Special Speech

Trees for Lawns

In order to be a good tree to grow in a lawn it needs a number of things going for it. In particular a good lawn tree:

1.Should be deciduous, meaning it should loose all of its leaves in the winter. This will let in light in the wintertime, when light levels are lowest. Deciduous trees also do not block any warming winter sunlight from reaching the house. Trees on the south or east sides of any house should always be deciduous, never evergreen.
2.Should have roots that do not creep upward into the lawn where they’ll be hit by lawnmowers. Roots that grow up into the lawn are a real pain, hard to get rid of, and will easily ruin a lawnmower.
3.Should be attractive, or why else even plant it?
4.Should be fairly easy to grow, not too fussy. Always select trees that are know to be disease resistant.
5.Should be able to adapt to the irrigation a lawn will receive. Certain trees grow well in lawns and others, such as oaks, do not. Plant lawn trees that will thrive in a lawn area, even if it is frequently irrigated.
6.Should be a type of tree that will not have a negative allopathic effect on the lawn. For example, eucalyptus or walnut trees produce a substance that kills off other plants below them.
7.Should produce shade that is not too deep. No grass can grow in the deepest shade. Branches on lawn trees should ideally be kept fairly high.
8.Should not produce a lot of allergenic pollen. There’s no point in planting a tree that will make you sick every year.

*Note: No lawn tree will grow well when it is young if the grass is allowed to grow right up to its trunk! I can’t stress this enough. A young tree in a lawn should have an area underneath it that is kept totally grass-free for the first 4-5 years of the tree’s growth. If lawn is permitted to grow right next to the trunk of a young tree, the tree’s growth will almost always be stunted. Even after this period of time it is better to either keep the area immediately under the tree grass-free, or to plant a low-growing groundcover under it.
Trunks of young trees should never be hit with weedwackers. String- trimmers ruin the tender bark of many young lawn trees, and then stunt their subsequent growth. Keep a clean area a minimum of 3′wide under any new lawn tree.
Even though a lawn has shallow roots and there is little point in watering lawns much deeper than a foot, trees will develop deep roots. To make sure your new tree grows those deep, drought resistant roots, give it a really good soaking once a month from spring until fall. Just put a garden hose near the base of the tree, turn it on low, and let it soak for a long time.
Watch mulch around the trunks of young trees! Mulching trees is a good idea but keep the mulch a few inches away from the actual trunk of the young tree. In the wintertime, especially where there is snow cover, it is a darn good idea to put a wrap of inch mesh chicken wire around the trunk, to keep mice and rabbits from eating the tender young bark. Many a new tree is killed because of wintertime damage to the trunk from rodents.
If you live in an area where the winter temperatures get below zero F, it is a good idea to paint the trunks of new lawn trees white. The white paint will reflect the winter sun, and will keep the sap from warming up and starting to flow in the middle of winter. Painted trees are much less likely to get “winter sun scald,” which is what they call it when the bark cracks and splits open, usually on the south side of the trunk. Use indoor grade white latex paint for this, and it is perfectly okay too, to paint some of the larger branches. This painting can be repeated each fall with good effect until the tree is about 7-8 years old. As the trees mature their bark will thicken and toughen up, and will naturally be more resistant to freezing and the winter sun.
Make sure to fertilize the new trees twice each season. Use a fertilizer high in N, nitrogen, in the springtime, and a fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in potassium in the fall. Lawn grass that grows under trees may well need a bit of extra fertilizer through the growing season, as the tree roots will absorb much of the lawn fertilizer as well.
There are devices with long, hollow spikes on them that screw on the end of a hose. You put the fertilizer for the tree in these contraptions, shove the spike down deep into the tree’s root zone, and turn on the hose. This is a good way to fertilize lawn trees.
Existing trees and planting new lawns
Many a nice lawn tree has been killed when the owner decides to plant a new lawn, and hauls in extra topsoil to spread. If you cover the roots of a tree with several inches of additional soil, you may easily smother the tree roots, killing the tree. If the soil around an existing tree needs to be raised, then you need to build a “tree well,” an area around the tree, at least four feet wide, where the original soil level is maintained. This is especially important with oak trees, which will quickly die if the soil level is raised right up to the trunk.
Manure and lawn trees
Never put manure right up to the trunk of a lawn tree. Fresh manure in particular is especially toxic to young trees. I have seen some pretty nice, large trees killed when their owners mulched them with a thick layer of supposedly “well-cured” horse manure. Even with compost, don’t place it right next to the trunk of the tree!

Twenty-five Recommended Trees for your Lawn

1.Red Maple ‘Autumn Glory’: Zones 3-9. a large, rounded, handsome female, pollen-free tree, loses its leaves, easy to grow in bluegrass lawns. Great fall color.
2.Red maple ”October Glory’: Zones 3-9 a female, pollen-free tree, does especially well in lawns and does not cast a deep lawn killing shade.
3.Red maple ‘Bowhall,’ Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall,’ is an attractive, pollen-free deciduous female tree, with excellent fall color. It grows narrowly upright and is a good lawn tree for smaller yards. Shade is not dense.
4.Crabapple ‘Molten Lava,’ Malus species, Zones 4-9. A smaller, very pretty, flowering crabapple tree, to 10′ tall, with great flowers in spring and small red fruits in fall. Does fine in well-drained lawns, and is an especially disease resistant tree.
5.Crabapple ‘Dolgo, Malus ‘dolgo,’ Zones 3-9, Pink buds open to fragrant, white flowers in late spring. Glossy, dark green foliage turns yellow in the fall and has good disease resistance. Large, almost florescent, bright red fruit ripening in early summer is excellent for crabapple jelly. A hardy tree with a spreading, upright and open habit. Does well in bluegrass lawns.
6.Crabapple ‘Red Splendour.’ Malus species, Zones 3-8. Greenish-red leaves with rose-pink flowers. Small red fruit stays on the tree well in to the winter. Good resistance to disease. An upright growing smaller crabapple tree, good in lawns.
7.Crabapple ‘Snowcloud,’ Zones 4-8, profuse double white flowers, mostly pollen-free and fruitless, bright green leaves, smaller tree, to 20 feet tall. Good in lawns.
8.Crabapple ‘Sugar Tyme,’ Pale pink buds open to fragrant, showy white blossoms that cover the tree in spring. A bounty of small, persistent, bright red fruit are produced in the fall and attract birds. This vigorous tree has crisp, dark green leaves and an upright, oval habit. One of the most disease resistant flowering crabapples. Good in lawns. To 20 feet tall.
9.Flowering plum: Prunus species, zones 4-10, a pretty, easy to grow tree, loses its leaves in fall, flowers in the spring, grows fast and likes frequent irrigations, as in a lawn. Shade is not dense.
10.Apricot trees, Prunus species, Zones 4-10: attractive, loses its leaves in fall, easy to grow in western areas, blossoms smell great, and the fruit is good. Should be pruned so that it is not difficult to mow under. Does not cast a dense shade. Good fall color too.
11.Fuyu persimmon trees, Diospyros kaki, Zones 4-10: slow growing, very attractive bark and leaves, shade not dense, fruit is beautiful, sweet and excellent, tree is female and pollen-free. Incredible fall color.
12.Pineapple Guava tree, Feijoa sellowiana, Zones 8-10, small evergreen tree. Best grown as a multi-trunked tree, to 18′ tall, gray-green attractive leaves, white-red flowers, sweet green fruit. With age the tree becomes more and more attractive, the bark ever more interesting.
13.Honeylocust trees, Gleditsia triacanthos, all Zones, a nice, medium-sized shade tree. Loses its leaves in fall, grows well in lawns, and does not cast a deep grass killing type of shade.
14.Variegated Box Elder, Acer negundo ‘Variegata’, an attractive, smaller three-leafed maple tree, with beautiful variegated green and white leaves. Deciduous, female and pollen-free, easy to grow, and does well in lawns. Shade not dense.
15.Fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus, Zones 5-10. If you can find one that has small black fruits on it, then it is a pollen-free female tree, a much desired lawn tree. Roots go down and stay down, foliage is very attractive, leaves lost in winter, attractive, lightly fragrant bright white flowers, grows well in lawns. Shade not dense.
16.Sourwood tree, Nyssa sylvatica, Zones 4-9. A small to medium-sized lawn tree, deciduous, excellent fall color. Female sourwood trees are pollen free; look for the exceptional cultivar called ‘Miss Scarlet,’ which has no pollen, terrific red fall color, and has attractive small ornamental blue fruit. These trees thrive in acid soils and will not do well with alkaline soil.
17.Japanese Raisin Tree, Hovenia dulcis, Zones 8`-10. The female trees have small, sweet, raisin-like fruit and are pollen-free. Raisin trees have beautiful leaves, are deciduous, grow well in lawns, and do not cast a deep shade.
18.Hardy Rubber Tree, Eucommia ulmoides, best in zones 5-7, is a large shade tree that does not cast deep shade. If you can find a fruiting tree, it will be female and pollen-free too. Roots stay down and tree grows well in bluegrass lawns.
19.Pomegranate tree, Punica granatum, Zones 7-10, makes a beautiful, small lawn tree if grown as either a single-trunked tree, or as a three-trunked tree. Pomegranate thrives where summer heat is high. Loses its leaves in fall, bright yellow fall color, shade not dense, attractive orange flowers and red fruit. Will grow well in a fescue, Bermudagrass, or St Augustine lawn.
20.Bougainvillea, Zones 9-10. Not normally thought of as a tree at all, a bougainvillea can easily be trained into an unusual and quite beautiful small lawn tree. The best way to do this is to pound a strong 8′ metal stake, several feet deep into the ground, and then plant three one-gallon bougainvillea plants around the stake. Trim the plants back to one or two of the longest, most vigorous branches, and weave these up the stake. It takes about a year to develop this into a tree form. Keep the trunk leaf-free and shear the top several times a year for a lollypop shape. Best cultivars for this are ‘San Diego Red’ or the variegated ‘Raspberry Ice’ bougainvillea. There are some fantastic bougainvillea trees at Disneyland.
21.Quaking Aspen, ‘Pendula,’ Populus tremuloides ‘Pendula’ grows in all Zones. This is a medium-sized, pollen-free, female, weeping aspen tree, very attractive, good fall color, easy to grow, and is fast growing. Doesn’t cast a deep shade and grows well in most lawns.
22. Black Poplar, ‘Theves’ Poplar, Populus nigra ‘Afghanica’ or P. n. ‘thevestina’ is an attractive, medium-sized, tall, narrowly upright shade tree, winter hardy in all zones. ‘Theves’ Poplar is female, pollen-free, and has bright yellow fall color. Good in lawns where a narrow tree is needed.
23.’Noreaster’ Poplar, Populus ‘Noreaster’ is a good, larger shade tree for lawns. ‘Noreaster’ is a sterile female tree, so no seeds and no pollen. Does well in most bluegrass lawns and is winter hardy in even the coldest zones.
24.Japanese Paper Mulberry trees, Broussonetia kazinoki, are separate sexed and if you can find a fruiting tree, it will be pollen-free. These do not cast deep shade like most of the other mulberry species and will thrive in lawns in most cool areas. Winter hardy zones in 5-9.
Paperbark maple, Acer griseum, Zones 4-8. This small to medium-sized maple tree has exceptionally beautiful bark and is totally handsome at all times of the year. Paperbark maple doesn’t cast a deep shade and lawn will grow quite well underneath it. Best in soils that are well drained and slightly acidic.

About the Author

Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening, Ten Speed Press. Tom does consulting work on for the USDA, county asthma coalitions, and the American Lung Associations. He has appeared on CBS, HGTV and The Discovery Channel. His book, Safe Sex in the Garden, was published 2003. In 2004 Time Warner Books published his latest: What the Experts May NOT Tell You About: Growing the Perfect Lawn. His website: www.allergyfree-gardening.com

It has been said that a man is what he eats. Someone else said that a man is what he reads. Still another has said that a man is what he thinks. The proverbial writer said, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” What the editor is saying is that you are not only what you consume physically or what you conceptualize or internalize mentally, but you are also and foremost, what you believe in your heart.

If you believe you can, then you can. If you believe you cannot, than you cannot. Everything we do from the simplest acts to the most complex tasks require we believe in ourselves and in our ability to perform. You may not have given it much thought, but before you can get out of bed, or lift a fork to your mouth or speak a word; before you can memorize a poem or drive a car or learn how to use the internet; before you can quit drinking or overeating or any other habit - you must first believe that you can and have enough faith to believe in God and in the power of Jesus to help you through. We are what we believe.

You probably recall the story of the white man who sold ice in the black community. A young black man observed what the white man was doing and decided that he could go into business and do the same thing. He produced a quality product at a lower cost and even gave better service. Soon all the black folks were buying their ice from him - except one old lady. Try as he might, he just could not persuade the old lady to buy his ice. Finally, in exasperation, he asked her why she refused to give him her business. And she responded, “Son, it has nothing to do with you personally, but I believe the white man’s ice is just a little bit better than yours.” As long as we believe that other’s ice is colder we will never achieve our goals.

What we must realize is that there is power in belief and powerlessness in disbelief. Remember when Jesus went home to Nazareth? He did not perform any mighty acts there as He had in other towns. It wasn’t because the power that had worked elsewhere would not work there; it was not because the people there did not need the healing power of Christ and it was not because Jesus doubted His own abilities. It was because of the people’s disbelief.

Abraham was a great man because he had a great faith. Scripture informs us that Abraham believed God. He did not kill any giants like David; he did not write any proverbs as Solomon did, he did not confront any pharaohs or dispense any laws as Moses did, he was not a learned scribe as Ezra or a great builder Like Nehemiah, but Abraham believed God. He did not have Samson’s strength or Mordecai’s political insight; he did not command the sun to stand still as Joshua did or defeat any armies as Gideon did. Abraham did not walk through the fire as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; he did not spend any time in a lion’s den as Daniel did, but Abraham believed God. He did not dream any dreams like Joseph, see any visions like Ezekiel and he did not proclaim the Messiah’s coming as did Isaiah or call forth fire from heaven as Elijah did. Abraham just believed God.

If you are wondering how you can keep on believing when everything is turning against you. If you are wondering how you can go on when you can barely make ends meet. If you are wondering how you can hold your head up when your world is falling apart.

I recommend you that you keep on believing in spite of your circumstances. Keep on believing in spite what people say or do. Keep on believing even when like Abraham, you do not know what is happening or why it is happening. God always has another ram in the bush for those who exercise faith in Him; those who love Him enough to believe Him in spite of everything and through it all.

I am reminded of the story of a ship that was caught in a storm so fierce the passengers had to put on life jackets. One of the passengers scurrying around found a little boy sitting by himself and playing with a toy truck. He seemed totally oblivious of all that was going on around him. The concerned passenger ran up to him and said, “Son, you must put on your life jacket, we are in a terrible storm.” The little boy looked up at the passenger and said, “Thank you sir, but I’m not worried because my daddy is the captain of the ship.”

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.

Today’s Quote: “My house is burned down, but I can see the sky.” Sally Reed, cancer survivor

Thirty five years ago this weekend, my father died. Killed when the Mack Truck Lear jet he was traveling on crashed into Lake Michigan, he died in the blink of an eye. There was no warning. His doctor had announced his perfect health a few days earlier. Yet he walked out our front door the Thursday morning of November 6 and never came back. I was twelve years old.

In the blink of an eye, pedestrians and bicyclists cross busy boulevards only to be hit by oncoming traffic. The blink of an eye separates consciousness from unconsciousness, wholeness from brokenness, and well-laid plans from disjointed futures. I was twenty when I was hit as a pedestrian and forty-five when I was hit as a cyclist.

In the blink of an eye, cars get sideswiped by speeding drivers running red lights. Cars mis-negotiate slick curves. Homes burn down. Pregnancies end in miscarriage. And loved ones hear proclamations of horrible diagnoses. Each one of these happened to people in my circle of love since August of this year.

In the blink of an eye, marriage vows are exchanged, babies enter the world, and toddlers take first steps. Athletes win gold medals and the Tour de France. Colleges accept graduating high school seniors, football teams win Homecoming, and actresses win leading roles.

None of us ever think about the time slot of a blink of an eye. Yet so much of life happens just there.

As Lance Armstrong writes in Every Second Counts: “Mortal illness, like most personal catastrophes, comes on suddenly. There’s no great sense of foreboding, no premonition, you just wake up one morning and something’s wrong in your lungs, or your liver, or your bones. But near-death cleared the decks, and what came after was a bright, sparkling awareness: time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose.”

These past thirteen days have certainly held their share of my own personal introspection, and of how I want to best string my days. In the blink of an eye, the doctor told me of my son’s leukemia, as well as his chances for total healing. Armstrong hit it head-on: there is no warning to some of the bumps in life’s journey. One minute you are sitting there minding your own business and the next minute you are smack dab in the emergency room watching someone drawing blood from your cancer-stricken child.

So just how do we deal with those events that arrive too suddenly, too quickly, and too unexpectedly? Horrible or wonderful: how do we make sense of the blink of an eye?

First of all, be spiritually grounded. Know thy maker. Have an intimate, love relationship with your Creator. For although you will undoubtedly question the events, cry for mercy, and pray for relief from suffering, it is more difficult to challenge the Creator when you realize that “you were fearfully and wonderfully made,” and that “all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” I have had my share of questions these past thirteen days…but at some point I have also had the distinct confirmation that the clay does not question the potter.

Secondly, be grounded in your relationships. Your spouse, children, parents, neighbors, and friends were all gifted to you. They were placed into your life by a loving God whose master plan orchestrated their intervention. I have no doubt that the neighbors and friends who have embraced and enveloped our family have been put there precisely to help us out during this significant time in our family’s history. And as I reflect back on the various people whose paths crossed mine at different points in the journey, I am well aware of their precise placement at that distinct point in time. Again, from Lance Armstrong: “What surviving cancer teaches you is the magnitude of your dependence on others, not just for self-definition, but for your mere existence. Cancer robs you of your independence; you’re reliant on friends, family, and complete strangers, stoic doctors and nurses, and when you finally recover you’re never casual about your place in the human chain.”

Lastly, cast a wide net. Allow complete strangers to enter your world and meet you exactly where you are. During times of tragedy as well as during times of joy: allow others to indulge their goodwill with acts of hospitality and generosity. The circle of life goes round and round….and it will be your turn one day to return all of those favors.

Experiences that happen in the blink of an eye are meant to be shared. Through your suffering or through your joy, others will want to enter into your life equation. Let them. For life that happens in the blink of an eye was never meant to be lived alone. If we can share these blinks with others, and if we can both learn a lesson as well as pass one along, then we have, indeed, done something quite extraordinary. So in addition to living your life wisely, live it exuberantly. Live it with celebration with others. Wake up with fresh and vibrant expectancy. And graciously accept the goodness, serendipity, and divine intervention that will come your way.

Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a wife and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself along the way. Immersed in the domestic, performing and visual arts, she has undertaken projects ranging from renovating old houses to singing onstage in Carnegie Hall to painting in oils. Strong convictions were born about the role of the arts in child development; homeschooling for ten years provided fertile soil for devising creative parenting strategies. These are played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You Into Brilliance. It is available on Amazon.com, in bookstores everywhere, or by calling 888-476-2493. She writes extensively for a variety of parenting resources and teaches other moms via parenting classes and radio and TV interviews.

Feeling overwhelmed? Need encouragement? Parenting tips? Have a dilemma? Please visit http://www.rocketmom.com to subscribe to her free ezine and get a weekly shot of inspiration. Carolina lives with her husband and their four children in Connecticut.