Trees for Fall Planting

                This is a great time of year for putting in trees and shrubs.  Our fall and winter seasons allow the new plants to establish themselves and concentrate on root growth before the stress of our hot, dry summer season.   To get you in the spirit of planting, I thought I’d give you some ideas for trees that do well here on the edge of the Edward’s Plateau.  Our soil is thin, very alkaline, and full of rocks.  That means that some plants will just not do well here.  Soil moisture can be a challenge – especially in the hot summer months.   If you are going to invest in a medium or large shade tree, you want it to survive.  Here are some suggestions.  Please note that I am adding the Latin names.  There is confusion and mislabeling – especially among the oaks.  So, be sure your nursery uses the Latin names so you know what you are getting. 

                There are several oak trees that are less susceptible to Oak Wilt than our red oaks and live oaks.  You probably already have red and live oaks on your property and may want to add some diversity to your landscape.  The Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) produces large, deeply lobed leaves and huge acorns.  The Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muhlenbergii) tends to grow tall and slender with glossy, dark green leaves.  A faster growing, though smaller, native oak that is becoming quite popular is the Mexican White Oak or Monterrey Oak (Quercus polymorpha).   The Lacey Oak (Quercus laceyi) has peachy colored new growth in spring and returns to a peachy color in fall.  It, too, is a smaller tree.  All four are native to Texas, tolerate our alkaline, rocky soil, and, once established, tolerate our periodic droughts. 

                Another tough native Texas tree is the Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia).  It will grow as large as live oaks and provide a nice shade tree.  It has a little golden fall color before losing its leaves. 

                There are a couple of overlooked natives that can grow to medium-sized trees.  Eve’s Necklace (Sophora affinis) grows well in shade, has lovely pink flowers in the spring followed by the beaded pod that gives the tree its common name.  Anaqua or Sandpaper tree (Ehretia anacua) is an interesting tree with leaves that feel like sandpaper (not good eating for deer).  It gets white flowers and red/orange berries.  Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) is not well liked by ranchers, but is a nice, fast growing shade tree that is very drought tolerant.  It is a great choice for an area that has lots of sun, poor soil, and no irrigation. 

Native Texas Plants by Sally and Andy Wasowski is a great book for pictures and more information about these and many other native trees and plants.

Check out these websites for more ideas and planting information:  http://www.texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/,  www.wildflower.org,  http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/growgreen/. 

Local Nurseries that carry native trees and plants include:  Hill Country Gardener in New Braunfels (hillcountrygardens.com), Madrone Nursery in San Marcos (madronenursery.com), and The Natural Gardener in Austin (naturalgardeneraustin.com).  Also, check out the Sattler Ace Hardware.  They have been working with the Native Plant Society of Texas to increase the number of native plants that they carry.

The local Native Plant Society of Texas for Comal County and for Boerne both have plant sales periodically.  Watch for these sales in the spring and fall.  Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center has plant sales in April and October up in Austin.