101
COUNTRY GARDENS // FA LL 2019
SMALL TREE: Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’,
the fernleaf full moon Japanese maple, will
cause visitors to swoon. It usually grows as a
multitrunk tree, often as wide as it is tall. Its
foliage emerges apple green, a lovely contrast
to the small red flowers. The leaves are deeply
dissected, although with a more substantial
texture than many A. palmatum cultivars.
Autumn color is shocking orange and scarlet,
creating a fabulous show. This fernleaf maple
grows to about 15 feet high and 10 feet wide.
It prefers light shade.
MEDIUM TREE: The Japanese stewartia
(Stewartia pseudocamellia) reveals its beauty
in every season. It’s a tidy-looking tree with
an upright structure and branches held
almost horizontal. In spring, glossy oval
leaves with pointed tips emerge. The summer
show comes when its white camellialike
flowers emerge from upright balls that look
like lollipops. Autumn brings fiery foliage in
shades of orange and red. Throughout winter
the bare stems provide their own interest.
As it matures, the bark develops a mosaic
look of pink, tan, and gray. Plant it alone or
with showy shrubs such as the smoke bush
(Cotinus). Japanese stewartia grows to about
25 feet high and 12 feet wide and performs
best in full sun or in open shade.
LARGE TREE: Make a magnificent statement
with the katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum
japonicum). It leafs out with small, heart-
shape foliage tinted red that turns blue-
green as it settles into summer. In autumn,
as the foliage turns a pleasing butter yellow,
you will breathe in its scent, which people
interpret in their own way: crème brûlée,
strawberries, cotton candy, and more. Great
at the edge of a woodland setting where it
can be a counterpoint to the usual Northwest
evergreen look, it grows best in full sun and
with room to spread to its ultimate size: 60
feet high and 50 feet wide.
SMALL TREE: Sweet bay magnolia (Magnolia
virginiana) deserves a spot near the porch,
where you can appreciate the fragrance
of its creamy white flowers from early
summer through fall. Sweet bay is a native,
multistemmed evergreen or semievergreen
tree. Light green leaves display a flash of
silver in a breeze. The leaves are a food source
for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars, and birds
pluck out the bright red seeds. Sweet bay
thrives in sun, tolerates shade, and does not
mind a damp spot. It grows to 20–60 feet tall.
If your sweet bay outgrows its place, cut it to
the ground. It will come back from the roots.
MEDIUM TREE: Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
is a native tree whose bright yellow flowers
light up the landscape in early spring. Birds
quickly gobble up the seeds on female trees
in late summer, and the tree’s charming,
irregular mitten-shape leaves turn scarlet in
early fall. Sassafras does well in sun or part
shade. It’s a great tree for a woodland edge.
It’s hard to find in the nursery trade, but I just
spotted three sellers on etsy.com. Despite
suggestions to the contrary, saplings are not
difficult to transplant. Sassafras trees grow
30–60 feet tall.
LARGE TREE: Allow me to recommend
planting a majestic native oak tree as a gift
to yourself and future generations. Live oak
(Quercus virginiana), white oak (Q. alba),
and willow oak (Q. phellos) are three of my
favorites. Evergreen live oaks grow up to
50 feet tall and more than 100 feet wide. They
are known to live for centuries. White oaks
grow up to 100 feet tall with a canopy at least
as wide; in a country garden, such a tree is a
strong and enduring landmark. Willow oaks
are perhaps the most appropriate of these
for smaller properties—they even make fine
street trees. All these oaks support huge
populations of birds, insects, and butterflies.
Let a mighty oak be your legacy tree.
SMALL TREE: The Palo Blanco (Acacia
willardiana) is a wisp of a tree—skinny, with
bright white exfoliating bark that peels off in
scrolls large enough to write thank-you notes
on. Its weeping shoestringlike foliage hangs
narrowly enough to be wedged into small
gardens. Even big specimens will only get
10–15 feet wide and slightly taller. I like to
plant it in “grovettes” of three, surrounded by
boulders with cactus and agave plants in the
understory. It has limited cold tolerance, so
take care to place this heat-lover where it gets
south or southwest exposure.
MEDIUM TREE: The desert willow (Chilopsis
linearis) is a champion at attracting
pollinators. In late spring, tubular flowers
form, which—depending on the species—
range in color from white to pink to burgundy.
The sweetly scented buds and flowers
attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Desert willows are bred for size, flower color,
and lack of seedpods. My favorites include
Lucretia Hamilton (small size, burgundy
flowers), Timeless Beauty (no seedpods,
tricolor flowers), and Bubba (larger leaves
and flowers). Plan for your tree to reach
15–25 feet tall and wide, depending on the
selection. Desert willows are also excellent for
planting in rainwater detention basins. They
are deciduous but their gray to black trunks
remain attractive in winter.
LARGE TREE: When it comes to larger trees,
velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) stands
out. Its shaggy bark and twisted branches
eventually form a 25–35-foot-wide umbrella
of filtered shade—great for either outdoor
living or understory plantings. Annual pruning
will provide you with sweet-smelling barbecue
wood. Velvet mesquite trees can be placed
in and around rainwater basins. Expect old
mature trees to reach about 35 feet tall and
wide. Plants that enjoy the microclimate
beneath mesquite canopies include salvia
species and twin-flowered agave.
Marty Wingate writes and
gardens in Seattle, when she
isn’t leading a garden tour to
European or North American
destinations.
Marty Ross is a syndicated
gardening columnist for
Universal Uclick. She gardens
and writes about gardens,
gardeners, and gardening from
her home in Tidewater, Virginia.
Scott Calhoun, a fourth-
generation Arizonan, is a
garden designer and writer
living in Tucson.
NORTHWEST SOUTHEAST SOUTHWEST
Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ Live oak (Quercus virginiana) Palo Blanco (Acacia willardiana)
SOUTHWEST TREE PHOTOS BY
SCOTT CALHOUN
