July 2004

May 2006 August 2010

Borough Hall landscape map featuring 14 Japanese zelkova serrata trees. Click to see it larger. Note that circle size = relative spread of trees as of summer 2010. Drawing is based on a satellite image from Google Maps.

July 2004

May 2005

November 2005: Some of the trees are planted in sidewalk cuts; some are in planting beds, some are in the natural earth.

The ones in the sidewalk cuts changed color and lost their leaves about a week earlier than the ones in the large planting beds.

FALL: I theorize that the pavement trees recognize the need to conserve energy, considering the limited space they've been given. It will be interesting to follow the entire group of trees over the years to see if the pavement trees grow more slowly, or develop health and shape issues, or die sooner than the ones in the large planting beds.

April 9, 2006: A sidewalk tree.

Same day, same minute: A planting bed tree.

SPRING: Notice how the sidewalk tree's buds are smaller than the planting bed tree's.

See Julie's Borough Hall Zelkova Journal For Julie's detailed comments about Japanese Zelkova Serrata trees, see the zelkova fact page See other Metuchen zelkovas Read the latest Tree Grower's Diary blog entry