Trees for your yard may be available through a grant. We will know if the grant has been funded in April. You may request the following trees on a first come first serve basis. Please respond today if possible.
Contact: Pete Kovaric: pkovarik@cscc.edu
Please research these trees carefully, as tree heights vary. Image and information on each tree species can be found below.
Small Trees (up to 30′)
Hop Tree – Ptelea trifoliate
Hop Tree: An Ohio native tree with fragrant yellowish-green flowers. It is a host to the Giant Swallowtail butterfly. The seeds of the Hop Tree were once used as substitutes for hops. The tree also has medicinal uses. It grows in full sun to shade to about 20′ tall.
Medium Trees – (30′-60′)
Hophornbeam – Ostrya virginiana
Hophornbeam: An Ohio native tree that has dark green leaves. It attracts birds and butterflies. It is a slow-growing tree that averages about 1-2′ per year of growth. It grows in full sun to shade and grows about 40 tall.
Large Trees – (60’+)
Basswood – Tilia americana
Basswood: An Ohio native tree with fragrant yellow flowers in June. Flowers are used to make tea. Syrup can be made from the sweet sap. This tree is good for honey production and attracts birds and butterflies. It grows in full sun and grows to about 80′ tall.
Black Cherry – Prunus Serotina
Black Cherry: An Ohio native tree that supports over 400 species of butterflies and moths. It has clusters of white flowers in the spring and red cherries in the summer that mature into dark purple. The fruit from this tree can be used to make jams and wine. It also has medicinal uses. It grows in full sun to part shade and gets about 80′ tall.
Bur Oak – Quercus macrocarpa
Bur Oak: An Ohio native tree that is very important for wildlife and is a host to many moths and butterflies. It has very large leaves (4-12″ long) and sweet acorns with a distinctive fringe. This tree grows in full sun to part shade and grows to about 80′ tall.
Red Oak – Quercus rubra
Red Oak: An Ohio native tree that is fast growing, a 10-year-old Red Oak can be 20′ tall. The leaves turn yellow to red in the autumn. Many species of butterflies and moths use this tree as a host plant. This tree grows in full sun to part shade and grows to about 60′ tall.
Lower Olentangy Urban Arboretum 
wonderful offer! I would like several larger trees Basswood or Oaks as possible! Hope the grant works!
Cooking with wild black cherries. A sheet can be placed under the tree and the fruit gathered. They can be put in vinegar, bottled lemon or lime juice, or some kind of hard liquor. The ones in vinegar or liquor were often added to meat while it was cooking, which was likely to spoil. The colored lemon or lime juice can be added to sugar (cane was king back then) to make a raw fruit sugar. Wild black cherry extract was used for all sorts of things – the cough syrup being one of the residual reminders, andof course that is a kind of medicine. You can do this with all sorts of native/nonnative plants – purple violets turn bottled lemon juice a bright purple. put in liquor, the violets eventually turn clear vodka an amber color. If the bright color remains, then the liquid retained its vital essences and was healthier.
I used to live with two female doctors back in the late fifties and early sixties (their buildings are now a dental fraternity on Neil) and I was absolutely horrified when they would saute a nice piece of meat and then they would try and add some kind of frutied liquor (they had both apple jack and corn whiskey – both repelling.
Hello. I am interested in the Basswood trees and the Dark Cherry trees. I have a plot of land that used to be a pasture of horses. It has no trees and I’ve been wanting to add some for about 8 years now. The price of trees are the reason that I still have no trees. I care for my quadriplegic sister on this land and I have no extra funds. This is a fantastic opportunity!
Looking for large trees for large property. 5-17-19