Don't Plant Aspen Trees in Your Colorado Landscape

Aspens are spectacular trees in their native habitats, but the Front Range Gardener gives five reasons why aspens are not good in the Front Range. The quaking aspens found in Colorado are a member of the poplar family (as are the cottonwoods found in riparian habitats in the lowlands). Populus tremuloides is the scientific name.

00:00 Introduction
00:58 Short Life
01:47 Invasive
02:37 Pests and Diseases
03:14 No Fall Colors
03:42 Messy

[halhalmc]

Good points but it does depend on what you are seeking as a gardener or what you find aesthetically pleasing. I have a small stand of 5 aspen on the property and I'm ultimately aiming to downsize the lawn significantly and replacing with mostly Colorado native flora that are reasonably drought resistant. The aspen have weirdly done well in spite of my virtually non-existent care of them and the shade they provide improves the soil moisture around them for sure. They *are* a little wild and like to pop up suckers but I don't mind weeding them out where they are undesired.

Obviously, if the goal of your gardening is neat planting where everything is in its place with clean swathes of lawns, Aspen are a poor choice. But I like the capriciousness of the tree. My goal is to have a mostly self-sustaining, constantly in-flux garden that flows with time in a slightly wild manner... Plus the root system is fairly shallow so it's unlikely to damage foundations and the like.

[gtaylor]

Thank you so much for the excellent information and your effort to present it. Please keep the videos coming! Would love to hear more about best trees, shrubs, and perennials for our climate, clay soil, and small lots. The nurseries seem to sell things that are not always the best options. We are about 30 min north of Denver and are starting in on landscaping our 1/4 acre lot. Currently selecting columnar screening trees, a large shade tree, and evergreens for winter interest for starters.

[fmjakhilles]

was gonna plant one, now gonna plant ten.

[WildWoodlandsSW]

I ordered 3 saplings online. When they arrived I did a bit more research, and found out they would be a disaster for my 'front range'. Your video sums it up perfectly! I sent them straight back the same day! Great for the wild, not for the garden.

[joseph]

Amazing! Do you know how aspen trees behave on a tropical enviroment? cold but close to the equator ? I would love to plant them here but we dont have seasons. Just rain and sunny seasons during the year.

[rgreen]

Useful and important video that is relevant beyond Colorado. Aspens are beautiful, but it's a poor landscape chocie. I live at sea level, in Yakima County Washington State ("Lower Valley") which is essentially desert climate but has good irrigation. Hot summers and cold winners with limited rainfall, but sufficient water irrigation water. Previous owner planted many aspen (n=20) 20 years ago. Grew fast. I have lived at this ranch 5 years and about 15 trees have died, or been felled by high winds. Only 2 of 5 remaining still appear healthy. On the positive side, I have a good supply of firewood!

[erichnowe]

All trees have landscape care concerns. Unless you zero scape, manage your yard with an irrigation system, or pay a professional, Aspens are a viable option for natural shade and moisture retention in your yard. They attract bumble bees and their shoots potentially create even more shade. The weaker shoots in the system die off like the limbs of a tree, but the parent will live just as long as other trees if it remains the primary. You just cut the dead shoots like you would cut off a dead tree limb and then dried Aspen wood is easy to split with an axe. Most people consider the Poplar Twiggal Fly the most unattractive aspect of Aspens, even though they do not harm the tree. There is a homemade pest spray that works well on Aspens. If you don't want an all volunteer grove of Aspens (your neighbors may not), then clearly you prefer to pay to strategically place another variety such as Maple, Birch, or Pine in that spot. For these, you just pound some tree fertilizer stakes in the ground and keep them watered. They will also survive the Colorado sun, hot dry spells, hail, and cold snaps that get the better of other trees in Colorado.

[snakehead]

Always wanted to plant aspens at our cabin in mammoth at 8300ft. This winter crushed so many around the neighborhood that I may reconsider.

[WeezieV]

Thank you for your video. I live in zone 6. Northeast Ohio. I love the way quaking aspen are usually tall and single trunks, but I want a white paper birch for my front yard. Why are the aspen in the mountains you show at the beginning and end of the video greenish? Young age or soil? I want to plant some and hope they will become as bright white as possible.

[keatonhamilton]

Our new home came with 9 aspens. A few are healthy and leafing out well. One is mostly dead - only has leaves on about 15% of branches. Should I cut it down? Also, a few have cancer. Cut down also? I want to replace with some evergreens as there is so much brown stone and rock in our yard. Suggestions welcome. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I’m in COS. Do you happen to do on site consultations?

[Dr.LongMonkey]

The aspen on my property are HUGE 70+ feet, they are 50 years old. They’re all pretty healthy but I’ve been cutting them down to allow for the Ash, Oak, Maple, Yellow Birch, White Pine to grow. They’re a good tree to kickstart a forest

[Vanpham-xeoj]

I’m at 8700ft is that high enough? I have about 6 acres and have a small grove in the back yard. I was thinking it would be nice to have more. What do you think? Thanks for the informative video.

[kevin]

Bought a house with an older aspen in front, neighbors three houses down get shoots from it. Everyone sounded pretty happy when I said I plan on taking it down. I think it was a point of contention.

[JS-gtbh]

I had 3 in Aurora and 2 died years ago but one is doing good still😊

[cryptojihadi]

My Aspen's are doing great, they are 11 years old now, very tall and full.

They've been pretty hardy. Hand a couple bend in half. One broke the center trunk, but recovered and is nice tall and full, another one that bent in half, didn't break, and amazingly was able to recover to be straight, tall and full as well.

THAT being said, I wish I didn't plant them as they ARE very invasive. Hoping it doesn't create issues for the foundation, but they grow shoots all over my yard.

[JS-gtbh]

Mine is turning brown this summer. I lightly sprayed Roundup to kill weeds underneath the tree not thinking it would damage the tree?🤔 However, I think the hot weather this summer is the reason. I was not watering much. I had 2 others that died years ago when Denver went into drought. This one now is about 35 years old and probably 25 feet high. I have had a few branches go brown in other years no weed killer anywhere. Will leave it for a couple years to see if it recovers? The trunk is quite large 😊

[jacintoregoaqui]

Very good, Brother. I'm Brazil. Yout video are very good

[DDGLJ]

Another problem is permanent hail damage. When we lived in Billings we had aspens installed by the landscape company (before we knew any better). The western sides of the trees were permanently pockmarked with hundreds of black 1-2 inch scars.

Now we live up in the mountains where we have hundreds that grow naturally- but they’re still problematic. They are gorgeous as a forest, where you can cut down the diseased and damaged ones without ruining the look. I would never use them as a specimen tree, though, even up here.

[barbaraporter]

What tree do you recommend for the front range?

[joejoe]

Do you think they would do ok in southern Wisconsin? I love these trees and want one in my yard. Thanks!