Wow! It dramatically turned into summer this week and we found ourselves looking for the shade of a tree. With the celebration of wildflower week fresh on our minds, why not turn to our native trees to provide shade for your home and outdoor living spaces.
Catalpa
Late May and early June finds catalpa in its flowering glory – there’s just nothing else like the big showy flowers of this native gem. Relatively fast growing, tolerant of poor soil conditions and a target of very few insect or disease problems, Catalpa is a great choice for a sustainable environment.
Northern Catalpa
Kentucky Coffeetree
Kentucky Coffeetree
Kentucky Coffeetree – winter form
This native great comes to mind when the phrase “sculptural element” is mentioned. The gnarly growth with great winter character will grow in tough conditions. We love the big brown seed pods that hang like decorations through the winter, but for those who don’t there’s a seedless selection called Espresso.
Hackberry
Hackberry
Hackberry Nipple Gall
Hackberry is the tree found surviving for decades in parklands, cemeteries and abandoned farmsteads. It is tough and provides great shade along with a biology lesson on how leaves are part of an insect’s lifecycle (google nipple gall for details on this lesson). No harm, no foul, just a demonstration on how we can all live together in this world.
Red Oak
“Majestic tree” – that’s the best way to describe red oak. Well adapted, and faster growing than the impression that most people have, red oak will provide decades of shade and beauty for your home.
Red Oak
Black Walnut
For those who aren’t fortunate enough to have the black walnut planted by squirrels, we now offer it for sale. Rugged and long lived, black walnut is a landscape tree that should be placed away from ornamental plantings that might be impacted by the Juglone exuded by the roots that interferes with growth of surrounding plants. For anyone who loves the flavor of the UNL Dairy Store ice cream flavor “black walnut fudge,” this is a tree to consider growing for decades of tasty harvests.
Black Walnut