Care and How-To - Deciduous
-
Iowa’s spring weather is unpredictable, with late freezes often following early spring warm-ups. These cold snaps may affect garden plants, but most plants recover. Guidance on managing potential damage to trees, shrubs, fruit trees, spring bulbs, perennials, vegetables, and other plants is provided below.
-
Learn how to protect plants from frost and freeze damage in fall and spring. Get tips on covering plants, using cold frames, and when to bring plants indoors for the season.
-
The best time to rejuvenate large, overgrown shrubs is late winter or early spring (March or early April)
-
Shrubs enhance landscapes with beauty and function. Proper pruning is essential but is sometimes overlooked. Learn how to overgrown shrubs to get them back to their former glory.
-
Hardwood cuttings is a propagation method done while the plant is dormant from the shoots that developed during the previous growing season. Learn more about this type of vegetative propagation if you want to propagate any trees, shrubs, or vines in the home landscape.
-
Learn how to grow and care for forsythia shrubs in your garden. Discover cold-hardy varieties, pruning tips, and landscape uses for these early-spring flowering favorites. Expert guide from Iowa State.
-
Suckers are vigorous upright growing stems that form at the base of a tree or from the root system causing stems to appear inches or feet from the base of the trunk. They are problematic because they can reduce flowering and fruiting, alter the form of the tree, harbor pests and diseases, and look unsightly.
Learn about what causes suckers to form and how they can be managed in the home landscape.
-
There are many options for removing tree stumps, including grinding, natural decay, or digging. They can also be left for wildlife or turned into garden sculptures. Learn all about stump removal below.
-
Occasionally the need arises to move trees within the home landscape. Follow these tips to move small, young trees successfully.
-
Shedding, peeling, or splitting bark on trees in the landscape can be a concerning sight.
Understanding what is causing the bark loss is an important first step to preventing further damage.
-
A shrub that flowers in winter? That sounds unlikely but witch hazels do just that - even in Iowa! Witch hazels (Hamamelis) are a group of shrubs that typically have the first (or last depending on what you are growing) blooms of the season in the garden.
-
How to propagate deciduous shrubs and trees using softwood cuttings. Discover timing, techniques, and care tips for successful rooting.
-
Some individuals consider shady sites to be problem areas in the home landscape. However, shady areas actually provide opportunities for home gardeners. Wise plant selection can turn a shady site into an attractive landscape area. A number of trees and shrubs can be successfully grown in partial shade. (Partially shaded sites receive 3 to 4 hours of direct sun but are in shade the rest of the day.)
Selecting and planting shade tolerant trees and shrubs, along with suitable annuals and perennials, can transform bare shady areas into attractive landscape sites. Below is a list and brief description of trees and shrubs adapted to partial shade.
-
February and March is the best time to prune most trees and shrubs in Iowa. The absence of foliage at this time of year gives you a clear view of the tree and allows the selection and removal of appropriate branches. Also, when pruned in the late dormant season the walling-off, compartmentalization, or sealing of wounds can begin as soon as growth starts in the spring giving the tree the most time to recover from the pruning cut.
Iowa State University has many resources available to help with pruning all your woody plants.
-
As winter fades and spring arrives, several things can be done to prepare the garden for the upcoming growing season.
Below are tips for the perennial garden, vegetable garden, annual containers, trees & shrubs, houseplants, and lawns.
-
Winter showcases tree bark, often hidden by leaves. Bark serves many functions but it can also be beautiful with varied textures and colors. Learn about the woody plants in the landscape have ornamental bark.
-
When planting in alkaline or high-pH soil, it's important to select a tree or shrub that is tolerant of soil pH above 7.0.
-
Young or newly-planted trees require special care to ensure their establishment and rapid growth. Young trees must be protected from the careless operation of lawnmowers and weed-trimmers, from vandals, and from harmful construction activities.
-
Gardeners can brighten up the last few weeks of winter by forcing branches of flowering trees and shrubs indoors. Forsythias, pussywillows, serviceberries, crabapples, magnolias, redbuds, and many fruit trees can be coaxed into early bloom indoors, helping revive the spirits of winter-weary Iowans.
-
Newly-planted trees need active and frequent care during the entire establishment period. In USDA hardiness zones 4 and 5, the establishment period lasts about 12 months per inch of trunk diameter. For a two-inch caliper tree, this translates into a 24-month establishment period. Good cultural practices during this period help reduce transplant stress and create a favorable environment for tree growth.
Consistent and proper care during the establishment period is the most important thing you can do to succeed with your new tree.