Tree Planting Tips For Southern Utah Yards

By Dee Maranhao

 
There are many ancient trees such as this pinon pine in the beautiful Utah outback. In our travels we have been awestruck by majestic Ponderosa pines growing in a draw surrounded by terracotta red cliffs. We have camped under 200-year old junipers, picnicked beneath the enormous shade canopies of gnarled and worn cottonwoods and shared a camp space with a 100-feet-tall Douglas Fir that could be 500 years old. These are the native trees that have lived for hundreds of years, surviving all sorts of adversity to reproduce and to perpetuate their species.

We are fortunate to have native Rocky Mountain Junipers (Juniperus scopulorm) on our land. We have replaced those nearest the house with fire-safe species and kept others that are in open areas. Those remaining have had the crowns lifted (over the years) to diminish the fuel source of low hanging branches. Keep the area under the drip line clean and free of weeds or plant the understories with vegetation. The shade canopy of the junipers are home to succulents, bulbs, ground covers, perennials and all sorts of edible crops that provide a green belt/buffer from fire.

There are also many old, beautiful, mature trees in the landscape that are large and well established. It is hard to imagine that they were once just small saplings that someone, a hundred or more years ago, planted with the vision of what the trees would be for future generations.

Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair Tree) is among the oldest surviving trees known, going back to prehistoric times. Growing to 50 feet tall and half as wide, they are beautiful at all seasons, long-lived, fire, pest and disease resistant and  low water users in maturity. Slow growers, the growth rate is accelerated if given more water in the early years. Here, we use the ginkgo (considered an infant in tree years at ten years old!) as a specimen tree that will eventually claim the entire bed that it now shares with a juniper.  We also have three ginkgos, grouped  twenty feet apart, that will serve as understory trees in the silver maple grove. Someday, the two long living species will create a shady cool retreat for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.

Unfortunately, there are some trees that are not as happy in their circumstances. Quite often, their owners look at the scrawny, structureless, struggling, and perhaps messy thing thinking, “I wonder who on earth planted that tree here?” As it is with nature and also with the planting of trees in the urban landscape, the creed remains the same–“Choose the right tree for the right place.”

If you are faced with the challenge of designing trees into your landscape or with the task of replacing an inappropriate tree, its important to do your homework and research trees before you buy and plant them.  Some considerations for successful tree selection:

•   Choose trees than can live in USDA Cold Hardiness Zones 5 to 7 (dependent upon your location in Utah). If you plant outside the recommended range, the trees may survive for years during mild winters, but when they are subjected to the sure-to-come frigid extremes, they may burn badly all the way to the root zone. At the very least, they show leaf tip burn every year and have to recover each spring, which ultimately makes for a continually stressed tree. Likewise, consider the heat and wind tolerance of the tree. Look for trees that have the ability to withstand high summer temps and the cold.

•  Select fire resistant trees for planting near structures. Our land is timbered with native pinons and junipers. We began a tree replacement program at the start of the landscape planning process,  gradually replacing the flammable junipers near the home with more fire resistant trees.

Caption:This fall color show from the Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis) is anticipated every year. The non-nut producing ornamental species is slow growing, reaching 50 feet tall and 30 feet wide at maturity. Upright growing in the early years, the crown will broaden with age. The pistache is drought tolerant and can take a wide range of climatic conditions. It is classified as fire resistant.

•  Consider soil needs. We have alkaline soils and we live in a desert. It is much easier to avoid planting trees that require acidic soils. Even if you plant the tree in pure peat, the root structure will surpass the amended area and ultimately will have to survive in our native alkaline soil. Trees that survive in lean, alkaline, sandy or clay soils are the better choice.

Celtis occidentalis (Hackberry) grows to 50 feet tall and wide. The hackberry is deciduous, with a strong open branching structure that makes them tolerant of high winds. Minimal pruning is required. Extremely drought tolerant once established, Celtis grow quickly in dry, alkaline and lean soils. It sends out deep strong roots that eliminates the worry of heaving or lifting of concrete, making hackberries suitable for siting close to structures, in close quarters and in meridian strips. We have used the fire resistant trees as replacements for the junipers that sit close to the house.

• Water is a big issue for gardeners. With an extensive list of low-water-use trees, it is easy to find the perfect tree for your garden. If you favor a species that needs a bit more water, then site it carefully so that it is in an area that drains well and might receive runoff from other plantings. Maintain a 4-inch deep layer of mulch out to its drip line. The extra attention is a fair trade for all of the benefits that come from planting a large and long-lived tree.

Maple Grove: Acer saccharinum (Silver Maple) grows 60 to 80 feet tall. This grove is planted in a large lawn area. The maple requires a bit more water so the lawn and trees easily share water resources. Most maples are fire resistant.
Young Silver Maple: This silver maple, planted from saplings four inches tall, is now seven years old. It is a fast grower and an excellent replacement tree for the elm (no bark beetle), giving beautiful fall color and a broad shade canopy. Mulched well, we have added drip emitters to the tree as the roots develop so that water is applied to the entire rootball. We left the lower branches on the tree, pruning them off at five years. Training of young trees in this manner helps develop the trunk taper. Proper pruning of silver maple is vital to maintain airflow through the dense crown. Hire a licensed arborist for mature tree pruning.

• Determine the area needed to accommodate the tree’s maximum height and width at maturity. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can control the growth or size of a tree. This only leads to continued maintenance over the entire life of the tree as you hack at it yearly to keep it away from the house or worse yet, top the tree to keep it away from power lines–a practice that means certain decline for the tree.

Cedrus deodara (Deodar Cedar) with its classic nodding top is considered a fast grower to 80 feet with a 40-ft. spread at its broad base. This specimen is the perfect example of the right tree in the right place. Plant alone; plant closely in groupings for a privacy screen, or as a background planting. The deodar requires no pruning at all. It is very drought tolerant once established.

Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ (Purple-leaf Plum), considered a small tree, grows quickly to 25 feet tall and wide. It has a lovely round crown with white flowers in spring, followed by coppery red new foliage that turns deep red in the fall. Cercis occidentalis (Western Redbud) makes a good contrast with its blue-green foliage, magenta blooms in spring and yellow foliage in the fall. Redbud trees are fire resistant. Both small trees are good choices for planting under power lines and are drought, wind and heat tolerant.

Trees are invaluable for their contributions to ecology, emitting oxygen, providing animals with food and shelter, anchoring the soil and filtering the air. Their statuesque beauty can frame a home, a vista, a drive, and a garden. They provide a windbreak, hide an unsightly view and create a haven for understory plantings. They can be planted as a single specimen around which the garden is built. They can be planted in groves to create a hospitable shady garden retreat. Whatever your style, whatever your needs, start with a tree and design the garden around it.

Shopping for and Planting Trees

Select trees with sound structure and a strong branch canopy. When shopping for a tree, look for a straight strong trunk. Make sure that the tree has not been topped. If possible, check out the roots. You want white, healthy roots to the bottom of the container, with minimal winding or circling of the rootball. If you buy bare root, make sure the roots are firm and not mushy, light in color, and that there is growth of some smaller fibrous roots.

Proper planting is critical to a tree’s success. Trees that have been “deep planted” decline over the years (the larger the tree, the slower the decline–but decline is inevitable). Plant so that the rootball is at the exact same level or even a bit higher that it was in the pot.

For ornamentals, there is no need to amend the soil. Rototill and work the soil deeply to increase air spaces to allow for water percolation and root development.

Water, water, water. Young trees need slow, deep, but infrequent watering (allow the soil to dry out between waterings) to develop a deep, wide, strong root system. Even if they are drought tolerant, they need extra water during their early years. For spring plantings, water slowly and deeply at least once a week through the next three years. Then gradually wean the tree of weekly watering over the next year. At that point it should be able to survive on slow and deep supplemental watering during extended dry spells.