Ornamental trees with big leaves and pods can replenish poor soil.
Ornamental trees with big leaves and beanlike pods can add a dramatic profile to any landscape. These members of the Leguminosae family extract nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots and stems. When those roots rot, they add nitrogen to the nutrient-poor soil in which they can grow. They also flourish in a range of climates.
Tamarind
The slow-growing tamarind tree can reach massive proportions. The tropical tree can reach as high as 80 to 100 feet with a crown that can spread up to 40 feet. Its trunk can bulk up to a 25-foot circumference. The irregularly curving and bulging pods that it produces can be as long as 7 inches and as wide as 1.25 inches. These edible brown pods can have a cinnamon or grayish tint. Tamarind tree bright green leaves come in 10 to 20 pairs of oblong featherlike leaflets that fold at night. Each leaflet on either side of the stem can range from 3 to 6 inches long, so that each leaf cluster can be as much as a foot wide. Tamarind trees need tropical climates but can grow on any kind of soil and can withstand salt spray if planted close to a beach.
Honey Locust
The honey locust tree's dense thorny clusters of branches bear beanlike edible pods that can grow as long as 1.5 feet and ripen in September and October. Before its deciduous leaves start falling off soon after, they spread in featherlike leaflets like the tamarind. Each honey locust leaflet can extend as much as 8 inches long, making the width of each leaf cluster up to 16 inches. The honey locust tree can grow as tall as 100 feet. The tree has become naturalized across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions. It prefers direct sun and can stand on its own in otherwise barren urban areas. The honey locust tree's height can provide a light shade. Its stature can assist in erosion control.
Catalpa
The catalpa tree's narrow, uneven crown can spread as much as 40 feet with Kelly green heart-shaped leaves that can grow as long as 12 inches and 6 inches wide. The catalpa's green beanlike pods prominently extend as much as 20 inches. Native to the Midwest, the catalpa tree prefers moist, deep soil but can flourish in dry environments. It grows quickly, up to 60 feet, and can withstand both summer heat as well as the cold winters of the Dakotas and lower Minnesota, for example.
Honey Mesquite
A desert landscaping option for the Southwest is the honey mesquite, which resembles a smaller, stouter catalpa tree. The honey mesquite grows as high as 30 feet with an irregularly shaped crown of thorny branches and lime green leaflets that can spread as much as 40 feet. Its waxbeanlike tan pods have red tips and a red tint. They dwarf the honey mesquite's leaflets that fan over 3 inches. Heat and drought tolerant, the rugged honey mesquite can grow almost anywhere across the Southwest and spreads quickly. Some cattlemen treat the tree like a weed.
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