With all the summer storms, high winds and excess rain, there are many reports of uprooted and dying trees, along with multiple branches being tossed around on the ground, giving us an ever-changing landscape. And then we have multiple reports of emerald ash borer invading our area.
Fall is an excellent time to plant trees, so thought it would be a good time to pass along information from three University of Minnesota horticulturists on their take for climate-resilient landscape trees for Minnesota.
They report that these trees are likely to survive Minnesota’s winters and adapt to our changing climate conditions. These trees can be found at a garden or University of Minnesota campus near you. They can also be found at the Landscape Arboretum. Use the Arboretum’s plant finder tool to find their specific locations.
1. American Hornbeam: A mature size of 20-30 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide. Hardy in zones 3-9. Showy fruit and nice fall foliage and tolerates wet conditions, shade and soils with a high pH.
2. American Persimmon: Native to North America, hardy in zones 4-8. Can grow to be 35-60 feet tall and 20-35 feet wide. Showy flower; edible, attractive fruit; nice fall color and is appealing to wildlife. Can tolerate drought and soils with a high pH.
3. Bitternut Hickory: Minnesota native. Can reach heights of 50-70 feet and widths of 40-50 feet. Hardy in zones 4-9. Drought- and flood-tolerant and can grow in soils with a high pH. Attractive fruit, showy fall color and is beneficial to wildlife.
4. European Horse Chestnut: Hardy in zones 3-7. Gets to heights of 50-75 feet and widths of 40-65 feet. Showy flowers and fruit, attractive fall color and attracts wildlife. Tolerant of high soil pHs and road salt. (I have had this tree in my yard forever and love it — so do the squirrels. Had one in the front yard and must admit the nuts can be a mess in the fall unless you have a lot of squirrels to carry them off. Thanks to them, they have started several trees for me.)
5. Golden Glory Cherry Dogwood: Can get to be 15-20 feet high and wide. Hardy in zones 4-8 and has attractive flowers and fruit. Fruits are edible and beneficial for wildlife. Tolerates drought, floods and road salts.
6. Japanese White Pine: Grows to 25-50 feet high and wide. Hardy in zones 4-7. Produces showy fruit and tolerates drought, high pH soils and road salts.
7. Shingle Oak: Large tree up to 60 feet tall and 60 feet wide. Hardy in zones 4-8 with attractive acorns and nicely colored fall foliage. Drought and flood tolerant and can survive in high pH soils.
8. Three-Flowered Maple: Gets to 30 feet high and wide. Attractive fruits and bright orange to red fall foliage. Drought-tolerant and can handle exposure to road salts.
9. Umbrella Magnolia: A small tree, growing 15-30 feet tall and wide. Attractive flowers, fruits and fall color. Hardy in zones 4-8 and tolerant of wet conditions and high pH soils.
10. Yellow Birch: Maximum height and width of 75 feet, is hardy in zones 3-7. Has showy fruits and fall color. It is resilient in landscapes with wet or high pH soils.
A tree I would like to add to the list is hackberry. Perfect replacement for ash. Doesn’t grow as fast but isn’t messy like ash.
There seems to be a trend in all 10 of these trees — they are tolerant of high pH soils and most of them flower and fruit. Out of the above 10, I only have experience with the horse chestnut and it is one of my favorite trees.
Cried when I had to remove the 100+ year old one in front of the house. Gave such wonderful shade. Was taller than my two-story house and when it started growing mushrooms, realized it was hollow from ground level to six feet up. Lucky to have it removed before the wind blew it on the house. I still have several more. Seems to be a popular tree in southeast Kandiyohi County.
Master Gardener Sue Morris has been writing a column since 1991 for Kandiyohi County newspapers. Morris has been certified through the University of Minnesota as a gardening and horticulture expert since 1983. She lives in Kandiyohi County.
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