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New Hampshire Guide to Growing Trees

Growing trees is a popular hobby for people in New Hampshire, but it can be difficult to know what type of tree you should plant and where. It might seem like a daunting task, but with this handy guide by your side, you will have all the information that you need to help grow beautiful trees! 

Trees in New Hampshire

The Best Flowering Trees to Grow in New Hampshire

Little Lime Hydrangea Tree

The Little Lime Hydrangea Tree, which has been specially bred to be a dwarf version of the beautiful Limelight Hydrangea, is ideal for smaller gardens or tight locations. Tucked among ivy vines, this hydrangea’s brilliant green blooms fade to pink in the fall. The plant is hearty enough to withstand 20-degree temperatures and can be grown in a variety of light conditions. Choose!

Planting & Care

Find the perfect spot for your Little Lime Hydrangea Tree by looking for sunny locations with well-drained soil. After selecting a location, create a hole that is just as deep and twice the size of your plant's root ball. Place the tree in the hole and tamp down the soil so it fills any gaps. Water to settle roots before applying mulch to conserve moisture on site. If your Hydrangea's soil is dry, water the plant. You should water it about once or twice weekly until the planting has established itself. It is recommended to fertilize your plants with a general-purpose fertilizer during the growing season and follow label instructions for optimal growth. When you prune your hydrangea, always do it in the winter because this promotes new growth and blooms.

Bloomerang Lilac Tree

If you love the smell of lilacs but would want them to bloom longer, Bloomerang Lilac Tree is perfect for you. The Bloomerang Lilac tree blooms twice per year, with the bloom period lasting from May to July. That means months of vibrant color for you! Bloomerang Lilac tree's signature fragrance is jasmine-scented, which means it’s always refreshing and sweet. The Bloomerang Lilac will flourish near high traffic areas like patios or pools - but it also means well next to your front porch or in your garden. With its dwarf size, you can plant this lilac anywhere!

Planting & Care

Find a location with plenty of direct sunlight and well-drained soil. From there, dig the hole twice as big as the root ball. Place the tree in the hole, tamp down the soil around it and give it some water. When you first plant a Lilac tree, it’s important to have a regular watering schedule. It’s also easy to tell when the soil is too dry: check 2 or 3 inches down in the soil and if it feels dry, water immediately. Fertilizing with a well-balanced fertilizer when your Bloomerang starts to flower is recommended. A Bloomerang is best pruned after it starts to bloom, ideally twice per year. For a stronger root system and healthier tree in general you may choose to pick off the flowers that are dying from old age, which will enable the blooms on younger branches to develop.

The Best Shade Trees in New Hampshire

Quaking Aspen Tree

The Quaking Aspen is a superb choice for areas with poor soil, especially in cold climates. This variety of tree is famous for the beautiful fall color that makes it amazing in every sense. Their white bark stands out against their yellow leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall. Quaking Aspens are known for their signature leaves that shimmer like wings, as well as the shaking motion when they move in light wind. These trees can grow 5 feet per year!

Planting & Care

When planting, ensure that the plant is in a location receiving at least 6 hours of direct sun and garden soil with some drainage. Dig a hole twice as wide but just as deep. Fill back in the dirt carefully to help settle the roots then water to keep moist before you cover it again with mulch for weed prevention. To care for your tree during the first year, make sure that it gets water during extended dry spells, particularly in the summer months. Drooping leaves are a sign of both over and under watering so be careful to give it the right amount. Generally, one weekly watering should suffice. Use the 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 fertilizer formula to provide your tree with the nutrients it needs. Don’t fertilize the tree directly; instead, fertilize its soil.

Superior Hybrid Poplar Tree

You're never going to find a better type of tree to grow in New Hampshire than hybrid poplars. The Superior Hybrid Poplar Tree is one of the fastest-growing and most attractive shade trees. They can increase a home's value by thousands of dollars and have an oval shape that compliments any property. Planting poplars is a simple way to provide shade and privacy. They grow up to 8 feet in one year so you can strategically plant them where needed, like near your house for shade or around the perimeter of your property for privacy. In winter, they drop their thick green leaves after many months of providing shade as well as protection from the wind and snow, freeing up sunlight when it's most needed.

Planting & Care

Plant hybrid poplar in drier soil is often found at higher elevations or in areas with pronounced seasonal changes. Start by digging your planting hole two times the width and depth of the root system. Hold the tree upright in this hole and backfill with soil, ensuring that it is fully planted. Mulch to help retain moisture in your new planting area as well as guard against competing plants. Hybrids have increased growth in year one as long as they are maintained in moist soil and given appropriate irrigation. Flooding should only be a problem for hybrids if the water stays still, or moves too slowly to keep the surface wet. Hybrids can take floods better than other trees when it comes to flooding that is short-term and frequent. Infertile soils, including old pastures, a rate of 50 to 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year is typically applied. However, in the case that there are high levels of organic matter, such as which may be common in areas with grazing animals or manure heaps, it may not be necessary. During the late winter, before leaves and buds can form outside of a dormant tree, take pruning shears to any diseased or dead limbs. Cut directly where they meet healthy branches intending to remove them entirely.

The Best Fruit Trees in New Hampshire

Honeygold Apple Tree

The Honeygold Apple tree is an overall favorite. It tastes great and its cold hardiness is incomparable. Not many sweet fruits can grow in the cold, windy climate. But your Honeygold Apple Tree will produce a bountiful harvest even in the worst winters. The Honeygold apple tree is an all-around solid performer with a large harvest that’s packed full of honey sweetness. Planting the Honeygold Apple tree in New Hampshire is an excellent choice!

Planting & Care

To grow a honey gold tree, you'll want to find the optimal sun exposure for the type of tree. For full sunlight, but any, if it receives about 6 hours of direct daylight per day, should be adequate. To plant a honeygold, dig an enormous hole twice as wide and deep as the root ball. Carefully lift out the plant without damaging its roots and remove any sod that is in your way before backfilling with soil. Firmly water the new soil to help settle it around the roots, but don't use mulch anywhere near or touching by inches from the near trunk! If rain in your area is less than an inch every 10 days, you should water the Honeygold tree's soil around its root line 2 to 3 inches down. It's likely time to water the soil here if it has dried out to a depth of 2 or 3 inches. When fertilizing, it's best to wait until the late winter or early spring. Using commercial fertilizer products for fruit trees is recommended, follow the instructions carefully. Late winter is the best time to prune your tree. Cut back any dead branches, as well as any unnecessary bumps if the trunk is too dense to receive adequate light from above. The Honeygold apple tree does not self-pollinate, so it must be planted alongside other varieties of apples to increase the harvest. The best varieties to plant with are Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Empire or Macintosh.

Horseradish Plant

Horseradish, a root vegetable commonly used as a condiment, is also an attractive plant. The Horseradish Plant's leaves are green and leafy before harvest. It produces berries that give rise to the plant’s namesake- horseradish sauce! If you’d like to try your hand at making some Horseradish sauce, mash the root and mix it with vinegar. Then store it in the refrigerator to keep its flavor intact. If you prefer Horseradish for its taste and incredible health benefits, then this will be the perfect plant for you. Horseradish plants are high in Vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, and more while being incredibly easy to grow. The Horseradish Plant displays beautiful, green leaves with an airy structure that sometimes includes little white flowers. These are harmless to the plant and should be plucked as they appear during summertime to conserve energy. A Horseradish Plant is a perennial that grows 2 feet tall in temperate climates. They are commonly planted outside or in containers. They require practically no maintenance.

Planting & Care

Horseradish plants thrive in full to partial sun. Plant them in the spring, when the soil is loose and has lots of organic matter mixed into it. If planting in a container, select one large enough to support the horseradish plant's long, edible roots. If planting in a garden, be careful not to let the horseradish take over and pull it up when you harvest - it can spread quickly. Keep an eye on your Horseradish plant to see if it needs water. If you're not sure when the last time it was watered, check the soil down to about 2 inches - dry here indicates that there isn't enough moisture around the roots or container. Feed with a balanced fertilizer monthly according to package instructions and you'll be good. Harvest horseradish after one year, either in spring or late fall using a trowel to carefully remove the roots.

When is The Best Time to Plant Trees in New Hampshire

The right time for planting will depend on what you want from your new tree. If you need shade, then it’s best to wait until late spring or early summer when daytime temperatures stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit because this is the optimal temperature range for deciduous trees like maples or oaks. But if you're looking for a fast-growing evergreen that can provide foliage all year round, then now would be a good time! Deciduous trees take about five years before they start producing leaves so don't get too discouraged by waiting too long!

Can You Plant All Season Long?

The short answer is no. But the long-term answer is yes! Most of New Hampshire has a mild climate which makes it easier to plant trees all year round.

What are The Best Trees to Plant Each Season in New Hampshire

Springtime

The best trees to plant during Spring are fruit trees, lilac bushes, and flowering vines.

Summertime

The best trees to plant during summer include apple and pear varieties of fruit trees (for a fall harvest) as well as watermelons which need lots of suns to produce their sweet bounty. The Southern Magnolia is also an excellent choice for hot summers in New Hampshire because it’s drought-resistant!

Fall time

This time of year is perfect for planting deciduous oak or maple, both will provide some Fall color before dropping all their leaves for Winter insulation.trees

Wintertime

Choose evergreens such as pine, spruce, or fir at this time because they’ll come through snow-filled winters looking fresh with needles intact!

What Trees Have The Least Invasive Roots in New Hampshire

The least invasive trees are those that have the lowest impact on lawns and other plants. Cherry is at the top of this list because it has very small roots which don't go more than a few inches deep. This tree needs minimal maintenance from homeowners. The second place goes to maple, followed by Norway Maple and then oak.