TREES
• Trees are perennial, tall, with marked trunk and grow for several years, bear
flowers, and fruits.
• Trees provide us fruits, shelter, shade, fuel wood, and timber wood for
making furniture, ships, paper etc.
• They maintain balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide which is
essential for the life of fauna.
• Trees regulate the rainfall and check the spread of desert
• They are also the guardian of soil and check soil erosion by binding the soil
particles with their roots.
• They improve the fertility of soil by adding organic manure in the form of
leaves every year.
USES
• They are used in landscape plan for aesthetic and functional purposes.
Trees are used in garden as specimen, avenue plantation, wind breaks
and screening.
• A judicious planting of trees enhances the beauty of surroundings.
• As the trees are the framework of the garden, they should be easy
growing, hardy and requiring little attention.
• For aesthetic planting of trees in the landscape design, should consider
the following conditions
• I. Selection of trees
• Choosing of a tree depends on several factors such as soil, climate, the
space available, sunlight, variety of the tree, whether flowering or
foliage and choice of client.
• Based on the purpose of growing trees are classified in to following
way.
• 1. Specimen tree
• Such trees are planted singly for their attractive shape, beautiful
foliage, and flowers or for drooping branches which reflect
humbleness.
• Ex: Araucaria cookii, Callistemon lanceolatus, Cassia fistula, Salix
babylonica (weeping willow), plumaria alba
Specimen trees
• 2. Shady tree
• Such trees have mostly round canopy or umbrella crown. Leaves are
large and dense so that no or very little sun is allowed underneath
them.
• Eg. Azadirechta indica, Alstonia scholaris, Figus religiosa,
F.benghalensis, F.infectoria, Kigelia pinnata, Samania saman
• 3. Flowering trees
• These trees produce colourful flowers and are planted for their
beautiful flowers
• Ex: Bauhinia variegate, Cassia fistula, Callistemon lanceolatus,
Delonix regia, Jacaranda acutifolia, Plumaria alba, Peltophorum
ferrugenium.
Flowering trees
• Trees for avenue or road side
• Trees planted along side avenues or road side is generally for shade or
for flowers
• Eg. Cassia angustifolia, Grevillea robusta, Jacaranda acutifolia,
Ficus infectoria, Pterospermum acerifolium.
• 6. Screening purpose
• Tall upright trees are planted very close to give an ultimate look of
curtain or screen. Such trees are planted to hide some objects or sides.
• Eg. Grevillea robusta, Eucalyptus sp., Poplar sp., Polyalthia
longifolia, Casuarina equisetifolia.
• For fragrant flowers
• For this purpose trees like Pterospermum acerifolium, Plumaria alba,
Magnolia grandiflora, Michelia champaka, Millingtonia hortensis.
• For checking air pollution
• Industries are the major source of pollution and hence in such areas
trees having thick shining leaves will be more successful.
• Eg. Morus sp., Poplar hybrida, Ficusin fectoria, Plumaria acutifolia
• II. Methods of planting: .
• A pit measuring at least one in diameter and of equal depth is prepared
for planting a tree (1m X 1m X 1m).
• The dug up soil is mixed with at least 4 to 10 kg of well-rotten F.Y.M.
or leaf-mould, depending on the fertility of the soil, and is then refilled
into the pit. After 3-4 days, work up the top soil in the pit and plant the
tree, keeping the ball of earth, around the roots of the plant, to about
5-7 cm deep from the surface.
• The sapling is planted in the pit at the same depth as it was in the pot
or the nursery.
• Only one sapling per pit should be put and causalities, if any should be
replaced. After pressing the soil firmly around the newly planted
saplings with both hands, water them copiously.
• III. Time of planting:
• The time of planting will vary from place to place.
• In the plains of Eastern India, if irrigation can be assured, the best time of
planting will be in February or early March.
• In the plains of Northern India, planting should preferably be done
during the rains in June to August (south west monsoon).
• In Southern India, planting should preferably be undertaken after the
rains have started preferably in the month of September – October (North
East monsoon).
• Places having a milder climate as Bangalore, planting can be done almost
throughout year except the hotter and the drier months of March, April,
and May.
• In general the ideal season for planting is the end of the hot summer
and near the onset monsoon, sometimes, the planting is also done after
heavy rains.
• It always advisable to plant 2-3 year old plants rather than the very
young seedlings.
• Dwarf trees are planted 5 meters apart in the rows and the taller and
the spreading ones are planted 9-10 meters apart. But a tree with a
huge canopy such as the banyan or the rain tree can be planted farther
apart.
Classification based on the ecological
adaptation
• Trees suitable for moist location: Rainfall is very high and of longer
duration.
• ex: Terminalia arjuna, Cassia nodosa, Cassia Javanica, Mallingtonia
Hortensis,, Saraca indica, Tamarindus indica
• Tree suitable for dry areas: Rainfall is less and duration of the rainy
season is short.
• Ex: Butea monosperma, Bombax ceba, Cassia fistula, Ficus sps,
Neem, Plumeria sps
• Trees for saline tract: Coastal area
• Ex: Acacia auriculiformis, Butea monosperma, Casurina equisitifolia,
Eucalyptus citrodora, Tamarindus indica, Terminalia sps
• Tree suitable for arid condition : Scanty rainfall with high
temperature
• Ex: Albizzia procers, Butea monosperma, Cassia fistula, Casurina
Equisitifolia
• Tree suitable for marshy area:
• Barringtonia accutangula, Hibiscus tiliacus, Salix babylonica
• Weeding
• is important to prevent the shadowing and suffocation of young trees
by vigorous growing weeds until these trees outgrow surrounding
vegetation. Two or three weeding are sufficient in a year.
• Irrigation in first few years must be done regularly and according to
requirement. Watering during hot and dry period is necessary.
• Pruning - Replacement of dead trees is also very important and
replanting should be done at the earliest with the tree of same age so
that it does not disturb the uniformity of the trees.
• All dead wood, misshapen or dangerous branches hanging over roads,
buildings etc. should be cut. Damaged or decayed branches should be
cut away. All cuts more than 5 cm should be painted with Bordeaux
mixture or Sevin against the attack of pathogens
• V. Rejuvenation of trees:
• Some of the older tree trunks become hollow due to rotting and the
decayed portion has to be removed and the space filled with cement
mortar, thereby increasing the life of the trees for some more years.
• Bordeaux mixture will check the decay and prevent the insects from
crawling to other branches.
• VI. Tree transplantation
• The process of tree transplanting is called ‘Berlapping’.
