Best Trees to Plant in Vermont (What to know before buying)

If you are looking for information on how to grow trees in Vermont, then this guide is perfect for you. This article will give you a quick overview of the steps that need to be taken and provide links to additional resources that will help get your project off the ground.

The Best Flowering Trees to Grow in Vermont

Sargent Crabapple Tree

The Sargent Crabapple is compact, easy to maintain, and has colorful blooms in the spring and bright red fruit in the fall. Snow of white flowers in the spring with greenery during summer. They offer nearly year-round color for your landscape. This cultivar is an alternate bearing with heavy blooms every other year. In the spring, red and pink buds turn into fragrant white blossoms, while dense green foliage turns yellow in the fall. Clusters of small, bright-red fruit survive into summer and beyond to provide winter interest. The Sargent Crabapple has a compact size that makes it ideal for smaller yards. Use the tree to create a privacy hedge, along fence lines and patios or sidewalks, or as an ornamental tree in mixed borders when planted at maturity. These trees are ideal for those who love watching wildlife, as it attracts birds and butterflies with its fragrant flowers and bright red fruit. The Sargent's dense foliage, branching pattern, and easy propagation qualities make it a great choice for Bonsai gardens. This variety of crabapples can be used to pollinate apple trees, resulting in more apples! Planting & Care The Sargent Crabapple grows in alkaline to acidic soil, prefers moist well-draining soils, and needs full sun. When planting your tree, dig a hole large enough to accommodate the ball of roots and place it into it. Backfill with soil then water the surrounding area around the root ball to settle roots. One thing to keep in mind is that Sargent Crabapple trees require moist soil for the best growth. In areas with moderate rainfall, watering once or twice a week will suffice—in drier areas, check your soil and water when 3 inches of it have dried out below the surface. A 5-5-5 fertilizer should be applied at the beginning of each spring. The Sargent Crabapple requires minimal pruning; just lightly trim off any damaged branches in winter.

Little Lime Hydrangea Tree

This dwarf Limelight Hydrangea provides the perks of a larger tree without taking up too much room in your landscaping. The Little Lime can handle tight garden borders, container gardens, and even landscaping along your driveway. The Little Lime Hydrangea offers a rich color and is perfect in every season, but most especially during the spring and summer months when they bloom with a bright shade of lime green blossoms that lasts all year long. The Little Lime is also frost-resistant so it can be planted any time throughout the year without fear of early death by ice or snow. Plant your tree from March through May for maximum blooming success! Planting & Care Select a location that receives full sun for 6-8 hours and has well-drained soil. To plant your tree, dig a hole two times the width and depth of the roots on its root ball. Place the tree in the hole, tamp down the soil around it, water to help settle its roots and add mulch to help conserve moisture near it. A Little Lime Hydrangea plant needs about 6 to 8 inches of water each week. Check the soil around the plant for dryness, then add more if necessary. Apply general-purpose fertilizer to your plant and follow the instructions on the label for best results. Evaluate and prune Hydrangeas annually during the late winter, as blooms come from new wood.

The Best Shade Trees in Vermont

Royal Frost Birch Tree

The Royal Frost is a vibrant purple foliage with eye-catching exfoliating bark. It has an upright, pyramidal habit and it's a one-of-a-kind shade tree. This tree provides interesting vegetation from season to season, getting even better. The sleek whitebark during the cold months means a nearly year-round visual interest despite its deciduous nature. Burgundy leaves come out in spring, transitioning to dark purple and back again to dramatic deep red in winter. This showcases a tree that gives a year-round show making drab winter yards worthy of front-page features. Planting & Care Select a location for your Royal Frost Birch Tree that is in full sun to partial shade. The soil should be moist but well-drained. Once ready, dig a hole at least two to three times the size of the root ball. Place your Birch Tree and backfill with dirt tamped down for air suppression before watering it. To keep this tree healthy, make sure it has moist soil by watering it weekly or using a soaker hose. The tree's root zone should be cool and moist, but the Royal Frost Birch Tree also tolerates some dryness. If you need to prune your landscape at any time of year, do so in late winter while the tree is dormant.

Autumn Blaze Red Maple Tree

Maple is one of the best types of trees to plant in Minnesota. In addition, Autumn Blaze Red Maple provides a reliable red fall color that you can't find anywhere else. With such fast growth, these trees grow at 3 to 5 feet per year or more, which means this dazzling show will be quick too! It’s no wonder why the Autumn Blaze Red Maple seems to be the most popular new tree introduction in history. They are hassle-free when it comes to maintenance, and these trees can thrive with a minimal amount of fuss. Even better, they seem unbothered by car exhaust and therefore making them perfect for planting down neighborhood streets. These trees also have quite a large range of soil conditions that they go well with and will grow in various climates. It will resist insects and disease while still holding in lush leaves well past fall. All these reasons make the Autumn Blaze perfect for Minnesota. Planting & Care Autumn Blaze Maple requires full sun (6-8 hours a day) and well-drained soil to grow. When planting, create a hole 2x the width of the root ball using twice as much dirt. Position the tree along its long axis in the center of the hole with roots clear of any nearby structures. Tamp down your irrigation as you fill with soil then heap mulch around for surface moisture conservation. Your tree will do just fine if you provide rainwater, but one of the best ways to help your trees thrive is by watering them regularly, ideally twice each week. If you're not sure when to water, simply dig into the soil about 2 inches deep; if it's dry at that level, it's time for a fresh drink! In Minnesota, Autumn Blaze Maples typically do best when nitrogen levels are high. Therefore, look for fertilizer bags that have high first numbers such as 16-4-8 or 12-4-8 formula combinations. Thin young plants to 3 to 4 main branches by cutting off the tips. Cut just above where a pair of leaves attach. Cut using sterilized tools for a clean and healthy plant.

The Best Fruit Trees in Vermont

Honeycrisp Apple Tree

Honeycrisp apples are a favorite of international consumers and for good reason. These apples have increased in popularity over recent years as people continue to find them delectable and delicious. Not only are they tasty, but a Honeycrisp Apple Tree grown in your backyard has the bonus of producing fruit without all that 'hassle' you can get from store-bought produce. Planting & Care To get your Honeycrisp tree growing, plant it in direct sunlight with well-drained soil. Dig a hole twice the width and depth of the root ball, place your tree inside, pelt it down, and water to settle. Then mulch this area to prevent weeds from coming up. To keep the Honeycrisp Apple hydrated, provide a sufficient amount of water once per week. If you can't tell when to irrigate your tree, check for new growth and water as soon as it appears. Once your tree has established itself and is starting to produce fruit, it will need periodic pruning. This should be done during periods of dormancy; remove vigorous upright stems or weak branches. Low-hanging droopy branches should also be removed where appropriate. Pruning can help production, so it's great for the health of your tree!

Aurora Blueberry Bush

Eat lots of large Berries! The Aurora Blueberry, which was recently introduced in Idaho, has quickly become popular because of its ability to produce large berries and beautiful foliage during fall. Not only will you enjoy huge homegrown blueberries that get this big, but your friends and family will be amazed at how fertile they are when you grow them yourself. They've never seen such delicious beauties before. The Aurora Blueberry's unique flavor and improved berry size have made it a sought-after agricultural commodity. Most of these berries are picked and eaten fresh because people can't wait to try their juicy flavor immediately, but since the blueberries have such an amazing taste they also make excellent desserts like pies, muffins, and tarts. Blueberries are filled with an unmatched sweet flavor and they happen to be a powerhouse of antioxidants and nutrients that are good for the brain, heart, skin, immune system, and overall wellness. These berries are perfect for anyone who lives in a cold climate, which means you'll enjoy year-round harvests. In the summer, your shrubs will provide a lush green display of foliage that continues into fall with brilliant red and orange leaves when temperatures drop to freezing or below. When left unpruned, its size can grow up to six feet tall and five feet wide - this would make an excellent-looking green wall in many areas! Planting & Care To grow your Blueberry bush, it needs to have full sun and drain well. It must be planted in moist soil below 5.5 pH or else it becomes more susceptible to disease. When you plant more than 10' apart, make sure to dig your hole at least five feet deep and twice the size of the root ball. For new bushes, add peat moss to the soil before planting them for a good start. Once it's planted, cover up those roots and finish by patting down that dirt around it. Now low and behold! (or something like that). Aurora Blueberry Bushes are self-fertile, but adding plants will drastically increase the crop size. Blueberry bushes must be watered regularly for the roots to establish. The soil should never become saturated but should remain moist and light green. Drooping leaves may signify either over or under-watering. The only time that it needs to be fertilized is during its first spring following planting and again after it’s been picked. The only other pruning necessary besides trimming overly vigorous upright shoots close to the ground takes place in the winter when any spindly branches or dead limbs should be removed from the plant annually as all trees require it to stay healthy.

When is The Best Time to Plant Trees in Vermont

The best time to plant trees in Vermont is during late spring when the soil can be easily worked. The two most important things that people need to consider before planting any species of tree are what environmental conditions will suit it best and how much space they want to be left around its eventual mature height- because there’s no going back!

Can You Plant All Season Long?

Planting all season long in Vermont is difficult. Spring planting is usually a given, and many successful gardeners will plant in the fall as well.

 

What are The Best Trees to Plant in Each Season in Vermont

Springtime Pink flowering dogwoods are one of the first trees to bloom, providing a showy canopy. Tulip trees have vibrant green leaves and provide large flowers as they mature. Pieris or white spiraea plants are also great for spring planting because these beautiful shrubs combine textured foliage and fragrant blooms—perfect for your landscaping needs this time of year! Summertime Crepe myrtles have pink or purple blooms that create incredible contrast against green foliage, creating a striking display. Fall time White pines release fragrant cones every fall as they drop their needles providing lovely natural mulch underfoot. Wintertime Mature evergreen trees such as hemlocks and cedars can be a major water-saver in landscapes. They provide the most protection from wind and snow.

What Trees Have The Least Invasive Roots in Vermont

The least invasive trees in Vermont are the Eastern Red Cedar, White Pine, and Norway Spruce. These trees are less invasive because they have shallow root systems which grow outwards in a radial pattern rather than down into the ground. However, some of these species do not fare well when planted near other plants or structures such as fences, buildings, and sidewalks so it is important to consider this factor before planting them on your property.