In Celebration of Arbor Day, Plant a Tree for Free

The Missouri Botanical Garden will again mark the state’s Arbor Day celebration on Friday, Apr. 6 by giving away 600 tree saplings to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis, according to a news release from the Garden.

Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), redbud (Cercis canadensis), witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) and shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) saplings will be available at the William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 6 or while supplies last. Master gardeners will also be on-hand to answer questions and give advice on planting trees in the spring.

The Garden news release provided detailed descriptions of the trees it will be giving away:

All five species offered this year are native to Missouri. The black gum is an excellent tree for landscaping and food for wildlife, best suited for acidic-soil on dry, rocky-wooded slopes. They are large trees which can grow up to 100 feet tall.

The flowering dogwood is the Missouri state tree and attains a small to medium size, under 30 feet tall. It’s best to plant this tree under some shade or where it will not receive direct sun in the afternoon.

Flowering dogwoods have great spring flowers and outstanding fall color in most years. The redbud is always a show stopper in the spring with bright pink blossoms that emerge before the leaves. A prominent native tree of small size (under 30 feet tall), it’s good for backyard landscapes and is best planted in shaded areas or where afternoon sun does not hit this tree directly.

The witch hazel is a winter-blooming, deciduous rounded shrub. Typically growing to 10 feet tall with a somewhat larger spread, it is noted for its extremely early (January through March) bloom of fragrant, yellow flowers, medium green summer foliage and yellow fall color.

The shumard oak tolerates a wide range of soil conditions including wet soils. This medium sized, deciduous tree grows relatively fast to a height of 50 feet or more. Fall color appears late, but is often a respectable brownish red.

The first Arbor Day was observed on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska, created as a way to increase awareness about the importance of trees, according to the Garden news release. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon proclaimed the annual federal celebration of National Arbor Day. Today, Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 U.S. states, and variations of the observance are celebrated in countries around the world including Japan, Israel, Korea and India.

National Arbor Day falls on the last Friday in April, but individual states observe the occasion on different dates depending on their best tree-planting times. Missouri recognizes its State Arbor Day on the first Friday in April.

The Garden’s Arbor Day tree giveaway is included with general admission of $8; St. Louis City and County residents receive a discounted admission of $4. Children 12 and under and Garden members are free.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis, accessible from I-44 at the Vandeventer exit and from I-64 at the Kingshighway north & south exits. Free parking is available on-site at the west lot and two blocks west at the corner of Shaw and Vandeventer avenues.

For general information, visit www.mobot.org or call the recorded event line at (314) 577‑5100 or toll-free 1 (800) 642-8842.