The best Time to Plant Trees
Deciduous trees are a class of trees that drop their leaves each year. Deciduous trees drop their leaves during the Fall and Winter and divert the energy from foliage growth to root growth and storage. During the Spring and Summer, trees will naturally focus on flower and foliage production and also grow the root system. Planting during the winter means your tree will be focused on establishment of a root system in preparation for the spring.
Planting a tree is best during the colder months for several reasons:
- Trees are putting energy into root growth
- Trees are less stressed since they are not try to flower and leaf out at the same time
- Trees need a lot less water since they are growing more slowly during the winter
- Rain and snow melt will provide the water needed for most smaller trees
What are the Best Trees to plant in the Winter?
Most deciduous trees will do well when planted in the winter, some of the best are Maples, Oaks, Beeches and Poplars.
Sugar Maple
Acer saccarum
The Sugar Maple, a stately tree that grows relatively fast to a medium height of 60 feet and width of 40 feet in an open space. The Fall colors ranging from pink to deep red are one of this tree’s finest attributes. It is also featured on the Canadian flag and is one of the largest exports in the form of Maple Syrup (Averaging 9.16 Million Gallons produced annually since 2008).
Willow Oak
Quercus phellos
The Willow Oak has a unique visual texture with it’s Willow-like leaves. Lacking lobes, the leaves have a slim and oval shape. The bark has a lightly ridged texture, smoother than a white or red oak’s bark. Willow Oaks can grow in all kinds of soils, even tolerating wetter areas. They grow slowly to a height of 60 feet and 40 feet wide.
American Beech
Fagus grandiflora
The American Beech is one of the few deciduous trees that retains much of the foliage through the Virginia winter. The leaves turn from green to yellow then a pale gold color until they drop in the spring. The trunk is a light steel grey color, with a smooth texture that grows more sinewed with age. They grow slowly to a height of 70 feet by 60 feet wide.
Tulip Poplar
Liriodendron tulipifera
The Tulip Poplar is one of the fastest growing deciduous trees. Often, you will find these trees nestled in among other native trees in wooded areas. Due to their size, these trees should be relegated to outlying areas unless shade is desired. They have showy spring flowered resembling yellow and orange tulips, hence the name. The grow to a height of around 90 feet high and 50 feet wide.
What to Avoid Planting in the Winter
Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
Crape Myrtle trees are prized for their compact size (compared to other trees, these are compact at around 25 feet tall and wide) and showy flowers. They actually are cold rated for areas warmer than Northern Virginia, but actually do very well in our climate. They should not be planted in the winter however since they are more vulnerable than other hardier trees like those listed above.
Nellie R. Stevens Holly
Ilex ‘Nellie R. Stevens’
Holly trees in general are extremely winter hardy, but they are susceptible to winter burn. The tips of the leaves often turn a brown color, which looks like someone used a blow torch all around the tree. This is literally a burn caused by the dry, cold winter winds. While this is not often fatal, it does look serious.
Redbud
Cercis canadensis
The Redbud tree is a hardy type of tree, you may notice the magenta blooms first in the spring. Confusingly, it also comes in a white blooming variety. The Redbud may be planted in the winter, but about 50% will often die within 6 months if they are planted shortly before or after the cold weather sets in.