THE BEST TREES FOR PARKINNG LOTS AND PAVED AREAS
Introduction
Planting trees at parking lots and paved areas has many advantages. Planted trees provide passers-by and those parking their motor vehicles with a cool shade, makes the environment clean by adding oxygen and helps to prevent soil erosion.
They also make the place look more beautiful and helps to control flooding problems.
Choosing best trees for such areas become difficult because during construction, most of the top soil is removed and the remaining soil is not tree-friendly.
Paved areas lack water since most of them are constructed in such a way to drain away all the water. Paved areas have a lot of heat which result from lack of shades. This makes it hard for trees to grow in such areas.
Best Trees
When selecting the best trees to grow on paved areas and parking lots several requirements ought to be considered; the tree should have the ability to survive on harsh conditions such as drought.
The tree should be able to survive on a less fertile soil, compacted soil, and be able sustain a lot of heat.
- Elm
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Elm trees are species of deciduous and semi deciduous flowering trees. They are large trees that can grow up to 30 meters tall with a wide canopy of about 22 meters. They have an umbrella-like canopy which can provide a shade in the parking lots.
Elms are often associated with Dutch elm disease. This disease almost swept all the elms. However, new species which are resistant to the disease have been developed.
One of the new cultivars is the Chinese elm. It can survive on little water and that makes suitable to grow in areas of drought. It does well in different types of soils and hence can grow in places where the top soil has been removed during construction.
The elm tree is not negatively affected by salt. This makes it suitable for such places where the soil is salty. It is also resistant to diseases such as the Dutch elm disease and pests such as the elm leaf beetle. Thus, it is cost effective as it requires little disease and pest management activities.
- Crepe Myrtle
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Crepe myrtle are trees with dark-green foliage that changes from yellow to red throughout the year. They produce beautiful flowers which improve the appearance of parking lots and paved areas.
They have fibrous and shallow roots. The roots can extend in search of nutrients and this makes suitable to grow in areas of low soil fertility.
The roots are weak and invasive and thus does not pose a danger of destroying concrete paved areas and parking lots.
The trees do well in different types of soils that are well drained with little amount of moisture. They can thrive both in slightly acidic and alkaline soils.
Crepe myrtle tree is drought tolerant and thus can thrive well in areas with little water.
- Red maple
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Red maple is a tree with red leaves which looks like stars. It produces red flowers which makes it look very attractive. They make the place they are planted very beautiful.
Red maple grows in a variety of environments. Which includes swampy areas, compacted soil and in soils with less nutrients. These characteristic makes them to have a higher rate of growth than other variety of trees.
Most maples are short reaching between 40 and 60 feet. This makes them suitable for providing shades in parking lots and paved areas.
They are drought tolerant. Maple trees can survive on little water by temporary suspending growth. This makes them best for parking lots and paved areas where there is little water.
- Zelkova
Zelkova are trees with green leaves which turns to shades of yellow, orange, brown, red and then reddish-purple in fall which makes them attractive.
This tree can survive in most soils even the one with a low rate of nutrients. It does well on a pH of about 7.5. It can as well survive on compacted soil.
Zelkova is tolerant and is not easily broken by wind. Hence, they are suitable for parking lots especially free areas without wind breakers. It can also survive on drought which makes them good for paved areas where fertile soil has been removed during construction.
Zelkova tree is resistant to Dutch elm disease and the elm leaf beetle. This means that they are cost effective since no costs are required for protection of pest and diseases.
It offers a dense shade which is required in parking lots.
- Littleleaf Linden
Little leaf linden tree is dark green with heart-shaped leaves. It produces scented flowers which and makes it common roadsides, open areas like parking lots and paved areas.
It’s a large tree growing up to 50 feet tall. It is forms a pyramidal and dense canopy which produces a dense shade.
This tree is hardy and can survive on harsh conditions such as poor soil fertility, tolerates air pollution and resistant to drought.
