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Lake Countree program page header

Lake CounTree

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Lake Countree is a residential planting initiative developed to encourage citizens to help grow and preserve Lake Country's urban forest canopy. 2023 is the second year for this new initiative where Lake Country residents can purchase one tree per household for the low price of $50 (incl. GST). 

ORDER online NOW 

By purchasing and planting a tree through the Lake Countree program, you are making a positive impact on the environment. 

Urban Forest and Tree Benefits

  • Trees remove atmospheric carbon dioxide
  • Reduce energy usage
  • Remove air pollutants
  • Filter stormwater
  • Provide shade and cool yards, buildings, and hot city streets
  • Release water vapour
  • Promote calmness and mental well-being 
  • Provide wildlife habitat and shelter
  • Provide food sources for wildlife

Lake Countree 2023 

Tree sales for our 2023 Lake Countree program will be open from Tuesday, July 25 until Friday, September 15, or until trees are sold out. 

Lake Countree pickup will take place on Saturday, September 16 (9:00am - 1:00 pm) at Kel-Lake Nursery.  The trees are in 10 gallon pots, roughly 6 to 12 feet tall. The size is to ensure that holes can be hand dug and the trees are easily handled.

Set up your online account in advance to pre-order your tree online once they become available.  If you've use the online registration system for an Activity Guide program in the past few years, you likely already have an account. 

Visit www.lakecountry.bc.ca/lakecountree to sign in or set up an account. Call 250-766-5650 if you need assistance to set up your online account. 

2023 Fall Tree Varieties

All of the tree varieties on offer this year are chosen for their hardiness to endure the weather of the Okanagan region. We have selected the trees according to their unique features including size, hardiness, exposure, wildlife value and seasonal interests. We recommend that residents research the tree they would like before purchase. 

Trying to find the right tree for the right location is paramount and why we are offering four varieties with different attributes to choose from. The trees were picked based on their growth rate, size at maturity, water requirements, carbon sequestering, oxygen production, sun orientation, adaptivity to various soil conditions, aesthetics, availability, life span and to help reduce monocultures in neighborhoods.

Native varieties of trees are great, and are planted all over the District when we are re-establishing naturalized areas or less urbanized parcels of land, however native trees are not always the best choice for subdivisions and the sizes of the lots. Ponderosa Pines, Douglas Fir, Abies, Black Cottonwood, Birch and Western Red Cedar (which are only a few or our native varieties) grow in specific areas of our forests and do not always thrive in urban situations, due to elevation, being irrigated, soil conditions, traffic around the root zone for example. 

Sienna Glen Maple (Acer freemanii Sienna Glen)
 

Height: 50-60 feetSienna Glen Maple Tree

Spread: 35-40 feet

Sunlight: Full Sun

Moisture: Moderate water use

Soil Type: Tolerant of most soil conditions and pH

Hardiness Zone: 4a

 

Description: It's distinct, upright, pyramidal growth habit, which is readily apparent as a young tree, grows and becomes a broad pyramid when mature. The Sienna Glen exhibits vigorous growth yet withstands strong winds. The branches are borne more closely together along the trunk than those of Autumn Blaze and are finer textured and more delicate, yet the wood is harder and shorter and exhibits less drooping. The smaller, fine-textured green leaves are dark green with a silvery underside and turn a variable mix of yellow and orange with a pinkish tinge at the highest part of the crown. As the fall color finishes, it turns a burnt orange. This beauty tolerates higher soil pH.

 

Ornamental Attributes: Clusters of red flowers along the branches in early spring. Green deciduous leaves that turn outstanding orange, red and burgundy in the fall.

 

Landscape Attributes: Deciduous tree with a distinctive pyramidal to oval form. 

 

 Emperor One Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum Emperor One)
Height: 15 feetEmperor One Japanese Maple tree

Spread: 10-15 feet

Sunlight: Full Sun

Moisture: Moderate water use

Soil Type: Well drained and can accommodate a wide range of soil pH.

Hardiness Zone: 5

 

Description: A graceful form with black-red bark veiled in dark red foliage that turns a brilliant scarlet in fall. Leaves bud out later in spring, better withstanding damage from late frosts than less cold hardy varieties. Displays most intense color in full sun exposure. Ideal as a colorful specimen in smaller landscapes. 

 

Ornamental Attributes: Emperor One Japanese Maple is primarily valued in the landscape for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has attractive purple deciduous foliage. The ferny palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of scarlet and orange in the fall.

 

Landscape Attributes: This is a relatively low maintenance tree and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

 

Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Height: 60-75 feetTulip Tree

Spread: 30-50 feet

Sunlight: Full sun

Moisture: Moderate water use after establishment

Soil Type: Moist well drained and can accommodate a wide range of soil pH

Hardiness Zone: 4

 

Description: A fast-growing tree with bright green leaves that resemble tulip flowers in profile and turn golden yellow in fall. Greenish-yellow flowers are carried high in the tree. Stems are aromatic. Likes full sun. 

 

Ornamental Attributes: Blooms in May and June, producing tulip-shaped flowers 1½–2" in diameter with greenish-yellow petals and a splash of orange at the base. Provides vibrant yellow color in the fall. Produces alternating leaves that are 3– 6" long with distinctive lobes, a flat base and two ear-like tips. Yields colorful seeds held upright in the tree throughout the summer and into autumn. Features aromatic stems. Grows in an oval shape.

 

Landscape Attributes: Dense deciduous tree with a strong central leader and pyramidal form providing food in many forms for many animals. The spring flowers provide nectar for ruby-throated hummingbirds. Tulip tree seeds, maturing in summer and persisting into winter, provide food for both birds and mammals, including finches, cardinals, quail, and red squirrels. 

 Tulip Tree flowers

Bloodgood London Planetree (Plantanus acerifolia Bloodgood)
Height: 50 plus feetBloodgood London Planetree

Spread: 30 plus feet

Sunlight: Full sun

Moisture: Moderate water use but is drought tolerant

Soil Type: Moist well drained and can accommodate a wide range of soil pH.

Hardiness Zone:5

 

Description: A large, open-crowned tree with a pyramidal form, with unusual cream and gray exfoliating bark with green leaves that turn yellow-orange-brown color in the fall. They have a moderate to fast growth rate and aren’t picky about their environment: tolerant of soil compaction, heat, drought, pruning, alkaline soil, and pollutants. 

 

Ornamental Attributes: Bloodgood London Planetree has rich green deciduous foliage on a tree with a pyramidal habit of growth. The large serrated lobed leaves turn yellow in fall. The mottled silver bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest. 

 

Landscape Attributes: Bloodgood London Planetree is a deciduous tree with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage. This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed.

 Bloodgood London Planetree bark

Ivory Silk Lilac Tree (Syringa Reticulata Ivory Silk)
Height: 15-20 feetIvory Silk Lilac Tree

Spread: 10-15 feet

Sunlight: Full sun to light shade

Moisture: Moderate water use but is somewhat drought tolerant

Soil Type: Moist well drained and can accommodate a wide range of soil pH 

Hardiness Zone: 3

 

Description: A low maintenance, fast growing tree that is an excellent choice for urban environments. Delivering incomparable fragrance and cream blooms in the spring and summer months, the Ivory Silk Japanese Lilac lives up to its name, giving you a smooth, elegant look that fits in nearly anywhere.

 

Ornamental Attributes: Ivory Silk Tree Lilac features showy plumes of fragrant creamy white flowers rising above the foliage from late spring to early summer. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall colour. The smooth dark red bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

 

Landscape Attributes: You'll enjoy its velvety white blooms on a naturally rounded crown. Vibrant green foliage pops against its reddish-brown bark, perfect for livening up bare areas...whether you plant it as a focal point in your flower beds or along driveway borders for extra color. This is a relatively low maintenance tree and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard.


Considerations Before Choosing & Planting Your Tree

  • What will the size of the tree be at maturity?
  • Hot tall will the tree grow?
  • Will it fit in the space you have selected?
  • What type of landscape will the tree be planted in (garden bed or turfgrass)? 
  • Will the tree be irrigated?
  • Are there underground services or utilities that the roots will interfere with? 
  • Call BC 1 CALL (1-800-474-6886 or bc1c.ca) and a utility locate service company to ensure the spot you have chosen to plant the tree in will not impact power, water or other utilities. 
  • Are there overhead utilities that the tree will impact as it grows? 
 Proper Transporting & Planting Techniques
 

• Protect your tree during transport; pad the trunk, and gently bundle the branches with burlap or string.


• Prune dead or broken branches before planting.


• Plant the tree as soon as possible after receiving it; if not, keep it in a shaded area and water as needed.


• Call BC 1 Call (1-800-474-6886 or bc1c.ca), and a utility locate service company prior to digging or excavating.


• Prepare the planting spot by digging a hole 2-3 times wider than the root ball and only as deep as the root ball when placed in the hole. The root flare/collar (where the tree’s trunk meets the roots) should be even with the top of the hole or slightly above.


• Gently remove the tree from the plastic container and look for circling or girdling roots, and if present, make a slice or cut the root to inhibit future growth.


• Use native soil to backfill where possible. If the native soil is heavy clay or extremely rocky, amend the native soil with compost and topsoil at a 50/50 mixture with the native soil. Bone meal, a high phosphorus fertilizer or fish fertilizer can be incorporated at this time.


• Place the tree in the center of the hole and begin to backfill until the hole is two-thirds full, gently packing down to remove air pockets and water the hole to settle the soil.


• Let the water drain and continue filling the hole with the remaining soil. Repeat the packing and watering routine.


• Use the excess soil to build a well around the hole to help hold and direct water to the root ball.


• Staking the tree is only necessary if the tree is planted in an area of high winds or if the soil is shallow.

 Maintaining Your Tree
 
  • Applying mulch at a depth of 4 inches around the tree area covering the root ball is important to reduce weed growth and retain water in the soil. Keep the mulch 4-6 inches away from the trunk.
  • Water slowly and deep once a week after planting. More frequent watering may be required in drought-like conditions.
  • Avoid fertilizing the tree with a high nitrogen fertilizer in the first year.
  • Remember these are general guidelines for planting and maintaining a tree. Each location and tree can differ, so contact your local garden center for more information.

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© 2018 District of Lake Country, 10150 Bottom Wood Lake Road, Lake Country, BC V4V 2M1, Telephone 250-766-5650, Fax 250-766-0116

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