Our affection for native plants is growing. Nature lovers and friends of the environment are slowly ditching the likes of geraniums and gerbera daisies in favour of native wildflowers such as coneflowers and asters.
The variety of native Ontario wildflowers is immense, which bodes well for those looking to add native plants in their perennial gardens. Native plants suited for foundation plantings and ornamental gardens are harder to find.
Moving to native trees is relatively easy, because there are several good tree choices that grow just as well in the forest as they would in a backyard.
Tree nurseries are giving renewed attention to native trees. For the past several decades, tree growers who were on a continuing quest to create new and better varieties, are now focusing on growing more native trees.Not long ago trees such as Kentucky coffee-tree and hackberry tree were hardly recognized, but are now in high demand.
Kentucky coffee-tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is a rather rare tree that can be found growing in Michigan, towards New York, then south and west to Kentucky, Arkansas and Nebraska. In Canada, Kentucky coffee-tree is only found in a few pockets in Southwestern Ontario.
Kentucky coffee-tree is a large, stately tree, growing up to 25 metres. Its leaves are more than two feet long, divided twice into smaller leaflets that are only a few inches long. Kentucky coffee-tree has fist-sized seed pods that remain on the tree through most of winter. It likes to be planted in full sun, with rich well-drained soil.
Northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) is a fine-looking tree without striking characteristics. In the wild, it is found in Southwestern Ontario then north and east to Owen Sound and Ottawa. Hackberry is a tough-as-nails tree that grows in full sun to partial shade. It likes rich soil, as you would find in the forest, but is also very drought tolerant.
Hackberry produces fruit that can persist through winter, making it available for songbirds and robins until springtime. Hackberry is a well-behaved tree favoured by municipalities as a street tree.
American basswood (Tilia Americana) is another tree enjoying a comeback. Related to the recently popular linden tree, basswood has true green, large heart-shaped leaves that provide dense shade. Basswood produces light brown seeds attached to a bract that some would complain are difficult to clean up. Basswood likes water and is easily found deep in any Ontario forest where a thick layer of mulch retains soil moisture.
Other Ontario native trees that are suited for home landscapes include many varieties of oak, Canadian birch, American beech, hickory, tulip tree, sycamore and sugar maple. Native trees that may not be suited for our non-native environments include Manitoba maple, aspen, silver maple and willow.
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GARDEN CLIPPINGS: Some native trees making a comeback
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15.12.2023
Our affection for native plants is growing. Nature lovers and friends of the environment are slowly ditching the likes of geraniums and gerbera daisies in favour of native wildflowers such as coneflowers and asters.
The variety of native Ontario wildflowers is immense, which bodes well for those looking to add native plants in their perennial gardens. Native plants suited for foundation plantings and ornamental gardens are harder to find.
Moving to native trees is relatively easy, because there are several good tree choices that grow just as well in the forest as they would in a backyard.
Tree nurseries are giving renewed attention to native trees. For the past several decades, tree growers who were on a continuing quest to create new and better varieties, are now focusing on growing more native trees.Not long ago trees such as........
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