Opinions please: Honey locust 'Sunburst'

DH saw this tree on a gardening show and really likes it. We have a great expanse of lawn that is really crying out for a tree. I like the idea of dappled shade (I could make a nice little shade garden under it some day), also that it doesn't have the thorns and pods. It's a fast grower, which would be nice. From my reading, on the negative side I see that wind can cause some breakage and we do have a fairly windy site. Also that it is a target plant for some sort of (lost the article) midge or mite.

I have spots in mind for a couple of smaller trees (still thinking about that Cornus kousa 'Wolf Eyes'). But one larger tree would be nice. (edit to add...I realize this is still a small tree 30-35', but this is a suburban lot and I think in small scale)

jan (aka gram)

This message was edited May 10, 2007 7:18 AM

imho I think a yard (unless u definitely don't have the space for it), needs at least 1 "legacy" shade tree. such as sugar maple, ginko, oak (maybe white of some sort).
to me it anchors and gives the feeling of permanency to a property, not to mention cutting down on cooling and heating bills. a tree that can withstand the weather and wind. something that will be there a hundred years from now, after all the ornamentals have long died out and blown away.but that's only my thoughts. after the "legacy" tree is planted, I would say plant any tree that fancies you.

Len, I appreciate your thoughts, and agree. We don't have a tiny lot, but can't plant any trees at all in the back because we back up on a small man-made lake and aren't allowed to block the lake view of the neighbors. So our tree space is limited to the front. I'm not ruling out a 'legacy' tree, just want to know what folks think of this honey locust

Grama Jan,

The biggest complaint I have about this HL clone would be overuse. During spring with the emerging gold foliage it becomes clear just how common it is. As you drive through residential neighborhoods it seems as if every other property has one. There are some nice specimens around, but I've also seen some that are lacking (including mine). On the other hand, mine could claim abuse considering what its been through in the eight years I've had it. I totally botched a pruning job shortly after purchasing in an attempt to improve its form, and it now looks a bit like the flat-topped trees you seen on the Serengeti Plains Its also been moved twice in the last five years, with the last one done unceremoniously by a dozer basically pushing it out of the ground during building construction. It laid on the ground (roots exposed) for several hours, and when I got home from work I scooped it up with the tractor loader and stuck it in a hastily dug hole. It never missed a beat.

Bob

Giraffia:

Stop grazing on it, and ruminate on Acacia.

Gramagirl:

'Sunburst' honeylocust is relatively common as noted above. My personal objection to it is that it looks nothing so much like a really chlorotic plant.

But, variety is what makes the world go 'round. As far as windy -- every tree can have breakage in wind. I don't believe any Gleditsia is more or less prone to dropping branches and twigs than any other typical shade tree, or no risk manager would ever let them be used on city streets or highly frequented public places. I think thornless honeylocust is the prized principal plant of Paley Park (NYC).

I'd keep investigating other options, and see if you can come to some conclusion that offers a few more seasons of splendid sensations.

I like Nyssa, Cladrastis, and Liriodendron as starters.

I agree with the earlier suggestion of Liriodendron tulipfera (Tuliptree). They are also gypsy moth resistant, which I imagine would be a plus for the northeast.

Maackia, I've read that it's common, but it seems not to be around here. maybe the landscapers are avoiding it because they read that, too LOL seems every other house has a weeping cherry or river birch (ours is the birch).

VV & esc., thanks for the input. I will look into the suggestions. (sigh...so many wonderful trees and so little space to grow them)

Jan - my 2 cents on that would include that Sunbursts are one of the more insect infested shade trees I spray. Plantbugs and aphids love them around here. yes most of the damage is cosmetic, but still.....

thanks Al...but still...sounds like they're kind of a pain

Taking VV's advice, you could consider Acacia in a pseudo-psort of way. I'm assuming its the gold foliage that DH finds so alluring and Robinia 'Frisia' offers the same affect, but retains the gold throughout summer. I bought this one last year from Greer's and it has about doubled in size. Warning to Resin: These pictures contain unnatural plants that have been know to make some people sick to their stomachs.

Robinia 'Frisia' foliage.

And finally, my new introduction: Gleditsia 'Serengeti Splendor'

Does anyone have some pruning they need to have done? I'm sure I could work the same magic on your tree as I did on this one. :)

Hi Bob,
I love the 'Frisia'. Is that plant considered hardy here?

Also, your Gleditsia Serengeti Splendor™ is very nice.
Mike

the Robinia definitely has the gold color. it's a pretty tree. thanks.

Hi Mike,

I think its considered marginal in 4a, like most of what we plant. ;) I rarely see it offered and couldn't give you the name of a nursery in the Twin Cities that has it. 'Purple Robe' is pretty common, but not Frisia. How was the winter mortality? I thought the only loss was Lindera benzoin, but it looks like my Yellowhorn and a Fringe Tree are toast. It'll be the second Fringe Tree from Highland Nursery I've lost, while the one (also the first) I bought from Rice Creek keeps plugging away. I don't think its grown more than 4" in any year, but sure is a tough little thing.

Have you ever tried growing Halesia? I was at Bauer's in La Crescent last week and they've got some nice sized H. diptera. They carry several unique plants...well, at least for our neck of the woods.

Bob

Hi Bob,
Nothing has croaked, but my ram's horn willow was damaged a bit. It started to come out of dormancy just prior to the cold settling in again and I lost about 6" off of the branch tips. It is re-sprouting and should be just fine.

Another plant that was damaged, and it's strange, is my Larix laricina 'Craftsbury Flats'. I could see one of the non-native larches being damaged, but the native larch? Weird. None of my other larches show any damage - even another L. laricina cultivar.

Yesterday, I went to Linder's and purchased a Ginkgo biloba 'Saratoga' and got it planted. It's a very nice tree - I just love the leaves.

No, I have never tried Halesia. I believe that there is a Halesia at the Lake Harriet Rock Garden growing in a very protected spot. I have not checked the tree the last couple of times I have been to the rock garden, so I'm not even sure if it's still there. If you've not been there, the next time you're in the cities, make plans to stop and look through the gardens.

I wish I had the room for a 'Frisia' - I love yellow/gold foliaged plants, especially when planted next to red/burgundy/purple foliaged plants. I love the sharp contrast in the foliage colors; it's not for everyone, but I enjoy it.
Mike

What about a Sorbus americana or S. decora? They're both smaller trees. Either of these would be nice for dappled shade and they have showy spring blooms as well as showy berries in fall-
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=60l&q=sorbus+americana&btnG=Search+Images

Here's one photo of the fall color-
http://uptreeid.com/PICShardwoods/MASH-color.jpg

Mine is 40 years old now and very tall, and has been pruned a number of times. Pruned when young to eliminate low hanging branches, and when it was older some branches were too big, or hung over house etc. It did suffer some bug issues 20 years ago for which we had it sprayed a couple of times, but for some reason we have seen no problems since. Maybe because the branches are too high to see the leaves. It does drop flowers and stems etc about four times a year which is a nuisance, and plugs up eave troughs.. As mentioned earlier it has a tendency to sucker, partly I suppose because many of the roots are close to the surface. So don't plant it too close to your driveway or house because the roots are large and extend a long way. Overall I enjoy the tree and love to see the light colored leaves in the spring.

Wow! Another Lazarus thread.

Thanks, JoniJumpUp, for that ride in the WayBack machine. Not sure many of the above contributors are still with us.

and here I was all hyped up to say how much I admired Yellowwood when I last read about it...

You are welcome to resurrect that thread - should you be able to breathe life back into it.

Lol....I too was all ready to say how nice our Sunburst HL is but not it's moot since the thread is so old....

I will note though we lost two large branches from ours when it was smaller (last year lol) but I don't blame the tree but my hard staking to the one side as the culprit. It's great otherwise though and adds some nice organics to the soil in the autumn since I don't have to rake the leaves and they just lay in the garden.

Ah, a pleasant trip down memory lane. It almost makes me wanna bust out my Barbara Streisand LP. BTW, that Maackia seems so knowledgeable.

I agree, Pseudo.

I wonder if that Maackia also is an afficionado of the finer points of Vitis vinification - or if there are just nuances of sour mash and oak barrels creating a haze of wisdom...