Twenty Trees that Stand Up to Southern New England Storms
A favorite armchair-gardening activity of mine is creating lists of plants for special conditions. I recently wrote an article for the community newspapers of the New London Day/Zip06 newspapers titled "Advice for dealing with storm-ravaged trees." Research for that article helped create Twenty Storm-worthy Native Trees, which you'll find below. Many of us are facing major decisions about our trees and shrubs--so I hope this helps you find some good replacements and additions for your southern New England landscape.
|
Native trees less than 20’ Chickasaw Plum, Prunus angustifolia Native Trees 20’ – 40’ American Holly, Ilex opaca Native Trees over 40’ American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis Happy pruning, happy planting! |
Pin oaks and river birches are known for their ability to weather storms. Both of those tree varieties have fared very well at the Conn College Arboretum during stormy years. 'Heritage' river birches stand at the entrance to Connecticut College Arboretum in New London, CT. River birches develop attractive bark as they mature. |
* Here are the two studies that contributed to creating this list:
Wind and Trees: Lessons Learned from Hurricanes, University of Florida Extension System. While many of the trees in this study don't grow in New England, many others do. I found the study very valuable for other advice as well, such as the idea of planting trees in pods of five or seven--rather than in a line.
The other valuable article is Windbreaks: Their Use from the NRCS-USDA.