Page 55 - Free State Summer 2022

at the Camden House. The Eastern Redbud is cold hardy in Champion Cercis Canadensis in the National Register of
USDA zones 4-9, thriving in full to partial shade and moist, Champion Trees is located in Fairfax, VA, growing 32 feet tall
well-drained soils. The trunk can be single, divided or multi- and 39 feet wide and is in fair condition. The most serious of
trunked, which forms graceful spreading branches and a pests of the Redbud is canker, which can cause many stems
rounded crown. The vibrant, ½ inch wide purple-rose pea like to die. Other disease pests include blights, leaf spots, mildews
flowers bloom profusely in March through April on the bare and Verticillium wilt. Borers, caterpillars, Japanese Beetles,
branches and last almost 3 weeks. The flowers mature into leafhoppers, treehoppers, scale and webworms. Deer on the
brown bean-like seedpods that can grow 2-4 inches. After the other hand do not usually bother the trees at all.
flower show, the heart shaped, reddish purple leaves begin to Quercus alba or the native White Oak is a large deciduous tree
emerge, maturing into dark green. They expand to 3-5 inches that can grow 50-80 feet tall and wide. The County Champion
across and are arranged in an alternate zig-zag fashion on is located on the east side of the Guerrieri Student Union and
dark stems. The autumn color can be yellow green or pure is over 100 feet tall. The White Oak is cold hardy in USDA zones
pale yellow. There are many wonderful cultivars including 3-9, and thrives in full sun and prefers rich acidic, moist but
‘Ace of Hearts’, a smaller tree which has lighter pink-purple well-drained sandy loam soils. The leaves grow 4-8 inches long
flowers and ‘Alba’ which is covered with pure white flowers in with 5-9 rounded lobes and narrow sinus that cut toward the
the spring. Rising Sun has apricot leaves that change color midrib. Young leaves emerge pinkish gray in color, expanding
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to yellow and then to green as they expand. New grow glows and changing to dark green all summer and changing in the
apricot gold against the green mature leaves all summer long. autumn to wine red to brown. Oaks are wind pollinated and
There are also a number of beautiful weeping or cascading the monoecious flowering catkins provide a lot of pollen in the
Redbuds including Ruby Falls and Lavender Twist that glow spring. The flowers mature into deep chocolate brown solitary
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in the spring with their graceful arching branches covered acorns about an inch long with a bowl like cap with raised
with flowers. Their smaller sized 5-6 foot silhouette provides 4 scales. Acorn are not produced in abundance each year
seasons of art as specimens or an accent in the landscape. and seem to have a good crop every 4-10 years. Young trees
Ruby Falls , a cross between Lavender Twist and Forest have a pyramidal shape that matures into an oval rounded
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Pansy provides reddish purple foliage almost all summer long. spreading crown. The White Oak needs to be transplanted
Most Cercis canadensis don’t transplant well and should be when young with an inch of mulch around the base of the tree
established into the landscape when young. The National
to control the completion of lawn and oak roots. The National
Champion Quercus alba in the National Register of Champion
Trees is 90 by 120 feet tall and wide and is located Brunswick,
VA. Disease pests include anthracnose, bacterial leaf scorch,
basal canker, canker, leaf blister leaf spots, powdery mildew,
rust, twig blights, wilt, wood decay, shoe-string root rot. Insect
pests include bores, caterpillars, galls, leaf miners, oak lace
bug, oak mites, sawfly, scales, spongy moth (formally known
as Gypsy Moth) and Asiatic oak weevils.
Quercus velutina or the native Black Oak is a large deciduous
tree that can grow 50-60 feet tall and wide. The County
Champion is located on the north side of the Guerrieri Student
Union and is 78 feet tall. Cold hardy in USDA zones 3-9, the
Black Oak thrives in full sun and prefer organically rich, moist
but well-drained soils. Once established the Black Oak, that is
in the Red Oak family, will tolerate poor dry soils. The leaves
are shiny and dark green, expanding up to 10 inches long with
7-9 lobes topped with 1-2 bristle tipped teeth and the sinus
are deeply incised. The side ribs are set alternately along the
mid rib. In the autumn the leathery dark green leaves fade
to yellow to yellow brown and then to dull red. In early spring
the separate male and female catkins appear just before the
leaves emerge. They mature into ¾ inch elliptical acorns with
saucer shaped cups that fit up to ½ of the acorn. Trees have a
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Cercis canadensis in bloom Get Active. Stay Involved. • SUMMER 2022 55