Hey folks,

Yep. I like to plant a tree in the yard each spring. I’m in zone 3. This means this has to be a fairly hardy tree.

My soil is fairly sandy. Most of the areas I’d like to plant will have moderate sun.

Anyone have any unique ideas? I’m all ears.

Thanks,

Mr. B

Suger maple... Are you the guy who gave butthead some syrup last year? He shared with us. We're changing your screen name to Mr Butterworth. :)
Sorry, I have no idea... Just being a smart a$$.
Btw: if you are this person. I've pulled in to this famous store a few times and your rarely open when I go through. Dang.
Probably going by about 5:30 or 6am tomorrow... Haha.

That’s me!

I’m out of syrup at the moment. That should all change here VERY soon.

When I get some I’ll let you know. Looking like around Easter. I’d come in early in the morning to meet ya if you’re driving by.

With 2 lil kids and a young puppy, I’m pretty much awake around the clock anyway.

Sandy soil in zone 3? White pines, red pines, red oaks, bur oaks.

Small trees for zone 3 with year-round interest include Hawthorn and Mountain Ash. Both have flowers in spring, colorful fruit, and hold winter interest. Native Hawthorns are very thorny though. I did plant a thorn-less cultivar once, so if you can find them I would go with those over native.

Some suggestions:

A butternut tree to give the squirrels some love down the line. Your great grandkids could also gather, crack, and eat the nuts, but they'll have to beat the squirrels to them.

A Kentucky coffee tree or quaking aspen for fall color.

A northern red oak is also handsome in the fall, but winter too, with its spreading habit, and it'll also feed the squirrels.

A Prairifire Flowering Crabapple for spring pop, plus it can make a spicy jelly.

A white spruce for year-round beauty.

A Ponderosa Pine if you want a giant one day.

Mulberry trees love sand and give you berries like raspberries. Pick them by shaking the tree. Don't plant it near a house.

Mountain Ash!

Ponderous and Red Pines do well in zone 3, both like Sandy Soil.
I have numerous Ponderosa trees planted in Detroit Lakes, they have grown 2 feet in some years.

Depending on where you live, I would be leary of any Ash due to Emarld Ash borer, im not sure if they affect Mountian Ash, but they like Green Ash..

Quotes for the web,
What types of trees does the emerald ash borer attack? In North America, it has only been found in ash trees (Fraxinus species). Trees in woodlots as well as landscaped areas are affected. Larval galleries

Is mountain-ash susceptible to emerald ash borer? No. Despite the name, mountain-ash (Sorbus species) are very different types of plants and are not attacked by emerald ash borer.

I pretty much exclusively prefer native flora, but I can't help but list a couple of my favorites which would still thrive despite naturally occurring a little further south.

While not native to northern MN (I assume that's where you are since you said zone 3) I'll second the Kentucky coffee. It's a very tough tree that can withstand a lot both biologically and physically. It doesn't like much shade, though. It looks great with or without leaves, and if you get a female tree, the pods add additional character to it in winter as they tend not to fall until spring.

My second choice would be a hackberry which, again, isn't native that far north. I just planted one at my house to replace a couple ashes (both 20+ dbh :( ) that were killed by ash borer just a few years ago actually. Grows fast, attracts wildlife, amazing bark, and another tough tree.

Bur oaks are always gorgeous especially if they have room to really reach out a little.

If you or someone you trust to do it is going to be able to care for this tree into the future, I'd plant a green ash. If you don't know if it will receive care, maybe not. I say this because of ash borer, but all it takes to kill or prevent an infestation is treatment with Tree-äge every two years (I really won't be surprised if they change that to 3 or maybe even 4; I've seen data to suggest the treatment is effective longer than 2 years). It's not very expensive, but someone has to actually do it. Of course you don't have to do it at all until you see evidence of ash borer activity; I'm not sure if borer has invaded your area yet or not, but you'd definitely need to be on the look-out and inspect the tree once in awhile.

I'd probably choose red or white pine or tamarack if I was going for a pine sort of thing. Jack pine would be a sure thing as well.

Edited after I remembered that you did provide soil and shade info.

A little more information please. Do you live in the country or in town? Large area or just a lot of normal town size.

If you're in the country you have to think about things like deer browsing you new tree, or if you plant a tree that supplies berries or fruit for critters you may need to consider a bear tearing your new tree apart to get at the fruit. ie mountain ash.

I would personally stick with trees native to your area. They tend to do best, not saying that a Ponderosa Pine wouldn't do well here in northern MN just saying a native Red Pine may do better. I use that just as an example.

I myself tend towards planting species that do attract wildlife with the knowledge that the wildlife may love the tree a little too much!

I'm not an arborist, or landscape engineer just a plain old forester who loves the trees he works with.

jerryr: "A little more information please. Do you live in the country or in town? Large area or just a lot of normal town size.


If you're in the country you have to think about things like deer browsing you new tree, or if you plant a tree that supplies berries or fruit for critters you may need to consider a bear tearing your new tree apart to get at the fruit. ie mountain ash.


I would personally stick with trees native to your area. They tend to do best, not saying that a Ponderosa Pine wouldn't do well here in northern MN just saying a native Red Pine may do better. I use that just as an example.


I myself tend towards planting species that do attract wildlife with the knowledge that the wildlife may love the tree a little too much!


I'm not an arborist, or landscape engineer just a plain old forester who loves the trees he works with."

Sigh. Jerry is probably right. You should probably plant native species, but I do love those tall, skinny Ponderosa Pines!

I have to say I love western larch and western white pines too!

Hard to beat our eastern white pine for character though. :)

I like to plant clusters of 3 so I can get faster growth and fuller crowns. But any and all trees look nice! I like looking at our trees with the kids and reminiscing about how big they and the trees were when we planted them.

LindenTree3:Depending on where you live, I would be leary of any Ash due to Emarld Ash borer, im not sure if they affect Mountian Ash, but they like Green Ash.."

Treatment of ashes with Tree-äge is insanely effective, easy, and inexpensive. Heck, it's BECAUSE of the decimation of our ash population that I'd be very tempted to plant an ash tree if I knew it would be taken care of. The only reason I didn't replace my house's ash trees with new ashes was because I don't plan on living here for too much longer, and all of my neighbors have ash borer and can't be bothered to do anything about it even though almost all of their trees are still healthy enough to easily be saved. Makes me mad. If I was staying at this house for a long time, I'd have done ash, taken care of it, and issued I-told-you-sos to my neighbors as their trees died off.

I am glad I only planted one willow tree. Really grown HUGE but the mess...
The two silver maples was a really bad idea as well....

dr bob

I have hundreds of mast (fruit) bearing trees and bushes on my property in rural Lake County. Bears have used them as a food source, but have never torn any apart. Not even the relatively brittle branches of the Nannyberry. The only way I know one has visited, is that all the fruit is gone overnight on dozens of plants, and one or two branches on one or two plants are bent or broken. Yogi must be as graceful as a ballerina when feeding.

For what it is worth, Hawthorn thorns don’t hinder deer from browsing. Thorn placement is too far apart. Both Hawthorns and the Kentucky Coffeetree have anachronistic qualities suggesting large extinct mammals, such as mastodons, browsed on them or ate their fruit. Without human help the Kentucky Coffeetree would most likely eventually go extinct. Nothing but humans now can disperse their seeds. For hawthorns, the arrangement of thorns suggests the tree was protecting itself from the very large herbivores.

Mountain Ash are in the rose family, as are Hawthorns, Cherries, and Apples. They are not susceptible to emerald ash borers.

MrBadExample: "Hey folks,

Yep. I like to plant a tree in the yard each spring. I’m in zone 3. This means this has to be a fairly hardy tree.

My soil is fairly sandy. Most of the areas I’d like to plant will have moderate sun.

Anyone have any unique ideas? I’m all ears.


Thanks,

Mr. B"

Question is how much area we talking about and how many trees?

jerryr: "I have to say I love western larch and western white pines too!


Hard to beat our eastern white pine for character though. :)"

You're right, Jerry. Eastern white pines are characters, each one different. I have about twenty surrounding my house, up to nine feet in circumference, and each one is different. Some are squat and fat, with thick trunks, but not much height. Some are symmetrical. Some fork halfway up. Some are straight-trunked and others turn like the branch of an oak. My faves are the tall, weird ones with branches jutting here and there.

Keep posting, you'll get another tree. Go insane and you'll get a pine cone.
Miss, Molly is quite experienced at finding and planting trees. Several other experts here of which I know mainly inspector 13. Listen to them...
Have ya got a couple apple trees? I personally would want a couple. Just don't do what I did... I was cutting a poplar down... One I had let grow when I started cutting grass here 50 yrs ago... Well it wasn't going at all as planned and my kids were coming up from the lake. So I cut her down... And boom... Couldn't have hit my little apple tree more direct. We had plenty of toothpicks for a while. Just put it or them where you don't mind the mess. Deer love em... Apples I mean, not toothpicks.

How about some sycamore trees? -It's a bit of an experiment, as they haven't done well this far north, but the City of MPLS are starting to plant them in parks, and they appear to be thriving. Robust sycamores can be seen on my jogging route between Lakes Hiawatha and Nokomis.. Some of the neighbors have 20-footers in the front yards.. IDK how long these trees have been planted, but they look great with that smooth white bark and they grow those HUGE leaves in springtime.
I'm partial to 'em, because they're very common in the creek bottom drainages of KY where I grew up..

Minnesotaseasons.com (American Sycamore in Minnesota)

inspector13: "
I have hundreds of mast (fruit) bearing trees and bushes on my property in rural Lake County. Bears have used them as a food source, but have never torn any apart. Not even the relatively brittle branches of the Nannyberry. The only way I know one has visited, is that all the fruit is gone overnight on dozens of plants, and one or two branches on one or two plants are bent or broken. Yogi must be as graceful as a ballerina when feeding.

For what it is worth, Hawthorn thorns don’t hinder deer from browsing. Thorn placement is too far apart. Both Hawthorns and the Kentucky Coffeetree have anachronistic qualities suggesting large extinct mammals, such as mastodons, browsed on them or ate their fruit. Without human help the Kentucky Coffeetree would most likely eventually go extinct. Nothing but humans now can disperse their seeds. For hawthorns, the arrangement of thorns suggests the tree was protecting itself from the very large herbivores.

Mountain Ash are in the rose family, as are Hawthorns, Cherries, and Apples. They are not susceptible to emerald ash borers.

"

Thanks, Inspector. You are my teacher and you just taught me a couple cool things about Kentucky Coffeetrees and Hawthorns. The fact that they likely exist because of us reminds me of the ginkgo tree.

This line made me laugh: " Yogi must be as graceful as a ballerina when feeding."

So, you're both a wise and funny teacher!

mschi772: "

LindenTree3:Depending on where you live, I would be leary of any Ash due to Emarld Ash borer, im not sure if they affect Mountian Ash, but they like Green Ash.."

Treatment of ashes with Tree-äge is insanely effective, easy, and inexpensive. Heck, it's BECAUSE of the decimation of our ash population that I'd be very tempted to plant an ash tree if I knew it would be taken care of. The only reason I didn't replace my house's ash trees with new ashes was because I don't plan on living here for too much longer, and all of my neighbors have ash borer and can't be bothered to do anything about it even though almost all of their trees are still healthy enough to easily be saved. Makes me mad. If I was staying at this house for a long time, I'd have done ash, taken care of it, and issued I-told-you-sos to my neighbors as their trees died off."

I planted a Purple Mountain Ash in my front yard in Wisconsin and loved that tree. There's one just down the road, isolated on the shore and now I enjoy that one. I think I'll plant another since Tree-äge is so effective. Heck, I'd buy Tree-äge for the name alone! That's Oscar Wilde-grade wit!

Yep. I wonder what type of creatures originally found the stinky Gingko fruit attractive and moved it around. Avocados and persimmons exist only because of us now too.

I considered the teacher route when I was going to college. A couple classmates were working on both a major and teaching certificate. One guy, who was much bigger than me, described how he broke up a fight between teenage students while putting in time as a student teacher. I decided to try for a DNR type job after that. You teachers also deserve medals for bravery.

inspector13: "
Yep. I wonder what type of creatures originally found the stinky Gingko fruit attractive and moved it around. Avocados and persimmons exist only because of us now too.

I considered the teacher route when I was going to college. A couple classmates were working on both a major and teaching certificate. One guy, who was much bigger than me, described how he broke up a fight between teenage students while putting in time as a student teacher. I decided to try for a DNR type job after that. You teachers also deserve medals for bravery.

"

Medals? Like solid gold and silver? I accept!

Wow!!

Lots of great advice!

Thanks.

I’m at work. Try and answer a few more q’s about my location later.

Here’s my place....

Well, evidently screen shots of google earth look funky.

Sorry.

missmolly: "Medals? Like solid gold and silver? I accept! "

Any teacher having the mettle to meddle in teenage male fights deserves a metal medal.

inspector13: "

missmolly: "Medals? Like solid gold and silver? I accept! "

Any teacher having the mettle to meddle in teenage male fights deserves a metal medal.


"

Hey, watch it, bub. That kind of word play will make me swoon!

MrBadExample: "Here’s my place....

"

So google earth makes Cubist screen shots?

MrBadExample: ".... I’m in zone 3. This means this has to be a fairly hardy tree..."

No tree recommendation however, I recall reading an article within the last year that the University of MN Extention service or Department of Forest resources has been moving species of trees from the southern part of the state to more northern regions to fortify susceptible woodlands. Aparrently, hotter summers and warmer, shorter winters are have been detrimental to Minnesota's northern forests.

I could not find the exact article I read but here is a Star Tribune article that explains the rationale. Take a couple moments to watch the imbedded video on how the BWCA could look.

Considering a Zone 4 or 5 tree could put you area of the curve.

Here’s a synopsis of my place.......

Sandy soil. The trees around my place are in the middle of a “shift change”.

The 2 white pines left have got to be over 100 years old. Tops blew out of them 3 years ago.

The red oaks are all very mature. In the last 2 summers I have lost 15 due to wind. All of which were thick enough that my 20 inch bar barely made it through.

Green Poplar are nearing their end also. Have about 6 left. I’ll be dropping them this summer.

Basswood are all gone except for a clump or 2 of huge ones.

The new kids on the block are all maples. I’m overrun with maples.

My wife and I have been planting trees to fill the gaps. Have had success with blue spruce and a couple of different Scandinavian Pine trees.

Tried black spruce. No luck.
Tried tamarack. No luck. I’ll try those again though.

Thought about Hemlock due to their preference for semi shady locations.

What can I say.....I like trees.

OCDave: "

MrBadExample: ".... I’m in zone 3. This means this has to be a fairly hardy tree..."

No tree recommendation however, I recall reading an article within the last year that the University of MN Extention service or Department of Forest resources has been moving species of trees from the southern part of the state to more northern regions to fortify susceptible woodlands. Aparrently, hotter summers and warmer, shorter winters are have been detrimental to Minnesota's northern forests.


I could not find the exact article I read but here is a Star Tribune article that explains the rationale. Take a couple moments to watch the imbedded video on how the BWCA could look.


Considering a Zone 4 or 5 tree could put you area of the curve."

I'm doing the same thing on my land in Maine, planting the southern Maine species to give my morsel of the forest a head start on the change.

Last spring, we heard birdsong we'd never heard at this latitude. My neighbors did too. The canary in the coal mine was sure chirping.

Mr. BE, if you amend your soil where you plant your next tamarack, you might see a happy tree. My tamaracks grow where it's wet. So, adding some loam to your sand might hold the water and give your tamaracks the wet feet they seem to like.

Honey locust. Get huge, look cool, good shade. have the small leaves that you don’t need to rake up in the fall. Great tree. I miss mine.

MrBadExample: "Here’s a synopsis of my place.......


Sandy soil. The trees around my place are in the middle of a “shift change”.


The 2 white pines left have got to be over 100 years old. Tops blew out of them 3 years ago.


The red oaks are all very mature. In the last 2 summers I have lost 15 due to wind. All of which were thick enough that my 20 inch bar barely made it through.


Green Poplar are nearing their end also. Have about 6 left. I’ll be dropping them this summer.


Basswood are all gone except for a clump or 2 of huge ones.


The new kids on the block are all maples. I’m overrun with maples.


My wife and I have been planting trees to fill the gaps. Have had success with blue spruce and a couple of different Scandinavian Pine trees.


Tried black spruce. No luck.
Tried tamarack. No luck. I’ll try those again though.


Thought about Hemlock due to their preference for semi shady locations.


What can I say.....I like trees. "

Sandy soils tend to be well draining and dry, and black spruce and tamaracks like moist, boggy soils. That's why they didn't do well. Pines (white, red, jack), and oaks (bur, red) do best in sandy soils in zone 3 in Minnesota.

When I do planting plans for sites, I always look to see what's existing in the local environment and take my cues from that. Native is native, but there are microclimates/ecotype conditions that also influence what plants will do best. Soils, drainage, solar exposure, wind, precipitation, slopes, and other factors inform potential plant success. I would probably plant one of the pines or oaks listed above if I wanted a shade tree. If you want a smaller, or ornamental tree, consider hawthorn, ironwood, serviceberry, chokecherry, or apple.

Pure strain American Chestnut.

To combine what scat suggested and mc2mens said, a Sunburst Honey Locust is a spectacular tree. The leaves emerge yellow, then turn chartreuse, then green. Then the new leaves do the same thing. Then the leaves turn yellow again the fall. So, you get about five trees in one. It also throws dappled shade, which gives you planting options under it.

Mc2mens mentioned microclimates and even though the Sunburst is zone 4, you might have that in your yard, on your home's southeast side tucked tight to your house, getting full sun, with warmth seeping from your home, and in the lee of the prevailing winds.

How about a blackgum? Most beautiful red leaves in the fall - no gum balls like the sweetgum. Moderate to tall tree.

Brilliant Red Leaves, Even in Spring!

When everything else turns green, this tree stands out. You might be used to the fiery autumnal colors that Black Gum's are famous for, but the Wildfire Black Gum doesn't just bring those colors to the fall. At the dawn of spring, when the world lights up in green, the Wildfire Black Gum stands out with deep ruby red leaves.

Expect brilliant colors in the fall too. Of course, the Wildfire Black Gum won't disappoint you in autumn. You'll get crimson, orange and even purple leaves growing on this tree. The mesmerizing variety of colors can appear on one single tree, so this Black Gum will always surprise you with an assortment of the familiar, nostalgic colors of autumn.

You won't be the only one mesmerized by the tree. Wildlife adore the Wildfire Black Gum. Birds are especially fond of the blue berries that grow on the tree and of the pollinating insects that devour the nectar. For a few weeks in the spring, small flowers will appear that bees will love. In fact, this tree is sometimes known as Tupelo. It's the tree where bees begin the process of making their prized Tupelo honey.

Despite its size, its roots won't destroy your driveway. Unlike other large trees, you don't have to worry about the Wildfire Black Gum's roots taking over your entire property. This tree's roots grow deep into the ground and won't pop up and ruin your beautiful landscaping or crack your sidewalks and driveway.

Your family will enjoy this tree for years to come. Many Wildfire Black Gums live more than 70 years. Imagine the memories your family can make playing under the shade of this remarkable tree.

Enjoy the Wildfire, no matter where you live. The Wildfire Black Gum is tolerant of nearly every condition. From the dry, high altitude land of cold mountains to the deep, humid and hot swamps of the deep south, the Wildfire thrives. You don't have to worry about this tree being fragile. It will stand proud and strong in your landscape.

This tree is as low maintenance as you can get. The Wildfire takes hardly any work at all. Your family will enjoy the shade, comfort and beauty of this tree without having to worry about the hassle of high-maintenance.

There's no reason not to get this tree. It will add stunning aesthetic value to your landscape, no matter where you live. You'll never have to worry about it; you'll only enjoy it. Generations from now, your family will marvel at the beautiful tree you planted. You simply can't wait to begin your lifelong journey with this hardy, gorgeous tree.

That was a stunning promotion of the Blackgum tree, but it won't grow in Zone 3.

mc2mens: "That was a stunning promotion of the Blackgum tree, but it won't grow in Zone 3. "

I had the same thought, BUT he might have a zone four microclimate and if so, he should also consider a Tricolor European Beech.

I'm a Willow man myself. Probably in the minority though...