Celebrate Arbor Day – Plant A Tree

In the world of trees, April is the month for Arbor Day and planting trees.  Julius Sterling Morton started Arbor Day in April of 1872 in Nebraska.  Today, Arbor Day is recognized in every state on various dates, usually coinciding with a good time of year to plant trees.  In Colorado, Arbor Day is celebrated the third Friday in April.  In 2016 Arbor Day is on April 15.  Many cities plan events to celebrate Arbor Day.

In the spring we often think of adding a flowering tree to our landscape.  Some varieties of Hawthornsand Crabapples offer both flowering and great fall color.  Here are two trees to consider:

Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn – This is a short, wide-spreading tree with dense branching.  The mature height is 20 feet with a spread of 15 feet.  As the name implies, this Hawthorn has no thorns. It has single white flowers, followed by dark red small fuit that persists into late fall, remaining on the tree as a great accent from fall into winter.  The fall leaf color is yellow to orange.  This a great stand-alone tree in any landscape but especially good for xeriscapes.

Brandywine Flowering Crabapple – This tree grows to 20 feet with a spread of 25 feet.  It has beautiful double, rosy-pink blossoms.  The fruit does not persist and starts to drop in mid-summer.  New leaf growth is bronze changing to green in summer and it has a reddish fall color.  This variety of Crabapple has excellent fireblight resistance.