the ash and other trees.. sure didn't seem to mind ... why do you???

how big are you thinking .... and do they have to be on the incline .... why not 6 to 8 feet in

i am thinking.. if you go small .... under 5 feet ... just plant it bare root .... in the soil there... if you can dig a hole.. then you are all set..

if you cant.. find another spot.. and dig another hole ... you really arent talking landscaping out here.. with precise placements.. are you ????

what river is that ... if you ever told us.. i dont recall where you are .... and how about some info on your goals for these trees..

looks like a rather new bridge.. wonder if you have the old bridge????

ken

Sorry i live in zone 6 northeastern ohio the river is the little scioto i was thinking of using weeping willow and cotton wood or some type of water loving tree i would rather them on the incline. The trees that where there where back filled around. When bought the property the owner told me that it was built up due to flooding.

Heh, that old way of thinking....send the problem downstream! In any case, I'm not thrilled with cottonwoods, but they would certainly grow in such a spot. Another item to consider is volunteers: So basically, the first rule of ecology is "nature abhors a vacuum", and as such, that little area is simply not going to remain bare, even if you don't lift a finger. The question is, do you have lots of invasive junk in your area, things like common buckthorn, non-native invasive honeysuckles, etc? 'Cause if you do, those too will happily move in and colonize the site. They might anyway, even if you do plant stuff, so be aware, you may need to familiarize yourself with the cut-stump method of removing unwanted woody plants. But that's for later.

A number of willow species will indeed work there, as will elms, some maples, and really, a bunch of other stuff. Shrubs too. Now getting back to that weeping willow; It is on many lists of trees to avoid, but it does have some redeeming characteristics, aesthetics being one of them. I always say-'I like weeping willows, especially on someone else's property"! Meaning, they are prone to storm damage, shed little branches all the time, and eventually get huge and unstable. So long as there's enough distance between you and your home, activities, etc, and the weeper, it's okay. I wouldn't have one hanging over my patio. But if this is way back and out of the way, could be a workable choice, along with some other trees.

Another good one to consider would be the swamp white oak-a great tree in the white oak group- a legacy tree that if well suited to its site, will outlast every one of us with ease. bur oak would be another, with similar attributes, as would the Schuettes oak, a naturally-occurring hybrid between the two. Real good trees right there. Silver maple and Freeman maple might be good options also.

+oM

Pitch Pine (pinus rigida) and Eastern Red Cedar will happily grow on thin layers of soil on rocky mountaintops. Honeylocust would probably be happy. Baldycypress and arborvitae would like the wet spots. Baldycypress is a very attractive tree.

What do you want out of a tree? Edible gardening, gardening for wildlife, windbreaks, a privacy screen?

line that stream with several dawn redwoods and it will be a very impressive sight in a few years. The root system will create a web and stabilize that stream bank.

At the top of my list would be sycamore (or Exclamation planetree), one of the freemanii maples (Autumn Blaze, Autumn Fantasy, or Celebration), or perhaps DED resistant elms. Cottonwoods, willows, and native elms will seed in naturally, so no need to plant them. I think species like baldcypress, river birch, dawnredwood, and some of the others in the posts above would be outcompeted by the faster, more aggressive species that are better adapted to those soil conditions.

arbordave: Out of curiosity, what soil conditions? Not being snarky here...there are many characteristics in this soil one could single out as the important ones. What qualities of this soil would favor elms and freemani maples over baldycypress?
And, of course, what is "out competed" isn't always relevant in someone's yard. You can always come by to chop down the trees you don't like every so often, and favor the ones you want.

ed: in that area along the stream edge (which appears very uneven and difficult to maintain), I'm assuming over the long run there probably won't be the level of maintenance required to keep the less aggressive species from being out-competed. I'd limit my choices to the species that have the best odds of competing with any volunteers and invasives that pop up. But you are correct, if the OP invests the time & energy needed to keep unwanted trees out of the area, you could plant any species that would tolerate the periodic flooding.

Does that spot flood? The OP was concerned about the rocks...he said the fill was added to raise the stream bank above flood level. Did it work? Leads to different choices if we are planting for dry rocks vs. a flooded area.

why did you give up digging ,,,,, five feet down

thats about 3 feet too deep... crikey...

what size you planning on ???

if you plant cottonwood.. i might drive down there and dig it up.. the cotton is a nightmare ... you can do better

ken

btw... contact your COUNTY soil conservation district office,,, for local suggestions on plants

ken