Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

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Barbara
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Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

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...I was told recently that Arbor Vitaes used in a line as a hedge for privacy have become so popular all over the West and Mountain States that the taller sizes have become almost impossible to find. It's fortunate that St Joseph of Peterburg parish got theirs earlier. These look remarkably healthy.

PPS - Free gardening tips for anyone showing interest in helping this parish either by funds or by prayers --

If you want Arbor Vitaes which look like the line pictured by the Church door, do not buy them from Home Depot et al. The emerald green trees so often start to turn brown even though you think you watered it plenty. Before you know it, you have lost the tree. Arbor Vitaes should ideally be brought from one of the growers in Oregon's Willamette Valley. This tree must be planted immediately upon arrival and not let sit around for best results. Many people think that if they buy the smallest sizes for a cheaper price and let them grow, they will stand a better chance of the tree surviving. But it's better to choose as tall Arbor Vitaes as can be rustled up so that being more mature, they will transplant better, especially to different climates than that of wet and mild western Oregon.

The smell of these trees is heavenly ! They produce the essential oil called Thuja, as the species name is Thuja Occidentalis.


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Maria
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Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

Post by Maria »

Barbara wrote:

What a lovely sentiment, Justice. Yes, notice how the members of this parish even created a mosaic of the patron Saint, which I imagine is quite laborious to put together. Also, the congregation built the iconostasis. Everything has a homemade touch to it, one can see from the photos :

https://www.stjosephpetersburg.org/projects

Well, it looks like progress has been made in paying off the mortgage. A relatively small amount, $ 5,000, remains now to be collected to save this True Orthodox Church !

PS - I just noticed a striking line of Arbor Vitae trees on the right of the Church's doorway. I was told recently that Arbor Vitaes used in a line as a hedge for privacy have become so popular all over the West and Mountain States that the taller sizes have become almost impossible to find. It's fortunate that St Joseph of Peterburg parish got theirs earlier. These look remarkably healthy.

PPS - Free gardening tips for anyone showing interest in helping this parish either by funds or by prayers --
Do not buy Arbor Vitaes from Home Depot et al. The emerald green trees so often start to turn brown even though you think you watered it plenty. Before you know it, you have lost the tree. Arbor Vitaes should ideally be brought from one of the growers in Oregon's Willamette Valley. This tree must be planted immediately upon arrival and not let sit around for best results. Many people think that if they buy the smallest sizes for a cheaper price and let them grow, they will stand a better chance of the tree surviving. But it's better to choose as tall Arbor Vitaes as possible so that they are more mature and thus transplant better, especially to different climates.
The smell of these trees is heavenly : they have the essential oil called Thuja, as the species name is Thuja Occidentalis.

We planted five Italian Cypresses that line our driveway.

And it is true, Barbara, that people should plant the trees immediately. Those on sale are usually root bound and may not even survive a transplant. The plant should be removed from the pot and checked to see if it is root bound (roots going around in a circle) with very little soil left.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant- ... mptoms.htm

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Barbara
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Re: Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

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OH - I didn't know that about the roots going around in a circle ! Yes, and the trees left out to bake in the hot summer sun in often parking lots where Home Depot has them displayed also causes them to dry out very badly.
You're right: probably all these adverse conditions cause the soil to be depleted.

By the way, it's recommended to use mulch when planting the newly arrived trees. I put Organic Gro-Mulch, I think was the name. However, nothing will stop a Home Depot Arbor Vitae or other finicky tree variety from fading away over a few months, or maybe 5-6 months at the longest. One local ranch outfitter planted a long row of the short Arbor Vitaes as a privacy barrier. Many people around town noticed that almost every one failed and remarked on the high loss rate.

What are Italian Cypresses ? They sound beautiful ! Funny, I had wanted originally Cypress but finally had to give up on the idea. They must not be available in this cold climate. Whereas Arbor Vitaes thrive at even 20 degrees below zero. Italian Cypress evokes the balmy Mediterranean region... I'll have to look up that variety of tree.

How are your 5 trees doing ?

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Re: Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

Post by Maria »

Barbara wrote:

OH - I didn't know that about the roots going around in a circle ! Yes, and the trees left out to bake in the hot summer sun in often parking lots where Home Depot has them displayed also causes them to dry out very badly.
You're right: probably all these adverse conditions cause the soil to be depleted.

By the way, it's recommended to use mulch when planting the newly arrived trees. I put Organic Gro-Mulch, I think was the name. However, nothing will stop a Home Depot Arbor Vitae or other finicky tree variety from fading away over a few months, or maybe 5-6 months at the longest. One local ranch outfitter planted a long row of the short Arbor Vitaes as a privacy barrier. Many people around town noticed that almost every one failed and remarked on the high loss rate.

What are Italian Cypresses ? They sound beautiful ! Funny, I had wanted originally Cypress but finally had to give up on the idea. They must not be available in this cold climate. Whereas Arbor Vitaes thrive at even 20 degrees below zero. Italian Cypress evokes the balmy Mediterranean region... I'll have to look up that variety of tree.

How are your 5 trees doing ?

They are wonderful.

Italian Cypress are usually planted for privacy and as a wind break. And yes, they prefer a Mediterranean climate as we have here in Los Angeles.

Usually in colder climates, people prefer the Poplar (cottonwood) trees as a wind break. When we traveled through Kansas, we saw row after row of the poplar trees planted in an attempt to break the winds that roll through that state. However, they did not look as healthy as the ones found in Georgia and the Southeast because poplar trees are normally found next to river banks where their roots will have a constant source of water.

Here is a website which has a lot of great information about trees in general.

https://www.thetreecenter.com/your-guid ... ent-217695

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Re: Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

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Thanks for explaining. I forgot to look it up today as I had planned.
So- cottonwood is the same as poplar ? I had no idea. Those little cotton fluffy things floating around in the air right now are from poplars ? I had been just wondering what a cottonwood tree is, anyway. That helps if they are one and the same.
Now I remember seeing them in Xinjiang, Chinese Sinkiang, where they were - yes, just like you said - used as windbreaks. They made the little villages on the way north to Kashgar SO picturesque. And there were plenty of streams and rivers running through the farms so that's probably why the poplars thrived there, just like in the state of Georgia.

I know nothing about trees - except the ones with which I have had to deal. I was forced to acquaint myself with Siberian Elms because they are a nightmare, spreading all through southern Idaho, each like a gigantic weed.
Other varieties I have NO idea about, so I will avail myself of that website. Thank you !

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Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

Post by Maria »

Barbara wrote:

Thanks for explaining. I forgot to look it up today as I had planned.
So- cottonwood is the same as poplar ? I had no idea. Those little cotton fluffy things floating around in the air right now are from poplars ? I had been just wondering what a cottonwood tree is, anyway. That helps if they are one and the same.
Now I remember seeing them in Xinjiang, Chinese Sinkiang, where they were - yes, just like you said - used as windbreaks. They made the little villages on the way north to Kashgar SO picturesque. And there were plenty of streams and rivers running through the farms so that's probably why the poplars thrived there, just like in the state of Georgia.

I know nothing about trees - except the ones with which I have had to deal. I was forced to acquaint myself with Siberian Elms because they are a nightmare, spreading all through southern Idaho, each like a gigantic weed.
Other varieties I have NO idea about, so I will avail myself of that website. Thank you !

Our front and back yards are peppered with Chinese Elm trees, and I do not know how to eradicate them.

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Barbara
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Re: Growing Trees and Shrubs in your climate zone

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Yes, those must be the same as the Siberian Elms ! They are SUCH a PEST, aren't they ? Same problem here, both front and back yards. Then, they shoot up all sorts of attempts at growing a new pest. It's a lot of work to keep after them, even once cut down. They get SO tall, but are so WEAK that they are a threat and should be gotten rid of completely.
But if you have close quarters, it's difficult for an arborist to get in close enough to work safely. I had so many problems trying to persuade tree services to even cut highly dangerous branches because they would say that the area was too congested and they refused to be responsible for damage. Only many, many years later did I learn the reason : that company is uninsured [ ! ]. I finally found a professional arborist to cut down the front one. He wasn't too keen on the idea, but I kept insisting. Sure enough, when the tree was felled, they saw that the stump was completely moldy and rotten. Worse, there were 2 stumps together but with a big gap so that the bottom of the tree was highly unstable. Thank goodness I didn't listen to anyone else's advice but did what I suspected was needed !

So I hope you are able to get yours eradicated, Maria. They are just terrible. They get the most horrible looking things in them. Then those in turn get ALL over the place. There is no way to get rid of them except supposedly spraying soap on them, I found out on the internet. But who is going to stand there and spray tons of these ugly monsters with a little spray bottle ?

I really am glad the 3 big Elms are gone - BUT then the roots start growing again. Before you know it, they have emerged as NEW Siberian Elms ! Then you have to get those out. What I have done is dig trenches and 'chase roots'. That means follow the path of the root as it winds different directions and cut that all out with a handsaw. The whole experience is arduous.

Don't forget, too, that you MUST tell the arborist that you want the stump taken out. That is a huge process by itself. And it costs quite a bit extra. But it's indispensable, especially if you want to put any building in that area, for this wood rots in the ground and turns into some moldy, papery stuff. But it takes up space. If you need the earth tamped really well for any purpose, this stump and roots, if left in the ground, will disintegrate over time and cause the structure to sink in a little. This is my thinking based on wrestling matches with these Elms for so long. The aim should be to get rid of every last bit of your Elm tree. But the debris seems to show up where you least expect it, for years to follow. Not a friendly tree.

At least the red and black monster bugs seem to disappear once the tree is removed. Not so box elder beetles, I know that one from awful experience.

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