Dr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Liriodendron tulipifera (Tuliptree)
From the arborists’ point of view, the tuliptree has more than its share of liabilities including excessively fast growth, limb breakage, drought-induced premature leaf abscission,
Read MoreDr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Acer triflorum – Three-flower Maple
A beautiful maple, resoundingly/photogenically magnificent in shades of orange and red in autumn. Colors long persistent, from initiation to the crescendo, easily 3 to 4
Read MoreDr. Dirr Tree Spotlight: Thuja occidentalis-Eastern Arborvitae
Dr. Dirr’s thoughts on the Eastern Arborvitae: Not quite sure why I never fully respected this soft-textured needle evergreen but an epiphany occurred during a
Read MoreStyrax japonicus-Japanese snowbell
Beyond redbuds, Cercis, dogwoods, Cornus, flowering crabapples, Malus, and magnolias, Magnolia, there are precious few genera which offer significant cultivar diversity. Within eastern redbud, ~35
Read MoreDr. Dirr Tree Spotlight: Catalpa speciosa, northern or western catalpa, down but not out
Catalpa speciosa has never been commonly utilized in cultivated landscapes, yet somehow occurs in off-the-grid locations from Maine to Florida to the west coast. The
Read MoreTrees and College Campuses: A Mutual Symbiosis
A December, 2017 visit to Amherst, MA to enjoy a Georgia-University of Massachusetts (UMass) basketball game brought back fond memories of my graduate student days
Read MoreDr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Quercus shumardii – Shumard Oak
Shumard oak is one of the most widely distributed species of the red oak group ranging from Ontario (4 counties) to Florida, west to Kansas,
Read MoreDr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Gymnocladus dioicus-Kentucky coffeetree
An email arrives from a master wood craftsman in Limerick, Maine. It reads… “have access to a giant log of Kentucky coffeetree but am broke.
Read MoreDr. Dirr Spotlight: Pyrus calleryana- Callery pear and invasiveness
Touted as the biological savior for stressful environments since the introduction of ‘Bradford’ in January, 1960. Profuse white flowers in spring, shining dark green summer
Read MoreDr. Dirr’s Tree Spotlight: Quercus bicolor
The North American deciduous forest is rich with oak diversity such as Quercus bicolor. Oaks are categorized as belonging to the White or Red /Black
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