We'll start with the Maples. A for acer.

Acer ginnala: This tree went through full scale drought last season with no appreciable rain and zero supplementary irrigation. Planted at the edge of the ROW from a seedling July 2018.

Grew its normal 1-2ft annual rate. Why won't my other maples do that?

The people across in the apartments like it's Fall Red. 7+ ft. tall.

Acer rubrum: Another seedling, planted circa 2016. It doesn't like the dry sandy soil here.

Disclaimer: I'm no good as guessing heights, 13-15 ft.?

I refurbished all my existing mulch rings last year when drought seemed imminent. To make the most of the irrigation needed. Glad I did.

Acer rubrum: A woods dug 6ft. whip planted circa 2016 in the front yard. It doesn't like the dry sandy soil either and seems a little scraggly to me.

It likes the regular rains this season. 15-16 ft.

Acer Saccharum: Another woods dug 7ft whip. Planted Fall of 2016.

Can't say it doesn't like the sandy soil but enjoys a deep watering when it gets dry.

15+ ft. tall, near 4" caliper.

Acer pseudosieboldianum: (2) Planted from seedlings into partially frozen ground early April 2022.

Quite cold hardy with very little die back and robust growth. Some leaf scorch in full all-day sun. The weird branch tips formations near seasons end apparently have stopped. They don't like the dry sandy soil and get watered once a week or more if no rain and hot temperatures.

~3 ft tall with 1" girth. Removed all stakes earlier this season. Seems solid.

#1 front yard tree.

#2 Backyard tree: A little leaf scorch during my 12-day absence with 1/2" rain at day 6. At least It didn't die and responded well to watering when I returned. Some second flush.

This season the tree is putting out many new branches along the trunk. Signs of filling out.

>4ft tall.

Good branch tips forming this season. winter buds forming.

That should do it for all my maples. Next post, another genus. ;-)

eta: And how could I forget my Ohio buckeye?

Aesculus glabra: Planted seed Fall of 2023 and it sprouted spring of 2024.

Grew great until summer sun got high enough and cooked it some. Then I added sunshade but it didn't grow much after that. Lost a couple of leaves during the last hard rain. 8" high not counting leaves. Documentation says a foot is pretty good growth for first year, we'll see.

B for betula and Bad news:

Betula papyrifera paper birch.

Too many dry spells and then the drought of last season and I did water several times during the summers.

Even with the regular rains this summer.

The tree didn't leaf out well and shows multiple cankers on the trunk.

Might have to remove this one.

Too many dry spells since this one was planted 2016.

Cankers:

You win some and lose some. :-|

C for Callitropsis, Celtis, Cornus and Crataegus

Callitropsis Nootkatensis 'Pendula' weeping Alaska Cedar: Sapling Planted March 2024. Loves temperatures up to about 90df and doesn't seem to mind high humidity.

After watering every day early on, it's went 4-5 days summer heat without showing stress.

It's grown several inches overall and has put out horizontal branches without intervention.

Filling out rather nicely imo.

It was so spindly and floppy I tied some slim sticks to the upper trunk, just until Fall, then it's on its own.

The stretchy center ties are to protect the graft from breakage in a strong wind.

I plan to put up wind and sun protection for first winters.

Celtis occidentalis: Started from seed in early 2019. It would like more moisture than it gets but does well on its high sandy hilltop at highest elevation in the yard. 12-15 ft?

Just beginning to spot its corky looking bark.

Cornus sericea = Red Osier dogwood.

Dug from my woods then discarded except I took one cutting off and rooted it in 2018 then moved it again a year later to this location. Gets good shade by 2:00 pm or so.

It does okay if it rains of it gets water every 4-5 days but can get very dry and comes back well when moisture returns. Drops berries and leaves shrivel when dry. Very bright red colored stems in winter.

Crataegus Chrysocarpa = Fireberry hawthorn.

Woods dug from my old place out in the country and planted September 2021.

Grew another 2-3 ft this season. Still no blooms but anytime now.

Gets woolly aphids which I spray off with the garden hose.
7ft.

Trunk is gaining girth and getting quite strong.

F is for Fraxinus.

Fraxinus Nigra = black ask. Male, no seeds.

Woods dug 5 ft whip circa 2016.

Grows in wet locations.

First tree to turn Fall colors and last to sprout leaves in springtime.

16 ft?

G for Gleditsia triacanthos = Honeylocust.

Started from seed and planted in the ground in 2018.

Needed some discipline behaving itself.

It grew faster than it could support itself. A little like our kids. ;-)

A padded hook and two straps were the best way to get this done over a period of time without damaging the bark. And not have to climb a ladder.

I'll leave it on until late Fall.

18ft?

/////////

Small black holes, sap staining, lumps in the trunk... I'd say your birch is probably full of bronze birch borer, Bill. The drought of the previous three summers really showed me which birch cultivars are more likely to fail under stress.

Your threads have inspired me to take yearly photos of my trees - my yard children - that I have planted since moving into my current residence. Unfortunately though, until this year's abundance of rain, all the previous pictures look like carbon copies of each other. Extreme heat, severe drought....very little growth. (Okay, okay.....the trees I planted bare root and potted were stuck in neutral. My two front yard B&B transplants hit the ground running right away. Go figure.) :P

Yeah, a stretch of a few wet years could've made the difference. I see mature B. papyrifera all over town. They may have roots into the water table here 12 ft. down idk. It's all a gamble.

Oh well. Time to research another tree to plant.

My pictures help me when I look back to see when started from seed, planted, seedlings etc. Big help. :-)

Interesting thread Bill - thanks for sharing. I don't grow many trees. I dipped my toe in the tree water last year buying a redbud to replace a triple-trunk oak I lost, and just bought a pagoda dogwood Golden Shadows, but that's it.

I have about 40 trees of various sizes on my almost-acre property, mostly oaks (have lost about ten oaks in the 30 years I've been here) so I don't really have room or the need for many more large trees. Just trying a few small ornamentals where I lost some oaks.

Had to laugh at this:

It grew faster than it could support itself. A little like our kids.

A good comparison lol!

Love the yearly comparison photos - I should do the same with my new little ones!

:)

Dee

Thanks Dee.

I always appreciate the support you give others on these forums.

But like the old adage states, 'It isn't over until it's over'. ;-)

H is for Hydrangea:

Hydrangea Arborscens:

I started these with a #1 purchase and divided one of the shoots a few years ago and it's now almost as big as the parent.

Although known for their water loving character, these have suffered through quite a few dry spells and come back the next year ready to grow again.

Hydrangea Macrophylla:

A gift from a fried a few years ago. It grows well *if* it doesn't dry out. I may be making an artificial sunshade for it next season. It went through 12 days of my absence with 1/2 inch of rain, but I don't know if my kids watered it during that time or not. It was quite dry when I got home and that's why some of the flowers look wonky. They should be like the left most blue ones.

Hydrangea Paniculata:

Limelight: Recent thread about this tells it all.

Diamond rouge: A recent addition to the landscape here.

Planted to fill a vacancy after I killed a peony. We'll see how long the blooms last.

////////

I is for Ilex.

Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red':

These bought as seedings from RR nursery in Wisc. Fall of 2020, same time as my Korean maples. I kept them in my cold frame until April when necessity called for me to plant them before a trip we had scheduled in mid-April.

They have flourished with occasional watering during dry spells.

I'll leave the fence on one more winter. There's been little deer browse and I don't know if the rabbits like them or not but the bases are getting quite thick and stout so I'll give it a try without the fence next spring.

Southern Genleman: (male).

Placed ~45 feet away from the females. Good female berry production the last 2 years.

I better save the next post for Conifers. ;-)

There will be some yard pics at the end of this thread.

Stay tuned.

J is for Junipers:

Juniperus Communis 'species'.

Dug from my woods so many years ago. Very drought tolerant.

Needs a haircut. Usually done end of September.

Juniperus Horizontalis 'species'.

They have filled the strip along the garage decently.

One died this summer, don't know why, just went flat and turned brown.

It is creeping so should fill in by itself.

Juniperus Horizontalis 'unknown species'.

Very blue variety I rooted from a cutting off an overgrown planting at a public building that was sticking out into the walkway (safety issue) 2019. :-)

Juniperus Horizontalis 'blue rug'.

A new addition planted last season. Small specimen, year-end special.

Likes the full sun and dry conditions here.

Juniperus squamata 'blue star'.

New addition this season.

It replaced a day lily that was immposible to protect from deer in the front yard.

So far, so good with new growth apparent.

Juniperus virginiana 'species'.

Planted circa 2017, woods dug about a foot tall.

Staked it to go upright and as soon as I stopped, it flopped.

Getting too tall for me to mess with it. >12'.

Have done a little 'topiary' on this one so not as full as it was before.

Nice root flare. :-)

///////////

L is for Larix.

Larix Laricina 'species'.

Seed grown Feb. 2020, planted outside same spring.

A bird broke the main leader off last spring but one of the side branches near the top volunteered to take over. It appears to be a continuation of the main leader now.

Fastest growing tree I've ever seen. Loaded with viable cones this season.

Nearing 20 ft. tall.

/////////

Great post, Bill. Keep them coming!

Yes, please do! I'm enjoying this!

:)

Dee

Wow, things are progressing nicely! I wish trees didn't take so long to grow and fill in, but they do.

I have a love-hate relationship with Hydrangea arborescens. There's nothing like them when they're in their full glory, and I wouldn't be without them, but they are thugs, they will take over everything given the chance. It's a constant chore of hacking back, digging out runners, and thinning the thicket.

Your winterberries seem to be growing quickly. I love winterberries!

M-N-O-P

Picea!

Picea Abies: species

Planted last season middle of May.

30" tree in a 3 gal pot.

First spruce I've had with remarkable second flush growth late summer, even on the ends of the sun burnt branch tips. The color has changed dramatically from the light green last year.

36" tall and growing!

Picea glauca 'species'.

Second tree I planted when I first moved here (front yard). Spring of 2013. Woods dug @ 13" tall.

nearing 13' tall. Some gaps in the branching from some dry years.

Picea glauca 'species'.

Front yard, woods dug, planted July 2019. This was the one that got crushed under a huge mass of frozen snow and lost 1-1/2 ft of top. Tied up a side branch the next year.

Grew 20"+ off that fix this season. 7' tall.

Picea glauca 'species'.

These 2 were woods dug saplings circa 2016. Planted in SW corner of the yard to someday be wind dampers. There's on behind and slight off to the left. To kill 4 birds with one stone, you can see another P. glauca left and a little taller than that one. Also the P, glauca to the far right was the one "Moved in August' thread. These 4 along with the white pine (middle right) and Abies balsamea (hidden behind the middle spruce) and a black spruce, red pine and eastern red cedar hiding in there, make for a nice windbreak for West, South and SW winds.

Here's a view looking back to the South from middle/west side of yard.

(like fireworks, you need a grand finale at the end). :-)

Picea glauca 'species'.

First tree I planted here Fall 2012. DW called it my 'Charlie Brown Tree'.

Woods dug 1-1/2' tall, growing in a shady spot so pretty spindly but recovered well since.

Picea glauca 'species'.

The woods dug, needless white spruce I brought in Aug. 2021 to help screen the view on that side.

Filling in nicely and building roots for next season.

Picea glauca 'Pendula'.

Planted this spring in March.

Got tired of how crooked it was so tied it to a stake for a while.

Good growth this season for newly planted.

Picea Glauca 'Densata'.

Replacement for A. lowiana that died.

Doesn't look great, dropped some needles on a branch or two but winter buds are forming.

Picea Mariana 'species'.

Seed grown 2020.

21" new growth this season.

Part of my SW wind buffer.

Picea Meyeri 'species'.

Planted from small potted specimen. Aug. 2021.

I think this one had some winter damage a couple years ago. The center of the tree grew funny for a year or two but seems to have straightened out albeit the lower branches are a bit ahead of the center top. nearing 2ft. Looks good.

///

I made a mistake:

P is for Physocarpus Opulifolius 'monlo'.

Planted 2020 to replace an existing purple leaf sand cherry that died.

Now P is for Pinus: ;-)

Everyone's favorite, Pinus Banksiana!

Started from seed December of 2020 collected from a 'Witches Broom' on a tree out at my old place.

I thought I might have a chance of it being genetically modified and it might be to some extent. There is some unusual characteristics of the branching, rather on the thick side with short distances between some of the branch tiers.

But being it's not 'Dwarf' it's found a new role as wind buffer/snow fence.

Located 25-30 ft. NW of the Hemlock, it should initially help the snow to build up in the area between the two and as it grows larger (along with the rest), should quiet the winter winds in that area, enhancing the Tsuga's quiet place.

.

Pinus Cembra 'Prairie Stateman'.

Looks silvery in this picture but I think it's a lighting phenomenon combined with a crappy camera.

Pinus Mugo:

Planted in front yard, last year as a replacement for a Pagoda Dogwood that died.

Good growth this season. I'm getting like these to offset the tall full-sized trees.

Pinus Mugo:

Just planted this season. Shows up in the P. banksiana photo between the Tsuga and P.b.

Just another addition to help quiet the winter weather here as time goes on.

Pinus Ponderosa 'Scopulorum' (center of pic).

Planted in a wide spot in my wind break, from a small, donated seedling a neighbor didn't want Fall 2017.

It kept up with the red pine (left) this year, but the white pine (right) edged it out with superior growth this season.

Funny thing, all my established pines grew more last year during the drought then they did this season with plentiful rain. :-?

Pinus resinosa 'species'.

Same grove as the ponderosa, located at the SE corner of my yard. Other than the WP and PP, these are all P, resinosa (12?).

Planted circa 2016 as woods dug ~1ft. seedlings. Maybe 15 ft. tall.

There's a couple other red pine, one shows up in the yard picture of the Picea post, shading the other hemlock and another small one (4 ft) put in a few years ago for more screening along the above line of trees.

Pinus strobus 'species':

You just saw the one next to the P. ponderosa and the other in the Picea post next to the P. glaucas. Enough said. :o)

More to come.

Boy, I'm really slipping here. Forgot 'O'.

O is for Ostrya virginiana 'Species'.

Started these from seed I collected near a lake in my area in 2019.

Place one in the backyard and one along the east side of the house out front.

Bullet proof. Notice the buck rub protection (chicken wire) I've been adding to all my exposed trees with trunks under 5" diameter. It's that time of year again.

12-13ft. estimated.

Q is for Quercus:

Quercus Bicolor:

Grown from seeds (acorns) collected at the Freedom Tower in NYC Fall of 2019.

Germinated spring of 2020 and planted outside directly in the ground same spring.

The 4-foot-long branches and center leader that grew last season all sprouted 6-12" subordinate branches along their lengths adding to the fulness. The top leader also grew another 2'+ with a foot or better additions to the side branch terminal ends.

Officially 9 ft. tall. Yes, I have a tape measure.

Quercus ellipsoidalis: (2)

Finally growing towards the sky (and outward).

I saw a first acorn earlier this season.

Woods dug (2), 3ft whips circa 2017.

Brilliant red Fall colors most years.

Early red color at bud break and start of leaf expansion.

Holds dead leaves all winter. Near 10' tall.

Quercus macrocarpa:

Dug out of a very wet area 2016 then planted on the west side of yard.

Next year I decided it needed to move to east side of the yard.

Put on its normal annual growth rate of 6" again this season. ~8' tall.

Drought tolerant.

/////////

Now that I started this, I can't stop. :-0

S=Syringa reticulata.

Ivory Silk.

I actually bought this one ~#2 pot & 2 ft high. 2017.

Had to install the section of fence, when we first moved here, to keep the neighbor kids from taking a short cut through the yard with their bicycles.

It gave me a great spot to plant something like this.

Lilac corner.

Syringa vulgaris: common lilac.

I have 200 ft of hedge of this species and it's all brown. Someone with knowledge said there is a virus that's killing it. I don't know if it will come back or not.

You can see part of the dead looking hedge if you look at the Pinus b. picture above.

//////////

Taxus:

Taxus Canadensis:

Started from cuttings bought from RR nursery 2020.

Both specimens have grown their 1-3" annual growth rate and have replaced fallen needles from their near-death drought experience a year or so ago.

First cones appeared on this one earlier this season.

This one I rooted from cuttings and planted under drip edge of small garden shed.

2-3 hours sun in the AM.

Taxus hicksii: Right side.

SE corner of yard.

Purchased and planted 2019 from a gal pot.

The wire is 4 ft high so 3ft tall.

3 of the 6 hicksii cuttings I rooted survived and are looking good but oh so slow growth in the shade of some common lilacs and other yard trees.

Taxus Tauntonii:

Planted 2019. Small potted purchase.

Enjoys mostly shade, back of the tree lilac, against the fence.

Drip edge from the house roof is directly above it.

/////////

Interesting, native hornbeams around here prb'ly wouldn't grow upright like that in the open, they'd be sprawling.

Question, is that 2 northern pins oaks together?

One day you'll look around and realize and be awed by how big all of your trees have become. Happened to me.

Bill, alot of trees' growth depends on the previous season's conditions, especially trees that do all their growth at the beginning of and not continuously during the warm season. Many pine, oak and maple species for instance. OTOH, honeylocust and larch grow most of the warm season.

T = Thuja:

Thuja Occidentalis 'species'.

Started 2 of these from seed 2019.

6 ft. tall. single stem.

The second one hasn't fared as well. Subjected to Winterburn a few years ago, it appeared to recover but the last two years has shown signs of a fungus malady. I used chlorothalonil last year then copper fungicide this season. When both were first applied, it appeared they helped but if it doesn't get better soon it's getting yanked. 26" tall.

Thuja Plicata 'virescens'.

Free gift last March with an order from CK.

It's put on a few inches of new growth this season, 26" tall.

///////

Tsuga:

Tsuga canadensis 'species'.

Started from seed collected at the 'Rocky Gorge' New Hampshire 2020.

Planted outside 2020.

Nearing 4 ft. tall (with snow stakes on).

Tsuga canadensis 'species'.

Started from seed collected from the MN state champion tree in Brainerd MN 2019.

>5ft tall with snow stakes on.

That's it.

I don't have any UVWXYZ but I'll keep looking. :-)

Here's a couple of random yard pics.

Standing SE side looking West.

A more North to South view from center left of yard.

Looking more to the SE.

'Interesting, native hornbeams around here prb'ly wouldn't grow upright like that in the open, they'd be sprawling.'

That just the way they grew beng. Maybe it' the soil and me watering around the base the last several years.

'Question, is that 2 northern pins oaks together?'

Yes, two planted at the same time.

'One day you'll look around and realize and be awed by how big all of your trees have become. Happened to me.'

Do you mean what's already happened to me after seeing this picture of the yard back in May of 2017? ;o) (Completely bare yard in 2012 when first moved here).

ERC (center). White pine left of that one. 2 white spruce right side of ERC. Abies b. right of spruce. Almost same view as middle picture above.

Pine grove birch, lilacs and pin oak looking from the ROW.

All you need is a vision to what things can be 'someday'. In my northerly location, winter/wind and shade protection was my first concern. It seemed like it was going to take forever but it's already happened.

:-)

Oh, the paper birch is coming out next week.

Didn't find any borers and cankers look better than last year.

But even if it recovers, it's not a good fit in that spot.

Judgment call and DW agrees.

Leaves me with another 'Gap' to fill but...I'll think of something. :-)

8-25-2024:

A view from the deck just now:

:-)

To keep going, you need some elms and zelkovas. :)

Ha! ;-) Nice try.

I just got rid of those Siberian elms that were mixed in along the lilacs.

There's still a large one in the last picture posted (upper left) in the neighbor's yard.

Every time the wind blows from the SE, it looks like it's snowing in my yard from all the seeds.

Zelkova, out of my zone. :^)

As an aside. Here's what my birch looks like after this morning. Quite a bit shorter. :)

I noticed a tiny red pine seedling 2" away, so I put a protector over it. It may be the perfect spot to someday lengthen the grove several feet and fill in the gap. We'll see what comes up by spring with the annual search for new plantings.

BillMN - Where are you in MN? It just occurred to me that you might be interested in seeing "my" (my moms place) former garden in Long Prairie. I planted a ton of trees and shrubs there over the years, some of them fairly rare. Let me know if you're interested.

I'd be honored art.

Let me know ahead of time when you might be there.

I'm about 40 mi. straight north of LP.

"Didn't find any borers and cankers look better than last year."

Are you saying that you didn't find any galleries under the bark even? Or just no present borers? I would have loved to rip into that tree to see what was going on beneath the surface if it wasn't borer-related.

Many people water and fertilize trees, maybe even spray insecticides and fungicides, all in attempt to keep their trees happy and healthy. But at the end of the day, it just seems like nothing we do is ultimately better than having optimal growing conditions with a plentiful amount of Mother Nature's rainfall. Suddenly, the problems of the drought years begin to disappear.

Your hackberry looks great. I can't believe how much faster that tree grows in a lighter soil as opposed to clay. It's a remarkable difference. I have 6 year old trees in clay that are half the size of 3 year old trees in sandy loam. (Planted as whips.)

Is the desire to grow from seed the reason you have no deciduous cultivars in your yard? Actually....have you in fact started all your deciduous shades from seed?

Yes, no sign of any galleries. When I took a flat head screwdriver and tried to dig into the bark, it seemed so healthy and solid and I couldn't get the bark to peel away, even when digging into one of those bulges showing in the bark.

And when I blocked up the wood, the bark appeared to be 'tight' to the wood and I would think borers would be apparent when cutting the trunks into 16"L blocks. All the bark was clean and healthy looking.

And the biggest cankers were well on their way to encapsulating. I've read they'll do that when moisture returns.

Some of the trunks showed a small amount of discoloration towards the center of the wood, maybe related to drought?

In the end, the tree was in the wrong place to start with, and I was warned by Embothrium that water loving trees won't do well in a droughty location and will take a lot of work keeping it healthy.

Bottom line it was a bad 'Fit' with the spreading canopy shading out the screening plants on both sides. I've been contemplating removal of this tree for a couple of years now.

Thanks for the kind words. I've grown things in this light sandy soil for >45 years, and like you say, if you have the heat, nutrients and water, this porous soil grows things as good as anywhere. Probably due to the fact that roots like air as much as water, so in that way, coarse soil is a win.

The trees from seed and rooting were just a past time and kept me in budget while populating this empty, barren yard. Many I planted here were woods dug.

During that time, I found this site and have actually learned more than I thought I would ever care to know about trees and shrubs.

Dad always said, everyone is born ignorant son, try not to stay that way. :)

I've always liked to grow things, so this turned out to be my 'retirement hobby'.

Bill, I don't know a lot about trees - I have about 40 oaks of various kinds on my property (just under an acre), a few stray maples that have popped up, and some scrub trees - oh, and that darn sassafras that drives me nuts. I don't even know what kind of oaks or maples, and that's pretty much my knowledge of trees lol. But I love reading your posts about your trees, and love all the photos. I also have to say that I don't know if I would be brave enough to plant so many - they seem so permanent and I'm not sure I'd have the heart to cut down a "mistake".

But again, thanks for sharing your yard, your experiments, your humor - and your LILACS! Wow that row looks spectacular and must be heaven in spring!

:)

Dee

Thanks Dee!

You're much too kind. :)

Oh, that reminds me.

Even though the lilac hedge (~250 ft, of it) is suffering from some kind of blight, it looked a lot better back in May. These came with the place when I bought it.

S is for Syringa vulgaris: East side of yard. A twin, albeit shorter, occupies the West side of yard.

i am enjoying this. Thanks! in my garden taxus hicksii is prime deer browse every winter

It doesnt matter that they are six feet tall now. if i could get it ti together to spray with plantskyd in December they’d have a chance. i imagine they’ll eventually weaken to the point of death. By December I only have enough interest in the garden to cut and gather greens and zero interest in hauling a sprayer with stinky spray. You mention bucks rubbing, but don,t all those deer, regardless if gender, eat what they like ?

Thanks Marie.

With the subject of deer deterrents being exhaustively discussed in previous threads (just put deer in the search box), I will say that I haven't had a real issue with deer for at least the last year or so. They appear to occasionally pass through at night but don't stick around. And any browsing in the yard is so little it's imperceptible to the untrained eye.

That being said, I still use some winter fencing on the Hicksii (haven't tried a winter without it, yet) but many of my trees and shrubs, including the Tauntonii yew have never been browsed, just the way they are.

10-28-2024:

fwiw: I was out on my old place today and had the opportunity to bring back a small red pine I dug from the field. I've never planted or transplanted anything this late in the season. I placed it opposite side of the paper birch stump from the tiny Red Pine seeding that's not been looking so happy lately. We'll see if it makes it over winter. If it does, it'll be ahead of the very tiny pine and better spacing from the other pines.

:-)

I have planted a bit into the first week of November but I'm south of you. This year has been warm. I was worried about a tree I got shipped up from Georgia a few weeks back. It still hasn't seen frost lol.

Living only a mile or two outside of its native range, red pine (Pinus resinosa) is generally bullet-proof.

And if out of some odd act of nature, this one doesn't make it, there's more out there I can get for a replacement.

Fast growers too.

:-)

Just for fun, red pine Itasca county MN.

Thanks, beng!

The area around that tree appears to have been logged off in the last year. The lush new growth and dead branches are clues that it was poplar trees, both quaking and big tooth, used for paper and wood products, was the forest that those red pines were competing with. The red pines will grow better for the next few years with the increased sunlight but the poplars, growing from the established root system, will fill in pretty fast and thick but will never gain the height of those mature pines again, ever.

The real question is, why isn't Itasca State Park in Itasca County? :-)

@BillMN-z-2-3-4 This was a really interesting thread to read - thanks for posting it. I was especially impressed with the ones you started from seed but enjoyed seeing all of them.

Hi ruth,

I always hope that there are people that get something from reading my contributions here.

I've worked under the premise of, when planting/transplanting, that smaller specimens, will establish faster and grow better than a large specimen. Both reaching mature heights in about the same time frame.

:-)

The red pine bark is great!

Wow, found another red pine -- all it said was in northern MN. Stated 3 ft in diameter.

Probably posted previously.

At my previous residence, there were many P. resinosa. One of the largest, sited in the middle of my 40 acres, still stands. I'm told back in the day; loggers would leave certain trees that didn't make good continuous logs.

The idea was these trees would produce seeds over time, that in turn would sprout into more trees.

My old 40 is sprinkled with groves of red pine, from small seedlings to mature stands. Some larger than this one pictured.

Over 50 ft.(?) tall and 2-1/2 ft. dia. Taken Nov. 2016, it has the characteristic fork that at the time, when this tree was much younger, didn't appear to be worth cutting.

:-)