Planting Guides

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Plant Selection Guides Tree Sizes and WeightsHelpful HintsPlant Spacing Guide

Plant Selection Guides

The following list is a guide of commonly used plant materials for specific site conditions.

Trees for partially shaded locations
Acer campestre Crataegus crusgalli Thuja occidentalis in variety
Amelanchier canadensis Ilex in variety Tsuga canadensis
Cercis canadensis Magnolia virginiana
Cornus florida Oxydendrum arboreum

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Shrubs for partially shaded locations
Abelia grandiflora Kalmia latifolia Rhododendron nudiflorum
Aronia arbutifolia Leucothoe axillaris Rhododendron viscosum
Clethra alnifolia Ligustrum ovalifolium Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-low’
Cornus in variety Lindera benzoin Taxus in variety
Euonymus fort. varieties Mahonia Vaccinium in variety
Hamamelis virginiana Pieris japonica Viburnum in variety
Hydrangea quercifolia Pyracantha coccinea Vinca minor
Ilex crenata in variety Rhododendron hybrids
Ilex glabra Rhododendron maximum

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Trees for seashore locations
Acer pseudoplatanus Ilex opaca Platanus acerifolia
Amelanchier canadensis Juniperus virginiana Sophora\Styphnolobium Japonica
Crataegus lavallei Nyssa sylvatica
Cupressocyparis leylandii Pinus thunbergii

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Shrubs for seashore locations
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Juniperus hor. ‘Bar Harbor’ Rosa rugosa
Aronia arbutifolia Ligustrum ovalifolium Syringa vulgaris
Clethra alnifolia Myrica pensylvanica Vaccinium corymbosum
Hydrangea macrophylla Prunus cistena Viburnum dentatum
Ilex glabra Prunus maritima Viburnum prunifolium
Juniperus conferta Rhus aromatica Yucca

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Trees for wet locations
Acer rubrum Ilex opaca Quercus palustris
Amelanchier canadensis Liquidambar styraciflua Salix in variety
Betula nigra Metasequoia glyptostroboides Taxodium distichum
Gleditsia triacanthos Nyssa sylvatica Thuja occidentalis nigra
Fraxinus am. ‘Autumn Purple’ Platanus occidentalis Tilia americana

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Shrubs for wet locations
Aronia arbutifolia Ilex glabra Vaccinium
Calluna vulgaris Ilex verticillata Viburnum in variety
Clethra alnifolia Itea virginica
Cornus stolonifera Kalmia latifolia

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Trees for dry locations
Acer ginnala Pinus strobus Sophora japonica
Acer platanoides Prunus virginiana ‘Canada Red’ Tilia cordata
Fraxinus pennsylvanica Quercus coccinea
Gleditsia varieties Quercus rubra

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Shrubs for dry locations
Artostaphylos uva-ursi Myrica pensylvancia Viburnum lantana
Hamamelis Prunus maritima Viburnum prunifolium
Juniperus chin. ‘Sargenti’ Rhamnus frangula Yucca filamentosa
Juniperus horiz. varieties Rhus aromatica
Ligustrum in variety Rosa rugosa

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Trees native to the East Coast
Acer rubrum Cornus florida Nyssa sylvatica
Amelanchier canadensis Ilex opaca Quercus species
Betula nigra Juniperus virginiana Taxodium distichum
Cercis canadensis Liquidambar styraciflua
Chionanthus virginicus Liriodendron tulipifera

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Shrubs native to the East Coast
Amelanchier canadensis Ilex glabra Prunus maritima
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Ilex verticillata Rhododendron nudiflorum
Aronia arbutifolia Itea virginica Rhododendron viscosum
Clethra alnifolia Kalmia latifolia Rhus varieties
Cornus sericea Lindera benzoin Vaccinum species
Fothergilla gardenii Myrica pensylvanica Viburnum species
Hamamelis virginiana Parthenocissus quin.

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Trees for screening and hedging
Acer campestre Hamamelis Pseudotsuga menziesii
Amelanchier canadensis Juniperus virginiana Thuja occidentalis varieties
Carpinus betuus ‘Fastigiata’ Juniperus ch. ‘Hetzii columnaris’ Thuja plicata varieties
Cotinus varieties Magnolia grandiflora Tsuga canadensis
Cryptomeria Picea abies
Cupressocyparis lelandii Pinus strobus

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Shrubs for screening and hedging
Buxus varieties Ligustrum ovalifolium Taxus varieties
Euonymus kiautschovicus Phyllostachys Viburnum x pragense
Forythia intermedia Prunus laurocerasus Viburnum rhytidophyllum
Ilex crenata varieties Rhododendron maximums
Ilex glabra Rhododendron hybrids

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Deer-resistant trees – Low browse risk only

(Please note that no plant is deer proof!)
Betula species Fagus sylvatica Prunus Serrulata
Cercidiphyllum japonicum Gleditsia triacanthos Pseudotsuga menziesii
Cercis canadensis Picea abies Thuja plicata
Cornus varieties Picea Pungens

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Deer-resistant shrubs – Low browse risk only

(Please note that no plant is deer proof!)
Aronia arb. ‘Brilliantissima’ Cotoneaster Myrica pensylvanica
Berberis varieties Cryptomeria Japonica Pieris japonica
Buxus Forsythia intermedia Pinus mugo
Caryopteris Ilex glabra Potentilla
Clethra alnifolia Juniperus varieties Pyracantha coccinea
Cornus sericea Kerria japonica Syringa vulgaris
Cotinus Leucothoe varieties

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Tree Sizes and Weights

The following tables represent the recommended root ball sizes for trees that are grown in the ground in a nursery and harvested by being balled and burlapped (B&B). Root ball size is based on height or caliper size of the trees. These root ball sizes can vary according to growing conditions surrounding a tree. For example, a plant might require a larger root ball than required due to a wide spreading root system because of natural habit, infrequent root pruning or out of season transplanting. There also might be circumstances when a smaller root ball is recommended as with container stock, or plants that have been frequently root pruned or transplanted. The following tables will help in determining estimated sizes and weights for trees.

Standard root ball sizes for Upright Evergreens
Height Root ball diameter
2’ – 3’ 12”
3’ – 4’ 14”
4’ – 5’ 16”
5’ – 6’ 20”
6’ – 7’ 22”
7’ – 8’ 24”
8’ – 9’ 28”
9’ – 10’ 30”
10’ – 12’ 36”

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Standard root ball size for Shade Trees
Caliper Root ball diameter
1” – 1 ¼” 16”
1 ¼” – 1 ½” 18”
1 ½” – 1 ¾” 20”
1 ¾” – 2” 22”
2” – 2 ½” 24”
2 ½” – 3” 28”
3” – 3 ½” 32”
3 ½” – 4” 38”
4” – 4 ½” 42”
4 ½” – 5” 48”
5” – 5 ½” 54”

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Root ball weights
Diameter of root ball Approximate weight
12” 45 lbs.
14” 70 lbs.
16” 100 lbs.
18” 150 lbs.
20” 200 lbs.
22” 250 lbs.
24” 300 lbs.
26” 450 lbs.
28” 600 lbs.
30” 700 lbs.
32” 750 lbs.
36” 1150 lbs.
40” 1600 lbs.
44” 2100 lbs.
48” 2700 lbs.

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Helpful Hints

Tree and Shrub Measurement Standards

  • To determine the height of field and container grown plant material, measure from ground level (or soil level) at or near the top of the trunk flare to the top of the plant.

  • To determine average height for coniferous evergreens measure from the top of the root ball (or trunk flare) to the midpoint between the upper-most whorl and the tip of the leader.

  • Caliper measurement of a tree trunk should be taken six inches above the ground, up to and including four-inch caliper size. If the caliper at six inches above the ground exceeds four inches, the caliper should be measured at 12 inches above the ground.

Plant Spacing Guide

Spacing Guide for Planting Groundcovers, Annuals, Bulbs, and Perennials
Total Square Footage 4″ apart 6″ apart 8″ apart 12″ apart 18″ apart 24″ apart
50 450 200 100 50 22 12
100 900 425 225 100 45 25
150 1350 650 350 150 67 37
200 1800 875 450 200 90 50
250 2250 1100 550 250 112 62
300 2700 1325 675 300 135 75
400 3600 1775 900 400 180 100
500 4500 2225 1100 500 225 125
600 5400 2675 1350 600 270 150
700 6300 3125 1550 700 315 175
800 7200 3575 1800 800 360 200
900 8100 4000 2000 900 405 225
1000 9000 4500 2250 1000 450 250

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Mulch and Topsoil Coverage
Coverage (in cubic yards) for bulk mulch and topsoil
Total Square Footage Depth in Inches
1 inch 2 inches 3 inches 4 inches
50 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.6
100 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2
150 0.5 0.9 1.4 1.9
200 0.6 1.2 1.9 2.5
300 0.9 1.9 2.8 3.7
500 1.5 3.1 4.6 6.2
800 2.5 4.9 7.4 9.9
1000 3.1 6.2 9.3 12.3
1500 4.6 9.3 13.9 18.5
2000 6.2 12.3 18.5 24.7
2500 7.7 15.4 23.1 31
5000 15.4 31 46.3 61.7

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