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Whether you like your trees with really low canopies that almost touch the ground or with high canopies that make it easy to walk and mow, everyone should keep their trees trimmed.

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Every month I will feature a Texas Native plant that will grow well in Ellis County. This month, I have chosen an obscure widely unknown little tree as our first Texas Native Plant of the Month.

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One of the most common problems we run into in the tree service business is suffocating trees. This is caused when a tree is planted too deep or when the soil level is raised around an existing tree (usually for a raised flowerbed), and the root flare of the tree is covered up.

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ELLIS COUNTY — What if you could make gallons and gallons of an all-natural fertilizer, an organic pesticide, and a chemical-free fungicide with about 10 minutes of work and very little money? Compost Tea does all of that and it’s so stinkin’ easy to make!

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ELLIS COUNTY — When the spring season comes to Ellis County, the natural beauty of the roadside wildflowers helps to inspire many to get out in their flowerbeds and gardens and start planting.

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Plant varieties with black foliage are hot right now, but they are far and few between. The newest arrival on the market is the BLACK DIAMOND^TM series of crapemyrtles. This is a revolutionary new series of plants with spectacular black foliage and five brilliant flower colors to choose from. The stunning black foliage emerges in early spring and lasts until leaves drop at the first hard frost. Planted in full sun, plants hold their stunning dark foliage color over the entire growing season and bloom late-spring through late-fall.

The BLACK DIAMOND^TM Crapemyrtles were bred by a USDA research scientist and feature five vivid color selections including ‘Best Red’, ‘Crimson Red’, ‘Red Hot’, ‘Blush’, and ‘Pure White’. We know how different “reds” can be and finding just the right one can be a challenge. This series offers up three different red tones to choose from to coordinate with your landscape. ‘Blush’ offers up soft pale pink blooms against the dark foliage. ‘Pure White’ gives you a stunning contrast perfect for a sophisticated garden. The BLACK DIAMOND^TM Crapemyrtle has a long bloom season that begins in late-spring or early summer through the first frost. You can encourage more blooms by deadheading old flowers.

A versatile shrub, BLACK DIAMOND^TM makes a show stopping specimen, anchor plant or blooming row hedge; it can also be grown in containers as a patio or pool plant. Reaching only 10- to 12-feet tall and 8-feet wide at maturity, these semi-dwarfs are perfect for urban landscapes, small spaces and containers. Plants can be hand-pruned or sheared to the ground to maintain a 4- to 6-foot blooming row hedge.

Crapemyrtles are sun loving, heat and drought tolerant once established. A must-have for your water-wise garden! In field trials, BLACK DIAMOND^TM plants showed an improved tolerance to both powdery mildew and leaf spot; fungal diseases that can be a problem for most crapemyrtles.

"Crapemyrtles are just about everyone's favorite summer flower shrub and small tree. The extraordinary beautiful black foliage and the striking flower colors of the Black Diamond Crapemyrtles take them to other levels of beauty and enjoyment when in your landscape." Jim Berry, owner, J Berry Nursery.

BLACK DIAMOND^TM Crapemyrtles can be grown differently across the country, depending on USDA Hardiness zone:

Zones 2-5: Annual. Use as annual blooming summer color. Use as a patio planter and bring inside for the winter.

Zone 6: Perennial. Use as flowering hedge that will re-grow from the ground in spring. Use as a summer patio planter.

Zone 7-9: Deciduous Shrub/Small Tree. Use as a border for driveway, fence, or property screen. Blooming hedge and patio planter for summer color.