| can I use 10-10-10 fertilizer to start a new lawn and what are the fastest growing and inexpensive shade trees? |
| 10-10-10 is a fine starter fertilizer for your new lawn. There are lots of fast growing trees! The green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and white ash (F. americana) have compound leaves and a coarse texture when they shed. Shop for seedless varieties such as ?Marshall?s Seedless? or ?Patmore?. The native tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), or tulip-poplar, needs a deep, fertile, moist soil to really thrive. It gets very large and should be planted only where there is plenty of space. If you want a birch tree, consider a river birch (Betula nigra) and resist the temptation to plant the white, or paperbark birch (B. papyrifera). The river birch tolerates Virginia?s hot summers, while the white birch gets stressed and becomes susceptible to the bronze birch borer, an insect which kills trees quickly. There are other white birches that are more resistant to the borer, including B. platyphylla ?Whitespire? and B. utilis ?Jacquemontii?. Best wishes with your landscape. |
