In humid subtropical climates such as
Mississippi, you can grow different trees than you can in other parts of the
United States. Crepe myrtle, flowering dogwood, royal poinciana, and southern
magnolia are four trees you can plant in your yard that thrive in humid
subtropical climates.
1. Crepe Myrtle
Crepe Myrtle is a common tree in the south. In the summer, beautiful flowers
in a range of pink shades take over the crepe myrtle tree. A unique aspect of
crepe myrtle trees is that the bark naturally peels back on the trees during
the summer time.
Crepe myrtle trees need lots of sun to thrive and do not do well in soggy
soil. So you must plant your crepe myrtle trees in well-drained soil. One of
the nice attributes of crepe myrtle trees is they are drought-tolerant once
they are well established.
If you decide to plant crepe myrtles in your
yard, limit how much you prune them. Also, spray your crepe myrtle trees with
insecticidal soap in order to keep insects such as aphids away.
2. Flowering Dogwood
Flowering dogwoods are very beautiful and prized for their changing
appearance throughout the year. In the early spring, small blooms that can
range from pink to red to white in color cover the flowering dogwood. In the
fall, the foliage is a beautiful purple color. Then, in the winter, dogwoods
are covered with bright red berries.
Flowering dogwood flourishes in the south. They grow quickly, gaining a foot
of height a year, which make them a great tree to plant in your yard if you
want quick tree coverage. Dogwood trees are also designed to be undergrowth
trees, which means they thrive when planted under larger trees as they need
some shade to grow and thrive.
3. Royal Poinciana
Royal Poinciana trees are ornamental trees that grow well in subtropical
climates. The leaves on royal Poinciana trees look like ferns, and they have
very striking and vibrant colored flowers in shades of red, orange, or yellow,
depending on the specific tree you plant in your yard.
Royal Poinciana tree can grow up to 40 feet high and anywhere from 40 to 60
feet in width, so they can provide you with lots of great shade in your yard.
Royal Poinciana are easy to take care of. Just plant them in a sunny place
in your yard, water them when they are young, and prune away lower limbs to
allow the tree to grow tall in your yard.
4. Southern Magnolia
The southern magnolia is the state flower of Mississippi for a reason. The
southern magnolia has really large, beautiful, white flowers that can be as
large as a foot in diameter. The southern magnolia tree itself can grow really
large, hitting at least 80 feet in height and reaching up to 40 feet in width.
If you want to cultivate a lot of flowers on your southern magnolia, plant
the tree in full sun. If you plant a southern magnolia tree in partial shade,
you'll still get flowers, just not as many.
It's important to cover the root base of any southern magnolia trees that
you plant with mulch, as the tree has a very shallow root system. Southern
magnolia trees can grow in a variety of different soil types, from sandy to
clay soil. They are also able to withstand both flooding and droughts, making
the southern magnolia a really sturdy tree to plant in your yard.
If you need help taking care of the trees in your yard, reach out to McClain's Tree
Experts
today. We can help you with all your tree care needs, from
planting to trimming to tree removal.
