Current Tree Grower’s Diary Letters
Post your letters about trees here and I’ll do my best to help you find an answer! Keep in mind that I do not reply via email. I post my responses HERE in the hopes of SHARING with people who might have similar questions.
Disclaimer: I am not a tree expert, just a novice who has been studying trees for quite some time now. If you require an expert opinion, I suggest the forums over at TreeHelp.com or the tree forum at GardenWeb.
If you leave a letter, please state in the letter where you’re writing from so that we have a general idea of your climate zone. THANKS for all your encouragement and support!
Don’t forget to let us know where you’re writing from! City, town, or even a climate zone number will help! Thanks!
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Jules, you’ve barely changed a bit... on 
One thing... on 
My family calls me "the mamarazzi."
I have a persimmon tree, i was told.. i had no fruti this year..
But i swear they stink!
is it possible the trees stink? i saw your article about the pear tree…
The land lord cut them back when we moved in and now that they are full grown again, ugh..its been months i have been trying to find the source, but i swear its the trees..
Sorry — I don’t really know anything about persimmon trees. Try asking your question at the tree forums on Garden Web.
Hi Julie,
I have 12 baby ginkgos started from seeds this spring. They are all together in one flower pot right now. Stems have just gone from green to brown. All 12 are very healthy. I am looking for direction on what to do with them next. When my husband picked the seeds up last fall I never imagined they would actually sprout! We live in NW Ohio.
Thanks!
Michele
I believe your chances of success are reasonably good if you plant the seedlings once the height of summer has past. Plant them outside either in a protected area, or, for best results, plant them where you actually want them to grow so they never have to be transplanted. Surround the seedlings with deer cage or netting to protect them for a few years. For lots of great information on growing gingko trees from seeds, go here. Hope this helps!
hi julie, i was hoping you could answer a question for me. i have 54 arborvitae trees in my yard and they are doing pretty ,some are growing faster than others. my question was if i prune the tops of them will it help them get wider. i planted them about 3 feet apart and my goal is for them to eventually grow together to form a natural barrier. they are 5 to 7 feet tall rite now. how tall will they get and will they eventually grow together.please e-mail thanx tom
If you cut the tops they’ll get wider and they won’t really grow in the conical form anymore. Not sure how tall they’ll get. I think that depends on SO many things — amount of sunlight, nutrients, moisture, room to grow, angle of sunlight, propensity to deer or other predators, damaging snow. I think in general if you didn’t cut the tops they can grow to 30 feet in absolutely perfect growing conditions. So with proper care and if planted in the perfect spot, I’m betting pruned ones could grow to 15 feet tall. Hope that helps, and remember, it’s really just an educated guess.
It is a rare tree that will satisfy your needs throughout its entire life span. A tree can outgrow its original purpose very quickly or grow into its intended purpose very slowly. Understanding this concept is the key to proper tree planting in your yard.In my opinion, evergreen trees would be the best trees to plant if the object was to combat global warming because the evergreens convert carbon dioxide to oxygen all year round, whereas many other trees eliminate carbon dioxide.
I came upon your site when I was reading about wild black cherries…there are a few of these trees in my neighborhood -also NJ-(and I have run across them in some parks). I hope that you still have your tree. These are the most delicious fruits! The ones that I can reach, I eat. They are superb this year. Cherries are full of anti-oxidants. These are about 50x more flavorful than the the bings in the grocery store. Your neighbors are missing out. I was also reading about purslane today- we spend lots of time and $$$ killing it. Turns out it is highly nutritious- omega3s… and a good salad green.
Julie,
Your website is stunning. The information is amazing and entertaining to read. We are “tree people” and have many different varieties in our small Medford, MA yard… 2 gingkos, 1 golden rain, 2 redbuds (although they bloom white), a weeping cherry (that has never weeped and grows up) a kousa dogwood, a lace bark elm, a river birch, 5 generic maples and a crab apple tree! We also have about a dozen Buckeye trees growing in pots that my husband and son have grown from seeds we found in Harvard, MA. (See, I told you we were tree people…) Our neighbor recently cut down the 70 foot maple that was in her yard on the property line BUT provided our backyard with ALL of our shade and our privacy from a busy road. We are now on a new tree mission. Our criteria: must grow fast, must love full sun and must provide shade and privacy. We have been struggling with the decision between an October Glory and a Zelkova. I was leaning towards the Zelkova since it is beetle resistant but found your website and your October Glory photos are AMAZING, AMAZING and seem to be just what we want. I was wondering if you had any photos of how the Zelkovas that you photographed are doing now… I wonder if they have gotten as big…decisions, decisions.
Thank you for your beautiful site and for sharing your insight.
Best,
Gwen
Wow! Thanks, Gwen.
Actually, just the other day I was marveling at how well the zelkovas at Borough Hall have been doing. The ones planted in the planting beds (as opposed to the sidewalk cuts) are doing great! I’ll post some new pictures for you soon. Be sure to check back! (It’s not a good time to plant right now anyway — wait until fall!) Oh, by the way, so sorry your neighbor cut down your shade. That makes me sad. Here’s the thing about the October Glory — I’ll be posting pictures of the icky surface roots soon. I’m really not too crazy about that.
Hi Julie,
Thank you for your reply. I have been having such fun reading your amazing blog and came across your Beech journal. You know, we feel the exact same way about our neighbor cutting down “our” tree as you did about that one. Just the same.
We know that it is a bad time of year to plant a tree. My dad taught me, “Never plant a tree unless the month has an R in it.” However, we are convincing ourselves that a tree would be better in the ground at our house getting lots and lots of water than in a burlap ball sitting on asphalt at the garden center. (See how convincing we can be?) Our local nursery has a sold tag on a Zelkova and an OG for us… we just have to decide (they are nice like that). So hard to decide, as they are both great choices. I admit that the rapid growth and spread of your OG is really swaying us. Thanks for the heads up about the surface roots; I’ll look into that some more.
I will absolutely check back to see more pics…
Best,
Gwen
Here’s a little English proverb for you:
“He who plants a tree loves others besides himself.”
If I were going to plant a new tree right now, and wanted a fast-growing shade tree, I’d plant a Japanese zelkova. Why? Because I went to Japan and saw many old-growth zelkovas there. Something about it said “good tree” to me, because the Japanese people are so careful about their trees and gardens.
That said, the fall color of the October Glory red maple is stunning. So if I were you, I’d be thinking a lot about what other fall colors are dominant in the yard. Plus, the OG stays red for a good month around here. I don’t know that I ever tracked how long the zelkovas hold their color, but I’m sure it’s not a month. (The ones at Borough Hall are mostly orange and yellowish in fall, which is actually quite nice.)
I’ll ride my bike up there in a bit to get a growth shot for you.
Thank you for your thoughts… considering how beautiful your OG is… that means something. We are having a patio put in the back yard later in the fall and the thought of very present surface roots coupled with a patio not far from the base of the tree makes me think that may not be the wisest choice. I will look forward to the growth shots. THANK YOU!!!
Hi Julie,
After MUCH back and forth, we bought our Zelkova this morning. It’s 4 calipers, straight and tall and a real beauty. I can’t wait to get her in the back yard. I’ll post a photo when it is installed. For now she is sitting at the nursery center with a big SOLD tag on her.
I feel really happy about our decision, thanks for all ofyour insight.
Best,
Gwen
It’s my wish to have time for myself one day and to plant some summer maple trees. But for now, I’m only limited to see it in pictures here in my desktop.