What Shade Trees To Plant

What Shade Trees To Plant

Civic Improvement Society Gives Good Advice

Written by an Expert--Our Citizens Should Read It Carefully

The season when shade trees may be planted to the best advantage is now upon us, and in view of the many gaps in the lines of trees along our streets and of the many unsightly stumps and cripples which should be replaced by young and healthy trees, the writes ventures to offer the following suggestions in regard to the selection and planting of shade trees, not only along the streets but upon private grounds.

1. Observation and experiment teach us that certain kinds of trees are better suited to our soils here in Ann Arbor than others. Upon the gravelly soil of the east side of town the maples, while they thrive for a time, are not long lived or thrifty after a few years. The cause is undoubtably the dry soil, for the hard maple naturally grows on moist clay soil and both soft maples are swamp living trees. Elms, although swamp trees, do better and seem to grow for a longer time without becoming diseased than the maples do, and should be given the preference in dry places.

The various oaks seem especially adapted to our conditions here, and the bur-oak is certainly the species which has shown about ideal indifference to all the hardships it has had to undergo here, and for long life, thriftiness and beauty it is not excelled. If transplanted when young from the nursery, the oaks make rapid growth but cannot usually be moved successfully from the woods.

The chestnut should do well as a shade tree here, and the hard catalpa, the hickories, tulip tree, some of the poplars, both native and European, horse chestnut, white oaks and sycamore, all are more satisfactory in their growth on the gravel than are the maples. Upon the clay soils the maples grow well and may be planted freely and in the valleys, along the river, etc., almost any of our native trees may be planted and be certain to do well.

2. Shade trees should be planted before the season is so far advanced that the leaves have unfolded.

3. In selecting trees for planting, it is better to buy well grown, transplanted, nursery stock, than to go to the woods and dig up natural seedlings of even smaller size, or to buy such trees. The nursery-grown trees have been transplanted, usually more than once, and their roots are compact and not injured by moving. The natural seedling on the other hand is often much injured by digging up, and is several years in recovering, by which time the nursery grown tree will be far ahead of it in size and thriftiness, and as for beauty, the two cannot be compared.

Plant a tree and plant a good one that those who come after you may remember you.

TREE COMMITTEE,
Civic Improvement Society.