SELECTED TREES FOR FLORIDA HOMES
 by
 C. A. Conover and E. W. McElwee1


 Landscape plantings greatly de-
pend on trees for dimension, scale
and profile and therefore are an in-
dispensable element in landscape
composition. Trees give a home,
street or commercial site individu-
ality and a restful quality. And,
because they are the most perma-
nent plants, trees impart to the
surroundings a sense of perma-
nence and stability.

 Landscape Uses
 Because of wide variations in
growing habits, trees are adapted
to many uses in landscape design.
Proper selection and use of trees
is very important, since they form
a large part of the mass of the
landscape.
 Shade trees should have moder-
ate to dense foliage and should not
have large or objectionable fruits,
flowers or seeds. They also should
have the ability to withstand high
winds and be relatively free from
insect and disease pests. They may
include many of the same trees
listed for framing, street and road-
side, specimen, background and
other uses.
 Shade trees fit into two cate-
gories: those with a heavy, dense
foliage that will fully shade the
ground, and those with small or
widely spaced leaves and somewhat
open branching so sunlight reaches

1. Director, Research Center, Apopka; and Orna-
mental Horticulturist, Extension Service.


the soil. Grass, flowers and shrubs
usually grow best under the second
type of tree.
 Homeowners may need to select
both deciduous and evergreen trees
to serve as shade trees. Evergreen
trees are useful where shade is
desired year-around, but deciduous
trees should be selected for areas
where shade is desired during
warm months and sun during cool
months.
 Framing trees are used to soften
corners and roof lines of the home
and to form patterns against the
sky. Trees used for this purpose
should not be so massive or spec-
tacular that they attract attention
to themselves rather than focus
attention on the home.
 Street trees are used between
sidewalks and streets, alopg ave-
nues and boulevards, and in parks.
A prerequisite of street trees is
that they grow, or can be main-
tained, without low branches that
interfere with traffic. They should
be hardy, well adapted to area of
use and should not have objection-
able fruit or flowers that litter
sidewalks, streets or lawn areas.
 Specimen and accent trees are
used for striking effects produced
by flowers, foliage, fruit or by their
contrast or location in landscape
plantings. In most instances, a
specimen tree stands alone either
on the lawn or in some other promi-
nent area, of the landscape. An