Bringing China To Your Landscape

Part Three
by Ronald E. Rothhaas Jr.
The Arbor Doctor

Some friends of mine have adopted two children. For each child, they planted a tree to commemorate the adoption. They planted the trees shortly after the adoptions and they watch the trees grow and develop as their children do. Trees are a great way to commemorate significant events in one’s life, as well as contribute to the environmental quality for our children.

As I write this the leaves have not yet emerged on local trees. While many landscapes remain dull and grey, my street in Westwood is lined with trees with beautiful mottled bark, exhibiting shades of orange, grey, and green. The trees are about 35 feet tall and arch over the street, meeting in the middle. They are quite striking, bringing color and beauty to the winter landscape.

The trees along my street are lacebark elms (Ulmus parvifolia). Also called Chinese elm, the tree has been confused in the nursery trade with the Siberian elm, a truly undesirable tree. To alleviate the confusion, the name "lacebark" elm is largely used in place of "Chinese" elm, although Chinese elm is still correct.

As the name "Chinese" suggests, the trees along my street, like my daughter, are native to parts of China. Unlike my daughter, who hails from the Jiangxi province in southeast China, the lacebark elm is native to northern China, as well as eastern Siberia, Manchuria, and Korea. Interestingly, while the tree performs admirably in Cincinnati, and our climate is similar to Beijing’s, I did not observe the tree being used in the capitol city’s urban forest during my visit.

Chinese elm is increasing rapidly in its use in urban landscaping and urban forestry. This is because it has proven to be a tough, durable tree with many desirable attributes. The tree has beautiful bark color which improves with age, a vase-shaped habit which arches over streets leaving good clearances, and very small leaves (the botanical name Ulmus parvifolia means small-leaved elm) which are essentially pest and disease free.

It is not surprising that lacebark elm is adaptable to a wide range of soils and climates. The tree’s native range can have hot summers but bitterly cold winters. Moisture can be variable as well. These trees have adapted to harsh growing conditions. In the United States, varieties of lacebark elm thrive equally well in locations as diverse as Cincinnati, California, and Florida, although varieties which thrive in hot climates may not survive cold Midwestern winters. The tree is used extensively at the Disney theme parks in Orlando, as well as in street tree plantings here in Cincinnati. Varieties sold in the Midwest are very well adapted here and have survived -20F.

If the tree has a drawback, it is that young trees can be a bit awkward, like a teenager with a growth spurt. However, the tree is like a fine wine, becoming more desirable with each passing year. Trees can occasionally produce large amounts of small, 1/4 inch seed in late fall. Unlike American Elm, which reaches 100 feet tall, or oaks and maples which also reach 80 feet or more, Lacebark elm is a more moderate size tree, growing to 40 or 50 feet tall and wide and fitting well into most moderate sized landscapes. The tree has also proven to be able to grow in very bad soils typical of street side conditions.

If you are looking for a long-lived, low maintenance tree with ties to your child’s country of origin, consider planting a lacebark elm.

You may contact him at 513-661-2673 or Ron@ArborDoctor.com

China Part 2 | China Part 4

The Arbor Doctor is your prescription for tree health