Good trees that grow fast and provide shade include the red maple, Shumard oak, willow oak and lacebark elm. Some smaller trees with rapid growth are trident maple and the tree-form crape myrtles, such as Natchez, Dynamite and Sioux.
  • Trees with outstanding fall color include Legacy sugar maple, Chinese pistache, ginkgo and native sourwood.
  • Look for outstanding spring flowers in our native redbud and flowering dogwoods. The Kousa dogwood, Okame cherry and Chinese fringe tree are outstanding small flowering trees, too.
These trees all have a broad range of adaptability and provide great features for the landscape. Now, let's get busy and get that fall tree planting project under way.

(Jim Midcap is a Cooperative Extension horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)

Jim Midcap is a horticulturist specializing in woody ornamentals with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Jim Midcap
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