Volume 3 | Issue 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Hedgeville Children’s
Community Garden………….1

)(
Edible Landscapes………...2,3

TreeMinders………...……..3, 4
Two pages of exciting tree events!

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Future Stewards: The Key to Our Success By Joanne Bateup, Tree Program Americorps VISTA
“What is the average life span of a tree in the
city?”

“16 years!”
“50 years!”
“172 years!”

All these answers shouted with confidence

by the students who participate in Tree Pro-
gram educational events. Unfortunately even
those with conservative guesses of 15-20
years more than double the Tediusome stud-
ies’ average…7 years.

The main reason for this low number is the

difficulty of getting a tree established in an
urban environment. Cramped spaces,
drought-like conditions, road salt, and people
(car doors scrape the trunks, large trucks
break branches in the canopy, and vandal-
Neighborhood children stop to smile for the camera while completing their ism) all contribute to why trees do not sur-
Tree-tective Activity. vive the initial establishment period. One of
the ways DCH tries to ensure that the trees
we plant survive is by holding educational programs to educate the next generation of environmental stew-
ards.

On a beautiful warm summer evening in July at the Hedgeville Children’s Community Garden the Tree Pro-
gram visited the children on their regular work day to celebrate the trees on their street and to present these
young stewards with a challenge. If the newly planted Elm tree across the street, which already has some
signs of human interference, survives for one year we will hold a party in the garden to celebrate their hard
work. The spirit of the children in this community is inspiring and, we, in the Tree Program wish them luck
on their challenge.
Delectable Edible Trees! Joanne Bateup Americorps VISTA

As I have been lovingly caring for my rooftop vegetable containers and

watching the nascent fruit with excitement for when I will be able to start to
What the Philadel- eat them, I have been thinking more and more about “edible landscapes.”
phia Orchard Project Particularly, I was curious about the role trees play in these landscapes. I
is planting
www.phillyorchards. have been overwhelmed by a world of amazing varieties of trees and shrubs
org both native and foreign.

apples The Pros: The Cons:

asian pears Economics: Time:
cherries Over time a well planned edible landscape It takes a commitment of time and en-
figs can reap grocery savings for its tenders. ergy to plan, install, and maintain a Fruit trees can be
flourishing edible landscape. grown espalier. This
pawpaws
Aesthetics: involves tying and
peaches Flowering fruit trees provide beauty like Reliability: pruning trees to grow
pears their ornamental cousins with the added Fruit trees do not always bear fruit “flat” against a wall.
persimmons benefit of producing edible food! which can be disappointing and frustrat- Dwarf and Semi-
ing to gardeners. Dwarf rootstock pre-
plums
Environmental: vents trees from
serviceberries By growing your own food you eliminate the Cost: growing to their full
blackberries pollutant cycle caused by the production, The cost of installing an edible land- size. (picture on page
blueberries shipment, and processing of large scale agri-scape from nothing can be quite high. 3)
culture. Gardeners on a budget will need to take
bush cherries extra care to plan what they can do each This fall Peter Lind-
currants Organically grown fruits and vegetables pro- year. ter, retired Hagley
elderberries vide greater environmental benefits than Gardner and espalier
grass lawns. Space: specialist will hold
gooseberries
Tight spaces may pose a problem but workshops at our
goumis Health: there are many space efficient solutions 12th and Brandywine
hazelnuts Access to fresh fruits and vegetables makes Urban Farm.
raspberries healthy lifestyles easier to maintain. Fruit trees that are cross pollinators (e.g. Contact Sarah Loo-
apples) need more than one variety pre- mis, sloomis
Grapes
Working outside in the garden will help give sent to ensure pollination. @dehort.org
kiwis you a healthy glow as you burn calories and 302 658 6262 ext.
soak in the sun (remember the sunscreen to Mess: 113
The Philadelphia Or- avoid dreaded sunburns!) Fruit trees are messy as they drop their for more info.
chard Project also crops and may bring with them other
holds workshops and critters who want to join in on the feast!
events on edible land-
scapes check out their
webpage for details.The main thing I’ve learned is that planning is everything! Research perennial
zone hardy plants to cut down on maintenance time and cost.
www.phillyorchards. Time put in up front will lead to a well thought out, successful edible landscape
org in the future. There are many resources out there including: the University of
Delaware Cooperative Extension website (ag.udel.edu/extension/) and the DCH
library. Look through these resources and start transforming your front or back
yard into your very own horn of plenty!

Fruits and Berries for the Home Garden by Lewis Hill ©1992 Storey Communications, Inc.
The Green Thumb book of Fruit and Vegetable Gardening: How to Save Hundreds of Dollars a Year by Making Your Garden Work
for You by George Abraham ©1970 Prentice-Hall International, Inc.
The Harrowsmith Book of Fruit Trees by Jennifer Bennett ©1991 Camden House Publishing
 Is there a
topic you
want to see
in Tree
Press?
Submit
your ideas
or articles
to
jbateup@
dehort.org!
Dwarf Fulford Gala (left) and Dwarf Suncrisp® (right) Apple Trees growing espalier against a garden
shed. These trees are 9 years old. And about 15 ft. tall. Photograph by David Bateup

TREEminders
August
August 5th Tree Care Club 6:00pm-8:00pm
Meet at 16th and West St. near Shortlidge School in Brandywine Village!
Rain date August 12
Join us to help clean up and prune the street trees in Wilmington! Learn proper pruning techniques! If you
would like us to work in your neighborhood or want to participate please contact Joanne Bateup-
jbateup@dehort.org, 302 658 6262 ext. 118. Rain date will be August 13 at 6:00pm.

September
September 1st Bare Root Order Forms Available!
Payment due: September 30
Pick up trees at DCH: October 28 & 29
Plant trees and reduce your carbon footprint! Bare root trees are inexpensive and grow quickly. They are also
lightweight and easy to plant. DCH is organizing a group purchase of bare root trees this fall. Order forms and
descriptions of the varieties will be posted on our website. Plan now for more shade. Questions? Contact An-
nie Acton, (302) 658-6262 ext. 106 or aacton@dehort.org.

September 22nd Tree Care Club 6:00pm-8:00pm

Rain date September 29th
Place: TBD
Join us to help clean up and prune the street trees in Wilmington! Learn proper pruning techniques! If you
would like us to work in your neighborhood or want to participate please contact. Joanne Bateup
jbateup@dehort.org, 302 658 6262 ext. 118. Rain date will be September 29th at 6:00pm.
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North DuPont Street
Wilmington, DE 19806

Phone: 302-658-6262
Fax: 302-658-6267

The Delaware Center for Horticulture cultivates a greener community; inspiring appre-
ciation and improvement of our environment through horticulture, education and conser-
vation.
For more Tree Program information contact: Patrice Sheehan ● 658-6262 ext. 112 ● psheehan@dehort.org or
Joanne Bateup ● 658-6262 ext. 118 ● jbateup@dehort.org

TREEminders continued from page 3

October:
Mark your calendars now with these
exciting tree events!
October 7th: Tree Steward Volunteer Appreciation Movie
Night and Award Ceremony
6:00pm-8:00pm at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
Join us for a night of appreciation of YOU our wonderful tree program volunteers! A light dinner will be
served and we will be screening Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai . We will present our Tree
Steward of the Year Award to this year’s outstanding tree steward! Please RSVP to Joanne Bateup
jbateup@dehort.org 302 658 6262 ext. 118 by Friday October 2nd

October 26th or 27th: Tentative Bare Root Dipping Day!

Interested in getting hands on experience with the bare root process? Come get messy with the Tree Pro-
gram as we prepare the bare root trees to go to their new owners. Dipping usually happens in the early
morning, but depends on when the trees arrive from the nursery. For more information or to RSVP con-
tact Annie Acton 302 658 6262 ext. 106 aacton@dehort.org

October 28th: Bare Root Planting Workshop

5:00pm-7:00pm at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
Come learn about the bare root process and how to plant your new bare root trees! DCH staff will be on
hand to answer questions you may have about your new trees. Please RSVP to Annie Acton aac-
ton@dehort.org 302 658 6262 ext. 106

October 31st: Fall Volunteer Bare Root Tree Planting

Join us for a spooky fall tree planting at various sites throughout Wilming-
ton. Thanks to the Home Depot Foundation and ACT we will be planting at
least 28 trees! More details to come! Please contact Joanne Bateup,
jbateup@dehort.org 302 658 6262 ext. 118