Let’s Plant Some Trees!
Arbor Day was proposed by journalist/editor J. Sterling Morton, as a day set aside for the planting and caring of trees, in hopes of addressing the severe lack of trees on the plains of Nebraska. The campaign successfully planted over 1 million trees across Nebraska that first Arbor Day April 10, 1872. Today is it celebrated across all 50 states, focusing on fighting climate change, building natural habitat, improving air quality, and controlling erosion by the simple act of planting and caring for trees.
Our roots are planted deep in the nursery state of Oregon where we grow more than 500 varieties and cultivars of premier quality deciduous, shade, flowering, and ornamental trees. At J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Arbor Day is all year long!! In April, we are planting fields, plots, greenhouses, seedling beds, containers of all sizes! Each year, we plant, harvest, and ship over 2 million trees across the US and Canada! To maintain our high standards, we develop the trees from concept to seed/cultivar all the way to large caliper specimen tree all within the J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. Farms. Most importantly, we do not introduce a new cultivar unless it has undergone years of rigorous testing and research and has proven that it is verifiably more exceptional in some way than other trees on the market. By doing so, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. improves the world one premier tree cultivar at a time. Below are several premier cultivars that would be great additions to Arbor Day tree plantings!
Red Sentinel® Maple
True to its name, Red Sentinel® presents the best and brightest combination of columnar form and fiery red fall color imaginable. A dominant central leader and dense branching form a narrow column of medium green, anthracnose resistant leaves that cast cool shade. Perfectly suited for street tree plantings, parks and tight urban spaces.
USDA Zone: 5
Bloomerang®
Dark Purple Lilac
A sturdy standard raises the fragrant blooms of this popular shrub to nose and eye level. The springtime display of dark purple flowers is repeated until late summer, adding months of colorful and pollinator-friendly blooms to the garden. Vigorous and deer resistant.
USDA Zone: 3
Spring Flurry® Serviceberry
A street tree Amelanchier! This Schmidt introduction has exceptional tree form. A dominant central leader supports strongly upward-oriented scaffold branches. Pure white blooms smother a delicate latticework of twigs in spring. These give way to healthy green foliage that turns orange in the fall.
USDA Zone: 4
Mercury® Magnolia
Deep pink buds open to very large lavender pink blooms. Flowering up to a month later than other M. soulangeana cultivars greatly reduces risk of frost damage to blooms. A strong central leader and upright branching result in a tree with excellent pyramidal form. Developed by Dr. Tom Ranney of North Carolina State University.
USDA Zone: 5
If you’re wondering what to plant in your area, your best resource is your local independent garden center, especially those offering JFS-grown trees.
Want to plant trees on Arbor Day but don’t know where to start? The Oregon State Extension Service has an excellent article about selecting, planting, and caring for your new tree. For the love of trees, get outside and plant tree, be safe, and have fun.
