Midsummer heat can be brutal. Without shade from trees, the sun can turn a garden from an oasis into a spot not fit for man or beast. If you need to plant a tree that grows really fast and will provide shade quickly, consider one of the following. They’ll sprout 2 to 4 feet in a single year with good care.
Tropical-looking trees not only provide shade but have a look of coolness about them. Their large leaves ripple in the slightest breeze and beg you to enjoy an icy beverage below their canopy.
Catalpas are among the few hardy deciduous trees that can complete in flower and leaf with subtropical species. Purple catalpa has all the bells and whistles. The huge heart-shaped leaves are 10 to 12 inches long. Young leaves emerge a deep blackish-purple, then turn purple-toned green in summer.
Large upright clusters of trumpet-shaped 2-inch-wide pure white flowers are lightly speckled with yellow and purple and bloom in late spring and summer. This tree grows 30 to 40 feet in sun or light shade and needs moderate water.
What do you get when you cross a catalpa with a chilopsis tree from the desert? You get a chitalpa, a rapid-growing 20- to 30-foot tree that combines toughness with beauty. From late spring through fall, clusters of frilly, trumpet-shaped pink or white flowers appear. Chitalpas like full sun and need only little to moderate watering.
If you want a good lawn tree that casts light shade, I have two suggestions: silk tree and golden honey locust.
Albizia — aka silk tree or mimosa — grows quickly to 40 feet tall with a wide canopy. Often, it is kept pruned to 15 or 20 feet, so its pretty powder-pink flowers that appear in summer can be enjoyed up close. Birds are also attracted to the flower clusters. Silk trees are especially beautiful when viewed from an upper deck or window.
Golden honey locust has beautiful, fern-like golden-yellow new foliage that is showy against the deep green of the more mature leaves. Foliage casts filtered shade, allowing a lawn or other plants to grow beneath its canopy. Fast-growing to 35 to 70 feet, this variety has few or no seed pods and is thornless.
California pepper trees are beautiful in the right spot, with gnarled trunks and light, graceful branchlets. Give them room to spread away from paving and other plants. This is a great tree to shade a play area or gravel patio. It offers fast growth to 25 to 40 feet. This tree requires little to moderate watering.
Other fast-growing trees are Raywood ash, evergreen ash, Purple Robe locust and Chinese evergreen elm.
Remember, most trees grow quickly when young and then slow down as they mature. Encourage this early growth spurt with deep watering and regular fertilizing.
Jan Nelson, a California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at
ja******@ao*.com
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