New trees to solve old problems

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/09/2014 (4229 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We love our trees, but they do have their troubles — susceptibility to disease and messy fruit drop are among the biggest problems. Fortunately for us, the horticulture wizards are on it.

Black knot disease has dealt a hard blow to many members of the Prunus family. Cherries and plums can be infected, but the chokecherries, including Schubert Chokecherries, are the hardest hit. Infected trees look like a cat mistook it for a litter box. Most of us have seen more than enough of this disease.

Schubert Chokecherries have been planted throughout the city, and for good reason. While they do produce fruit, the birds gobble it up well before it makes any kind of mess on the ground. Their small size and oval form are ideal for city lots. They produce abundant white flowers in the spring, and the dealmaker, they sport deep purple leaves throughout the summer. Glorious!

At this point, there isn’t an alternative that offers all the same characteristics as the Schubert. If you’re looking for a substitute, decide on the most important quality and look for that in another tree or two. From there, figure out if it other characteristics will fit your need.

There are a number of low maintenance smaller trees including Pagoda Dogwood, Hawthorn, Tree Lilac, Starlite Flowering Crab, Gladiator Rosybloom Crabapple, and Purple Spire Columnar Crabapple. All of these flower, although Purple Spire is a subdued. Starlite and Gladiator do produce fruit, but it doesn’t tend to become too messy. The fruit is small and birds love it.

That great mid-summer purple leaf colour is a bit trickier. The rosyblooms have the best selection. Unfortunately, many of these trees are higher maintenance. The horticulture wizards are on that too! Gladiator Rosybloom Crabapple and Purple Spire Columnar Crabapple’s foliage is fabulous. If minimal fruit production is important, Purple Spire is the ticket.

Really want something that has no fruit? Sometimes compromise is the solution. The Amur Maples produce the characteristic winged maple seed, which are retained for the winter. Their leaves are green throughout the summer, but come fall their flaming reds and purples are magnificent. Royal Crown Amur Maple is a newer introduction. It’s a bit smaller than the Schubert and comes in a consistent three-stem clump. If clumps aren’t your thing, go with the tree-form Amur Maple.

Thanks to the wizards, we can continue to enjoy many of Schubert’s qualities, without thinking about kitty litter!

Carla Keast has a master’s degree in landscape architecture and is a Winnipeg-based freelance landscape designer. She can be reached at contact@carlakeast.com.