Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)
As its name implies, the swamp white oak is a lowland tree, often found in areas subject to periodic flooding, and on the edges of swamps and poorly drained meadows. Unlike white oaks (Q. alba) and burr oaks (Q. macrocarpa), which occur in large stands in the forests and oak savannahs of the Midwest, swamp white oaks are usually found growing singly amongst forests dominated by other species.
Musclewood aka American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
Carpinus caroliniana goes by many names: musclewood, American hornbeam, water beech, blue beech, and ironwood (not to be confused with a different ironwood that we also offer). When you’re strolling through Wisconsin woodlands and you come upon this tree, the name most likely to come to mind is “musclewood” because the smooth, ridged trunk resembles the musculature of a sinewy action movie hero.
iTree Helps Property Owners with Tree and Landscape Planning
i-Tree is a website designed to help property owners decide which tree species they want to plant and where they should plant them in their home or commercial property landscape. I-Tree was developed by some of the big players in U.S. tree care as an educational and practical tool, and is FREE to use. Combining data points and technology, this website can tell you actual benefits of planting a tree in a specific spot in your yard.
Colorado Blue Spruce Trees Infected with Needle Cast Die Slowly
Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) is an evergreen tree widely planted in residential gardens in Wisconsin. Its structural, columnar form is commonly used to build windbreaks or privacy screens in backyards throughout the United States. The year round blue-green coloration provides winter interest in the Midwest garden.
Bring Back Paper Birch!
Paper Birch and its white chalky bark is well recognized across the state. In the last 20 to 30 years, landscapers and nurseries have strayed from the paper birch to whitespire birch or grey birch because paper birch has a reputation for being susceptible to bronze birch borer, a native pest. In reality, when properly placed, a paper birch can thrive and not succumb to bronze birch borer.