Trees Ideas, Tips & Guides

Due to their size and expense, gardeners tend to put a lot more thought into the trees they ultimately buy for their landscape. While a perennial might only live for 6 or 7 years, a tree might grace your garden for 50 years or more—outliving the person who so carefully selected it, in fact. Here at Fine Gardening, we feel strongly that trees should look good in more than one season (for all of the reasons above AND because they take up a lot of real estate). Therefore, on today’s episode, we may be highlighting our favorite flowering trees for every season, but these choices have more going for them than just some fleeting blooms. Listen to hear about which trees we’re willing to sacrifice a chunk of our paycheck on and why.    

Oak trees are massive and represent tons of good things. They also have cultural ties which makes these Oak Tree Tattoo Ideas one of the best inks you can get. Stay tuned to learn about these.

Have you ever seen Plants That Are Growing Out Of Some Truly Strange Places? Well, you’re about to see some cool ones growing in places you never could have imagined. Here goes.

What caused this small, toothpick-like mass of sawdust to protrude from the trunk of this stressed peach tree?

Carson Downing, Annie Schlechter, Adam Albright

Good things come to those who wait, and this is especially true when establishing young fruit trees. Pruning to encourage proper branching structure and the production of high-quality fruit requires a great deal of patience, proper cultural care, and a keen eye for detail.

If you’re a sun-loving gardener, finding yourself presented with a woodland garden or an otherwise shaded area of the landscape can feel a little overwhelming, and maybe even disappointing. But as soon as you discover the multitude of wonderful lush and leafy plants that actually prefer to grow in shade here in the Pacific Northwest, you’re going to start wishing you had a few more sun-deficient areas to plant up.

Straddling the seasons, rhododendrons are the buxom queens of spring, leading us into the floriferous summer months without any subtlety. They can grow into vast shrubs that, in bloom, are wondrous clouds of colour formed of handful-sized flowerheads.

When we think cherry blossoms, we picture a large tree full of flowers in the garden. What if you don’t have a yard, but you still dream of having one? Well, it is possible and I’ll tell you how!

The HGIC Visit to Riverbanks Botanical Garden in Columbia ~Part 2~ This is a beautiful place to bring the whole family. There’s a 3-acre interactive Children’s Garden that features a dino dig, giant tree houses, splash zones, and more. Plant a visit soon!

A pattern has emerged that I do not understand. On planting a new plum tree, it takes a couple of years to establish and then flowers and bears fruit for several years, whereupon it stops flowering altogether and just puts on growth. The same thing has happened with damsons and greengages, but apples and medlar in the same area are trouble free. My orchard sits on light, sandy, well-drained soil; the ground is manured at planting and a 1m grass-free circle is around each tree for its first five years. Have you any suggestions to get the trees reflowering? NH

The English walnut (Juglans regia) is a non-native deciduous tree that has been grown in the UK since Roman times. Although most trees are planted, self-sown trees do sometimes appear in warmer areas. Originating from southern Europe and parts of Asia, English walnut can now be found growing across the UK.

It’s springtime, and the trees and flowers are finally starting to bloom again. But what if you’ve got a tree or two in your yard that isn’t growing leaves like it normally would? Well, that might mean you have a zombie tree.

Leyland cypress (x Cuprocyparis leylandii) is a fast-growing conifer with dense, evergreen, green or golden yellow foliage. It’s a popular choice for hedging but it can easily grow out of control, reaching heights of up to 40m, and then cannot be re-shaped to a neat hedge. It’s a common source of neighbourly disputes, thanks to blocked light.

Some of the most common trees that look like a fern are yellow jacaranda, elephant ear tree, rain tree, and tamarind tree. But wait! We have many more!

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Sweet-scented and soft-petalled, peonies are one of the world's favourite flowers. Though they tend to have a short but glorious blooming season peaking in May, peonies are likely to appear in flower shops and on farm stands from late March. With a myriad variety of the flower – herbaceous, tree and the enormous hybrid of the two – there are many ways to grow and care for these lovely flowers. If treated well from the outset, in fact, each type of peony will continue to flower for more than half a century.

Jay Wilde

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Have you ever wondered, holding a bar of Hershey’s in your hand, Is Chocolate a Fruit or Vegetable? If you ever did, today is your day where we’ll solve the mystery for you!

The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), also known as the locust bean tree, is a perennial tree native to the Mediterranean, where it has been cultivated for centuries. It has attractive, leathery, dark-green evergreen leaves, small scented flowers and edible pods. Carob seeds are so consistently similar in weight that they became a standard measure of weight for precious items such as jewels and gold. If a jewel balanced the scales with five carob seeds on the other side, it was said to weigh ‘5 carobs’, which became ‘5 carats’. This figure is still used today, with one carat equal to 200 milligrams.

The ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is an eye-catching and low-maintenance house plant. Despite its name, it’s not a true palm but belongs to the Asparagaceae family. Originating from Mexico, it’s also known as Nolina (its former genus name), the elephant’s foot tree or bottle palm due to its swollen trunk base. Its unique appearance, resilience and ease of care make it an excellent choice for beginner and experienced gardeners.

Each ginkgo leaf has its own special meaning, so find the perfect design to express yourself. From detailed to simple, there’s something for everyone!

Ambrosia beetles are common, tiny (only about 1/16” long), and can infest hundreds of different woody plant species. In South Carolina, these little beetles typically infest stressed trees, vines, or shrubs. Females will bore into stems and branches, creating a gallery. Beetles carry fungi on their bodies, and this fungus then grows inside the galleries, often appearing as white, gray, or black. The beetles feed on the fungus that grows inside the galleries.

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A farm turned garden near Toledo in Spain by landscape designer Fernando Martos

The monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) is a large evergreen tree with a distinctive shape – its often horizontal branches are covered in spirals of sharp, triangular leaves. When mature, trees produce large cones at the tips of the branches. 

I am often asked by clients if I can make their small garden feel bigger. There are some easy tricks that will help. You can create a journey by changing the direction of a path or introduce a level change. Reflections that trick the eyes, false entrances, hidden zones and borrowed landscapes will also help to make your garden feel larger. Even a balcony can feel more spacious if you keep the floor space clear, avoid too much clutter and use the vertical surfaces for planting. Wall mirrors can trick the eye into thinking the space is bigger, too. Or, if you want to be creative, how about painting a landscape mural on a wall or commissioning an artist to do this?

I Have always thought that the best gardens are those that make people happy and comfortable. Sure, great gardens look good, but they have to feel good too. The gardens that I admire most are relaxing, easy to move through, and not too hard to maintain. Paths and structures must be simple to navigate, while the plants selected must provide interest and serve a function without being bullies or prima donnas. As a landscape architect, I tackle these issues of comfort and utility every day. Here are seven practical tips that have helped me create enjoyable, livable gardens for myself and my clients.

How to Identify and Manage Common Japanese Maple Diseases

No matter how large or small a garden is, there’s nothing like a few new plants to make the gardener’s heart sing. We’ve looked over the introductions for 2024 and found some we think you’ll love as much as we do. From jaw-dropping flowers to fabulous foliage and a few tasty edibles, there’s sure to be a plant (or several) that will have friends asking, “Where did you get that?” The challenge with new introductions is that numbers are often limited the first year, so it can be a bit of a challenge to find them at garden centers or online nurseries. So shop early and don’t give up; these gorgeous new plants are sure to be around next year too.

Like many of us, I’m on a quest to be more environmentally friendly. It’s something that can be tricky with a busy family of four, but the best hacks I’ve found are the ones that seamlessly replace one item with something naturally less wasteful. It’s one reason I’m an official convert to wool dryer balls, after all. 

If you’ve run into a garden rut, we’ve got you covered. It’s time to start planning for your first trip to the local nursery or garden center. What plants will you need for a new garden area? Are you noticing a lack of excitement or color outside (we call this the midspring slump)? Just itching for an exciting new addition to a well-established bed? Now is the time to make a list of the perennials, shrubs, and/or trees that will fill those needs.

If you’ve run into a garden rut, we’ve got you covered. It’s time to start planning for your first trip to the local nursery or garden center. What plants will you need for a new garden area? Are you noticing a lack of excitement or color outside (we call this the midspring slump)? Just itching for an exciting new addition to a well-established bed? Now is the time to make a list of the perennials, shrubs, and/or trees that will fill those needs.

Pears are very ornamental trees, bearing attractive spring blossom and gorgeous autumn colour, and the addition of delicious home-grown pears is a bonus.

Even though our country is small, we have all kinds of climates just a short journey away from each other. Unfortunately, this can make gardening a bit of a guessing game, as some planting advice might not apply to your garden!