Taking Root: Gardening Advice

We’ve begun a new year, and a new decade too.
How about marking those milestones by planting a new tree?
A new tree will enhance your property with its beauty, shade and curb appeal.
Let’s explore one of my favorite trees, the
Bridalveil, or
Caesalpinia granadillo.
Best grown in full sun, the Bridalveil makes a wonderful shade tree with a typical height of up to 35 feet and a 25-foot-wide canopy at maturity.
It has a petite leaf structure and produces little yellow flowers when it blooms in summer and fall.
The bark is quite unique.
It has pale green, tan and gray tones and peels off in thin strips.
Bridalveils can have multiple trunks or just one. The open and airy branch structure filters sunlight.
The tree produces a very small seed pod but it does not attract wildlife. Another plus: the Bridalveil has no known pests.
The tree’s root system is usually not an issue either, and it works well when planted in small front yards, parking lot medians and along curbs.
You can find Bridalveil trees in two places in town:
at the K-9 Cove dog park, at 14048 Palmetto Frontage Road, or at the entrance to Miami Lakes Optimist Park near the playground at 6411 NW 162nd St.