The Trees We'd Plant in a New Orleans Landscape

Guest Blog By Tim Benton, Benton Tree Service

Tim Benton is a Louisiana Licensed Arborist (#1368) and owner of Benton Tree Service, serving New Orleans for 19 years. If you're planning a landscape around an existing tree and want an assessment first, he's reachable at (504) 896-0820.

We get calls from homeowners across New Orleans and Metairie about the same issue all the time: a beautiful landscape, five or ten years in, with a tree in the middle of it that was never going to work there. Usually nobody did anything wrong at planting. The species was just a poor match for our soil, our storms, or the space it was given. Louisiana faces heavy rain, wind, and storms on a regular basis. Native trees have evolved to adapt, while other trees can face more issues. 

We love trees. It’s our job to love trees. A part of that love is deciding where a tree’s home should be. If you're planning an install, the tree is the one decision you can't easily undo. Here's how we think about it.

Start With What Survives a Storm

New Orleans’ climate and weather can constantly put stress on and damage to trees. Usually, we will recommend a tree species native to Louisiana that can be enjoyed and sustained for a homeowner. 

Live oak (Quercus virginiana) One of the most common species for homeowners around New Orleans, and with good reason. Live oaks have dense, wind-firm wood, and a canopy shape that sheds wind rather than catching it. While branches and leaves can fall in high winds, healthy live oaks can withstand heavy winds from hurricanes and can offer stormwater management. However, you should keep in mind a live oak wants far more room than most lots and yards can give, and planting one too close to a house or driveway creates a problem that gets more expensive every year. I worked on a couple of Live oaks 30 years ago at the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station and the trunks grew straight up for about 55 feet. Be ready to plan accordingly with this species. 

Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is Native to Louisiana, and at home in heavy, wet soil. It’s also one of the-fastest growing trees for the first 7 to 10 years of its life. Our state tree grows comfortably in saturated soil, and it holds up in the wind, important for hurricane season when resilience is needed.

Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) Smaller than your usual southern magnolia, it can grow up to 25 feet while fitting well under powerlines. Evergreen with beautiful white blossoms, it can also hold well against stormy weather when properly cared for. Keep in mind it drops leaves year-round rather than all at once, which matters if it's going over a patio or pool.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) A New Orleans favorite, and for good reason. Coming in different shapes, colors, and sizes, crepe myrtles are everywhere across Greater New Orleans, while also being prone to growing quickly. While not native to Louisiana (they were introduced at the end of the 19th century), they bloom in gorgeous ways over the summer while soaking in regular rainfall and needing plenty of sun. However, it is highly recommended crepe myrtles receive regular pruning to remove dead or diseased branches, while also removing crossing branches. It is important to avoid “topping,” or cutting to stubs, with these trees, since that typically results in weak and fragile branches. 

Think About Roots Before the Hardscape Goes In

This is the part that often gets overlooked when planning a landscape. The issue with planting trees is not that the roots spread further than the canopy, but placing a large tree too close to a house or a sidewalk or a pool. Placing a large tree 12'-14' away from any structures is always a good idea. Further is better. 

The fix is cheaper when it's considered during a design and a lot more expensive to fix after the fact. Get the mature spread right, keep large species away from hardscape and utilities, and if there's already a mature tree on site, have someone look at it before the design is finalized rather than after. 

How Arborists Think About Trees on Landscapes

The necessity of having an arborist in the city and for your landscape is not just clearing houses or getting roots away from drainage lines, but also dealing with the unnatural growth habit of a single specimen placed without competition and fertile soil with overabundant sunlight. The last thing I think that should be stressed is that the cutting edge of arboriculture has changed course. Informed arborists are no longer removing large limbs. Instead we have begun to limit the diameter of the cuts we make to ensure that all of those cuts heal over quickly before infection from fungus or bacteria or viruses or any pathogen may occur. Cutting large limbs is a function of pruning specifications written by large companies for municipalities. This is why they are reluctant to get away from that practice.