City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/22884
tree. It was planted in November near the City arboretum and in front of a pond with ducks floating lazily by. “I’ve been a fanatic of this tree for years,” Lehner says. “I first saw the goldenraintree and its glorious yellow blooms while traveling through Nashville, Tennessee. I later saw it at The Morton Arboretum at a conference. I advise homeowners to plant them. This is a cool tree! We suggest that residents plant it to replace the many ash trees that were lost to Emerald Ash Borer.” —Margaret Seltzner, Director of Communications, City of Country Club Hills, Illinois G Dried goldenraintree pods on a tree in New Mexico them). The immature seed pods on many trees are just as colorful and eye-catching as the flow- ers themselves. The mature fruit later provides excellent winter texture. The species is tolerant of many soils, and is not bothered by occasional drought, salt, or subzero temperatures. Our biggest challenge is finding nurseries that know how to grow goldenraintree for street-side use. It can be rather decurrent in form without proper training in the nursery. Fortunately, more and more nurseries have figured out how to cre- ate single stemmed, well structured trees that will be able to spread their broad limbs over pass- ing traffic and pedestrians. —Steve Cothrel, Superintendent of Parks & Forestry, Upper Arlington, Ohio T he grounds maintenance department of the City of Country Club Hills, Illinois chose a winner this autumn when it planted a gold- enraintree on the campus of City Hall. Maria Lehner, director of the department and the city’s arborist, chose a picturesque backdrop for the www.urban-forestry.com oldenraintree is a versatile, medium-sized tree that grows well in a wide variety of cli- mate conditions, tolerates varying soil types, and can take drought and wind. If given adequate rooting space (minimum 5 foot/1.5 m parkway, median, or cutout), it makes an attractive and tough 25 x 25 foot/7.6 x 7.6 m shade tree for inland, coastal, and even some mountain region landscapes in the West. —Stan Baczynski, Construction Inspector, Port of San Diego, California T he goldenraintree is a pest resistant, non- native ornamental. Here in Roanoke, it does not show invasive tendencies. The structure is sound. It does not break easily when loaded with snow or ice. Here, it blooms in late June—at a time when most other ornamentals have finished blooming—bringing with it a strong fragrance. The fall colors are brilliant. It is an attractive, hardy tree with nice shade and good limb structure and attachment. It is also drought tolerant. One of the negatives of the tree is that it does not compete well with turf, but this problem is easily corrected with mulch. Some of the branch- es will cross, but light pruning will take care of this problem. Overall, it is a desirable ornamental with few problems. I have two in my backyard which are greatly enjoyed. —John Blake Shores, Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist, Roanoke, Virginia. 39