Page 10 - May 2020 Final

TAKE A TREE WALK Community Clean-up. The Yellow-
wood produces cascading fragrant

the most beautiful of any flowering
blossoms in the spring that are among
By Bob Lee, Board Director tree. At its maturity, the tree will as-
sume a height of 30 to 50 feet with a
comparable width. The geographic
range of the tree is typically limited
to Tennessee, Kentucky and North
Carolina and is rarely seen in North-
ern Virginia.

Swamp White Oak
Along the hedge line at the front of
the property is another recent addi-
tion: a swamp white oak, planted in
the summer of 2019. Because of the
pitch of the property at this location,
water accumulates and does not drain
well, an issue that normally results in
rotting root systems and the likely
loss of nearly any tree planted there.
Not so with this tree! True to its
name, the swamp white oak is well
suited to moist environments, and we
expect it to thrive here. It will grow
to 50 or 60 feet with an equivalent
spread. The tree boasts several unique
Take in the beauty of this Camperdown Elm tree on your next walk around WAL. characteristics, including lustrous
Photo: Tom Curry dark green leaves with white under-
sides, rough and scaly brownish-
Have you noticed that WAL’s land- Until then, whet your appetite with a black bark and brilliant yellow to rus-
scape looks a little different lately? In few fun facts about some of our old set-red fall leaf color.
addition to some of our favorite trees and new favorites.
here since the 1970s — such as the White Oak
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar at the Not Just Any ’Ole Trees Over by the Outdoor Pool and Vol-
edge of the Putting Green (a speci- Scarlet Oak leyball Court is another new tree, a
men rarely seen outside of botanical Next time you’re out for a stroll, white oak donated to the Association
gardens) and the Weeping Cherry off check out the Scarlet Oak located by the daughters of Georges Jacques.
to the right of the Market’s loading near the Basketball Court. The tree Georges was a longtime resident,
dock — new trees have been planted was donated in 2016 by residents in Board Member and legendary WAL
over the years. In fact, there have memory of Dr. Ludmila Foster. volunteer who took special pride in
been so many additions that we’ve Planting this tree was rather an amus- Earth Day and in a Community Clean
ing ordeal for our -up in autumn. The white oak is quite
Go outside and enjoy the WAL volunteers who possibly the most handsome of all
views—at a safe distance! ended up calling in a native American trees and a worthy
addition to the inventory of remarka-
backhoe in order to dig
a hole large enough to ble trees here at WAL.
decided it’s time to update the Wa- install the tree! The Scarlet Oak has
tergate Book of Trees! brilliant red foliage in the fall and can Hug a Tree
grow to 70 feet high with a potential There are plenty of other beautiful
The new edition of Watergate at width of 40 to 50 feet. trees to admire throughout the prop-
Landmark Trees should be ready this erty. Be sure to take in these more
summer. Copies will be available American Yellowwood mature specimens on your walk.
through the Landscape Committee In between the Putting Green and Many of them are located close to the
and the Activities Office. All pro- Volleyball Court, you’ll see an Amer- Community Center:
ceeds will benefit the WAL Enhance- ican Yellowwood, added to the com- • Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar – locat-
ment Fund, which provides additional munity’s tree inventory in the fall of ed on the parking lot edge of the
resources for discretionary projects. 2018 during the semi-annual WAL Putting Green. This remarkable tree

Page 10 Wheel May 2020