 |
| |
|
Shade Trees & Medium Trees
is certainly not new to the trade but it has shown remarkable adaptability to Wyoming conditions and will soon be a Plant Select addition! As tall as it is wide, this charmer has dense dark green leaves which migrate to yellow and brilliant reds in autumn. Large greenish yellow flowers in spring are followed by prickly seed pods. Adapted to alkaline soils including clay! (The seeds are poisonous to people but not squirrels, they are too hard to chew on and too large to swallow) Height: 30’-40’ Width: 30’ – 40’
Zone 3
A beautiful native with glossy, burgundy bark dotted with white lenticels! Found along the lower parts of mountain streams, this is one of the most gorgeous native trees in Wyoming! This Birch is the only one we recommend—it has built in insect resistance. Multi-stemmed and grown as an accent or under story tree along streams or near downspouts and watered lawns. Height: 15-20’ Width: 15’-20’ Shape: Broad rounded
Some of you may remember American elms arching over the boulevards in your youth, but with Dutch Elm Disease few remained alive. However after years of research, new varieties such as the Brandon Elm developed out of Manitoba have shown excellent resistance to this disease. Be the first to reintroduce this large vase shaped shade tree to your yard or boulevard strip. The leaves are dark green and toothed and turn golden in autumn. Don’t confuse this elegant tree with the ratty looking Siberian elm! Height: 40’-60’ Width: 30’ – 40’
Zone 3
Racemes of deep rose-pink pea-like flowers in late spring are the first reason to choose this tree then add the overall tree shape with a wonderfully textured dark-barked trunk and the bluish-green open canopy of pinnate, fernlike foliage. Tolerance of dry alkaline soil is good. Height: 33’ Width: 25’ Shape: Open upright.
Zone 4
This one is destined to become one of the great shade trees for Wyoming! This specimen tree does well in difficult soils, limited water and heavy wind. The growth rate is exceptional often putting on 3' of new growth/year. The Boxelder is a native to Wyoming, but this one is a seedless male clone, thus it will not attract the Boxelder bugs and has magnificent red-orange autumn color! Make no mistake, this is a go-to shade tree that few have planted.
Zone 2
If there was ever one plant that caused us to pause in its introduction it would be the cottonwood, even though the Plains Cottonwood is our state tree! Over the years we’ve found numerous pest issues with cottonwoods and our philosophy has been the introduction of plants without such issues. So, not with trepidation, we offer this cottonwood from the Cheyenne Research Station! This is the only cottonwood we know of that has natural pest resistance! Since it is a hybrid cross, no cottonwood seed filling the air in summer! Expect the same virtues of fast growth associated with Populus genus but with minimal pest issues! This variety has a more upright and narrower canopy than our native Plains Cottonwood. Not picky about soil type – if anything plant in heavier soils.
Everyone loves the fragrance of Linden during early summer bloom. This species is also prairie hardy and has extra summer protection in the form of silvery, hairy undersides of the large heart-shaped leaves to diminish evapotranspiration. Fall color is clear yellow. The dense crown matures into a beautiful source of shade.
Zone 3
Drinking and driving don’t mix and neither do the roots of trees and lawn grasses! Newly planted trees in a lawn area can actually be stunted for years because the roots of grasses out compete the roots of young trees even in well watered lawns. Give your trees a competitive advantage by removing all the lawn grass around the planting site. Give a tree a 5’ wide grass-free zone and reap the benefits of better establishment, especially during the drought. Replace the sod with wood chips up to 4 inches thick. In high wind areas use a rock mulch up to 3 inches deep. Mulch insulates the soil and helps to conserve water plus there’s no grass roots to interfere with the trees performance!
A standout western native with wonderfully fragrant, orchid like white flowers borne in 4—8 inch panicles which appear in late June followed by 12—18 inch long thin seed pods! Its narrow canopy with large light green heart shaped leaves makes this a perfect choice for those of you who want a tall tree in limited space. The first ones in Casper were planted in the 1920’s but are rarely sold in the trade, today. We introduced a few last year at our lot to gauge customer acceptance—and once they smelled the fragrance of this tree we knew we had a winner!
This native of the Black Hills is right at home in the plains and basins of Wyoming! Describing this tree is like describing a warrior. Early in its life it will tend to be pyramidal and as it matures it will develop into a tall tree with a massive trunk and very stout branches. Bark is rough and deeply furrowed. The leaves are a dark green on top, gray-green beneath. Acorns up to 1” are enclosed by a heavily fringed cap and prized by wildlife. Withstands drought , wind, extreme cold and heavy soils. Let this warrior be a part of your landscape!
Do you have landscape questions, an opinion or want more information about a particular plant? There are options available to you! Call us at (307) 247-1190 or email us at wyoplantco@aol.com.
Medium Sized Trees Accents in the lawn, a bit of patio shade, summer and autumnal foliage colors, for some flowers and berries, winter twig and bark pattern. Plant these just for enjoyment, seeing them and watching them grow! Where a yard is small or an overhead utility line comes into play there is still room for these. These can be added for a windbreak layer in larger suburban or rural settings.
An outstanding Wyoming native, considered a small tree or large shrub, with five-lobed dark green leaves turning shades of yellow, orange, or red in the fall. Our seed source for these trees come from the sunny dry slopes of the Hoback in Teton County! Ecologists believe that this maple and the Sugar Maple of the N.E. US are essentially the same tree but developed separately as the ice ages came and went. This maple has not been in the trade until recently, be the first to grow this specimen tree! Tolerates drought and poor soils.
This cross of European and Swedish Mountain Ash is longer lived than the native species and has been thriving on decades of inattention at the Cheyenne Experiment Station. Grey-green lobed oak-shaped leaves provide yellow fall color. Flat white flower clusters are showy in late spring and the resulting red berry clusters persist through winter unless waxwings or other birds come for a feast. Fireblight resistance is good. Plant in our typically alkaline soil but not in the most exposed site and never in a water-logged site.
Do you need privacy for a skinny space? This narrow, columnar tree has green leaves with silvery undersides and golden yellow fall color. Of course it grows quickly, is seedless, is hardy and healthy. Don’t compare this one to the thick trunked, branch shedding short-lived Lombardy that dies young and leaves a wide stump. Uses: Small space windbreak, screen, vertical accent plant. Available in June. Height: 33’ Width: 8’ Shape: Narrow column
Zone 2
An improved selection of Mountain Ash that for years and years has avoided getting Fireblight when other varieties and species have been lost to this disease! An excellent yard accent with flat white flower clusters in May that become red fruit cluster in autumn and hang on till the birds eat them in winter! The leaves are the classic dark green pinnately compound leaves with silvery undersides. Autumn color is russet red! In winter, you can still enjoy the narrow oval twig and branch form. Avoid tight soils if over-watered!
Deer damage is ugly and may be deadly. When rut comes in fall and through the winter bucks rub on thin barked trees to show territorial claims. On multi-stemmed shrubs the result is usually only annoying but on a tree with one irreplaceable trunk damage is permanent and weakens or kills the tree. You may cage trees or put flexible translucent covers like drain pipe slit lengthwise over the trunk from the ground to the lower branches. Two important considerations are not to girdle the tree by caging tightly and to use translucent covers if you choose to protect only the trunk. Thin barked trees photosynthesize through the trunk whenever a warmer winter day comes along. Our efforts should not cancel this beneficial action. (Also avoid light-blocking tree wrap sold to prevent deer damage and frost cracks. “Frost cracks” are really the result of root damage .) Establishment is the time frame during which a plant is spreading its root system and becoming ballanced in the ability of top and roots to support each other. A one gallon container-grown plant will take about a year to establish. Woody shrub plants in a 3 to 5-gallon container may need two years to become truly established. Container grown trees follow a rule-of-thumb of one year for transpanting and an additional year for each inch of trunk diameter. In five years time the container grown tree will look better and possibly be bigger than the balled-and-burlap that has struggled while trying to get established. Rain Gauge Throughout this site, the following are used as guidelines for watering established plants:
|
Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra)
Full sun
Full sun to part shade
Brandon American Elm (Ulmus Americana ‘Brandon’)
Purple Robe Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Purple Robe’)
Western Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)
+ Full sun
Tower Poplar (Populus x canescens ‘Tower’)
Mountain Ash Cardinal Royal (Sorbus aucuparia ‘Michred’)
Wyoming Plant Company, LLC PO Box 670, Evansville, Wyoming 82636 (307) 247-1190 Copyright ©2010 Wyoming Plant Company. All rights reserved. |