Fall is the time to plant trees in the North State and a special edition of In a North State Garden aired this past Thursday, October 22nd, specifically discussing choosing, planting, and caring for trees in your North State garden. Two guest experts joined me to answer your tree questions and to discuss trees in the garden in general. It was a fascinating conversation, and I hope to have the podcast of the show up at Jewellgarden.com in a week or so. Photo: The gnarled evocative branches of an old oak tree.

My guests included: Scot Wineland, a certified arborist and owner of Wineland Walnut based in Chico since the 1970s, whose tree health and care consultations span the globe; and, Gerry Ingco, a retired forester who has 30 + years working in state parks and national forests, including a long tenure in the Plumas National Forest. Gerry is currently an active member of the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Photo: A man attending a recent Gardening and Sustainability symposium sponsored by the Mediterranean Garden Society in Santa Barbara.

Among many beneficial attributes, trees and forests (including our urban forests) comprise the globe’s second largest carbon reservoirs, after oceans. Trees absorb harmful carbon dioxide and emit beneficial oxygen - and as such they are critical to the health and well-being of our planet. Photo: The brilliant purple blooms of a native western red bud in bloom in January or February.

As gardeners or naturalists, trees hold a special charm for us – they form the protective and life- sustaining canopy in our forests, they are integral to our sense of place and space wherever we live. Think of the northeast and you think perhaps of sugar maples, copper beeches and hemlocks. Think of Northern California and tall mottled sycamores, petite and spring-blooming red buds, sculptural cypress, towering ponderosas and of course our iconic mighty oaks may come to mind. Photo: A line of red-leaved trees form a strong focal point and backdrop in the gardens of Cory’s Country Inn in Chico.

Beyond beauty and regional identity – in a well-designed garden, trees are often referred to as the “backbone” of a garden – creating a sense of architecture, punctuation and drama.

Because trees are large, sometimes expensive, often slow growing and with good care and maintenance they are very long lived – trees are important long-term investments in our gardens. The choosing and placing of them call for careful thought and consideration.

In the North State we have myriad choices of native and good non-native trees that will thrive in our gardens – but how do we start choosing the right tree for your garden. Two points that Scot and Gerry felt very strongly about were: 1. Start with small trees 5 gallon or smaller, and you will have happier, healthier trees; 2. Make sure to water your tree weekly for the first 18 months. Photo: Native dogwood blooming in the Sierra Nevada in late May.

Here are some additional criteria for thinking about before heading out to the nursery to make your purchases:

Function: Consider WHY you want a tree and this will help you to determine what tree will serve. Do you want it for: shade, height, habitat, privacy, fall color, spring bloom, fruit production?

Site: Once you have determined what the function of the tree will be, you may or may not have the site in mind, for instance if you want the tree for privacy, you will know where it needs to be located to provide that, but if the function does not pre-determine the site, then consider the site taking into account where you might have room and how a tree would affect that space. For instance, you may not want a large deciduous tree right beside your pool; you may not want a fruiting persimmon tree right next to your driveway. Photo: Deep red fall color of a Japanese maple.

Site Specifics: Once you have site in mind, evaluate the specifics of the site to help narrow down your choice of tree. Specifics will include: how much yard space do you have in this spot - space around the tree site, space above the tree site, and space below - meaning is it near a septic tank? A foundation? Water lines? Because if so, you will want to choose a tree carefully with those underground obstacles in mind. Photo: The spokes of a mature palm tree.

Site specifics also include the exposure of the site - morning sun, afternoon sun, all day or no sun? Reflected heat and light from concrete slabs or the siding of a building should be taken into consideration. The amount of water the site naturally gets and/or retains should also be taken into consideration: is it on the top of a slope or on the bottom of a slope? Is it naturally wet or very dry? Photo: The twined limbs and shredding bark of a eucalyptus.

And finally, the soil on the site should be considered. Is it rich and deep? Rocky and lean? Sandy or clay? While you can supplement or amend a site’s soil to a small extent, you are unlikely to be able to supplement enough to satisfy a tree. even small trees have root systems that stretch deep and wide and they will be far happier for far longer if you match your tree’s preferences to the soil you already have.

When you have observed and accumulated as much of this relevant information as you can, then start to look through gardening books, catalogues, websites or your local nursery for trees you like and have your list in mind. Read the tree labels and start a list of possibilities that meet your site’s conditions until you find the tree that is right for you.

Planting: Once you have your tree - you’ll need to plant it. Scot Wineland was particularly emphatic about being sure to plant your tree “proud,” meaning that its crown should sit up a bit from the surrounding soil - maybe 2 - 3 inches so that it looks like you planted it on a small mound. This way, especially with our winter wet/summer dry conditions, water drains away from the tree’s crown and out to its peripheral roots rather than getting caught and pooling around the trunk, which would only promote fungus and pests in the bark and crown. Scot recommended digging a hole twice as wide and about as deep as your tree’s root ball, and then mixing in about 1/3 organic material/compost with your existing soil to fill in the hole. If you can find compost or planting mix that has beneficial mycorrhizae, which will help the tree’s roots to draw nutrients from the soil that much faster, all the better. If the tree is tall, you will want to stake it for the first year and tie the tree to the stake so that it is supported, but not so tightly that it cannot move at all. Some movement from wind will encourage the tree to send out its own support roots more quickly. Make sure you use soft bands rather than something small or sharp like wire that will cut into the young bark. Within a year, remove the stakes that are stabilizing it.Photo: An alleé of mature sweet almonds, which provide structure, fruit and spring bloom.

While most trees are drought tolerant, this is really only true after they have become “established” and started sending out new roots. In general, you will want to water the tree in really well when you first plant it and for the next 2 - 3 days. Then following what the soil around the tree looks like, move to watering it deeply twice a week and in about a month you can move to watering deeply once a week unless hot, dry or very windy conditions require additional watering. In a few months, again following what the soil around the tree and the trees itself is telling you, begin to deep water your tree once a month until it is about 18 months old. To help maintain even moisture, Scot recommends mulching beneath your tree’s canopy with a bark or wood chip mulch. Do not mulch heavily right next to the base of the tree as this could result in too much moisture build up and pests nesting or foraging into the tree’s bark or crown. Photo: Even “dead” trees serve many purposes in our forests and gardens. This “snag” serves as a house, habitat and store house where birds and other creatures place acorns and seeds for later use.

Long-term Maintenance: Once a tree is established, or if you are inheriting existing trees with your house, you will want to watch for its needs every year. Winter or early spring is generally a good time to look a tree over and prune as needed - taking small branches off the bottom of the tree. Cutting out dead branches or twigs. Cutting out branches that are rubbing against each other or crowding each other. In some cases, you might be best off to have an arborist consult with you on your trees and help you come up with a long-term care plan. Most good landscaping companies will have tree care experts to work with you, and you can find certified arborists in your area at the International Society of Arboriculture: http://www.isa-arbor.com. Photo: A shapely ornamental pear provides nice spring bloom, summer shade and a burnt red fall color, with minimal maintenance or mess.

In the North State, we are blessed with some wonderful tree resources. For viewing different kinds of trees growing in garden-like settings, try the Dunsmuir Botanical Garden in Dunsmuir, the McConnell Arboretum in Redding, the CSU, Chico Arboretum on the university’s campus and for which there is a great map of trees available in the gift shop of the Bidwell Mansion State Park and the little known but fascinating, United States Government Forest Service: Chico Genetic Resource Center 2741 Kramer Lane also in Chico (530) 934-3316, where the forest service has planted and studies many, many different species of trees and which is open to the public for walking and viewing. ?A little further south, the UC Davis Arboretum is another great resource for learning about and seeing trees at their mature sizes and heights and shapes. More information on all of these resources can be found on the Links and Resources page of Jewellgarden.com.

Pruning is an art in and of itself and while there are many good books written and illustrated on the topic, however this is one of those garden skills that is somehow better learned when demonstrated in person. As Gerry Ingco said to me during the airing of the show last week, “People are scared to hurt their trees and they end up loving them to death with under pruning or overwatering!”

Some upcoming tree events in our area include a tree planting and care program in the City of Redding on November 14th run by Rico Montenegro, a certified arborist in the Redding area who works with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation around the world. He regularly teaches fruit tree care and maintenance workshops in January and February at Wyntour Gardens in Redding and takes field trips up to an old restored apple orchard in Whiskeytown.

Further south in Oroville, Carl Rosato of Woodleaf Farm is another great source of information on the planting and long-term care of fruit trees.

Look for upcoming winter classes and workshops on the pruning and feeding of trees - fruiting and ornamental - around the region in the Calendar of Regional Gardening Events at Jewellgarden.com.

Planting or caring for a tree is an leap of faith and an act of hope in a future worth investing in. Go ahead - take the leap. You’ll be happier, the planet will be happier.

Interested in some additional reading on good trees for Northern California? Check out the books below. All of my reading recommendations are available in stock (or by special order for the more expensive ones) at Lyon Books in Chico. You can order on-line and they are happy to ship. You can always try our wonderful public libraries for these books as well:

Trees for all Seasons, by Sean Hogan. Timber Press, 2008.

Sibley Guide to Trees. Knopf, 2009.

Trees and Shrubs of California, by John D. Stuart and John O. Sawyer. University of California Press, 2001.

A Natural History of North American Trees, by Donald Culross Peattie. Hougton, Mifflin 2007

Sunset Western Garden Book

If you would like to be added to my weekly email list and receive information about upcoming programs and gardening events, email me at: jennifer@jewellgarden.com, with Add to Mailing List as the subject line.

In a North State Garden is a weekly radio- and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in California’s North State region. It is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell - all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In A North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio KCHO/KFPR radio, Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time and is supported in part by the Gateway Science Museum - on the campus of CSU, Chico. Podcasts of past shows are available here.

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