Winter structure of trees
Comments (194)
bengz6westmd
last yearCecily, yes, that's definitely tall for a Virginia pine. Here's a pretty tall one near me in Rocky Gap St park (Md).
And a rather tall Table Mnt pine near but just outside the park.
ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
last yearlast modified: last yearIt looks like I missed answering comments/questions from diggerdee above.
That immense tree in one of Honolulu's little neighborhood parks is an Earpod (how's that for botany foreseeing the future?) - Enterolobium cyclocarpum. Across the street (behind the white car) is a school. Imagine the generations of kids that have grown up there with that behemoth to climb in.
The big trunked tree with the gentleman and the 4 board horse fence was the national champion Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) at Indian Creek Farm in Bourbon County KY - with Guy Sternberg leaning on it. That was back in fall 2000, when a group of intrepid International Oak Society members were trekking from Illinois to North Carolina for the triennial IOS conference in Asheville. They stopped off in this little corner of the central Kentucky Bluegrass not far from where I live to see the then-champion Bur Oak AND the then-champion Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) which was in nearby Powell County.
It's BIG, too...
Related Discussions
suggestion for specimen tree that looks good winter/spring/fall
Comments (6)I get tired of all my plants putting on their best show in spring, so i enjoy something that appeals at other times. One that I enjoy is Heptacodium. It flowers late, and is very attractive to bees; always some action on the tree. It has kind of cool peeling bark as well as an attractive branch structure. Once it is done flaowering, the red bracts are often attractive on the tree well into fall. Its foliage is otherwise unspectacular and fall colour is just yellow. Hamamelis cultivars ('Diane' or 'Jelena' for instance) bloom very early, in January here, and are spectacular when they catch the afternoon winter sun. In summer they fade into the background with just green leaves, but have spectacular autumn colour. They sucker too, though, but the suckers are just right at the base. Many plants commonly grown as shrubs can be trained as trees. I've seen Purple Smoke bushes that are trees, and I also have a Hibiscus syriacus (rose of sharon) 'Red Heart' that is trained as a tree, and again, because it flowers late in the season, it is always a much appreciated feature. The bees love it too, and the grey branches make it an attractive winter presence. Vitex is another shrub that can be a tree, also spectacular late in the season. KarinL...See MoreTree recommendation for dramatic winter form
Comments (32)Pam Chesbay, I am not sure about the London Planetrees in your area. I have only seen the one at MSU in Lansing, just was struck by the beautiful shape and look. I checked my Dirr book, and it said London Planes are greatly successfull in all kinds of ground and locations, as are the Sycamores. This would be why they make such successful street trees with pollution to live in. Dirr did say they need lots of room, and drop a lot of foliage and seeds. So they were not their best near homes. Kind of contradictory reading. Not sure where you will find them, but a search should turn up something. I would sure give them a try if I had room. The only possible place would be next to the neighbors hedgerow of pines. Would be funny to see who grew the tallest and shaded out whom. Probably would not live that long though! I think the first few years of new plantings are always the most difficult. Trees struggle, take time to get comfortable in their new settings. I try to keep mine watered well, even if I have to haul it for them. The smallest ones seem to get with it a bit faster, but you have longer to wait on them for size. Also have to protect them from the rabbits around here. Deer have plenty to eat in unworked farm land, so far not bothering my plantings and young trees. If you have the space, go for it! Plant several if you can, bound to have a failure now and again, even with the best care. There is another thread starting on London Planetrees, though he is looking for specific kinds. Maybe it will give some sources as folks comment and add knowledge. Your effort to add trees is commendable, and such nice trees too....See MoreStoring potted trees for winter
Comments (10)overwintering pots in your z8.. has little of nothing to do with the same.. in z5 ... if you freeze the roots into an ice cube... because your media does not drain properly .. even when frozen ... then trees in pots die ... roots need air.. as much as moisture.. especially in winter .... IMHO .. proper media is imperative.. in the great white north .. it really doesnt matter what he does ... if his media is improper ... and yes.. i have inserted pots into banks of wood chips ... for winter protection.. works rather well ... but my pots had proper media ... which was 50% wood chips and 50% promix ... another thing about his tenting method ... i like to say.. get them dormant.. keep them dormant ... and you usually win ... but when i tried putting them in the pole barn ... in my z5 MI .. i found out.. the hard way.. two things ... first ... the barn was at least a z7 ... accumulating heat.. in sun in mid winter ... and no winds.. etc ... meaning things came out of dormancy a month to 6 weeks early .... and then died getting hit with repeated frosts and freezes .... but also... unlike last winter.. if we have some bizarre mid winter warm spell ... again... the pots MIGHT come out of dormancy ... in the middle of winter ... many plants have little sense of humor about doing such.. repeatedly .... especially in a zone.. where 8 hours later.. it can be back below zero ... i just keep wondering.. in his need to baby them.. he isnt really adding so many variables .... he is actually making it harder than it should be ... i mean.. i would agree.. that keeping them out of winter wind is a plus... but hermetically sealing them in a small hut.. might be problematic ... and if he had problems before.. why is he doubling down.. and increasing his variables???? he might have better luck.. if he simply tipped the pots on their sides... after dormancy.. and letting a snow bank cover them ... and be done with it ... presuming it snows in canada.. lol .. or better yet.. do half one way.. and half another... but dont do what failed last time ... eh??? ken...See MorePalm Tree Winter Protection
Comments (55)v1rtu0slty, I would probably keep your young palm plant in the house for two or three years if you have a sunny window, until the plant gets a little bigger before planting it outside. Older plants seem to be hardier. Or find a larger plant at a local nursery or garden center in your area. Occasionally they will sell the Windmill and Mediterranean fan palms. I bought all of my outdoor palms as one gallon size plants and kept them inside for a couple of years before planting outside. The Windmill palm is supposed to be the hardiest, but the Mediterranean fan palms are almost as hardy. They have all survived outside with no problem. I don't believe light is required to get them to survive since they go dormant with the colder temperatures. The flourescent light bulbs that I use are for a small heat source. In zone 5, I'm not sure if an insulated box will work with no heat source. You'd be surprised how much heat builds up in a tightly made styrofoam box from the light bulbs. Good luck! Kevin...See More
cecily 7A
last year
Perhaps I'm not the only one who finds roots interesting. This is/was a big ole tulip poplar.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last yearlast modified: last year
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
last yearlast modified: last yearViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
last yearI'm no historian, but I'm a buff.
Bourbon County Kentucky is sure named after the stuff...the House of Bourbon in France, back in the day, when Kentucky was just a twinkle in Virginia's eye.
Bourbon County in KY is where Elijah Craig supposedly originated the spirit, whose quality was based in the fine limestone spring waters - same ones that inspire the Thoroughbreds here to develop excellent bones and strength for racing because they forage on limestone-based soils and drink from the spring-fed creeks. Paradoxically, Bourbon County had long been a dry county - no alcohol sales.
I would've thought everyone here was aware of the International Oak Society, as Guy Sternberg had been a centerpiece on these GardenWeb threads - back in the day...
That big old Bur Oak - like many of his cohorts that were not harvested during European settlement due to some defect or another, or just being too big to fool with - have been estimated to be 300 - 500 years old. Often, they have quite a hollow center, so original ring evidence is missing.
Others who favor such factuals as the flavors of aforementioned spirits may want to quibble more with ken about the origins and differences in such things as Scots Whisky, Bourbon, Irish Whiskey, Tennessee Sippin' Whiskey, etc. I think it has to do with the proportions of ingredients, and what else you do during the fermentation and distillation process. It's not just where it happens. But it does have a lot to do with Oak Barrels...
https://vinepair.com/articles/20-most-popular-whiskey-brands-america-2018/
And as a pure-bred Pole (but not a taxonomist), my dad would have taken umbrage with you about casually lumping his culture together based on a food or two. Them would be fighting words, and Dad had some really big hands (Wisconsin dairy farm born and raised).
bengz6westmd
last yearlast modified: last yearken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
arbordave (SE MI)
last yearlast modified: last yearVV, that's a really impressive Chinkapin Oak you posted a few days ago. Apparently the new national champion Chinkapin oak is in Ohio, southeast of Columbus. The largest Chinkapin oak in Michigan (which I've seen) is in a park in Ann Arbor - next time I'm there I'll try to get a photo. I'm curious if you've ever seen the national champion Shingle Oak near Louisville? In the winter photos of that tree (including the one below) it appears to be cleanly deciduous, which seems odd. I don't think I've ever seen a shingle oak that didn't hold at least some of its leaves through the winter.
Here's a very light barked "sycamore" (actually a planetree) I drove by the other day
ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
last year@arbordave (SE MI): I'll answer you when I get home.
Meanwhile...what are the odds???
Talk about learning something new. Thanks, @ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5Z5 !!!Babka NorCal 9b
last yearViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
last year@arbordave (SE MI): yes, indeed - I've been by to admire the national champion Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria) in Louisville. Remarkably, it is just down the street from the national champion Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata) that I was fortunate enough to discover and nominate, in the Mockingbird Valley neighborhood. There are quite a few other large specimen trees around that area.
There must be something in the water...
I seem only to have photos of it from April 2021 and November 2022 (shown), all of which show leaves. I will endeavor to pop by there (just off my daily commute) and take some current images to see what level of marcescence is evident.
I agree with the sentiment that most all Shingle Oak trees of any age seem to have long persistent old foliage. I don't have this species at the Valley; don't know why - perhaps this will be a prompt. Maybe grow out some seedlings from the champ...
I have been following the behavior of a couple Shingle Oak trees that I had planted in Cherokee Park near Willow Pond back in 1998. On a recent walk through last July, one of these trees had remarkably glossy clean leaves, far more so than I can recall on other Quercus imbricaria.
I'll check that one for marcescence, too.arbordave (SE MI)
last yearlast modified: last yearVV, thanks for posting the photos. That tree in Cherokee Park does have nice glossy foliage. The shingle oaks I've observed generally do have clean, glossy leaves, and I think the species would be more popular if it didn't hold on to so many (brown) leaves through the winter. Sawtooth oak has the same issue (we planted a small number of them years ago). I've heard that Sawtooths can be invasive farther south, but they don't seem to be here.
Saw these winter "structures" when I was walking the trail down by the river a couple days ago. Probably won't be any heron activity in these for another month or two.
bengz6westmd
last yearlast modified: last yearThanks VV for the shingle oaks pics. They have IMO the densest & most handsome oak foliage. Couple streamside near me.
ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
last yearVoted "Mostly Likely To Not Be Recognized As Oaks"!
Here is NatChamp this morning...
Clean - but this IS mid February.
old_dirt 6a
last yearI know there's no mistaking another of these trees.
Love how it stands out against the blue sky.
BillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearWent for a walk at a Park near town here, yesterday.
Not deciduous or marcescent.
Hard to believe anything would be evergreen this far north. ;-)
arbordave (SE MI)
last yearVV, excellent photos, thanks for taking a detour and getting those for us. Someone should propagate that tree, especially if it consistently drops its foliage for the winter. I can't tell for sure - is that a southern magnolia to the right (foreground) in the 1st photo?
old_dirt, very nice sycamore - where is that one located?
BillMN, looks like something's going on with the top of that pine, was it damaged?
I drove by this healthy English walnut last week. Not all provenances of this species are fully hardy here.
BillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearbengz6westmd
last yearold_dirt 6a
last yearbengz6westmd
last yearlast modified: last yearSeveral trees on my lot, all planted by me around 18 yrs ago except the sugar maple which was already here.
Seed-grown baldcypress, the biggest of 13 of them since it gets the most light. Some knees visible around the base.
Katsuratree. I'm surprised that it's so fastigiate. A vigorous grower.
Biggest sugar maple among 3 that were already here. Massive, spreading root-crown at the base. Hard to guess age, but I'd say 50-70 yrs old.
old_dirt 6a
last yearNoticed this Oak on the edge of my property, never realized it kept its leaves so long, making it a Pin Oak or Northern Pin Oak. What is the difference in the Pin Oak and Northern Pin Oak.? This tree is a minimum of 50 years old.- Ottawa County, SW Michigan.
arbordave (SE MI)
last yearlast modified: last yearold_dirt, my impression is that the two can be difficult to distinguish. Northern Pin (aka Hill's Oak) generally grows on drier upland sites and tolerates somewhat higher pH, while Pin Oak is typically found in poorly drained more acidic locations. I have wild Pin Oaks in my backyard where the soil is seasonally wet (but often quite dry by mid to late summer), and not all that acidic. Most years my trees are cleanly deciduous, but there are many wild Pin Oaks in my local area (that otherwise look exactly like mine) that hold some of their leaves through the winter. I’ve heard that Northern Pin is supposed to have more potential for reddish fall color. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed good fall color on any of the local Pin Oaks. Northern Pin can hybridize with Black Oak in our region.
Thanks for the location on that sycamore. I don't get over that way (Holland area) very often, but that park looks like a great place to visit. I see that there is also a "Paw Paw Park" about a mile to the north - have you visited that one? I'm assuming wild pawpaws grow there.
Photo below (2/14/23) of a shingle oak that we planted in one of our parks.
old_dirt 6a
last yearbengz6westmd
last yearlast modified: last yearBillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearlast modified: last yearSad but true.
I took this picture when visiting the 'Lost Forty', a MN SNA (scientific and natural area) where they don't allow trees to be cut. The tree is ~400 years old, which is the upper age limit for this species of tree. Weakened by age, this one went down in a storm several years ago.
Here's Another P. Stobus, 0nce 'State Champion White Pine' before the top broke off in a storm (Itasca Park).
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
last yearSo many beautiful trees.
This is along a hiking trail near me. The snow is so deep I can't get off the packed path to get full pics.
Hard maple wolf tree.
BillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearI had to look up the name 'Wolf Tree'. Quite interesting how they came to be, after growing solitary in fields, years ago. :-)
I was told, back in time, when logging was done by real men :^), lumberjacks would leave a half grown Red or White pine here or there, 'For Seed', thinking reforestation.In later years those trees have become the largest and most magnificent trees in the forest.
I have what I believe is one of them, >100 yo, growing on land out in the country. This picture was taken 7 years ago and imo was left behind because of the imperfection of forkedness.Pinus resinosa.
BillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearlast modified: last yearQ. virginiana. Somewhere in S. Cakalacky last April (was still winter back home).
arbordave (SE MI)
last yearPerfect day for a walk down the lane by the hemlock grove (2/26/23)
One of the larger hemlocks in the stand
BillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearThat's one nice Tsuga, dave! One of my favorite trees.
Here's a couple (oaks?) today along the ski trail at Blacks grove 2-26-2023.Just had to get out into the fresh air.
Oak Creek:
:-)
bengz6westmd
last yearBillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last yearBillMN-z-2-3-4
last year
djacob Z6a SE WI
last yearThought I would have a try……took a walk yesterday and saw these:
I think this is a Magnolia, buds are already there
A neighbor’s tree, wondered about what is hanging
This is my Weeping Pussywillow Tree, getting it’s buds
My Acer Tamukeyama with buds too
debracecily 7A
last year
Photos taken at Caledon State Park in the tidewater region of Virginia on February 28. For scale, the holly in the second photo is about ten feet tall.
L Clark (zone 4 WY)
last yearlast modified: last yearcecily 7A
last yearbengz6westmd
last yearlast modified: last yearPics from neighbor's lot on hill above me. Cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata) and a very tall white pine w/an ominous leeward lean in it.
As mentioned, white pines are being broken in this local area. Here's a broken, dead snag of one very close to previous pic.
Basswood "sprout" (Tilia americana) w/3 trunks. Good sprouters from a cut stump, and almost certain that's the case here. My lot is below across road.
BillMN-z-2-3-4
last yearL Clark (zone 4 WY)
last yeararbordave (SE MI)
last yearA snowy landscape here this morning after a "thundersnow" event last night. I heard some branches breaking in the distance, but thankfully we didn't lose power. With the bright sunshine and temps slightly above freezing it's now beginning to melt away. This is my Homestead Buckeye in the backyard 3/4/23
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5Original Author