Unique Trees for Your Landscape

Try uncommon trees for disease resistance and variety.

The Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) tree’s blue-green leaves flutter in the wind and turn a clear yellow in fall when you may even notice a faint smell of cookies.

The musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana) is a small-scale shade tolerant tree. Its smooth gray bark, unique flowers and fruit along with the yellow, orange or red fall color give this tree yearround appeal.

The graceful and shade tolerant hemlock makes a perfect focal point in the garden or backdrop for other plants.

Concolor or white fir (Abies concolor) may resemble a Colorado blue spruce, but its softer texture and disease resistance makes it a better choice.

Check out the bark on this Heptacodium. In early fall this small tree will be covered with fragrant white flowers followed by decorative fruit.

A bit more information: Visit your local botanical garden and arboretum for other lesser used trees that will thrive in your location. These new additions will make your landscape stand out from the others in the neighborhood. And, more importantly, diversifying landscape plantings can help you avoid problems like Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer that occur when we overplant one type of tree.