Chapman Centenniel Green

[PonderInc]

By the way, re: tree selection...

I would hope that we would plant female trees, to help allergy sufferers, since only male tree generate pollen.  Female trees drop seeds/acorns, which may be undesirable in an urban park setting, but are critical food for wildlife in natural settings.  In an urban setting, it may be best to select sterile female trees, which would neither create pollen or drop seeds and nuts.  Not sure if anyone's thinking about this as it relates to tree selection, but I thought I'd mention it.

[AquaMan]

OMG! I thought trees were bi-sexual! Really, didn't know they had a preference. Now going out to check my redbuds, hackberries and maples for seeds.

[Bamboo World]

I'm not a tree expert, self-appointed or otherwise, but I would avoid planting female ginkgo trees.

[heironymouspasparagus]

OMG! I thought trees were bi-sexual! Really, didn't know they had a preference. Now going out to check my redbuds, hackberries and maples for seeds.

Oklahoma Redbud would be another good tree to have.

Burr Oak would still be a great 'anchor' tree, even with the acorns.

Sugar Maple would look good, but probably wouldn't make sweet sap here with our milder winters... Very pretty in fall, as well as through summer.

Hackberry would be good as a border tree - may have to prune more than the others.


How about clearing off a few blocks of parking lots and make one big Central Park thing?  We got one of the twin towers in miniature - a miniature Central Park would complement that and get all our park 'stuff' into one location - right in the middle somewhere near the Chapman....

[Bamboo World]

Any explanation of why the fountain isn't running?  I haven't noticed it on in a while.

When I walked by tonight (around 8pm), the fountain was gushing.

[AngieB]

I'm not a tree expert, self-appointed or otherwise, but I would avoid planting female ginkgo trees.

Those are the worst! You can't even buy a female ginkgo - nurseries do not sell them.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Those are the worst! You can't even buy a female ginkgo - nurseries do not sell them.

Sounds like a market opportunity! 

Bradford Pears are another one to be avoided at all cost!!   And Silver Maple.

[Conan71]

Sounds like a market opportunity! 

Bradford Pears are another one to be avoided at all cost!!   And Silver Maple.

Why are Silver Maple so hated?  There's one in the backyard of one of my rent houses and it's been a great shade tree once I got an arborist to clean up all the damage the previous owner had not addressed after the '07 ice storm.

[Bamboo World]

Why are Silver Maple so hated?

Surface roots and brittle limbs.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Why are Silver Maple so hated?  There's one in the backyard of one of my rent houses and it's been a great shade tree once I got an arborist to clean up all the damage the previous owner had not addressed after the '07 ice storm.

Like Bamboo said...brittle limbs - they all break out the center leader sometime after 20 years old.  They are beautiful trees!!  I love the shade, as well as the look of them.  Had a huge one in my front yard until about 7 years ago!  It was really nice for many years, and a complete mess for the rest of its life.  Even with regular pruning!

And the roots!!   They intrude everywhere.  I am still dealing with some driveway and foundation issues from that tree as well as a neighbor's whose tree is still there.  I am cutting pieces off of it every chance I get to get it out of there.    And yeah, she is ok with that....



An even bigger issue is the fantasy that realtors have been promoting for years about trees in the home landscape.  MOST of the landscapes built in the last 100 years are way too small for the trees that were used.  Burr Oak.  Silver Maple.  Elm.  Ash.  Sweet Gum.    All of these get pretty big in just 15 to 20 years.  And when they are put onto a postage stamp lot, it is a recipe for disaster.  A 45 ft wide by 35 ft deep front yard is NO place for a large tree.  Ever!

I have been a lifetime subscriber to the landscape tree nonsense.  There are 7 very large, 35 - 40  year old trees within a 60 ft distance from some point on my house.  Burr oak - like what they have at Mohawk Park with the big acorns.  3 large maples.  1 large pin oak.  1 sweet gum.  1 bald cypress.   There was a 4 ft diameter mulberry that was cut down two years ago....way past due!!  Absolute mess.  Advocated by realtors everywhere as "adding value" to a house.   The main result is foundation issues and complete inability to grow grass.

[Conan71]

Like Bamboo said...brittle limbs - they all break out the center leader sometime after 20 years old.  They are beautiful trees!!  I love the shade, as well as the look of them.  Had a huge one in my front yard until about 7 years ago!  It was really nice for many years, and a complete mess for the rest of its life.  Even with regular pruning!

And the roots!!   They intrude everywhere.  I am still dealing with some driveway and foundation issues from that tree as well as a neighbor's whose tree is still there.  I am cutting pieces off of it every chance I get to get it out of there.    And yeah, she is ok with that....



An even bigger issue is the fantasy that realtors have been promoting for years about trees in the home landscape.  MOST of the landscapes built in the last 100 years are way too small for the trees that were used.  Burr Oak.  Silver Maple.  Elm.  Ash.  Sweet Gum.    All of these get pretty big in just 15 to 20 years.  And when they are put onto a postage stamp lot, it is a recipe for disaster.  A 45 ft wide by 35 ft deep front yard is NO place for a large tree.  Ever!

I have been a lifetime subscriber to the landscape tree nonsense.  There are 7 very large, 35 - 40  year old trees within a 60 ft distance from some point on my house.  Burr oak - like what they have at Mohawk Park with the big acorns.  3 large maples.  1 large pin oak.  1 sweet gum.  1 bald cypress.   There was a 4 ft diameter mulberry that was cut down two years ago....way past due!!  Absolute mess.  Advocated by realtors everywhere as "adding value" to a house.   The main result is foundation issues and complete inability to grow grass.

River Birch appears to have been very popular in the late 1950's or early 1960's.  It seemed to be quite common in Lortondale.  The '07 ice storm decimated many of them and mature ones don't weather our summers well at all.

[heironymouspasparagus]

River Birch appears to have been very popular in the late 1950's or early 1960's.  It seemed to be quite common in Lortondale.  The '07 ice storm decimated many of them and mature ones don't weather our summers well at all.

Birch is a beautiful tree that is massively outside it's element here.  They usually don't survive more than a few years, but when the earth, moon, and stars all align properly it is magical!!  Had a girlfriend who lived in Lortondale and her next door neighbor had one that survived a long time.  Was a wonderful tree!  Last I saw it was the late 70's and it was still there.  Probably gone now.  In best of conditions, I think they are only a 25 year tree.


Advised a neighbor on tree about 5 years ago - to get a Purple Autumn Ash.  They become large, but take a long time to do so.  The tree she planted is doing very nicely and with a little pruning I did, has an amazing shape and look!  Very nice fall color!!   I told her to get security camera, 'cause I was gonna come dig it up and plant it in my yard!

Ash - I also have a 1976 ash in my back yard - one of the huge trees.  Almost 4 ft diameter!  The storms in recent years have started breaking pieces out.  I am slowly cutting it out.  Gonna take the larger limbs/trunk and mill them.  Will make some amazing lumber for cabinets, furniture, etc.  This one tree is large enough I could probably floor one at least one bedroom with hardwood floors, plus cabinets in the laundry room.

Now I just gotta figure out what to do with the 50 ft tall burr oak that's out there....anyone need a golf ball size acorn?

I am going to experiment with American Chestnut this fall - get some seed and try to grow them.  The "good" thing about that is they won't survive long enough to get too big for a yard!  In 5 to 10 years, they are gonna die.  In the meantime, you get chestnuts!!   Got an open fire to roast your nuts by??   When you cut the trunk down, the roots will survive and start another tree, so you get another 10 year tree.  The blight kills everything above ground but leaves the roots intact....

[cannon_fodder]

Birch are truly resilient when it comes to bending and not breaking. For the first ~20 years you can basically bend the top down to touch the ground and it will spring right back. After that 20 year park, it will bend... but the spring right back part gets a little iffy. And yes, they suck horribly in the summer once they get to be any size.   They are called RIVER BIRCH because they like to be next to massive amounts of water. If you cut a limb, it will flow water for weeks. Yet this is a good tree for Oklahoma?

Silver Maples are popular because they grow quickly and can be pretty in the fall. But so many of them look like hell because they shed limbs so easily. If you are willing to trim them whenever they lose a limb, they can remain for a long time. But, in my experience with Oklahoma whether, sooner rather than later they usually suffer catastrophic damage and need to be put down due to ugliness.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Birch are truly resilient when it comes to bending and not breaking. For the first ~20 years you can basically bend the top down to touch the ground and it will spring right back. After that 20 year park, it will bend... but the spring right back part gets a little iffy. And yes, they suck horribly in the summer once they get to be any size.   They are called RIVER BIRCH because they like to be next to massive amounts of water. If you cut a limb, it will flow water for weeks. Yet this is a good tree for Oklahoma?

Silver Maples are popular because they grow quickly and can be pretty in the fall. But so many of them look like hell because they shed limbs so easily. If you are willing to trim them whenever they lose a limb, they can remain for a long time. But, in my experience with Oklahoma whether, sooner rather than later they usually suffer catastrophic damage and need to be put down due to ugliness.

No, River Birch is not a good tree for Oklahoma.  It's just a really pretty tree....I think.  Makes me wonder what the first person that planted one here was thinking....I'm betting beer was involved!   Kinda like the first guy to eat an egg - had to be a guy to take that dare!!   I think I have seen those two guys - sitting around drinking beer on the front porch watching the chickens in the yard...one said to the other, I dare you to eat the next thing that comes out of that chickens butt !!   He got lucky.

Someone dared someone to plant River Birch....


Silver Maples take a lot of work.  The one I had was pruned a LOT.  Looked good for a long time.   I gave up for the last 4 or 5 years - by the time I cut it down, it was a mess!!

[PonderInc]

As long as we're on the topic of trees...

Apparently, it's also important that you always plant native trees because they attract insects that are critical to native birds. (Same with berries/nuts/seeds which are needed by native wildlife, which I think I touched on above.)  Apparently, if you plant non-native species, you don't get the right kind of bugs / berries / nuts / seeds for the ecosystem, and your native species suffer.  Who knew!