John Lindell

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Stories By John Lindell

  • White Spruce Vs. Norway Spruce

    White Spruce Vs. Norway Spruce. The white spruce is a tree native to extreme northern parts of the United States and grows in much of Canada. The Norway spruce is an introduced species that hails from Europe. Both of these spruce trees are fashionable landscaping species planted extensively for their attributes. The white spruce and Norway spruce come in multiple cultivars, which mean there could be a type of these trees that will be a good fit for your home.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How Do I Tell A Birch Tree From A Poplar Tree?

    How Do I Tell a Birch Tree From a Poplar Tree?. The assorted species of birch trees in the United States have some distinct differences from the various kinds of poplars located in the country. Poplars, known as cottonwoods in many places because of their white fluffy seeds, often share the same geographic range with birches, sometimes even growing in close proximity to them. Telling the two families apart requires knowledge involving the size, the leaves, the bark and the reproductive parts of both.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Identify A Pecan Tree

    How to Identify a Pecan Tree. The pecan tree is the tallest of the hickory group and a member of the walnut family. The pecan tree grows in the wild across much of the Midwest and well into the Deep South, existing in the fertile soil of the river bottom lands across the region. Pecan trees have distinct characteristics that help you identify them.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Butterfly Weed Vs. Milkweed

    Butterfly Weed Vs. Milkweed. Common milkweed and butterfly weed are two species of milkweed that have much in common. Both will attract butterflies to your property, with these plants the main magnet for the orange and black monarch butterfly in particular. Some differences in features exist in the two types of milkweed. You can grow both types of this milkweed on your own, either in your garden or elsewhere on your land.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Will An Ivy Plant Last Through The Winter?

    Will an Ivy Plant Last Through the Winter?. Ivy plants not only last through the winter, but some stay evergreen during the colder months. This splash of color makes them worthy of the landscaping jobs they often perform, such as being ground cover or growing on trellises, walls and arbors.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Honeysuckle Trees

    Honeysuckle Trees. Honeysuckle comes in the form of a vine or a shrub, which in some cases may approach the size of a small tree. Honeysuckle in the wild in the United States in shrub form is an invasive species, with undesirable types like Amur and Morrow honeysuckle shading out native plants. However, for the garden and landscape setting, there are different types of honeysuckle "trees" with many desirable and attractive features.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Native Tennessee Shrubs

    Native Tennessee Shrubs. Using native shrubs for landscaping in Tennessee makes plenty of sense. It gives the local wildlife familiar food and shelter sources, decreases the risk of nonnative species escaping into the surrounding countryside and provides you with a low-maintenance landscape, according to the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council. Tennessee lies within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 and 7, so cold hardiness is not a necessity for the bushes that grow there.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers & Plants That Do Well In The Cold & Heat

    Flowers & Plants That Do Well in the Cold & Heat. An unusually hot summer in colder climates or a string of freezing nights in a warm weather state will not bother a number of flowers and other types of plants adapted to both hot and cold conditions. These plants have the most members within the ranks of trees, deciduous shrubs, perennials and needled evergreens. Their versatile nature when it comes to handling temperature extremes make them valued landscaping features.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Evergreen Shrubs In Zone 5

    Evergreen Shrubs in Zone 5. The winters in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 5, with temperatures to 20 degrees below zero F, test the mettle of shrubs. Used for such applications as brightening up a dull building foundation or planted in groups, these evergreen types for landscaping within the zone come in a variety of species. Some are broadleaf evergreens, flowering during part of the growing season, while others are needled evergreens.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Common Indiana Maple Trees

    Common Indiana Maple Trees. Several species of maple trees grow in Indiana, including sugar maple, boxelder and the black maple. The sugar maple, in particular, is an important species, although not as vital as it once was when Indiana produced large quantities of maple syrup in the early part of the 19th century. Indiana's common maples are useful now as shade trees, ornamentals and in providing places to live and supplying nourishment for birds and animals.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • What Pine Trees Are Natural To Arizona?

    What Pine Trees Are Natural to Arizona?. Arizona has a few pine tree species that occur naturally in the state. Among them is the ponderosa pine, an evergreen tree that has a very wide geographic distribution in the western part of North America. Two smaller Arizona pine trees are the two-needle pinyon pine and the limber pine, which exists in limited numbers in the wild in Arizona.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Identify Different Willow Trees

    How to Identify Different Willow Trees. Approximately 40 species of willows reach the size of trees in North America, and telling one from another requires some specific willow knowledge. Willows need moist soil, and tend to grow near water. You will often encounter willow trees forming dense thickets along streams. Willow trees all feature short-stemmed leaves that grow in an alternate fashion on twigs. To identify different willow trees, observe the trees meticulously.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Identify White Birch Trees

    How to Identify White Birch Trees. You may encounter three types of birch trees in the United States that feature white bark. These white birches include the paper birch (Betula papyrifera), the gray birch (Betula populifolia) and the European white birch (Betula pendula), an ornamental species introduced from overseas. Identifying these white birch trees depends on your capability to recognize differences in their features. All three possess an attractive white bark on the older trees, so distinguishing one from the other will require a more discerning eye.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Louisiana Oak Trees & Leaves

    Louisiana Oak Trees & Leaves. Louisiana's oak tree species grow in many habitats within the state, featuring a wide array of leaf shapes and sizes. These oaks occur in upland sites throughout the state as well as in the moist lowlands. Louisiana's oak trees possess an assortment of sizes, from the smaller shrub-like turkey oak to the majestic live and potentially enormous live oak. These trees are important parts of the Louisiana countryside.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Holly Leaf Identification

    Holly Leaf Identification. The National Forest Service notes that the American version of the holly tree has similar leaves and berries to that of the English holly species, a fact not lost on the homesick pilgrims when they first arrived in 1620. American holly has evergreen leaves, with the foliage being a staple of Christmas decorations. Identifying the holly leaves is not particularly taxing, although many have never actually seen them on the tree from which the many landscaping cultivars of holly stem.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Facts About The Norway Spruce

    Facts About the Norway Spruce. The Norway spruce (Picea abies) is a large introduced species from Europe that now grows in many parts of the United States and Canada in the wild. The naturalization of the Norway spruce occurred when the popular ornamental's seeds spread into forested areas. The Norway spruce has several uses. The tree can make a good Christmas tree, a large shade tree or a species that you will use for screens, hedges or other purposes on your property.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Facts About A Magnolia Leaf

    Facts About a Magnolia Leaf. While the flowers are certainly a highlight of the southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), the evergreen leaves are a large part of this tree's ornamental appeal. Grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6b through 9, the southern magnolia serves varied functions in a landscape. The foliage of this tree can become one of its more exasperating features when it finally does fall off as new replacement leaves grow in.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Nightshade Plant Identification

    Nightshade Plant Identification. Two types of nightshade are widespread across parts of the United States. Nightshade is a plant that has berries and leaves containing a toxin known as solanine. When ingested in large quantities, solanine has the potential to be deadly. Specific features of these two nightshade species allow you to make an accurate identification of the plants.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Maple Leaf Identification

    Maple Leaf Identification. The form of the maple leaf on the Canadian flag is familiar to most people, but trying to identify all maple tree leaves from that one outline poses problems. Most of the 13 native species of maples in North America do have somewhat similar foliage, but variations in theirs sizes, shapes and colors do occur.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Hickory Trees In Texas

    Hickory Trees in Texas. The majority of hickory trees grow in the eastern U.S.; central Texas is about as far west as hickories grow. The trees feature compound leaves and a long taproot, as well as nuts that are edible, but bitter. Hickories make solid ornamental species and are famous for their strong wood, which many individuals burn to flavor meats.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Identify A Birch Tree

    How to Identify a Birch Tree. The "Trees of North America" field guide states that about 40 types of birch trees grow native in the United States and Canada. Most birch trees exist in the cooler northern states and develop quickly when compared to many other kinds of trees. Birch trees often form pure stands of trees in a forest scenario but are somewhat short-lived. The birches share many features that will permit you to separate them from the other trees with which they grow.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees That Lose Their Leaves In The Winter

    Trees That Lose Their Leaves in the Winter. Deciduous trees are those that lose their leaves each fall and enter a stage of dormancy for the winter months, according to the University of Minnesota's Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Site. The leaves that fell in the autumn chill grow anew in the springtime on deciduous trees, repeating this cycle of rebirth and death for the lifespan of the tree. Many families of trees go through this process in the United States, including the maples, most of the oaks, many nut and fruit trees, and other recognizable and common species.

    By John Lindell November 4th, 2022 Read More