Trees That Please Nursery

Turbinella Oak, our August Tree of the month remains discounted 15% through August. Come in and get one today and save! Read below for a full description of this great landscaping tree. Turbinella Oak ( Quercus turbinella ) or scrub live oak, is a New Mexico Native evergreen tree.  Its wild form is a short sprawling shrub or small tree reaching 12’ - 15’ tall. Wild form is also multi-trunked. You would never guess it was an Oak species by looking at its leaves. Turbinella Oak has thick grayish-green leaves that lack the lobes of most oaks. Their leaves are more similar to a holly with its pointed leaf margins. Its dense branch and leaf structure provides shelter for wildlife. This naturally dense canopy makes it useful in the landscape as a visual and wind barrier for those allergic to more conventional screening plants like the Junipers. Like Junipers, Turbinella Oak can be pruned to shape or conform to landscaping requirements. It is com...

Club Cholla ( Opuntia invicta ) can be found growing on well-drained sandy or gravel type soils. It is common on the mesas surrounding the Rio Grande Valley of Central New Mexico. It grows 6” – 8” tall. It can form colonies several feet wide in its natural habitat. On the mesas of the Central Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico it is found growing in association with Yucca, Sand Sage, and Clump Grass. Club Cholla has formidable thick white spines over its surface so is well protected against consumption by wildlife. Club Cholla produces beautiful yellow flowers in late spring. Plant Club Cholla in your xeric landscape, along borders, under desert willows, and other hot, dry locations where little else seems to grow. Club Cholla is a groundcover type cacti best grown on well-drained soils in full sun with low water. Club Cholla is hardy to at least -20 degrees. To view a short slide show of Club Cholla on the Mesa click on the following link: h...

Blue Rug Juniper ( Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' ) reaches 4” – 6” tall and 6’ – 8’ wide. This growth form makes it very useful as a groundcover. Foliage is a silvery blue and it grows low hence its name, Blue Rug. Use it in rockscapes, bare soil, along borders, or near rock or wood edges where it can cascade over like a waterfall. It is also very useful when planted on slopes or bare soil to prevent erosion. It can be used as a turf substitute in areas without traffic. Place new plants at a distance of 3’ – 5’ apart to allow a full dense rug to form. Mulch each individual plant at planting to aid in establishment. Blue Rug Juniper grows best in full sun on a well-drained soil, with low to regular water. It is also heat and drought tolerant and Hardy to USDA zone 3. Contact Trees That Please Nursery for more information and pricing. Photos & Narrative By: Stephen Sain Staff Plant Physiologist

Russian Sage ( Perovskia atriplicifolia ) is a low water perennial, native to central Asia. It is primarily planted because it flowers profusely from late spring until frost. It does well in both xeric and higher water landscapes. In fact, after establishment Russian Sage can grow without any supplemental watering although flower production and plant growth may be reduced. The photo below shows a Russian Sage that has not been watered in over 6 years. It receives only what rain Mother Nature provides and continues to flower and expand annually. Russian Sage is not related to other commonly grown “sages” such as autumn (Cherry) Sage which are in the genus Salvia. Russian Sage grows with upright, whitish gray stems reaching 3’ – 4’ tall. Russian Sage has an extensive root system and spreads by sending up suckers, growing out in all directions. Annually, it will become a larger shrub.   It has deeply lobed silvery-grey leaves. The older stems are woody, and young...

Reliance Peach ( Prunus persica ) is a medium size fruit with red blush on yellow skin. It has yellow, sweet, juicy, freestone fruit at peak ripeness. Reliance Peach is a vigorous, fast growing tree. Grown on semi-dwarf rootstock it can reach 15'-18' tall and wide but can be kept to any size with summer pruning. Reliance Peach is reported to bloom later than other peach varieties and is more bud hardy. Reliance Peach trees are self-fruitful and ripen in July - August. This Peach is Hardy to USDA Zone 4. Contact Trees That Please Nursery for more information on available Peach tree varieties and pricing. Photos & Narrative By: Stephen Sain Staff Plant Physiologist

Silver Lace Vine ( Fallopia baldschuanica or Polygonum baldschuanicum or Polygonum aubertii ) is also known as Fleece Vine, Russian Vine, or Mile-a-Minute Vine. Silver Lace Vine is native to Asia. Silver Lace Vine is a fast-growing ornamental flowering plant often used to cover fences, walls, arbors, porches, or other structures. Leaves are somewhat heart-shaped triangular in shape. The vine is normally covered with large clusters of small silvery-white flowers from summer into fall. The flowers attract honeybees and butterflies so if planted near a garden will ensure that pollinators are nearby. Silver Lace Vine can grow 6’-10’ or more each season so is ideal for providing a temporary summer screen as it does drop its leaves in the fall. After leaf drop, the woody vines that remain accumulate and become thicker each year providing a partial screen even through winter. Silver Lace Vine can be grown in full or part sun in both sandy or clay soils. It does ...

There are two commonly grown species of Crepe Myrtle, the Common Crepe Myrtle also spelled Crape Myrtle ( Lagerstroemia indica ) and the Japanese Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia fauriei ). Crepe Myrtle is native to Asia, India, and Australia. Crepe Myrtles are small to large shrubs or small trees grown mostly for their showy summer flowers. Many varieties are typically multi-trunked unless pruned into single trunk. Some varieties also produce great fall color and have an exfoliating bark characteristic (similar to Sycamore trees) that provides winter interest.   The common name of this plant is Crepe Myrtle because the flowers have crinkly petals that resemble the crepe paper. The smaller varieties are ideal for planting close to the house or near walls or in borders. Crepe Myrtles are available in a variety of colors including purple, white, pink, and red. Crepe Myrtles are best grown in full sun and well drained soils with regular water. ...

The Western Soapberry tree ( Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii ) is native to New Mexico. It grows wild from Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana westward through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, and Mexico. The fruit of the Western Soapberry tree is a drupe. Mature fruits are translucent, amber colored, and contain a black seed. The mature fruit without the seed will produce a good lather with water and has been used as a soap substitute. Fruits persist on the trees through winter. T he Western Soapberry tree can grow 1′-2′ annually reaching 25′-30′ tall and wide making it a good sized shade tree. Fall leaf color is an attractive golden yellow. Currently, there are no improved varieties of the Western Soapberry Tree. It grows well on the alkaline soils of New Mexico and is very tolerant of heat and drought once established. This tree is rarely affected by disease or insect pests making it an ideal specimen tree for your yard or landscape. S...