Streetscape
Learn about the trees in the Streetscape program. More...
The following is a list of trees used frequently in the Streetscape Program
Click on tree name for viewing and cultural care information:
Bald Cypress
Crape Myrtle
Live Oak
Magnolia
Shumard Oak
Slash Pine
Sweetgum
Winged Elm
Bald Cypress
Scientific Name:Taxodium distichum
Growth Habit: This moderately-fast growing deciduous tree can grow to 50 feet tall in about 15-25 years and 25 feet wide. The needle-like leaves are pale green with interesting copper to red color before dropping in the fall.
Light: Grow in full-sun.
Feedings: Apply a general garden fertilizer frequently.
Water Needs: Drought tolerant; water daily after planting for a month or more and then every other day until established. Thereafter, seasonal rains normally provide adequate moisture.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: New trees are started from seed.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Bag worms can defloiate protions or the tree and mites can be a problem during dry weather especially in the summer.Twig blight on dead or dying tissue should be pruned off. Do not let dead or diseased branches remain on the tree.
Pruning: The tree is relatively maintenance-free, requiring pruning only to remove dead wood and unwanted lower branches.
Uses: Ideal tree for wet locations but can also be grown in dry locations and makes an attractive lawn, street, or shade tree.
Florida Native: Yes. | Ed Thralls - August 16, 2006
Crape Myrtle
Scientific Name:Lagerstroemia indica
Growth Habit: An upright, vase-shaped crown with striking summer flower color makes the tall growing selections well-suited for street tree planting that can grow to 30 feet tall and 25 feet wide. The leaves are green and exhibit orange, red and yellow fall color.
Light: Grow in full-sun.
Feedings: Apply a general garden fertilizer while trees are young.
Water Needs: High drought tolerance; water daily after planting for a month or more and then every other day until established. Thereafter, seasonal rains normally provide adequate moisture.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: Start plants from seed or softwood and semi-softwood cuttings in spring and summer.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Aphids infest new growth causing an unsightly but harmless sooty mold. An insecticidal soap may be necessary as a control. Select cultivars and hybirds that are resistant to powdery mildew to avoid this disease.
Pruning: Should be done in early spring before growth begins. Topping disfigures the nice trunk and branch structure. Lower branches are often removed to show off the trunk form and color. Removing spent flower heads will encourage a second flush of flowers.
Uses: This tree grows well in limited soil spaces such as along boulevards and streets. Flower colors available in all shades of white, pink, red, or lavender appear from late sprig through summer. The smooth, peeling bark make it ideal for planting as a specimen tree.
Florida Native: No. Native to China. | Ed Thralls - August 16, 2006
Southern Live Oak
Scientific Name:Quercus virginiana
Growth Habit: An evergreen wide-spreading tree growing to 60 feet tall and 100 feet wide. The leaves are dark green, oblong and slightly rolled at the edges and grow to 5 inches long and an inch wide.
Light: Plant in full-sun.
Feedings: Apply a 16-4-8 or similar fertilizer once monthly in March and June to newly planted trees for the first three years. Thereafter, decomposing mulches and feedings of nearby shrubs, lawns and flowers provide adequate nutrition.
Water Needs: Drought tolerant. Water new trees until the roots become established in the surrounding soil. Thereafter, the trees receive adequate moisture from seasonal rains.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: Start trees from seeds or cuttings.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Live oaks are usually free of major pests but are affected by gall-forming insects that occasionally cause leaves and stems to develop unsightly swollen, knotted or fuzzy portions. Caterpillars might feed in the trees, causing some defoliation. Both problems seldom need control.
Pruning: Train new trees to a central leader to produce one main trunk. Remove or reduce the length of lower limbs after trees grow 8 to 12 feet tall as needed to perform yard work or allow movement under the trees.
Uses: A popular Florida tree to plant for shade in home landscapes. Add to areas where there is adequate room to accommodate the spreading growth habit that develops with age. The spring flowers are not showy but result in the production of fall acorns, a favorite food for wildlife. A number of new selections are available, including Cathedral, Highrise and Millennium oaks with uniform upright to rounded growth habits for home and street planting.
Florida Native: Yes. | Tom MacCubbin - November 13, 2005
Magnolia
Scientific Name:Magnolia grandiflora
Growth Habit: A pyramid-shaped evergreen tree growing to 80 feet tall and half as wide.
Light: Grows best in full sun but tolerates light shade.
Feedings: Apply a 16-4-8 or similar fertilizer once monthly in March and June to new tree plantings for the first three years. Thereafter, the nutrient needs normally are met by decomposing mulch or nearby feedings of lawns and ornamentals.
Water Needs: Prefers a moist soil; water every seven to 10 days during hot, dry weather until established. Once an extensive root system has developed in the surrounding soil, the trees are drought-tolerant.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: Start plants from seed or cuttings or by grafting.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Scale can be a problem, covering the leaves with white dots and patches, but it seldom needs control. Gray algal and dark fungal leaf spots also may blemish leaves, but sprays normally are not needed.
Pruning: Train young trees to a single trunk with evenly spaced branches. Other trimming typically is limited to the removal of lower limbs that affect care and traffic under the trees.
Uses: An excellent shade tree opening a major display of large, fragrant, white blossoms April through June and sporadically during the summer. Seedpods form during the summer and often turn red, gradually revealing bright red seeds suspended by latexlike threads. A number of named varieties are available with predictable flowering and growth habits.
Florida Native: Yes. | Tom MacCubbin - July 3, 2005
Shumard Oak
Scientific Name:Quercus shumardii
Growth Habit: A deciduous pyramidal-shaped tree growing to 50 feet tall and equally as wide. The leaves are large, glossy green with pointed tips and deeply cut lobs turning red to orange during fall.
Light: Plant in full-sun locations.
Feedings: Apply a general garden fertilizer in March and June for the first three years after planting. Thereafter trees normally obtain adequate nutrients from nearby shrub and lawn feedings.
Water Needs: A drought-tolerant tree that needs frequent watering only during the first year after planting. Established trees obtain adequate moisture from seasonal rains.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: Start new trees from seeds or cuttings.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Oaks are relatively pest free. Occasionally caterpillars and mites may affect the foliage, but controls normally are not needed. Trees in soil that is too wet may develop root-rot problems.
Pruning: Start care immediately after planting by maintaining a central leader. Prune out limbs that compete with the central-most shoot at the top of the tree. Also trim as needed to maintain limbs evenly spaced around and up the trunk of the tree.
Uses: Gardeners wanting the Northern oak look should enjoy the Shumard species with large, glossy leaves that provide good fall color. Plant as a street or shade tree for the landscape. This is a large tree, so keep it at least 15 feet from the home and septic systems.
Florida Native: Yes. | Tom MacCubbin - November 4, 2000
Slash Pine
Scientific Name:Pinus elliottii
Growth Habit: An upright needle-leaf evergreen tree with an open branching habit; grows to 75 feet tall. Needles are produced in clusters of two or three, and they grow to 12 inches long.
Light: Plant in full-sun locations.
Feedings: Apply a light application of a garden fertilizer in March and June for the first three years. Thereafter, the trees obtain nutrients from decomposing mulches and feedings of nearby shrubs and turf.
Water Needs: Keep moist until roots begin to grow into the soil. When established, the trees are drought-tolerant, usually surviving with moisture from seasonal rains.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: Started from seed.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Prefers an acid soil. Grows best with a natural mulch over the root system. Excessive water or frequent feedings often cause decline. The trees are susceptible to damage during construction. Weakened trees may be affected by borers and stem diseases.
Pruning: Remove lower limbs as needed to allow movement and landscape maintenance under the trees. Also remove declining limbs to prevent borers and diseases.
Uses: Pines make excellent shade trees. They can be used as companion plants for azaleas, camellias and split-leaf philodendrons; each prefers the acid soils. Best planted in clusters where the area under the limbs can be left in a natural state and covered by the seasonal loss of pine needles.
Florida Native: Yes. | Tom MacCubbin - May 11, 2001
Sweet Gum
Scientific Name:Liquidambar syraciflua
Growth Habit: An upright deciduous tree growing to 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide. The leaves are dark green and star-shaped, often confused with red maple leaves, growing to 5 inches long and wide.
Light: Grow in full-sun locations.
Feedings: Apply a general garden fertilizer once monthly in March and June for three years after planting. Thereafter, fertilizer applied to nearby lawns, shrubs and flower beds normally supplies the nutrient needs.
Water Needs: Drought tolerant; water daily after planting for a month or more and then every other day until established. Thereafter, seasonal rains normally provide adequate moisture.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: Start plants from seed, through cuttings or by grafting.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Lace bugs and thrips often cause a bronzing of the foliage by the end of summer. This decline usually is ignored as the leaves are deciduous and lost during the fall months. Caterpillars may feed on the leaves in sections of the tree, but the damage is usually minor.
Pruning: The trees normally grow upright but may need guidance to keep a central leader. Maintain evenly spaced limbs round the trunk by removing conflicting branches. Remove lower limbs as needed in older trees to allow maintenance and passage under the trees.
Uses: This upright, medium-sized shade tree allows gardeners to keep their sunny areas while enjoying shade, too. Inconspicuous yellowish flowers are produced during the late winter. The female blooms develop spiny seed capsules that drop to the ground during fall and can be painful to bare feet. The star-shaped leaves are eye-catching and turn yellow, red or purple by late fall.
Florida Native: Yes. | Tom MacCubbin - July 11, 2004
Winged Elm
Scientific Name:Ulmus alata
Growth Habit: This fast-growing deciduous tree can grow to 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide. The leaves are green, growing to 2-4 inches long.
Light: Grow in full-sun to partial shade locations.
Feedings: Apply a general garden fertilizer in winter when trees are young (up to 3 years).
Water Needs: Drought tolerant; water daily after planting for a month or more and then every other day until established. Thereafter, seasonal rains normally provide adequate moisture.
Ease of Culture: Easy.
Propagation: Start plants from seed immediately after harvest.
Hardiness: Hardy.
Major Problems: Powdery mildew causes varying degrees of leaf color change in the fall. Mites can yellow foliage. Scale insects can infest this tree along the branches; an horticulture oil spray can help.
Pruning: The trees grow somewhat upright but must be pruned regularly at an early age to eliminate double and multiple trunks.
Uses: This medium-sized shade tree may be used in situations with conifed soil spaces such as a parking lot island. Inconspicuous greenish flowers are produced in the fall. The corky "wings" along twigs and branches are visually interesting.
Florida Native: Yes. | Ed Thralls - August 16, 2006
For Further Information Contact:
Streetscape Coordinator
Email: Streetscape