What’s new? It’s a favorite question of tree lovers worldwide and is one for which our nursery has answers. Our company is known around the world as a source of new and improved trees. Over the years, we’ve introduced or co-introduced more than 115 unique new cultivars. Every year, we offer our customers tried-and-true performers plus several new introductions from our own breeding program or other sources such as the U.S. National Arboretum breeding program that brought us Strawberry Moon Chitalpa. It’s one of six trees featured below that we’ve added to our product line during the past five years.
Gardeners – because these trees are new to the marketplace, it often takes several years for them to become widely available. Use our Retailer Locator to find nearby sources of some of these new trees. If your favorite garden center doesn’t carry the trees you’re seeking, ask if they can special order for you.
Strawberry Moon Chitalpa
x Chitalpa tashkentensis ‘Strawberry Moon’
Strawberry Moon Chitalpa turns heads when its large clusters of lavender-pink flowers bloom in June. Flowering of this tropical-looking tree continues through the summer months, with orchid-like blooms perched atop rounded, dark green leaves that cast cool shade. This new cultivar of a rare and underused genus will help city foresters increase the genetic diversity of their urban canopy. In bloom, Strawberry Moon is a traffic stopper that is sure to enchant garden center customers and landscape designers. Learn more about it on our website and in a recent blog.
Symatree® Maple
Acer saccharinum ‘JFS H1’
New in ’22, this remarkable selection of Silver Maple is a welcome addition to our lineup of tough, small-stature urban trees. Light green leaves have silvery undersides and are deeply lobed with sharp points – a combination that gives the tree a lacy, delicate appearance that belies its tough character. Fall color ranges from bright yellow to burgundy. Adaptable to difficult growing conditions, it performs well in compacted soils, both wet and dry. It has proven tolerant of poor soils both acid and alkaline.
A standout seedling grown from seed collected from a witch’s broom, it was selected by Dr. William Hoch in Wisconsin for a variety of unique attributes that are atypical of the species. As its name implies, its excellent branch structure and a uniquely compact growth habit combine to form a remarkably symmetrical, upright oval tree with good resistance to storm damage. An extra bonus – during more than 20 years of close observation of the parent tree, neither flowers nor seeds have been observed. Find more photos here.
Goldspire Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba ‘Blagon
A great fit for just about any urban space, Goldspire Ginkgo is unusually narrow. Introduced from France, it is causing quite a buzz in the marketplace, thanks to its densely branched, tightly fastigate growth habit. It forms a narrow, symmetrical spire at a younger age than is typical of other columnar selections. A fruitless, male selection, its fan-shaped green leaves turn in autumn to the bright golden yellow that is typical of other ginkgo cultivars. Height and spread are approximately 45’ x 12’. Find more photos here.
Firehouse® Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua ‘JFS KW1LS
Ring the fire bell and be among the first to grow this exceptional new cultivar of a popular and widely adaptable North American species. Dark green, deeply lobed leaves erupt on the autumn scene with a crescendo of brilliant red foliage. Pyramidal in form, its dominant central leader and strong branch attachment with upright angles add up to a storm-resistant structure and a canopy that can easily be pruned up over time for traffic clearance.
Discovered in a neighborhood not far from the nursery, we have observed and admired the parent tree for many years. It stands out among other Sweetgums growing along the residential street for several reasons: Fall color is consistently bright red. It defoliates earlier than the others and has suffered no ice or snow damage. Seed production has been extremely light to none. Mature height and spread are estimated at 60’ x 25’. Hardiness is USDA Zone 6. Find more photos here.
Summer Elixir® Elm
Ulmus chenmoui ‘JAB Morton’
New in 2022, this compact, mannerly tree is a good fit for many of today’s scaled-down landscape settings. Smaller in stature than most elms, it was selected by James Barborinas of Urban Forest Nursery, Inc., Mt. Vernon, Washington. It’s the best of many elm seedlings shared with him decades ago by Dr. George Ware of Morton Arboretum in Illinois. Dr. Ware encouraged Jim to continue growing and evaluating the standout seedling, which he eventually brought to us for trial and potential introduction. Jim (a highly respected consulting arborist as well as a fine nurseryman and longtime customer) notes that “its stand-out characteristics include a relatively small mature form, summer red-tipped leaves and rusty-red to blush-red fall color, and good structure.” Hardy through USDA Zone 5, it matures to a height and spread of approximately 35’ x 30’. Find more photos here.
Northern Sentinel® Honeylocust
Gleditsia triacanthos ‘JFS GMorgenson1’
Sharp-eyed plantsman Greg Morgenson spotted this unique honeylocust growing in a South Dakota landscape and saw its potential as a shapely street tree for cold climates. Narrowly upright growth habit combined with open branch angle attachment is unique among the Honeylocust cultivars and contributes to its storm-resistant structure. Fine textured, medium green leaflets cast filtered shade and turn yellow in autumn.
Mature height and spread are approximately 45’ x 25’. The parent has never been observed to have suffered ice or snow damage. Nor has it produced seed, although we can make no claim of its being seedless under all growing conditions. Hardiness is USDA Zone 4. Find more photos here.
Gardeners! Please note that our nursery is strictly wholesale. To purchase these and other trees grown by our nursery, please use our Retailer Locator to find sources of JFS trees near you.
