Spirea 101: Discover the Basics of the Spirea Flowering Shrub

Short days and cloudy weather are always hard on houseplants because of the lack of light, throw in some drier indoor air, drafts, and heaters, and your houseplants can start to look a little tired by this time of the year! Keep those plants looking their best with just a few key tips and reminders from Nature Hills Nursery! Winter Indoor Plant Care Acclimating Light Pruning Reduced Watering Fertility Repotting Humidity Drafts & Heaters Pests Warmth Get Indoor Gardening Success This Winter! Remember that indoor plants experience the seasons too! Even the most tropical plant has a ‘dormancy’ period with reduced growth, even if they do not drop their leaves and go completely bare as outdoor deciduous plants do. These tropical evergreen plants shut down and take a rest during the cooler months. Some even use this time to flower now that the brunt of the sun and heat are not taking its toll on their energies. Others are just getting done fruiting as is the case with Citrus. Regardless, indoor plants typically use less moisture, grow less, and take just a bit of a breather at this time. 1. Prepping For The Move If your houseplants are permanent indoor residents, you can skip this step. Often plants are being brought indoors from porches, decks, and patios, so a gradual moving indoors is best to help them acclimate to indoor environments. Being brought inside permanently without doing it in stages will be a shock to their systems and you’ll end up fighting leaf drop and even plant death. In the autumn, just as night temperatures begin to get cooler, start moving these plants into slightly shadier locations, bringing them indoors for colder nights and setting them by a bright window. Then move them back out for the days that are warm enough. The goal is to move them inside for longer periods before finally keeping them inside. The acclimation process should take a few weeks and the plants ready for a permanent winter location before the real cold sets in. Just before bringing in your plants for the year, give your plants a once over from top to bottom, checking under all the foliage and wiping down all surfaces. Give the soil a light spray of diluted vinegar/water to kill fungus gnat eggs or other pests (not enough to soak the soil completely, just wet the surface). This will help reduce any hitchhikers from being brought indoors. 2. Increased Light Needs Less light and shorter daylight hours mean loss of color, vigor, and reduced or leggier growth as plants stretch out to reach for the sun! If you are not able to provide a brighter, sunnier window for your indoor plant pet, then consider adding some greenhouse lighting, or a simple LED grow lamps, and open those shades a bit more to let in the light. Avoid direct sunlight for plants that are not used to it, if able - gradually move them into a brighter location. Those leaves can still get sunburnt and bleached out in the sun. Especially when pressed up against a window. 3. Winter Hair Cuts & Wash Their Locks Time for some plant pampering! Some plants coming from outdoors to be a houseplant for the winter may benefit from being trimmed back to eliminate the dense lush growth they accumulated during the growing season. This excess growth may be more difficult to acclimate and you may even not have room for it all inside! Removing this keeps the plant more space-saving, reduces the load on the roots, encourages branching if the plant is leggy, and saves you the heartbreak of watching the eventual leaf drop. Deadhead any spent blooms or seed pods, remove dead leaves and leaf litter, cut back dead branching, and shorten all the leggy growth. Snip the stems back by no more than a third, making clean cuts right above a leaf node or branched notch. Many of these trimmings can be rooted and become gifts, or expand your own houseplant collection! It's also a great idea to give your plants a shower in the sink or in your bathtub to wash off some of the dust from the winter months. Wipe down larger leaves with a soft cloth or paper towel and a tiny bit of vinegar in water to gently remove build-up and dust from the surfaces. (We’re talking a teaspoon of vinegar per gallon of water.) 4. Reduce Watering During these short days of slow growth you will find less watering will be required. Less growth at this time also means less water is used. So always use a moisture meter or the Finger Test before watering in the winter months. Root rot will take its toll quickly on a pot-confined plant. Increase the frequency that you check your plants, and closely monitor how much water you are adding versus how much is being shed through drainage. This is a great time to make sure your pots have adequate drainage and the drain holes are not clogged or plugged up.  Another great way to water, if your potted plants are small enough, is to set them into a bowl of water and let them soak up what they need before setting them somewhere to drain completely before setting them back into their usual locations. 5. Fertilizer It's rarely a good time to fertilize houseplants in the fall or winter, because they grow less. Hold off until spring before adding any additional fertility. For plants that are blooming and still growing, you can add a touch of diluted fertilizer for flowering plants, or slow-release fertilizer to the soil. Many times we are using water from the tap that can lead to calcium and other mineral build-up on the container edges and the top of the soil. Gently remove those crusty bits (so as not to disturb surface roots) and top off with a fresh layer of potting soil is more than enough to keep your plant's fertility levels in check. 6. Repotting Now is a great time to check on pot-bound plants, repot some that are getting a bit too snug in the root area, or top off their soil. For many plants, spring is best to repot, but for smaller plants and those in desperate need, winter repotting will be fine. But since there is less top growth, roots will still be hard at work growing, allowing the plant to adjust to its new pot a bit easier. Be vigilant on watering and watering checks since roots can take time to readjust. Haven’t repotted in a few years? Now is a great time to go up a size. Or just refresh depleted potting soil with fresh soil. Double-check those drainage holes while you are at it! Avoid filling container bottoms with rocks for drainage, instead just provide a dribble tray to catch shed water, and ensure those drainage holes are open, abundant, and not blocked. 7. Humidity Our houses are much drier in the winter, thanks to heaters and most of the moisture being sequestered in frost, snow, and ice. Our sinuses are feeling it these months too! Do yourself and your plant pets a favor and increase ambient air humidity around your home or just around your plants if able, especially if you start noticing your leaves turning brown at the tips. Set smaller plants onto a shallow tray of decorative glass pebbles or stones filled with water. Don’t let the pot sit in the water at all, it should be resting on top of the stones. This is just enough to evaporate and humidify the area without leading to root rot. Larger plants and plants that tend to drop some leaves this time of year like Ficus and Citrus, appreciate a humidifier nearby. Check out all the indoor and outdoor Citrus Tree care in our Garden Blog! Now is also a great time to keep a spray bottle handy and give your plants a mist once a day to a few times a week. Use soft water, not hard water from the tap to reduce calcium build-up. Read up on your type of plant first, because some with fuzzy leaves and other varieties may be damaged by the surface moisture. Have smaller plants that are humidity-hungry? Consider using a terrarium! 8. Drafts & Heaters Fireplaces are ablaze, heaters are running on max, and cold drafts are seeping into door and window cracks. Each time you open an exterior door, you are letting the winter chill inside. For more sensitive plants that are near these locations, it’s quite a shock to the system! Consider moving your plant babies away from exterior doors, away from drafty windows, and keep them away from fireplaces, heaters, and heating vents that will dry them up faster than the summer sun. Can’t move the plant? Add something to screen it from drafts or block the cold air. 9. Inspect For Pests! Especially if you brought home a new plant, or brought an outside plant indoors, pests can occasionally get moved indoors too! Always inspect, wash off, and treat, or even quarantine new plants and those that were on the porch or patio all summer, whenever you bring them indoors. You can use a systemic treatment for usual troublemakers, and dab on Neem oil whenever you suspect there may be a pest problem too! Check each leaf node, branch notch, leaf undersides, and all of the newest, freshest growth for pest invaders. Then spray the plant with insecticide or wipe down leaves and stems with diluted vinegar/water or diluted alcohol, in addition to the systemic and Neem oil.  It;s important to first dentify the problem before providing treatment! Fuzzy-looking white blobs in the branch and leaf notches? Might be Mealy Bugs Spider webs covering the new growth? Check for Spider Mites Tiny skinny bugs and stippling on the leaves? Maybe Thrips White tiny bugs flying around? Look into treating Whiteflies Flat, hard-shelled bumps and sticky residue? You may be fighting Scale Plump little green or brown bugs might be Aphids Little black gnats flying around may be Fungus Gnats. Tiny reddish or black bugs and stippling? Look into identifying and treating Mites As you inspect your plants, also a great idea to remove any yellow leaves that have dropped onto the soil. Fallen foliage can lead to fungal issues and disease spreading. It also gives pests a place to hide. 10. Warmth Air temperatures are much cooler, further slowing down the growth of your indoor plants. Whenever possible, group your plants together closer (after you’ve ensured they are healthy and pest-free) to help keep them warmer and all share the increased humidity! It’s also a great time to ensure none of your plants that are near windows have foliage touching the glass … the leaves will bleach out from the greenhouse effect from the glass and get cold damage that is transferred through the window panes as well! If you have a window that tends to get frosty on those coldest nights, move any plants in the area away or cover that window in a plastic film to save on heating costs and keep the plants happier. For plants in areas that are cooler, like a poorly heated enclosed porch or greenhouse, a spotlight with an incandescent light bulb or a warming mat for seedlings may help keep the area just warm enough for them to be happy. Indoor Gardening Time! As always, it’s best to read up on the care and particular needs of each of your indoor plant babies to ensure you are caring for them in the best way possible! Knowing their watering needs, light requirements, bloom time, fertility needs, humidity, and soil requirements. This way, you’ll always have success! Enjoy your winters with some indoor gardening this year and these simple reminders and tips on keeping your houseplants happiest! Nature Hills is here to help keep your life full of greenery year-round! Don’t have a plant pet yet? Check out all the amazing houseplants, unique succulents, and Kokedamas available today! Happy Planting!

It’s the merriest time of year and already those Christmas trees are gracing homes across the country! But we’re still weeks away from Christmas and often - you want that tree looking great right past the New Year celebrations! Here are a few tips for keeping your tree - both fresh cut and containerized - looking as good as the day you bought them (and not a fire hazard) for the entire holiday season! When You Bring Your Cut Christmas Tree Home Maintenance, Tips & Reminders Long Lasting Holiday Joy! When You Bring Your Cut Christmas Tree Home As soon as you get your cut fresh tree home, and before you bring it indoors - 1. While it is still outside, spray all needles with an anti-transpirant like Wilt Stop or Wilt Pruf, or even hairspray works great, to prevent the needles from drying out the day before you bring your tree inside. 2. Spraying the needles prevents them from losing moisture - and in turn, hold more moisture in the tree. Use a special spray for Fresh Cut Wreaths and Christmas Trees or an anti-desiccant spray that stops wilt. Hairspray has been used in the past - but remember it is very flammable (like your tree)! So avoid using anything not recommended for plants and keep it for your hair instead! 3. Fill the tree stand reservoir with hot tap water and a little sugar to give the tree some energy. This way the water will cool off indoors while you are moving onto the next step. Put down a drop cloth to help make clean up easier. Sometimes the use of energy drinks or soda have been added to the water, but often these drinks contain chemicals and artificial color that can adversely affect the trees longevity. 4.Back outside, make a fresh cut on the bottom of the trunk. Even if you only remove an inch or two, Trim the bottom to open a fresh connection between the water in the tree holder and the vascular system. Do this immediately before bringing the tree into your home. A nice straight, clean cut gets rid of any dried resin that may also keep water from being drawn up. 5. Bring in your tree and position it into the waiting reservoir. 6. Remember to check the water level daily from the start! You will be amazed at how much water some trees can take up! The key here is to have water constantly available always touching the cut end of the trunk of the tree so it is always drawing water so be sure to always fill the reservoir with fresh water - ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT AT THE START because that is when the plant will take up the most water. Get as much water into the plant as possible right from the start.  7. Decorate and enjoy! Picking The Healthiest Fresh Cut Christmas Tree: Select a nice green tree with as few brown needles as possible. The branches should be pliable and barely any needles should fall off when you shake them. Needles shouldn’t rain down when shaking the tree either. Avoid trees that have been sitting out in the full sun or exposed locations Maintenance, Tips & Reminders Any time the tree must wait before coming indoors, be sure to keep them out of freezing weather and the elements. Nor store them indoors without any moisture access or in areas in direct sun. Fresh cut Christmas trees take up LOTS of water at the start so check frequently to prevent the reservoir drying up. This is very important! This is because they were probably dormant while growing outdoors and once in your warm home will begin to think it’s spring - which means time to grow. Plus, our homes are usually drier in the winters, so that moisture access is vital. Check daily! Your tree may empty the reservoir daily, so keep topping off the water level as often as you can to keep the tree healthy right from the start. As you are unwrapping the mesh outside, and adding your decorations inside - Look for puffy brown styrofoam-looking blobs on the limbs about the size of golf balls or smaller. They may be Praying Mantis eggs that sometimes hatch once the tree is in your nice warm home! Snip them off, stem and all, and place them outdoors in a protected location for free pest-control in the spring! Cool rooms are best! Keep a humidifier running to help further moisturize the air. This benefits your tree and you! Keep your tree away from heat sources and heat vents, drafts, candles and open flames, and anything that can spark. Using LED lights not only saves you energy, but they stay cool! This helps keep your tree fresh longer. Check old lights and other electrical decorations on the tree for frayed or exposed wires that may spark and become fire hazards. It doesn’t hurt to mist the trunk of the tree with fresh water whenever you can - as long as you won’t get any electrical cords or decorations wet. As soon as the holidays are over, or your tree begins to dry out, it’s best to remove it and along with it any fire hazard. Long Lasting Holiday Joy! That’s it! No one wants to unwrap presents full of shed evergreen needles! So following a few tips and reminders will save you the heartache of seeing your tree needles falling off before the holiday goose is cooked! Want a more lasting option? Try choosing a live Christmas tree here at Nature Hills Nursery! For gift sized and table-sized options, check out our Table Top Trees to further dress up your home décor this holiday season! Happy Planting!

We love it when things are easy to care for! That goes for our landscaping as well! Ditch the fussy, high-maintenance shrubs that need constant shearing, pruning, fertilizing, spraying … and worrying! There’s so much more out there that’s available! Check out these shrub alternatives to plant instead! 1. Rose Bushes 2. Formally Sheared Evergreens & Hedges 3. Shrubs That Are Deer Buffets = Spray Spray Spray! 4. Foolproof and Fuss-Free Shrubs 5. Water Hungry Shrubs Get a Fuss Free Landscape With Shrub Alternatives Whether it's pests, diseases, the weather, maintenance and upkeep, or deer that keep you busy (or holding you back from buying that hottest new variety hitting the market), there's an easy-going alternative available in every instance!Some shrubs are gorgeous, but they are just too much work!1. Over-Sized Panicle HydrangeasInstead of planting those incredible Paniculata-type Hydrangeas like Limelight® that get too large for the foundation planting, let us help you with a selection of some of those very same plants that only get half of the size.Instead try one of these smaller, more low-maintenance shrubs for those applications:Bobo® HydrangeaFrench Manicure® HydrangeaLittle Lime® HydrangeaInvincibelle Wee White®Little Quick Fire® Panicle HydrangeaAll these selections only get in the 3-4 foot range instead of the 6-10 foot range. 2. Rose Bushes Roses were made to be thought of as difficult when they first became popular. After all, the aristocracy didn't want anyone else growing them! Grandma's Roses did have some issues with disease and pests, which are still present to this day. But now there are so many easy-to-grow and disease-resistant Roses on the market that your head will spin!Check with your local County Extension Office to see what challenges that Roses may face in your area to be sure and buy Roses that will perform best where you live. Whether it's Black Spot or Japanese Beetles, or some other disease … There's a Rose out there resistant to it!Everyone still loves Roses, but not everyone has the patience to care for some of the Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras. For those of you who would love the Roses without all of the fuss, you should consider one of the great newer Shrub Rose selections that offer more disease resistance and continued bloom for your landscape and then list some good options here. Problem - High Maintenance Oso Easy® Roses need no spraying or deadheading, plus they stay compact and full of flowers! Knock Out® Roses - bloom from spring until frost and do not need deadheading. Disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, and only need pruning once a year. Easy Elegance® Roses are perfect for beginners! Hardy and disease-resistant type of Shrub Rose that resists everything! Problem - Constant Spraying, Chemicals & Insect Damage Rugosa Roses - salt-tolerant wild and hybrid Roses that grow and bloom like crazy. Very hardy to cold and won’t be bothered by many pests or common Rose issues Wild Roses - If they can grow in ditches, think of what they can do in your backyard! Problem - Climate too Cold or too Hot? Choose Roses rated for USDA growing zones 9, 10 and 11 for hot climates Choose Roses rated for USDA growing zones 3 to 4 that have extreme cold in the winter For Arctic zone 2 winters - Choose Redleaf Rose, Rugosa Roses, or Purple Pavement Rose Problem - High Humidity and Powdery Mildew Sunbelt® Roses - highly heat and humidity resistant Try Rose alternatives like Rhododendrons, Gardenias, or Camellias 3. Formally Sheared Evergreens & Hedges Problem - Sheared formal hedges look fantastic, but they need shearing at least a couple of times of the year plus the usual maintenance and issues that may arise. Even shearing once a year is a significant chore when you have a lot of hedges! Instead, try one of these naturally neat and tidy shrubs that may only need a single trim to keep them looking just as formal and tidy. False Holly (Osmanthus) Deutzia New varieties of Spirea American Arborvitae Native Inkberry Holly Dwarf Conifers - False Cypress, Junipers, Bird’s Nest Spruce and Dwarf Alberta Spruce Boxwood Indian Hawthorn Chinese Fringe Flower (Loropetalum) Instead of planting a hedge that only offers green leaves, how about planting a hedge that wildly blooms? Or instead of planting a hedge that will need constant pruning to keep nice and the size you want, let us help you with a selection of shrubs that mature at 2-6 feet in height … without pruning! 4. Shrubs That Are Deer Buffets = Spray Spray Spray! Wintercreeper Euonymus, Rhododendrons and Azaleas, Yew (Taxus), Hydrangea (Bigleaf/Panicle/Oakleaf), Blue Holly, Staghorn Sumac, Roses, and American Arborvitae (Thuja) are often favorites of hungry deer in some parts of the country. Even when they have plenty to eat outside of your yard. But when food is scarce, these and many other shrubs take a hit each winter. You can spray every three months from the date of installation to train deer to not like your shrubs and go for the neighbors instead, put up expensive fencing and barriers … or you can simply plant shrubs that deer despise! Plant Boxwood instead of Yews in areas it does well Plant Daphne instead of Rhododendrons in hot growing zones Plant Oregon Grape Holly in place of Azalea in cold growing zones Try Fragrant Sumac instead of Staghorn Sumac Pieris are evergreen and fragrant alternatives to Azaleas Use Snowball or Arrowwood Viburnum instead of Hydrangea A Dwarf Alberta Spruce or False Cypress as great alternatives to Arborvitae Weigela bushes are great alternatives flowering shrubs Try Deutzia or Rose of Sharon instead of Roses Crape Myrtle shrubs are great deer-resistant shrubs too! Wintercreeper alternatives include Fothergilla Scarlet Firethorn is a thorny barrier plant with colorful berries and evergreen foliage 5. Foolproof and Fuss-Free Shrubs Quite a few shrubs need to be babied along and fussed over while they get established. Watered, papered, and worried over. In this hectic day and age, we need a plant-it-and-forget-it shrub! While all new shrubs need your attention their first year, these are the best for being the most resilient, easiest to get established, and foolproof shrubs for even the most black thumb out there! In addition to the easy-care Landscape Roses above, try these shrubs for the forgetful or lazy gardener! Forsythia Yew (Taxus) Viburnum Native Buckeye Bushes Flowering Quince Abelia Privet Scarlet Firethorn Bush Honeysuckle Sweet Box American Beautyberry Possumhaw Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo) Sweetspire Camelia 6. Water Hungry Shrubs Rising costs and increased strain on the water supply mean that thirsty shrubs need to be replaced for more Xeric, water-wise options! Climate change too is increasing drought in some areas, so you need shrubs able to look good on less! Wax Myrtle Manzanita Abelia California Lilac Rockrose Daphne Hebe Pittosporum Pieris Potentilla (Bush Cinquefoil) Go Native - If they grow in your area anyway and already thrive without your involvement Get a Fuss Free Landscape With Shrub Alternatives Save time, money, keep chemicals out of the environment, reduce water dependency, and focus on more enjoyable aspects of your landscape by planting Shrubs that practically take care of themselves! See our #ProPlantTips for Care for additional tips and tricks to make your existing landscape easier to care for, while you are including these lower-maintenance options! Nature Hills is here to help you squeeze every drop of enjoyment from your garden - without the work! Happy Planting!

Fine-textured and easy-to-grow Ash trees (Fraxinus) were one of the most popular street and landscaping trees in the US for many years! With airy greenish blooms and winged seed pods, their pointed foliage cast shade over many a garden until recently.  Fraxinus americana, also known as the White Ash/American Ash tree, is a species of native deciduous tree to Eastern and Central North America. They readily colonize riparian zones, and stabilize stream banks, and provide shade and nesting sites for wildlife. So why is it that Ash Trees became so popular to plant anyway? And why would you want to replace yours with something else? The Small Green Problem With Ash Trees What to Plant Instead of Ash Trees Bring on the Biodiversity! Green, Black, and White Ash are native to a large portion of the US and Canada. Many nurseries have some incredible selections from the native species that are seedless, have great fall color, and have beautiful upright and rounded forms! Municipalities, homeowners, and landscape architects began noticing the beautiful seedless selections that were coming on the market. They began being used on almost all the projects not only because of their varied forms and fall color, but because of their adaptability to different soil types, and hardiness. If you have ever seen an Autumn Blaze Ash in full fall display, you know just how unbelievably and intensely gorgeous they can be! The Small Green Problem With Ash Trees So why would anyone want to replace or find an alternative to the amazing Ash Tree? Too much of a good thing maybe? You would think we would have learned from our past mistakes by lining so many streets and urban plantings of American Elm only to see the demise of such a stately tree from Dutch Elm Disease that has wiped out so many trees. Thus, plant hybridizers and nurseries have developed so many different new Elm selections that are Dutch Elm Disease resistant and we are now able to grow many different cultivars once again.  The same thing has now happened with the way we were using (or we should say overusing) Ash trees in our landscapes. Because of its widespread distribution, the Ash Tree has now also begun to face its own struggles - the Emerald Ash Borer. Who would have guessed that we would import a bug that bores into the trunks of all the different kinds of Ash trees and eventually kills them? What no one really expected is that borers typically only affect trees that are stressed or not healthy, but the difference with this bug is that it wildly attacks every single healthy Ash in its path. At first, the movement was slow, but eventually, we figured out the movement of infected Ash tree firewood was being transported to many campgrounds, cabins, summer homes, and heavily wooded areas. Areas that contained native Ash trees! Many years later, we have yet to introduce a resistant Ash Tree to the market. The bug continues to spread slowly and in all directions taking out all Ash in its path. So to help stop the spread of the Borers and still enjoy your landscape, try one of these amazing alternatives! What to Plant Instead of Ash Trees If you live in an area where the Emerald Ash Tree Borer is prevalent, you will no doubt be looking for an alternative! Those areas now include most of the East Coast, New England, and as far West as Texas to Nebraska, affecting 30 states and killing tens of millions of native and non-native Ash trees in their wake. Check out these alternatives that also have great shade, fast growth, and incredible blooms! 1. Birch Trees The fine-textured foliage of the Birch Tree and its many cultivars also have gorgeous bark and fall color that creates a picturesque look to your landscape. Try a native River Birch or Paper Birch, or have some fun by planting a variegated Shiloh Splash River Birch or Royal Frost® Birch that is sure to have the neighbors green with envy! All Birch will perform best where the roots are not baked by the sun, but shaded by a north-facing site, where the roots are in the shade of another tree or house, or covered in a 3-4 inch thick layer of arborist mulch that is spread out past the dripline.  Unique Colored & Peeling Bark Fine-Textured Foliage Great Fall Color Wildlife & Bird-Friendly Cold-Hardy USDA Zones 2 Through 9   2. Linden Trees (Basswood) The lovely heart-shaped leaves and light green, winged seed pods of the Linden Tree create such a lovely display! Very pollinator-friendly, these trees have strong pyramidal-shaped canopies at maturity. Try a native American Linden Tree, or the smaller Littleleaf Linden to adorn your yard and enjoy the sweet-smelling flowers! Magnificent Pyramidal Canopy Tight, Upright Pyramidal Growth Winged Light Green Flowers/Seed Pods Heart-Shaped Leaves Cold, Heat & Urban Environment Tolerant   3. Sweetgum Tree The Sweetgum (Liquidambar) is a unique and underutilized native tree that features spring flower clusters that become persistent spiky seed balls that birds love! But standing back one will notice that the narrow Burgundy is a very balanced pyramidal tree that tapers down from a central leader. When space is limited, this modern variety is the right choice! The Burgundy Sweetgum features vibrant burgundy and purple fall color that rounds out the season beautifully! Unique Star-Shaped Leaves Columnar Shade Tree Fits In Small Landscapes Brilliant Burgundy/Purple Fall Foliage! Mature Height 40 - 60 feet Mature Spread 20 - 30 feet   4. Hackberry Tree Another big native tree with great shade is the Hackberry Tree. Named for its fall fruit that can be very bitter (but foragers use them as a chocolate substitute!), the mighty tree features strong growth and an upright form. The textured bark on mature trees adds winter interest too! Large Pointed Foliage Strong Trunk & Branches Hardy Deciduous Tough Native Long-Lived Shade, Street & Specimen Tree Seeds for Birds Resists Windy Sites & Urban/Drought-Tolerant   5. Elm Trees After the lesson with Dutch Elm disease, hybridizers have worked diligently to create hybrid Elms or selections of American Elm that are resistant to the disease. These include the Princeton Elm Tree, Accolade Elm, the Triumph Elm Tree, New Harmony Elm, and the St. Croix™ American Elm. The fine-textured leaves and wide adaptability, make Elms a natural choice for an Ash Tree alternative. Wonderful Shade & Fine-Textured Leaves Graceful Form Many Elm Disease-Resistant Varieties to Choose From Shade, Specimen & Street Tree   Honorable Mention Honeylocust Trees have come a long way with a wider variety of options, sizes, and colors to choose from! The fragrant blooms, strong open canopies, and fine-textured leaves create light shade that won’t shade out your lawn and the small leaves take care of themselves in the fall! Try a Shademaster Honeylocust or other Thornless and seedless Honeylocust Tree for a great alternative! Should I treat the Ash Tree I have in my yard? Treatment is available and if you have a significant specimen in your yard, you may want to consider having it treated by an Arborist or Tree Service. What many are finding out in areas that are infected, they are spending their money on replacing those Ash trees instead of treatment. Your local County Extension Office will be an amazing resource for you to learn about options in your area, and be able to tell you if Emerald Ash Borer is a rising issue. County Extension Offices can also let you know tips and tricks to help prevent the spread! Bring on the Biodiversity! Biodiversity is the key when it comes to all urban landscapes. A healthy urban forest includes many different kinds (many different Genus) smartly planted without a monoculture of any one kind of tree. Planting many kinds of trees alternating with different Genus is the key! Nature Hills employs Plant Sentry™ to ensure we adhere to all State and Federal Agricultural Laws and not ship this Tree into areas where it will be any kind of an issue! Check out all the great shade trees available at Nature Hills and accent your landscape without worry! Happy Planting!

With soft sage green foliage and fine texture, the Russian Olive Tree is common to see growing along roadside and highway ditches. These scrubby-looking, wild trees may not look the greatest in these areas but a cared-for Russian Olive in the landscape is something to behold! So why can’t you find a Russian Olive for sale in a tree nursery? Russian Olive Tree Alternatives For Your Landscape! Non-Invasive Alternatives The Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a deciduous tree native to Europe and Asia and unfortunately, has found its way here and become invasive in many areas. Growing That is why you will not see them sold in stores. Introduced in the early 1900s as a windbreak tree that stabilized soil along riverbanks (its favorite environment) and provided habitat for wildlife, unfortunately, the Russian Olive escaped cultivation and is invasive throughout California and 16 other states. Outcompeting and choking out native trees and plants. So what can you plant instead? Russian Olive Tree Alternatives For Your Landscape! Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 3 to 7, here are some cold-climate and warm-growing zone options for the Russian Olive. 1. Serviceberry/Juneberry Trees The Amelanchier tree or shrub goes by many names like Common Serviceberry, Downy Serviceberry, Juneberry, Saskatoon Serviceberry, Shadblow, Shadbush, and Sugarplum, but this hardy native with small soft-green foliage and brilliant fall color creates an open and airy tree or shrub that thrives in a wide range of climates and growing conditions. The white flowers feed bees and become fat, juicy, edible purple berries resembling blueberries! Make syrups and jam from the fruit or let your songbirds eat them instead. Try a large-scale Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, or the Cole's Select for incredible three-season beauty. Smaller White-Flowering Shade & Street Tree Wide Range of Heights & Widths Edible Fruit For Humans & Wildlife Incredible Fall Color Open, Airy Canopy   2. Amur Chokecherry Tree Nicknamed the Manchurian Cherry, the Amur Chokeberry (Prunus) is a fantastic edible ornamental that has four seasons of visual interest. This mid-sized tree delivers a symmetrical look but has an open and airy feeling that works well in naturalized landscapes. You'll welcome spring with a wonderful, fragrant flower display of drooping clusters. Delicate 3-inch racemes of pristine, white blossoms herald the new season. Those pretty, white flowers transition to small, red drupes that transition to black as they ripen in July. They are edible and - with sugar - can be used in tasty jams and jellies. Leaves Turn Yellow in Fall & Drop Cleanly for Easy Fall Clean-up Mature Height 20 - 30 feet Mature Spread 25 - 30 feet Decorative Bark With Year-Round Interest Great Pollinator & Wildlife Tree Fragrant, White Spring Flowers Growing Zones 2 - 6 Use the Berries to Craft Jam or Jelly   3. White Fringe Tree Known as the Old Man's Beard and many other regional names, the White Fringe Tree (Chionanthus) features unusual streamer-like white spring flower clusters that become purple grape-like fruit (on female trees) that birds love! The lacy fine texture and open canopy complement any landscape in both sun and partial sun locations. They’ll even handle full shade in hotter climates of USDA zones 4 to 9. Unique Fringed Streamer-Like Flowers Open & Airy Canopy Purple Fruit In Fall On Female Trees Mature Height 15 - 20 feet Mature Spread 10 - 15 feet Can Handle Moist to Average Conditions   4. Japanese Snowbell Trees & Shrubs The small foliage and smooth grey bark that fissures as it matures, the Japanese Snowbell is densely packed with elliptical deep green, and glossy foliage all growing season long! Plus you and your pollinators will benefit from the abundant white, pendulous flowers that become flashes of red berries for birds in the fall! As this deciduous tree ages, its bark starts to exfoliate and reveal mottled orange streaks beneath the gray outer surface.  Smaller White-Flowering Shade & Street Tree Mature Height 15 - 20 Feet Mature Spread 6 - 9 Feet Yellow-Green Tulip-Like Early-Spring Flowers Great Fall Color & Textured Bark For Winter Interest Pollinator/Bird-Friendly   5. Real Olive Trees Fruiting Olive Trees are the natural choice in warm regions as alternatives to Russian Olives. But with the bonus of edible fruit. Olive Trees are best in warm growing zones of 7 to 10 and have all the perks and benefits of the Russian Olive without any invasive tendencies. However, these trees prefer more arid, Mediterranean conditions instead of moist, riparian sites. Open Light Shade Canopy Sage-Green Fine-Textured Foliage Drought/Xeric Loving Airy Flowers For Bees Edible Fruit For Preserving & Brining   Honorable Mentions For a smaller option with silvery foliage reminiscent of the Russian Olive, the Silver Buffaloberry is an 8-12 foot tall bush or multi-trunked tree form, that also has the added benefit of vibrant red berries for birds! It offers unique silver foliage, is extremely drought-tolerant, and spreads wide without getting too tall! Another option is the native Nannyberry Viburnum bush, you don't have to work hard for its priceless rewards - including shockingly bright fall foliage, cherry-red bird-friendly berries finish ripening to blue-black, and profusions of pure white blooms for pollinators. Growing 18 - 20 feet in height and spreading 6 - 10 feet, this incredibly cold-hardy shrub can be trimmed into a multi-trunked tree form for a more formal look! Non-Invasive Alternatives The Russian Olive tree may have cemented its presence along American roadsides and ditches, but finding alternatives that aren’t invasive is easy! Nature Hills employs Plant Sentry™ to ensure we adhere to all State and Federal Agricultural Laws and not ship this Tree into areas where it will be any kind of an issue! Find these fantastic alternatives and many more Unique Trees at Nature Hills Nursery today! Happy Planting!