Trees now available for city’s fall tree planting program

QUINCY — The City of Quincy is offering its fall tree planting program. Quincy residents and business owners may buy one tree to be planted on the public right-of-way (between the sidewalk and street) adjacent to their property.

“Each year, city crews are forced to remove dozens of trees on public rights of way due to the trees being safety hazards, interfering with utility services or simply dying,” Planning Director Chuck Bevelheimer said. “The fall tree planting program allows Quincy the opportunity to replenish its tree canopy, which is important since the city has been recognized for more than 35 years as a Tree City USA community.”

The trees will be sold for $50 each on a first-come, first-served basis. They will be approximately eight-to-12 feet in height and two inches in diameter when planted. 

Bevelheimer said any property owner buying a tree is asked to place a stake in the ground to show where they want the tree to be located on the public right of way. He said the tree must be planted in the front yard, within 10 feet of the curb if there is no sidewalk. The city reserves the right to adjust the location of the tree or the type of tree to make sure it does not interfere with water, gas or overhead utilities infrastructure.

The city hired Leffers Landscape & Nursery to provide the trees for the program and to plant them.

“After that, it is the responsibility of the property owner to water and care for their tree,” Bevelheimer said. “Young trees require large amounts of water, especial during long periods of dry weather.”

Trees can be bought in person at the City Hall Annex, 706 Maine, third floor) from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. More information is available by calling the Department of Planning and Development at (217) 228-4515.

Short Variety Trees

Robin Hill Serviceberry: This is a hardy flowering tree with delicate white flowers that appear in early spring. The Serviceberry has dramatic fall colors ranging from yellow-orange to red. It produces edible black fruit in the summer. This tree grows up to 25 feet.

Kwanza Cherry: Kwanzan is positively stunning in the spring, the blooms are clear pink, double flowers. Huge clusters of carnation-like blossoms. While it’s still in bloom, your Kwanzan will start to grow young bronze leaves. As summer progresses the leaves will settle into a glossy light green with a slight red tinge, making it a wonderful shade tree as well. In the fall your Kwanzan’s foliage transforms from a cool light green to brilliant golden-orange. It is one of the hardiest and easiest to grow flowering trees. The Kwanzan grows rapidly to a height of 20-30 feet.

Ivory Silk Lilac: This is a small tree that bears foot-long flower panicles in late June. The monster flower bunches are creamy white and give off a heady, musky scent that will perfume your entire garden. These trees only grow to about 20 feet and can withstand temperatures as low as 30 degrees below zero.

Spring Snow Crab: The Spring Snow Crabapple (fruitless) explodes with stunning fragrant double white flowers along its branches; the short flower stalks create a garland of blooms. The Snow Crab is a dense, oval upright tree, with bright green leaves, turning yellow in the fall. This tree will grow to about 15-25 feet.

Standard Variety

October Glory Maple: An improved cultivar over all other Red Maple trees. Superior red color of the October Glory Maple is intense. An ideal landscaping tree. A fast growing tree that requires minimal attention. October Glory Maple Trees quickly mature into a pleasing oval shapes, reaching up to 40 feet. Its leaves drop later in autumn season than other trees, so you have more time to enjoy their show. You’ll enjoy your October Glory’s proud display of red foliage while other trees are bare. In the spring, it produces tiny conspicuous red flowers that pop against backdrop of spring green. Showy red fruit attracts birds. You get reliable color that is less dependent on the weather as other maples.

Shademaster Locust: It is an almost perfect lawn tree. The Shademaster grows into the beautiful rounded shape that you expect in a nice lawn tree. The leaves are nicely green through the summer, and turn a lovely golden-yellow in the fall. The Shademaster, though, has been bred to be extra hardy. It isn’t fazed by street or air pollution, salt, soot or challenging soils. Give it plenty of sunlight and watch this fast growing tree thrive. Practically maintenance free.

New Horizon Elm: The New Horizon Elm is a fast-growing, vigorous elm tree variety. It makes a wonderful shade tree with decorative elements. The four-inch elliptic leaves are double-serrated with a lively deep green color, a darker hue than many other elms. It also has a finer-textured appearance than most elms and is a good, clean-growing tree with a subtle grayish bark. It will grow to about 60 feet with a 30-foot spread.

Green Mountain Sugar Maple: The showy tree is upright and oval in shape. The Green Mountain carries all of the characteristics of the sugar maple with the strong limbs and the gorgeous fall color. The seeds are inconspicuous and cause no significant litter problems. The fruit of the sugar maple, called a samara, is a double-winged, papery seed-bearing fruit, commonly called a “whirlybird” or “helicopter.” The main ornamental feature of the tree is the brilliant red, yellow or orange fall colors.

Brandywine Maple: The Brandywine has a brilliant red-purple autumn color. It produces only male flowers; thus no fruit or nuisance seedlings. It can reach a height of 25 feet and a width of 12 feet at a crown spread in 12 years. The Brandywine is a medium-sized deciduous tree with moderately columnar crown and foliage of medium green leaves that average 4.5 inches long and 4.4 inches wide. The bright, enduring fall color begins red and gradually turns brilliant purple red over a long period (often 14 days or more).