‘There’s a new tree in town’

Last fall the three large trees at Mabel Perkins Memorial gardens at Main and Lincoln streets were taken down.

The trees were Ash and were infested with the Emerald Ash Borer. The city of Maryville removed them and did a great job not harming the gardens below the trees.

The Maryville Garden Club, whose members take care of the gardens, planted a new tree in the gardens. The tree is a Shademaster Honey Locust. While it is a fast growing tree it will take years to get to mature size which is 45 feet tall and 40 feet wide. It has a beautiful rounded shape with an open structure that produces dappled shade that allows the plants underneath to thrive. The leaves are fern like and are green in the summer and golden yellow in the fall. The small leaves don’t require raking but enrich the soil beneath the tree as they break down. The tree is native to North America and has no seed pods or thorns. It is very hardy and is not affected by street pollution or salt.

The garden club plans to add a few evergreen trees to the garden this summer. The spring flowers should be decorating the garden in the weeks to come. The garden club meets the first Tuesday of the month with the next meeting April 4 at the First Christian Church, Maryville. The club welcomes anyone who has an interest in any kind of gardening to join the group.