On the sunny, extremely hot days of our Central Texas summers, we all realize how much we value our trees. In addition to their beauty, trees provide welcome shade and have a cooling effect on our atmosphere. Planting a tree is one of the more costly additions to our landscapes, so we need to follow best practices to achieve our goal of a healthy tree.
November through January, when trees are dormant, is a good time to plant. Be sure to choose the type and size of tree that will work in your space. Small trees need about 60 square feet to grow, medium trees need 120 square feet, and large trees require 180 square feet. Don’t plant a tree within 15 feet of a house or power lines and be sure to locate any underground cables.
We all love our Live Oaks, but it is best to have a diversity of trees in our yards. There are several beautiful trees which are native to Texas and have also been named Texas Superstars. This designation means that the trees are drought- and heat-tolerant as well as disease resistant. The Lacey Oak is a small oak tree (25 ft.) which has bluish green leaves and small acorns. The Possum Haw Holly is another small tree (10 - 15 ft.) which has showy red or bright orange berries in the fall and winter. A medium sized (30 - 45ft.) tree that does well in our area is the Mexican White Oak, which was just named a Superstar in 2023. The Chinkapin Oak is a large (50 - 60 ft.) member of the white oak family native to our area. In addition, there are several other non-native trees which perform well in our part of Texas. Some of the more popular ones are crape myrtles, Burr Oaks, Arizona and Bald Cypress and Big Tooth and Shantung Maples.
