Are you a Rutherford County landowner? If so, March 2nd 2017 is your lucky day! The Rutherford County Soil Conservation District (RCSCD) will be giving away bare-root tree seedlings at the Community Center in the Lane Agri-Park Complex (located at 315 John R. Rice Blvd.) on Thursday, March 2nd! The RCSCD will be giving away three species of seedlings: Dogwood, Redbud and Beauty Berry. All trees will be given away on a first come- first serve basis! Each specie of tree has something special to offer, so to help you decide which you’d like to take home we’ve included some specs for each.
Dogwood
Dogwood trees are extremely easy to grow, especially in our Middle Tennessee climate. Dogwood trees enjoy partial shade, now they can tolerate full sun, but really do best with dappled shade throughout the day. Dogwood trees will also adapt to your natural soil — however do best with a little acidity in the soil, which you can easily accomplish by adding a little organic matter to your soil. Don’t have to worry too much about watering your dogwood, they’re pretty drought tolerant, however, for best results during prolonged heat and droughts a little extra water for your dogwood will go a long way!
Redbud
Redbud trees are a pretty popular ornamental tree; very popular in landscaping and streetscapes. Early spring the redbud is iconic for it’s purple pink flowers that appear all over the tree. The redbud is a relatively small tree with a short trunk and spreading branches. For best results with your redbud tree, keep your soil moist, and keep in mind that the redbud can grow in full sun but also enjoys a little shade throughout the day. Redbuds are found most commonly in the Eastern United States, making our Middle Tennessee climate perfect for your beautiful Redbud to flourish!
Beautyberry
A beautyberry is a deciduous shrub that is identified by it’s brightly colored and tightly clustered berries that stay on the bush clear up till winter. You may also know the Beautyberry by it’s other commonly used names, American Beauty Berry and American Mulberry. The Beautyberry will reach between 4 and 8 feet of growth, both height and width. They flourish under tall shade trees and can even be used as a hedge along the perimeter of your property. These deciduous shrubs are beautiful all year along with four seasons worth of changes to enjoy! Your Beautyberry will do beautifully in light shade and very well-drained soil. The icing on top of the Beautyberry cake is that generally they need very limited to no pruning. The shrub will naturally hang down when weighted with berries and they have very few pest problems.
Whether you’re a fan of the Dogwood, Redbud or Beautyberry varieties, we can all agree that free trees are good trees because all trees make your land more beautiful. So make sure to mark on your calendars and set your cell phone reminders to go by the Lane Agri-Park complex, Thursday, March 2nd to get your free trees!
Make sure to contact Advanced Lawn Solutions to learn about our tree and shrub services. We want to help keep these trees healthy and beautiful all season long.