Creating Shade in Your Landscape With Trees Suited for Texas
Well Planned Trees
Buying a tree is one of the biggest investments you will make in your Texas landscape. It is important that you choose a suitable tree for the space you plan to plant. Equally important is the proper planting and care of your tree. The following information will guide you when you are ready to plant your tree.
Glory of Trees
Trees are one of nature’s greatest assets. They –
- Reduce carbon, produce oxygen.
- Cool the earth.
- Provide food, wildlife habitats.
- Build bonds between man and nature.
Trees have practical and psychological uses:
- Trees can save 20 – 50% of a building’s heating costs.
- A healthy tree’s cooling effect is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.
- Healthy, mature trees add about 10% to property value.
- Trees reduce our stress, blood pressure and muscle tension.
- Trees can be part of our family heritage.
Site Selection
Consider how much room you have and draw up a scaled plan of your yard. Consider the ultimate size of each tree so that it won’t outgrow its planting spot. You need to know how much room you have to work with between existing structures, plants and other trees. Consider what you want the trees to “do” year round. You may want evergreens on the north side of your house to act as a windbreak in winter, or deciduous (leaf-shedding) trees on the south side to provide summer shade and warm winter sun. Or you may want them to provide fruits, nuts or seasonal color through leaves, berries and blooms. Compare trees to see which fit your needs best, and talk with a Texas Certified Nursery Professional at any Calloway’s (in Dallas FortWorth) or Cornelius Nursery (in Houston) garden center.
Tree Planting
It is safe to plant container grown trees during the Summer unlike balled and burlap trees where the roots are dug and the tree experiences loss of roots. Container grown trees are healthier, adapt more quickly, and grow better over the long term. When bringing trees home, allow breathing room in your car. Try to avoid crushing limbs and leaves in the trunk.
Dig a hole twice as wide as soil ball is wide, but no deeper than the depth the tree originally grew in the nursery. Backfill with a 50/50 mixture of existing soil and Calloway’s Tree & Shrub Mix. Thoroughly water the tree to settle the soil and top dress with 2 inches of Calloway’s mulch.
Soil should be comfortably moist to the touch, excessively dry soils pull moisture from tender young roots. Water the tree immediately after it’s planted. Water your trees during the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer, any time the soil is dry. Tree roots remain active at all seasons.
General Tree Care
To conserve moisture and prevent weed growth, mulch newly planted area with two inches of mulch. Soak deeply to encourage deep rooting. This reduces frequent sprinkling which causes plant roots to grow too near the surface, thus weakening the tree. Trees should be fertilized twice a year, in early Fall and again in the Spring. Fertilize by making holes in the ground at the end of the branch spread and filling the holes with the correct fertilizer. Always apply as directed and remember, too much is more harmful than too little or none at all. Observe your trees often to detect insect or fungus problems. View shade and forest tree diseases here.
Click here to download a printable pdf Tree handout.
For more information, visit any Calloway’s or Cornelius Nursery garden center to get expert advice from a Texas Certified Nursery Professional.
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