TREES & SHRUBS

Milberger’s has the largest selection of fresh, well-rooted trees in the San Antonio area. When choosing trees for your landscape your primary considerations are to select a species that is well adapted in our climatic conditions and the specific location where it will be planted.

Milberger’s has the expertise to be sure that your tree thrives in your landscape.



CPS Green Shade Rebate

OCT 2023 to APRIL 2024
Green Shade
The City of San Antonio and CPS Energy are partnering to encourage tree planting to save on cooling costs. Each year from October to April., CPS Energy customers can get up to five rebates by planting trees on their property. Customers can earn up to a $50 rebate on their utility bills for each tree purchased and planted, for a maximum of $250 with five trees.

Trees planted on the west, south and east sides of your home or business provide shade from the sun during the hottest times of the day. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, carefully positioned trees can potentially reduce a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling by 25 percent. Beautiful and shaded landscaping also can add to the property value.

Rebates will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Customers who received the maximum of three rebates in the last two planting season are eligible for up to two additional Green Shade rebates.
To qualify, you must be a CPS Energy customer and:
• Purchase a tree(s) in at least a size #5 container (5 gallon) or larger between October and April.
• Call 8-1-1 at least 48 hours before digging to avoid hitting underground utility lines and as required by law.
• Plant tree(s) within 10–30 feet of an air-conditioned home or building and on the west, south, or east side. Trees planted on the north side will not qualify.
• Complete and sign the rebate application and mail it in with the original sales receipt and a planting location map.

CLICK HERE for a list of trees that qualify for the program, complete rebate guidelines, or to download an application and tree planting instructions. Or call 210.353.2728.


Native Shrubs for Local Landscapes

By Brad Wier, SAWS Conservation Consultant

It can be tricky to choose native substitutes for the cookie-cutter evergreens that populate so many suburban property lines. San Antonio is at the extreme endpoint of so many eco-regions — the Texas Hill Country, South Texas plains, Blackland Prairie and Post Oak Savanna. There’s no shortage of native plant options and plenty of niches and micro-climates for them.

But in terms of big landscape shrubs it can be tricky to choose native substitutes for the cookie-cutter evergreens that populate so many property lines in new suburbs.

With this in mind, here are some suggestions for native screens and hedge-like plants that retain their leaves in winter. You will find these plants already easily available at Milberger’s Nursery.

Cenizo (Texas sage) is the ultimate South Texas shrub: it basks in summer sun with or without water, and tolerates hedge shears to boot. Among the most drought-tolerant of all big landscape shrubs, it makes a standard by which others can be measured. Humidity and rain will bring storms of pink flowers into cenizo’s branches, earning it the nickname “barometer bush.”

Texas mountain laurel is a sentimental favorite, with mind-boggling purple flowers every year in time for Texas Independence Day. Mountain laurel is right at home in Hill Country rock. It’s usually grown as a single tree, but in Laurel Heights and older neighborhoods you’ll see it sculpted into hedgerows. Left on its own to reseed, it forms thicket-like masses of lustrous dark green.

Yaupon holly’s red Christmas berries are ubiquitous in irrigated residential and commercial landscapes across the North Side, since yaupon can be endlessly sheared, topiaried or trained up as an ornamental tree. In the wild it’s native from East Texas all the way to Bastrop, so it doesn’t mind growing in clay, but it does prefer moisture more than rock.

A fast-growing coastal shrub, wax myrtle grows in clay loam or sandy soils (like those of southeastern Bexar County from Highlands all the way to Floresville.) It makes a great “instant hedge” and a native alternative to photinia and ligustrum.

The scent of Ashe juniper (mountain cedar) at night is synonymous with the Texas Hill Country, but strikes horror into the hearts of allergy sufferers. Remember though, it’s only the male plants that release pollen. Instead of cutting down all your cedars, keep an instant informal hedge by retaining a few females (just look for the blue berries.) Few landscape shrubs will ever be as well adapted as cedar to the harsh, hot, rocky conditions where it thrives. On its own in full sun, it grows as a large bush; pruning is seldom needed.

Dwarf yaupon holly is another holly that deserves special mention, this one is a dwarf version that makes a low hedge of the “meatball” variety — similar to boxwood but with less pruning needed. Nursery specimens are invariably male (without the red berries). Like other native hollies, dwarf yaupons grow best in deeper soils.

A fragrant Southern shrub from the Big Thicket, wild cherry laurel smells like cherry, grows vigorously and reseeds freely. In San Antonio, as long as soils are deep enough, it does well in understory around pecans, sycamores and other massive trees. At the San Antonio Botanical Garden it forms an irrigation-free screen comparable to xylosma or ligustrum.

Evergreen sumac: Wildly overlooked and underplanted, evergreen sumac grows on its own throughout the rocky soils north of Loop 1604, but often gets cleared from new home sites. Too bad, because it’s an easy 6-foot shrub, with tart edible berries to boot. It does well in the same locations as Texas mountain laurel, but it grows quickly to full size with minimal care. Sometimes it’s easier to preserve existing plants than buy them, since they can be tricky to transplant without root disturbance.

Will Fleming yaupon holly looks like a bolt-upright exclamation point in the landscape, but it’s actually just a unique male variety of the classic Texas yaupon. It makes a great substitute for Italian cypress, as long as soils are deep enough.

Sotol is one of the most ornamental of all desert plants, sotol, or “desert spoon,” adds instant central-Texas flavor to any landscape. Planted along a fence line, the saw-toothed native green and silver species make an effective barrier that even deer may hesitate to cross.

Agarita is signature Texas native (deer-proof and drought proof) that has been replaced by Chinese holly and leatherleaf mahonia in the suburban landscape. Pair with yucca, evergreen sumac or mountain laurel to restore Hill Country flourish to your homestead.

It’s almost an insult to reserve a last-place mention for prickly pear, but few plants are as easy to grow. It makes a great evergreen filler for holes in any shrub row and can be grown anywhere in Texas, as long as you’ve got gloves and boots.



CLICK HERE for the Texas Tree Service’s Tree Planing and Planting Tools


Small Trees to Balance the Landscape

By Dr. Calvin Finch

Crape MyrtleToo often when we think about landscaping we only consider lawns and shade trees.  It is important   to balance the landscape between shade trees and lawn with perennials, shrubs and small trees. In addition to the aesthetics involved, the perennials, shrubs and small trees allow you to increase color in the landscape and habitat for wildlife such as birds and butterflies.  There are a number of small trees to consider.

Crape myrtles are a favorite way to add small trees to the landscape. There are 2 main arguments for using crape myrtle in the landscape. They offer long periods of summer bloom and you can pick the size of crape myrtle that fits exactly into the space or gap that exists in your landscape. Among the colors to choose from are lavender, pink, red, and white.  Pruning has been de-emphasized as research indicates bloom performance is just as good without heavy pruning each year.  Grow crape myrtles as specimen plants or in rows or groupings in full sun.  Visit plantanswers.com to view the size and flower color options that exist.   The lists also provide information on disease and insect resistance, bark characteristics, and fall leaf color.

vitex-500piVitex is also called Texas lilac or chaste tree. The  deciduous tree will grow to about 25 ft. in full sun.  The attractive lavender blooms are produced on stalks that emerge all over the sprawling crown of this especially drought tolerant tree. Butterflies and hummingbirds use vitex as a nectar source. Deer do not eat vitex. Some gardeners avoid using vitex because in some habitats it has been identified as an invasive plant. On the other hand the Texas A&M Agriculture Extension Service has  designated vitex as a Texas Superstar because of its attractive bloom, drought tolerance and pest free growth.

Loquat (Japanese plum) is an evergreen tree that grows to 25ft tall in sun or shade. Because of its shade tolerance it can be used on the edge of the landscape under the crowns of large shade trees.  The well-shaped tree with large leaves also makes a distinctive specimen plant and works well in rows.  Loquat bloom occurs in early winter and is not very showy but if the winter is mild, the fruit can make quite an impact. Eat it fresh or in preserves.  Loquat fruit is also a favorite food for birds. Production can be high so you may not want to plant loquat on the edge of the driveway where the fruit will fall on the car.

Mexican plum is similar to loquat in that it produces a fruit and has shade tolerance but it only grows to about 15ft tall. The bloom in February is short-lived but showy. The fruit is again a favorite of birds but the quantity is not overwhelming and it ripens in late spring.  Mexican plum forms a very compact crown that is attractive as a specimen tree and is also attractive to nesting birds such as cardinals and mockingbirds.  Mexican plum is very effective when planted in groups to form a thicket that becomes a center of bird activity. Deer do not seem to browse on Mexican plum.

Mexican plum, crape myrtles, and loquat are available at every nursery, Texas persimmon is harder to find. You may have to visit a nursery that specializes in native plants or watch for native plant sales. Texas persimmon is a deciduous native tree that grows to about 15 ft. tall on most sites.  The sexes are on separate trees so if you have a male there is no fruit. The species resembles Mexican plum but the crown is not as compact and the foliage is more gray-green. Use Texas persimmon as an understory wildlife tree. When the female is loaded with fruit it often appears to be in motion because of the birds. It is especially attractive to golden-fronted woodpeckers in my neighborhood.

2IMG_1315Anaqua may eventually grow to 35 ft. tall but it is not a fast growing tree. Some gardeners know anaqua as sandpaper tree because of the texture of the leaves. It is evergreen and grows a very dense crown.  Anaqua blooms in early summer and produces a sticky yellow fruit in August that is a bird favorite but not a favorite of homeowners trying to keep a patio clean. Deer do not seem to eat anaqua and it is relatively easy to find at area nurseries. Grow it in full sun.

Mexican olive is not related to the olives that produce olive oil and  fruit for the table. It is called an olive because it does produce a small round fruit every summer that does not rate very high in its noticeability or value as a wildlife food. What you do notice about Mexican olive is the 3 inch white blooms that cover the tree for most of the growing season. Grow Mexican olive in full sun where it may reach 25ft. tall and nearly the same size in diameter.  Of all the small trees described, it is the most cold sensitive. In winters where temps reach 24 degrees, the top may die back but existing trees grow back quickly from the roots.


Citrus Trees

Kathy Finigan, My Productive Backyard

Citrus are one of those plants that I think are a must in the garden. They have beautiful dark green foliage all year, sensuously perfumed flowers at various times of the year and then produce fabulously colorful edible fruit. They really are the most perfect garden specimen. Citrus grow well in containers which gives you the ability to move them to different places in your landscape or your deck. Potted up citrus can be moved to protected areas to avoid freezes.

Like all other plants, citrus trees grown in containers plants need more watering than in ground plants because of their restricted root run and although citrus like a hot and sunny position, they also require good soil moisture levels to stay healthy and produce well.

Citrus_Key_Lime_in_ContainerYou will need to feed your potted citrus: they are prone to micro nutrient deficiencies, which is exacerbated by the constant watering, so you need to ensure that you apply a fertilizer with a variety of trace elements especially iron manganese and zinc. For citrus in containers I like to apply the rule “A little often” In spring and early autumn I apply slow release organic pellets and then supplement this with regular liquid feeds from early spring through to late autumn. The type of liquid feed I use is dependent on the growth stage of the plant. When the plant is young, I use a high nitrogen ratio fertilizer to encourage plenty of growth which will develop into a strong branch structure. High nitrogen ratio fertilizers also discourage flower and fruiting which is necessary until the tree is large and strong enough to hold full sized fruit.

Unless you are espaliering or standardizing your citrus trees will require very little pruning. All I do is Tip Pruning in spring to encourage bushiness. Prune to shape by removing wayward growth. Remove any dead or diseased wood.



AUG_Oleander_CalypsoPink

The Versatility of the Oleander

Oleander plants are among the most versatile of shrubs, with dozens of uses in southern and coastal landscapes. They tolerate a wide range of conditions, including difficult soil, salt spray, high pH, severe pruning, reflected heat from pavements and walls, and drought. But the one thing they can’t withstand is winter temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Oleanders bloom from summer to fall, with fragrant flowers in shades of apricot, copper, pink, lilac, red, purple, salmon, yellow, and white, depending on variety. The plants are best adapted to the west coast, southern states, Florida, and Texas and will withstand dry conditions and wind, as well as salty, marshy soils, making them popular in coastal regions. Oleanders grow 6 to 12 feet tall and wide, and some varieties can be trained to grow into small trees up to 20 feet tall. The flowers are very fragrant. All parts of plant are poisonous to humans and animals if ingested; the plant’s sap can cause skin irritation in some individuals.

Even in the garden, oleander shrubs require minimal care. Although the shrubs are drought-tolerant, they look their best when they are watered during dry spells. However, take care not to over water them. Yellowing leaves indicate that the plant is getting too much water.

When planting an oleander  select a site with full sun to light shade and well-drained soil. However, oleanders are adaptable and will withstand dry conditions as well as marshy soils. Plant in the spring or fall. Space plants 6 to 12 feet apart, depending on variety. Water plants during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Prune oleander after the main bloom period to encourage bushier growth and more flowers, and to reduce the size of the shrub.