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Horticulturists want to see more of these in Northeast Ohio land- and streetscapes
By Jim Chatfield
Special to the Beacon Journal
Published on Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
The other day, I was sitting and chatting with OSU's Secrest Arboretum curator Kenny Cochran and his colleague in Secrest's growth, Joe Cochran, in the pavilion near the Wooster arboretum's new Discovery Gardens. Flowers were a riot and trees were rising to the sunlight. Our topic was a common one for tree lovers: What trees would we like to see more of in Ohio's landscapes and streetscapes?
Here are the whys for our six trees for today, some big, some small, some native, some exotic, some renowned for foliage or flowers, some for fruit or form.
Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa). A medium-large tree (50-70 feet) that is magnificent if your landscape has room or the streetscape does not have overhead wires. Plant guru Michael Dirr describes best the effects we have been noticing in Northeast Ohio this spring: ''Lustrous, shimmering, glistening, gleaming dark green on upper leaf surface, silvery tomentose beneath; when the wind is blowing, a nice effect is created as both leaf surfaces are exposed.'' Come to Secrest and the old Shade Tree Evaluation Plot to see silver lindens of incomparably grand structure.
Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia). No list of trees for Ohio would be complete without this — shall we rename it? — Scarlet Buckeye. It is a small (15-25 feet) tree with glossy, dark-green, five-lobed palmate leaves and crisp red flowers in early May. It is probably the best buckeye for home landscapes. Red buckeyes tolerate shade or sun, but probably do best in partial shade. It is also tougher than it looks. I planted a foot-high seedling years ago and we inadvertently mowed it down at least twice, yet it is back for more this spring in the Chatscape.
Pagoda Dogwood. (Cornus alternifolia). The flowers of this small native dogwood (15-25 feet) are not as spectacular as flowering dogwood or Kousa dogwood but are very attractive, providing a graceful stand-out landscape look in formal gardens and naturalized areas alike. Check it out next weekend at Schnormeier Gardens near Gambier in Knox County, if you travel south for its open house.
Bur Oak. (Quercus macrocarpa). This wonderful native large canopy oak (90 feet or more) with equal spread is not for every landscape, but if you have some room, it is truly magnificent. It is in the white oak group with rounded lobes to the leaves and has nifty fringed acorn cups that on some specimens can be more than an inch across. My wife, Laura, can attest to this fruit size, since she used some whoppers from a large bur oak tree at Spring Grove Arboretum and Cemetery in Cincinnati as acorn candy cups for her Hazel Harvey second-graders in Doylestown years ago. It is another tough tree; I neglected a 3-foot seedling left in its pot over this last winter, and it sailed through despite the cold root conditions in the unplanted pot. I swear it will be planted before next winter!
Fernleaf Beech. (Fagus sylvatica ''Asplenifolia''). This dark-leaved beauty never fails to astound, yet is not really planted that often. It is a medium-size rounded tree, often 20-30 feet (and about as wide) after several decades, but may grow larger with time. Leaves are dark green and lustrous with the typical long, pointed tan buds of beech, but with the added attraction of gracefully cutleaf appearance. Come visit several wondrous specimens at Secrest near the pavilion or the Arboretum Field Headquarters and join the legion of lovers of this lacy-leaf beech.
Sweetbay Magnolia. (Magnolia virginiana). This week may be the peak for the powerful lemony-sweet aroma of this small (10-20 feet) native to wetter sites than most magnolias. The cup-shaped, creamy-white flowers will still appear occasionally into the summer and then mature into attractive bright orange-red aggregates of seeds. It's a good plant for sun or shade, but the sunny southernlike swampy weather this week seemed to bring heady aromas to all of the outdoors where the sweetbay magnolias grow.
Enjoy a tree. Buy a tree. Plant a tree. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: ''The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.''
Jim Chatfield is a horticultural educator with Ohio State University Extension. If you have questions about caring for your garden, write: Plant Lovers' Almanac, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Include your phone number.
The other day, I was sitting and chatting with OSU's Secrest Arboretum curator Kenny Cochran and his colleague in Secrest's growth, Joe Cochran, in the pavilion near the Wooster arboretum's new Discovery Gardens. Flowers were a riot and trees were rising to the sunlight. Our topic was a common one for tree lovers: What trees would we like to see more of in Ohio's landscapes and streetscapes?
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