It's been a while since I updated my "zone pushing" tree trials. Most are still fine, a few are really doing well, and my devil's walking stick finally flowered -- which left me thrilled, until I realized that the infloresence bore all the hallmarks of aralia elata, a lookalike Eurasian species, which I didn't want. But the thing is now over ten feet tall, so it looks like I'm stuck with it.

Better than expected:

Chinese catalpa ( c. ovata), which flowers beautifully every July with fragrant flowers that are only somewhat smaller than c. speciosa.

Aralia ??? -- great for pesky deer problems

Juglans cinerea -- I haven't spotted signs of canker yet...

Juglans nigra

Carya ovata

Hanging in there:

cladrastis kentuckea -- WHEN will my virgilia flower??

castanea dentata x2 -- surprisingly hardy, although I can't get enough water into them

wisteria fructescens

2022 victims of Deer hit-and-run attacks

Carya laciniosa

Carya tomentosa

2023 trials

Celtis laevigata

Morus alba -- even I know this is a stretch

Gymnocladus dioicia

Liriodendron tulipfera

Ptelea trifoliata