Dr. Michael A. Dirr Offering Future Tree Selections

Acer-MapleNeed smaller versions for red, silver, sugar; I see Autumn Blazefalling apart; ‘Sun Valley’ (SUPPLIERS: J. Frank Schmidt & Son, JostGreenhouses and Loma Vista Nursery, Inc. I Right Photo Courtesyof J. Frank Schmidt & Son) has been the best of Dr. Townsend’sintroductions; smaller version of silver maple from Wisconsinselected by Bill Hoch; new hybrids between ‘Crimson King’ andAcer truncatum with lustrous red-purple foliage and smaller stature;have watched Morton Arboretum’s A. miyabei State Street(SUPPLIERS: J. Frank Schmidt & Son and Loma Vista Nursery, Inc. I LeftPhoto Courtesy of J. Frank Schmidt & Son) perform well in Chicago,Louisville and Spartanburg, SC. New Acer truncatum Main Street(‘WFAT-1’) with oval-rounded outline, dense branching andmagnificent orange-red fall color. Selected from seedling populationin North Carolina by Mike Worthington. I spied upright and red fallcolored Acer saccharum in Georgia that may have a future. Bothdisplay remarkable heat and drought tolerance.Aesculus-BuckeyePerhaps too far removed from reality because of fruit litter but a new brilliant orange-red fall coloring Aesculus, Prairie Torch(‘Bergeson’), was introduced by Dr. Dale Herman, North Dakota State University. Zone 3/4 adaptability.Betula nigra- River BirchResistant to borer, wide adaptability; Heritage ® was first, thenDura Heat, (SUPPLIER: Jost Greenhouses I Photos Courtesyof Jost Greenhouses) now City Slicker (more heat tolerant)and Northern Tribute (‘Dickinson’) from Bailey with Zone3 hardiness. Worth noting that in Maine, B. nigra is the mostcommonly planted birch in new landscapes, superseding eventhe native B. papyrifera.Carpinus caroliniana-American Hornbeam(SUPPLIER: J. Frank Schmidt & Son and Loma Vista Nursery, Inc.) Wonderful native with Palisade, an upright form; at least two newred-fall-coloring selections from Michael Yanney, Wisconsin and Schmidt Nursery.Cercis canadensis-Redbud(SUPPLIER: J. Frank Schmidt & Son and Loma Vista Nursery, Inc.) Remarkable breeding by Dr. Denny Werner, NCSU, for exciting foliageand habit traits.Cornus macrophylla-Big Leaf DogwoodNo one grows it; must be a reason, yet I see great trees in arboreta; 15 to 25’ high, white flowers, purple-black fruits, clean foliage, highheat tolerance; perhaps a sleeper.Corylus fargesii-Farges FilbertSmall tree with River Birch-like exfoliating bark; supposedly 70’ in wild; largest I have observed was ~20’ at Arnold Arboretum; growingin Chapel Hill, NC.888.233.1876 n