AMERICAN GARDENER

Alberta is a challenging but rewarding place to grow trees. The province stretches from prairie grasslands and dry foothills to mountain valleys and the boreal forest, creating enormous differences in temperature, rainfall, elevation, soil, and growing-season length. A tree that grows rapidly in a sheltered Edmonton yard may perform very differently on an exposed Calgary … Read more

Types of ash trees range from towering hardwoods once prized for baseball bats and tool handles to compact shrubby species barely tall enough to qualify as trees at all, spanning nearly every temperate region of the Northern Hemisphere. For most of the 20th century, ash trees were among the most widely planted street and shade … Read more

Nova Scotia has a remarkably diverse tree-growing environment. From the warmer Annapolis Valley and South Shore to the cooler Cape Breton Highlands, trees face different combinations of winter cold, wind, moisture, soil depth, and growing-season length. The province is part of the Acadian Forest region, where red spruce, balsam fir, white pine, red maple, birches, … Read more

Quebec has an enormous range of growing conditions. A tree that grows rapidly around Montréal or Gatineau may perform very differently in the Laurentians, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue or farther north. Winter temperatures, the length of the growing season, soil moisture and exposure all have a major influence on how quickly a tree develops. For gardeners and … Read more

Canada is home to an enormous range of climates, from the relatively mild conditions of southern British Columbia and southwestern Ontario to the cold boreal regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario and Quebec. That makes choosing a fast-growing tree a little more complicated than simply picking the species with the highest advertised growth rate. … Read more

If you want a tree that will provide shade, screening, wildlife habitat or a stronger landscape presence without waiting decades, Ontario has several excellent fast-growing choices. The province’s wide range of climates means the best tree for southern Ontario may not be the best choice for northern Ontario, so hardiness, soil and available space all … Read more

European ash (Fraxinus excelsior), also known as common ash, is a large, graceful deciduous tree native to much of Europe, including Britain. It is one of the most recognisable woodland trees in the UK, particularly in winter when its distinctive black buds stand out against its grey branches. Under suitable conditions, European ash can become … Read more

Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is one of the most familiar native trees of the British countryside. Often called hawthorn, May, or hedgerow thorn, it is particularly associated with traditional hedgerows, field boundaries, woodland edges, scrub, and open countryside. Its clouds of white, sometimes pink-tinged flowers in late spring are followed by clusters of deep red … Read more

Fast-growing trees can transform a garden, woodland, farm, or large landscape in surprisingly little time. Some species can add 1–2 metres of height per year when young and growing in fertile, moist soil, while others considered fast-growing in the UK may add around 50–80 centimetres annually. The actual rate depends heavily on the site, so … Read more

Shrubs with orange berries occupy a striking middle ground in the landscape, warmer and more attention-grabbing than yellow fruit but softer than the classic red display most fall gardens lean on. That orange hue often signals something specific happening at a chemical level, since many of these fruits carry high concentrations of carotenoid pigments, the … Read more