Steps and Tips:1. Our location is a little tricky because of several reasons. First, we have quite the slope to deal with, and our tree will be close to the street. We need a durable tree that can survive population and car exhaust, abuse from pedestrians and salt from snow removal. We also want the tree canopy to create some privacy for one of the windows.
2. There are a few factors we need to consider when selecting a tree. The winters are tough here, so we need a hardy tree. The ground has a thin layer of top soil, but the bulk of the root ball will be in clay. The tree can’t grow too tall because of some overhead wires nearby. Because of the slope, there is a water runoff problem.
3. The first tree we considered was the ginkgo, or maidenhair tree. It’s very slow growing and is a winner when it comes to pest and disease tolerance. It also is one of the most popular trees in urban areas because of its ability to grow in high pollution. However, it can easily grow well past 50 feet. That’s too high for our location.
4. The second type of tree we considered was an evergreen, or a coniferous type tree. We looked at junipers, cypress, cedar and firs. As we walked around the block, we noticed very few evergreens and thought it might look out of place. They would give color year round, but as the tree grew the lower limbs would need to be trimmed so they wouldn’t lie on the slope. Elms, ash and oaks would also be too big for our location.
5. The last choice, and the one we chose, was the maple species...specifically, the trident maple. It is a deciduous tree with orange to brown scaly bark. It will have a low rounded canopy and will provide plenty of shade. It prefers well-drained soil and tolerates heat and drought. Typically, it will grow 15 to 20 feet tall with a 20 foot maximum canopy. In the fall, the foliage will be beautiful shades of yellow and red.
6. To find just the right location for the tree, we first located the gas and water lines and checked with the utility company about how close we should plant. A good rule of thumb is 10 feet away from any line. The placement of the tree, in a street situation, is dependant upon the canopy size. A 20 foot canopy should be 20 feet from the curb.
Typically, the overhead wires are above the curb...if not you should move your tree a couple of feet further away. As it matures, you don’t want the city or utility company to remove it or take large sections out of the canopy. That would be wasted money and effort. One of the biggest factors you should consider when purchasing a tree is the canopy. Trimming it for a wire will lessen its beauty.
7. To help the tree get enough moisture year round, we added an eyebrow retaining wall. It will create a terrace of sorts for the base of the tree, which will help it to grow straight and prevent water runoff.
8. We decided to make a wall that was eight feet long and three feet back from the center of the tree. We marked several of the points with stakes then used a garden hose to create a line for digging. It should be about one to two feet tall at the highest point.
9. The stable clay soil in our area helped us during construction of the wall. It allowed us to dig without the dirt falling back on top.
10. Since our wall was going to be tapered and not very tall, we didn’t need to back fill it with angular stone. However, we did add a thin layer of gravel underneath the first layer to help with drainage. It’s very important that the first row of brick is as level as possible. We want the wall lines to be straight so any variance in the brick line will be noticeable. We filled each brick with some gravel to hold it in place and then formed the dirt slope back in around the new wall.
11. Early spring and early fall are the best times to plant balled trees. Dig a pit twice as large as the root ball, but only as deep as the ball itself. A much higher percentage of roots grow out rather than down.
12. Let’s plant! Recent studies have shown that adding fertilizer, peat moss, manure or other amendments is unnecessary.
13. Once in the hole, we partially backfilled it with soil and watered thoroughly. Once it soaked in, we backfilled completely. We made a saucer around the edge and filled it with water. We filled it again the following day.
14. The first year we’ll monitor the tree’s water supply and use a soaker hose in dry periods. A finishing touch of hardwood mulch around the base and we’ve added year round beauty to the landscape, value to the property and a little privacy.
