Rose Hart's OutSide

Trees Around the House

Illustration: Tricia Fabry, c. 2007

This year's exploding fall colors draw our attention to our splendid urban grove land. Now, you may fancy changing or adding to your private bit of parkland, but first here are some things to consider before slipping on your Martha Wanna-be boots and heading out to the nursery to prune your bank account. Develop an analysis of your site and note these important features:

• Is the tree right for the space? Before you plant a tree, look up from the spot you where are leaning on your shovel. Are there power lines? If so, a shrub may be a better candidate for that location. Then, know where the water and sewer lines are, because in ten years a vigorous root system can thoroughly disrupt your sanitation system and lead to an enduring relationship with a sewer line rooter.

• Fruit trees can get big, and their beautiful spring flowers anticipate the fruitful droppings in fall. Planting fruit trees near traffic areas assures the fruit will get tracked into the house and/or dropped on a parked car. The fruit will also attract birds which will leave their own droppings on parked vehicles, lawn furniture, house siding and encourages their nesting.

• Canopy size: Generally most mature hardwood trees require a minimum circumference space of 15 feet,  making them oversized for a typical city residential lot. Is the fully grown tree going to make the home interior undesirably dark with its shade or will it provide desirable shade for an outdoor recreation area?  Additionally, the crown canopy will spread three times its height, so take into consideration its fall leaves and spring seeds in the gutters. Remember that trees provide habitat for wild animals- that raccoons and squirrels will use overhanging branches to access your home, and that mulch is an ideal rodent habitat. It's good practice to inquire with your neighbors whether they object to the placement of a hardwood near a shared property line. Your neighbor is legally entitled to trim branches overhanging their property.

If you want splashes of the beautiful fall colors that deciduous trees provide, plan your fall palette on the following facts: The Twin Cities metropolitan area is located in tree hardiness areas 4 and 5; the trees recommended for our zone are nearly all evergreens, notably arborvitae and cedar. These trees can grow to 40 feet in height, with a spread of 12 to 15 feet. The hardwoods that thrive are; ash, maple, oak and hickory. Red maple, red oak and sumac turn bright red  in the shorter, cool autumn days as chlorophyll moves from the leaves to the branches and sugar accumulates in the leaves. Trees with high levels of carotene in their leaves, such as birch and hickory, will turn yellow when the chlorophyll stops being replenished in photosynthesis. Evergreens do shed leaves every two to eight years, but the young leaves remain even as the old needles drop off. Evergreens are naturally acidic and will turn the soil so acidic that nearby acid intolerant plantings will never thrive. Acidity also affects the fall colors of deciduous trees like the sugar maple, which will create a purplish, brown color.

Freezing temperatures stop the leaf color process and most leaves drop off. However, it should be noted that new buds appear almost immediately. A tree without buds over winter is almost certainly sick or dead, although drought may also affect its ability to grow buds for spring. Fruit trees in particular are susceptible to winter bud damage.

Poorly sited trees and shrubs can create expensive headaches for you and leave a legacy of misery for generations. However, an investment in well placed, appropriately selected plantings adds to the esthetic and resale value of your home and contributes to the lush canopy of the metropolitan area.

References used for this article:

http://www.arborday.org/

http://www.extension.umn.edu/topics.html

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Rose Hart's Outside is a promotional eNewsletter for Rose Hart, Realtor Copyright, Rose Hart, 2007