A DOZEN NATIVE TREES and Where to Buy Them
Time to beautify your yard and promote lake health . D . R . Snell Garden store , Schott ’ s and Sun Nursery sell native plants that require less care while feeding and housing wildlife . With development coming upstream in New Market , our lakes and animals will need all the help they can get . If you ’ re looking for a certain height or for plantings to thrive in wet or dry conditions , consider trees like these :
Black Chokeberry is not picky about soil or light . It grows 3-6 ’ tall with pastel pink spring flowers . Purple berries follow . Carmine red to deep sangria leaves in fall . Hosts Coral Butterflies and Lace Moths . Red Chokeberry wants full sun , moist or wet soil . Only grows 5-10 ’ with multiple stems- -let it build your privacy fence . Clusters of ivory flowers nourish pollinators early , before most plants bloom . Berries attract songbirds and bunnies . Wine-colored leaves in fall , red bark in winter .
Weeping Redbud thrives in a variety of soils and light for a 15-20 ’ tall focal point or dazzling hedge row . Lavenderto-ruby flowers give way to green and burgundy leaves . Can be trained to form an umbrella shape and used as a focal point specimen tree in place of Dwarf Japanese Maples and other non-native miniatures . Consistently rated in the top 10 Beneficial Natives to plant !
White Fringetree is my favorite ! Tiny flowers trail like lace from branches held
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aloft in a tulip-shape that grows 12-20 ’ high . Birds flock to its purple berries . Grows slow and steady into a hardy and adaptable tree . Just fence it off or spray it until it gets tall enough for the deer to leave those big glossy leaves be .
American Red Maple grows bigger , better , and faster than most Japanese Maples at 50-60 ’, thriving in a variety of conditions . Songbirds , woodpeckers , and mammals will move on up to this deluxe apartment in the sky and stay there all year long .
Willow Oak ( aka Peach Oak or Swamp Chestnut Oak ) tolerates sandy , wet and clay soils growing 40-60 ’ with tawny and russet autumn leaves . Birds , raccoons , and squirrels partake in its acorn buffet .
River Birch ’ s cinnamon bark peels off in spectacular sheets . This gorgeous problem-solver tolerates a variety of soils , checks erosion , and grows quickly to 70 ’. Hosts Morning Cloak Butterfly , Luna , Io & Polyphemus moth caterpillars . Birds adore its caterpillar feasts .
Pin Oak ( aka Swamp or Spanish Oak ) grows 70 ’ in just about any soil , including wet or flooded . Shades your summer and stops the show in fall with wide crimson and bronze leaves .
Red Oak tolerates drought and can grow 2 ’ per year ! Want raccoons to share rooms in 75 ’ skyscrapers that cool your yard with dappled shade ? How about tangerine to russet leaves in fall ? The view from your deck or window can be as adorable as this Lake Linganore resident ’ s was in 2022 !
American Beech inspires art with pale trunks producing nuts for woodpeckers and nuthatches , housing chickadees , tufted titmice , and more . Give it a little water and don ’ t plant it in a puddle , and it will grow 75 ’ high and outlive all of us .
American Black Cherry thrives in acidic , well-drained soils . Grows up to 110 ’ high . Its lacy flowers and maroon fruit support struggling bee populations .
White Oak is the mother of all beneficial natives . If you ’ ve got the space , enjoy apricot-to-cherry hombre foliage contrast against pale bark every fall . Carolina Chickadees , Screech Owls , Downy , Hairy and Yellow-Bellied Woodpeckers--even Flying Squirrels and Eastern Red Bats will thank you !
Stores to Shop and Hire :
D . R . Snell https :// www . drsnellnursery . com / 301 331-7777 410 795-8822 1025 Ridge Road , Mt . Airy
Schott ’ s Nurseries https :// www . schottnurseries . com / 410-756-9175 2932 Basehores Mill Road , Taneytown
Sun Nurseries https :// sunnurseries . com / 410 442-2090 14790 Bushy Park Rd , Woodbine
Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent https :// www . liquidfence . com / products / deer-and-rabbit-control / deer-and-rabbitconcentrate . aspx