LANDSCAPE WITH TREES AND SHRUBS
Trees and shrubs provide us with so very much. They make living in urban
communities more pleasurable. Carefully thought-out tree and shrub choices and
proper planting and aftercare will ensure success.
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Reasons to Landscape with Trees and Shrubs
What to Consider when Choosing Tree and Shrubs
Planting
Aftercare Maintenance
Reasons to landscape with trees and shrubs:
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Shades property and cools it by several degrees, making it more usable on hot
summer days.
Screens unpleasant views and protects against cold winter winds.
Provides brilliant fall foliage color and beautiful blooms in the spring.
Provides habitat and food for wildlife.
Reduces noise by acting as sound barriers.
Purifies the air around us.
Adds up to 10% to the value of a property.
What to consider when choosing trees and shrubs:
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Hardiness Zone – St. Louis is in Zone 6b which indicates which plants to choose
from for this area.
Height & Spread – Will the tree or shrub have adequate space when fully
grown? Consider where power lines are located and whether there will be easy
access to wash windows, clean gutters and so forth.
Form or Shape – There are many to choose from such as round, oval, pyramidal,
columnar, spreading, weeping, layered and vase.
Growth Rate – Fast growing trees tend to have a shorter life span than slow
growing trees.
Deciduous or Evergreen – Deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves, or
foliage, each fall and produce new foliage each spring. Evergreen trees and
shrubs do not lose their foliage and remain green year-round. Both add interest
and contrast to any landscape.
Light – Choose according to your sites light conditions. Sun, shade or some of
both.
Soil Type – Poor soil may require amending by adding compost or leaf-mulch.
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Moisture – Areas that hold water will require plants that can handle it. Soils
that drain offer a larger variety of plants to choose from.
Ball & Burlap vs. Container Grown – Both methods of growing trees at a nursery
are acceptable methods.
Grow Native! This is a program of the Missouri Department of Conservation and is
exciting to consider as an alternative to the traditional and sometimes challenging-togrow plants. The idea is to utilize native plants. These plants are adapted to our
climate and are easier to maintain. They require less water, less perfect soil and add
diversity to the landscape. A complete list of Grow Native! plants can be found
online.
Plants of Merit is a list of plants for the lower Midwest, which includes St. Louis that
was established in 1998. Each year new plants are selected through nomination by
experts and then judged. These plants must meet certain criteria. Judges look for
plants that are easy to grow and maintain and are not known to be invasive. They
must also be tolerant of disease and insects which minimizes pesticide usage. They
must offer great ornamental value to a garden or green space and be relatively easy
to purchase. A complete list of Plants of Merit can be found online.
Planting:
The best time to plant shrubs is fall. Shrubs will produce roots until soil temperatures
drop below 40 degrees. Good root growth produces a shrub that has a head start the
following year when it produces foliage and flowers.
The best time to plant trees is after leaf-drop in the fall (usually October) and before
bud-break in the spring (usually March). Trees focus on root growth instead of top
growth.
Trees and shrubs are typically planted in odd numbers, i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and so forth.
Shrubs of the same variety should be planted when grouping several shrubs together;
otherwise a landscape can look too ‘busy’. This is a good rule to follow when planting
ornamental trees, also.
Planting a Tree
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Dig a hole twice the diameter of the tree’s root ball but no deeper than the
root ball. A tree that is planted deeper than it was grown in the nursery will
not adapt well and could die.
Handle the tree by the root ball and not the trunk as you place it in the hole.
Container trees should have any encircling roots cut with a sharp knife or hand
pruner to encourage the tree to send its roots out into the soil of its new home.
Otherwise
O
th
hey tend to
o continue growing in a circle. B & B trees should havve
th
he twine cu
ut from aro
ound the tru
unk and the
e burlap sh
hould be cu
ut away from
m
th
he root ball. Some B & B trees co
ome with a metal bassket. This sshould be cut
away with a wire cutte
er.
Note
e that the metal
m
baske
et is clippe
ed away.
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Backfill with
h loose soil. Remove any
a rocks. G
Gently worrk the soil a
around the
ro
oots withou
ut disturbin
ng them to eliminate aair pocketss.
Apply
A
shredd
ded mulch around the
e tree to a
depth of 3 in
nches. Mulcch helps it retain
water.
w
An in
ncorrect mu
ulching pra
actice is
th
he ‘volcano
o’ method where
w
it is mounded
up the tree’’s trunk. Th
his causes the
t bark to
ro
ot and coulld possibly lead to dea
ath.
Prune only broken
b
for deformed branches
b
at this time.
Sttake the trree for the first year of
o its life.
Drive
D
two stteel stakes into the grround
outside
o
of the
t root balll, one on each
e
side.
Wrap
W
tree tiies around the trunk, each
going in separate direcctions, inse
ert wire
nto the hole
es of the tiies and wra
ap the
in
excess length of wire around each stake.
This is a good time to straighten a tree that
has a slight lean to it. It should firmly hold the tree in place, but not tightly.
Planting a Shrub
Shrubs are planted the same way trees are with the exception that they are not
staked. Apply three inches of mulch, keeping it away from the base of the shrub.
Aftercare Maintenance:
Trees and shrubs maintained from the time they are planted have a much better
chance of staying healthy over their lifetime and your lifetime.
Newly Planted and Young Trees & Shrubs (First 3 Years)
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The single most important thing you can do for a newly planted tree or
shrub is water it regularly. Young plants need the equivalent of one inch of
rainfall per week. It is up to you to provide the water during times of drought.
Apply fresh mulch as needed, remembering never to apply more than three
inches. Sometimes all that is necessary is fluffing (loosening), the existing
mulch, rather than adding to it.
Pruning will not be necessary on very young tree and shrubs unless it is to
remove a dead or broken branch.
Remove tree stakes after completion of the first year of growth.
Established Young Trees & Shrubs 3 to 15 Years Old
Trees and shrubs at this stage should be well established, provided they have received
regular maintenance.
Pruning Trees
Reasons for pruning trees:
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To remove dead, broken, or diseased branches.
To correct growth that is undesirable. This includes ‘sucker’ growth at the base
of trees. Sucker growth, or sprouts, uses energy from the tree so it is best to
remove them as soon as possible.
To remove low hanging limbs in the way of pedestrians (i.e. sidewalks) and
riding mowers.
Use the right tools:
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Hand pruners, or shears, are used on small branches. Anvil style pruners,
however, are not recommended.
Pruning saws are used on medium to large branches.
1st Cut –
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Select the branch you want to remove. The first cut should be one foot to 1 ½
feet from the limb’s point of attachment. The pruning cut should be an
undercut made halfway through the branch. This pruning cut is very important
because it relieves weight from the branch collar and prevents accidental
tearing of bark from the tree’s trunk when the limb is removed.
2nd Cut –
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The second cut should be made on the outside of the first cut and farther away
from the trunk. Cut all the way through the limb from the top down, removing
the weight of the branch.
3rd Cut –
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The final cut should be made next to the tree’s trunk outside the branch collar.
Cut from the top down and all the way through the remaining branch stub. The
branch collar should be left intact. Do not cut the branch flush with the tree’s
trunk.
Pruning Shrubs
Reasons for pruning shrubs:
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To
T remove dead,
d
broke
en, or disea
ased branch
hes.
To
T correct growth
g
thatt is undesirable.
To
T remove older,
o
thick
ker branche
es through thinning so
o that air an
nd light ma
ay
penetrate th
he shrub an
nd promote
e better gro
owth, flowe
ering and tw
wig color.
Use the right tools:
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Hand
H
prune
ers, or shea
ars, are use
ed on smalll branches.. Anvil style
e pruners,
however, arre not recom
mmended.
Pruning
P
saw
ws are used
d on medium
m to large branches.
Remove up to 1/3rd of the thiickest branches from the base off the shrub
b to allow
better liight and airr penetration.
The Cut in Relation
n to Buds:
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The
T first cutt is too slan
nted and to
oo close to the bud on
n the right sside.
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The
T second cut is too far
f from the bud.
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The
T third cu
ut is at the correct angle but too
o close to th
he bud.
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The
T fourth cut is idea
al.
Pruning Timetables
Prune spring flowering trees, shrubs and vines pruned after flowering.
Andromeda
Azalea
Barberry
Beautybush
Bittersweet
Cornelian Cherry
Crabapple
Deutzia
Firethorn
Flowering Cherry/Plum
Dogwood-flowering &
Kousa
Flowering Quince
Forsythia
Hawthorn
Honeysuckle
Japanese Snowball
Lilacs
Magnolia
Mock Orange
Mountain Laurel
Mountain Ash
Privet
Redbud
Rhododendron
Roses-Climbers/Shrub
Serviceberry
Smoketree
Spirea-Thumberg &
Vanhoutte
Viburnum
Wayfaring Tree
Prune summer flowering trees, shrubs and vines before spring growth begins.
Aralia
Beautybush
Butterfly Bush
Clematis
Glossy Abelia
Golden Rain Tree
Hydrangea-Oakleaf
Rose-Hybrid Tea
Shrub Althea
Silktree
Some trees and shrubs may be pruned both before and after they bloom.
Cotoneaster
Dogwood-Red Stem
(shrub)
Oregon Grape Holly
Spirea-Anthony Waterer
& Frobel
Snowberry
Weigelia
Some shrubs and vine may be completely cut back to the ground and return healthy
and full.
Butterfly Bush
Clematis-Jackman
Forsythia
Hills-of-Snow
Hydrangea-Oakleaf
Lilac
Shrub Althea
Silver Fleece Vine
Spirea
Insects and Diseases of Tree and Shrubs
Both can be a serious problem. Some plants can weather the storm and survive while
others need help. A tree or shrub planted in the right location that receives good
plant health care through proper watering, mulching, correct pruning, careful use of
herbicides, line-trimmers and mowers is much better able to withstand problems.
Follow these cultural practices for healthier plants.