Gardening and Horticulture - tree questions

Ok, I'm getting ready to buy my first tree and I had a few questions.

1st - is there a good website to research the various trees?

2nd - I was leaning towards a unthorned cockspur hawthorne...curious if anybody had any thoughts on that type of tree?

3rd - I have a tree (russian olive) that was bent over (not broken) by a late snow. Is it possible to tie it up to get some of the branches to stand straight again?

Thanks,
Shawn

Trees represent a big investment in time and space. They can transfrom your landscaping. They come in many sizes, shapes, growth rates, deciduous or not, and water and nuitritional needs.

I would take the time to think what you are trying to achieve in the look and maintenance of the trees. Next, I would go around to some of the larger nurseries and talk to the landscape designer that most of them have on staff. They can be a wealth of knowledge about all the things that go into selecting a tree and its use in your yard.

I have used landscape architects for my last two houses landscape designs, and have been pleased. People even stop by and comment on how nice everything looks. I do all the work, but get the planning from the professionals.

Hope this helps.

Hi Shawn Welcome to our Garden forum :)

1. Yes. Have you thought of Fruit trees or Ornamental Trees?

2. We chose to plant Fruit trees, we sell Produce also.

3. Yes you can. Take some twine and make a loop around the tree branches & stake the line on the oppsite side from the bends. Let's say the loop should be about 3/4 way up the limb.
Be careful to make a nontighting loop around the limb & don't stake back too hard at first. You can come back later & tighten the lines, as the tree gets straighter.


Please let us know what types of trees you think you would like more information on, & we will see you get some good links, to help you decide.

PS: Wal-Mart sells Hemp Twine for a great price in the Arts & Crafts Dept. Hemp is strong and very soft, we use it for tying Tomatoes etc & it's very kind on the plant tissues.

Oh, there are so many trees and types of trees. What I have found is that the best sites tend to be the ones from the state extension services or state forestry services for your state. Some commercial sites like Arbor - whatever have a lot of information, but it is not specific to a state and may not cover the trees you want. It has taken a while to dig down through all this.

I haven't found anything particularly useful along the lines of "What do I plant here for this reason?"

For instance, there are 20 hawthornes listed as native to Texas. And the hawthorne you mentioned.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/crataeguscrus-galli.htm

I haven't found anything to compare one tree to another in order to decide which one to plant. We can help you chase down specifics on trees. I haven't found any web resources to help to compare and contrast. We will help pull that information together for you.

Hope this helps.

Your best source of info is your local Dept. of Agriculture Extension Agent. From him or her, you should be able to find out what does best in your area as well as its particular needs, placement, and size at maturity. Your Agent should be able to provide you with enough info to cover pruning, growing needs, as well as everything else regarding the species you decide to place in your landscape. Doing some research before heading off the garden center or nursery will arm you with what you need to know for your particular growing zone. You need to select plants that will do well in your growing conditons, taking into consideration space requirements at maturity, as well as what you need to do to properly maintain the plant with pruning and shaping, as well as insecticide, pesticide, and disease control requirements.