Secrest Arboretum names Ohio's best trees

Ken Cochran, program director of Ohio State University’s Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, identified his top tree picks.

 

Silver linden grows fast, gets big — up to 70 feet with a 35-foot spread — and is adapted to Ohio’s climate.

 

Pagoda dogwood, a small tree, “flowers differently than our native dogwood,” Cochran said, “but we’re trying to educate people about it.” He said the pagoda dogwood’s adaptability to Ohio and its resistance to insect pests and diseases make it a good choice.

 

Scarlet buckeye, a small tree, and a kind of red buckeye, bears loads of deep-red flower clusters in early spring. Hummingbirds, honey bees and other pollinators flock to them.