By Bill Ward
Published in The Boerne Star on December 31, 2004
Project NICE! (Natives Instead of the Common Exotics!) will not choose a specific Plant of the Month for January. Instead, we’ll recommend Plants of the Month, namely native trees.
We want to call attention to the fact that in the Hill Country the ideal time for planting trees stretches from fall through winter.
Although trees can be planted almost any time of year in this area, spring-planted trees may not get established soon enough to survive easily a hot, dry summer. Native vegetation usually suffers much more during the Hill Country summers than during the winters.
Many people are not inclined to purchase trees in the winter, because leafless branches are not attractive. However, those ugly ducklings of winter turn to beautiful swans in the spring.
Besides that, during the winter some nurseries have sales on trees, therefore winter may be the most economical time to plant trees.
The Boerne chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas has devoted most of its proceeds from fund-raisers to the purchase of native trees for planting in public places in Boerne.
The first of these trees were planted on the new hike-and-bike trail at the Blanco Street crossing. During January, other trees will be planted on the trail near the intersection of Esser and River Road (Highway 46).
One of the trees we hope to spread around the city is big-toothed maple (Acer grandentatum). After all, the City of Boerne lies within the natural range of this tree.
Of necessity, this is a long-term project, the fruits of which will be enjoyed more by future generations than by those doing NATIVE GROWN the planting.
Our vision is that one day in the future, the streets of Boerne may be almost as well known for spectacular fall foliage as Lost Maples State Natural Area.
Another native that gives spectacular fall color is the prairie flameleaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata). This hardy plant grows from shrub to small tree in just a few years.
We planted two flameleaf sumacs and a bigtooth maple within the same line of view from our kitchen table. Several days every fall, the foreground color of these trees is set against background hills spotted with red and orange clumps of red oaks. Fall is very nice from that window.
A couple of medium-sized blooms during early spring are Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis var. texensis) and Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana). Both of these are fairly fast-growing, easy to cultivate and available in many nurseries.
Another spring favorite is golden-ball lead tree (Leucaena retusa), a small tree that grows fairly fast in well-drained landscapes. This non-thorny legume has tiny bright-golden flowers packed into rounded heads up to an inch and a half in diameter. It may bloom sporadically from late spring through fall.
With oak wilt an ever-growing problem in this area, it probably is wise to consider landscaping with oaks other than liveoaks and red oaks. Some handsome oaks that are resistant to oak wilt include bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), Lacey oak (Q. laceyi), chinquapin oak (Q. muhlenbergii) and post oak (Q. stellata). All of these thrive in the Boerne area.
There are many more native trees appropriate for using in home landscapes. Talk to your local nursery people. They may have good deals during the winter.
Both the federal Arbor Day and Texas Arbor Day are officially the last Friday in April. Considering how soon after April the summer droughts come, maybe we should think about an earlier arbor day. Try planting trees in January.
