The intent of this blog is to share with all of you a unique way of beautifying our city of Allen, TX. I have been living in Allen for the past six years and I have enjoyed watching the city grow in the last few years. After several years of living in N. Texas, I have concluded this is the place I want to live. Once I made that decision, I started thinking of ways I could help improve my neighborhood and city. I have been a fan of maple trees for the longest time; however, after doing some research I found out that maple trees don't do well in alkaline soils such as the one we have here in North Texas except for a very select few that thrive in this type of soil. I am referring to the Shantung maple tree (Acer Truncatum) and a new cultivar the Fire Dragon introduced by Metro Maples in Fort Worth, TX. Since, I have planted several maple trees on my property. They are thriving and they put on a show of color in the Spring, Summer and Fall. What a better way to beautifying our neighborhoods/city than by planting these wonderful trees. See pictures in the blog.
Here is some general information/facts on these wonderful maple trees:
- They grow up to 25 to 35 ft tall and wide after several years. This medium size tree grows anywhere from 2 to 3 feet per year.
- Heat, drought, cold, pollution and noise tolerant; wind resistant, and will grow in full sun in acidic or alkaline soils.
- Hardy to at least 25 degrees below zero.
- Leaves are easy to clean-up and decompose quickly.
- Efficient and non-aggresive root system.
- Provides visual interest three out of the four seasons in the year. Springs - beautiful yellow flowers; Summer - reddish/purple new growth with perfect green leaves that make a cleaner and more elegant looking tree; Fall - bright gold (Shantung) and bright red/orange (Fire Dragon).
- First cultivar of a Shantung maple is called Fire Dragon Maple and introduced by Metro Maples.
- This tree handles hot Texan sun beautifully and is a Texas A&M Superstar
