Be Inspired Blog - Arizona

Why Arbor Day Is A Great Time To Plant A Tree

Arbor Day is coming up on April 27, making right now the perfect time to plant a new tree! Originating in Nebraska, this holiday acknowledges the important role trees play in our lives and encourages everyone to plant new trees.

As J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day stated, “The cultivation of flowers and trees is the cultivation of the good, the beautiful and the ennobling in man, and for one, I wish to see this culture become universal.”

Fun Facts About Trees

Do you want to know more about trees? Here are some fun facts from Tree People.

After a year, an acre of mature trees can provide oxygen for 18 people.
Trees around a single-family home can reduce the need for air conditioning by 50 percent.
Trees help prevent soil erosion.
Trees reduce UV-B exposure by 50 percent.

How To Celebrate Arbor Day

If you want to get involved and celebrate Arbor Day, SummerWinds Nursery has an excellent selection of trees, including:

Bradford Flowering Pear

(Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford')

An excellent lawn and shade tree that produces an outstanding profusion of white flower clusters early in the season. Bright green foliage develops terrific orange and deep red fall color. A pyramidal shape when young, but develops a broad canopy with age. Versatile garden addition that produces no edible fruit. Deciduous.

Light Needs: Full sun
Watering Needs: Water regularly - weekly, or more often in extreme heat
Average Landscape Size: Quickly grows 25 ft. tall, 15 ft. wide; 35 ft. tall, 25 ft. wide with age
Key Feature: Sensational spring flowers
Blooms: Easy spring
Landscape Uses: Firescaping/fire wise, very wet areas

Source: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2036/bradford-flowering-pear/

Chaste Tree

(Vitex agnus-castus)

This beautiful garden tree shows large terminal clusters of fragrant lilac-colored blooms, backed by aromatic gray-green foliage. Has a naturally broad and spreading, open, multi-trunk display. Use in a shrub border, or train for use as a small tree to accent the landscape or patio. Deciduous.

Light Needs: Full sun
Watering Needs: Water regularly - weekly, or more often in extreme heat or containers
Average Landscape Size: Quickly reaches 15 to 25 ft. tall and wide
Key Feature: Attractive multi-trunk tree
Blooms: Summer
Landscape Uses: Coastal exposure, container, hedge, specimen, urban garden

Source: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2220/chaste-tree/

Chinese Evergreen Elm

(Ulmus parvifolia 'Sempervirens')

Medium-sized tree; semi-evergreen depending on climate. Round-headed, weeping habit formed by arching branches. Finely-toothed, small green leaves retained until new leaves develop.

Light Needs: Full sun
Watering Needs: Needs regular watering - weekly, or more often in extreme heat
Average Landscape Size: Moderately fast-growing to 40 to 50 ft. high, 50 to 60 ft. wide
Key Feature: Year-round interest
Blooms: Inconsipcuous
Landscape Uses: Coastal exposure, firescaping/fire wise, very wet areas

Source: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2176/chinese-evergreen-elm/

Desert Museum Palo Verde

(Cercidium x 'Desert Museum')

This gorgeous, thornless hybrid makes a fine, upright shade tree. Large yellow blossoms give a dazzling display of color in the spring, lasting longer than any other in the species. May re-bloom in summer if given supplemental water. After the foliage falls, the trunk and stems remain green, providing year-round interest. Produces very few seedpods.

Light Needs: Full sun
Watering Needs: Once established, needs only occasional watering
Average Landscape Size: Fast grower to 25 ft. tall and wide
Key Feature: Drought tolerant
Blooms: spring

Source: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1146/desert-museum-palo-verde/

Leslie Roy Mesquite

(Proposis x 'Leslie Roy' Plant Patent #23,360)

With the best traits of two desert trees, this remarkably thorn-free hybrid has a picturesque upright-branching habit. Blue-green, fern-like foliage casts welcome dappled shade beneath its canopy. A stunning, heat and drought tolerant accent perfectly suited for the arid Southwest and desert landscapes. Creamy white flowers in spring. Semi-evergreen.

Light Needs: Partial shade to full sun
Watering Needs: Once established, water deeply, occasionally; more in extreme heat
Average Landscape Size: Fast growing; reaches 25 to 30 ft. tall and wide
Key Feature: Drought tolerant specimen
Blooms: spring
Landscape Uses: Erosion control, mass planting, privacy screen, rock garden and specimen

Source: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/5730/leslie-roy-mesquite/

Mastic Tree

(Pistacia lentiscus)

Perfect large shrub or small tree for screening in hot, dry situations and for poor soils. Small ornamental red fruits that ripen to black. The source of mastic, an aromatic resin. Evergreen.

Light Needs: Full sun
Watering Needs: Once established, needs only occasional watering
Average Landscape Size: Moderate-growing large shrub or small tree to 12 ft. tall, 8 ft. wide
Key Feature: Waterwise
Blooms: Inconspicuous
Landscape Uses: Costal Exposure, Windbreak

Source: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1986/mastic-tree/

Texas Mountain Laurel

(Sophora secundiflora)

Fragrant violet-blue flowers in terminal clusters create a wonderful display in spring against the backdrop of shiny dark green foliage. This multi-stemmed evergreen is excellent for use as a large shrub or small tree. Slow growing and easily trained as espalier or a patio tree. This desert native thrives in warm, sunny, arid environments.

Light Needs: Full sun
Watering Needs: Once established, water occasionally; more in extreme heat or containers
Average Landscape Size: Slowly reaches 15 to 20 ft. tall, 10 to 15 ft. wide
Key Feature: Showy, fragrant flowers
Blooms: Spring
Landscape Uses: Border, coastal exposure, container, espalier, windbreak

Source: https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2095/texas-mountain-laurel/

Additional Tree Varieties

There are many other tree varieties available, at your local SummerWinds Nursery, that grow well in the Valley of the Sun, including:

Citrus Trees
Fruit Trees
Bonita Ash Tree (Fraxinus velutina 'Bonita')
Indian Laurel Fig Tree (Ficus Nitida)
Mulga Tree (Acacia Aneura)
Shamel Ash Tree (Fraxinus uhdei) - Also known as Evergreen Ash Tree
Texas Ebony Tree
Tipu Tree (Tipuana tipu) - Also known as Yellow Jacaranda or Rosewood

See anything that interests you? Come by your local store to pick it up!

Arbor Day is a great holiday to celebrate. Not only will you be adding a beautiful plant to your home or community, you will also be doing something useful to help our health and environment. Visit your local SummerWinds Nursery to pick up one of our great trees!

About SummerWinds Nursery

A leading high-end retailer of garden and nursery products. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, SummerWinds Garden Centers, Inc. operates retail nurseries in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area, and in Silicon Valley, California, making it one of the largest independent retail nursery companies in the nation. SummerWinds appeals to both the serious and casual gardeners, with a broad selection of premium gardening products and a friendly and knowledgeable staff.

At SummerWinds, We Guarantee Success!