This Month’s Featured Shade Trees at Parkview Nursery Jackson

For the month of July, Parkview Nursery Jackson, would like to give the spotlight to the London Plane ‘BloodGood’ shade tree. Planting a massive shade tree in the middle of a Riverside July might sound intimidating, but the London Plane 'Bloodgood' is built for the challenge. This horticultural workhorse is famously planted along city streets and in concrete parks because it simply does not care about triple-digit heat, smog, or poor soil. If you want to drop the temperature of your backyard quickly and permanently, this is your tree.

The London Plane ‘Bloodgood’ is classic, majestic, and expansive. It features massive, maple-like leaves that create a dense, dark canopy of premium shade. As the tree matures, it develops a stunning, peeling bark that looks like a beautiful cream, olive, and brown camouflage pattern, giving it incredible architectural appeal even in the winter. It has a very high survival rate for summer planting because its thick, leathery leaves resist the "crisping" and windburn that delicate trees suffer from during hot Santa Ana winds. Once established, it is incredibly tough. However, because it grows fast and has a huge canopy, it will be very thirsty during its first July in the ground. You will need to commit to a slow, deep soak 2–3 times a week to help its root system conquer the summer heat. It easily reaches a mature height and spread of 40–50 feet. It is the perfect choice for shading large driveways, cooling a two-story home, or anchoring a sprawling backyard. The 'Bloodgood' variety was specifically bred for disease resistance. Unlike older sycamores or planes that drop their leaves early due to a fungus called "anthracnose," the Bloodgood stays vibrantly green and heavily leafed all summer long.

The London Plane ‘Bloodgood’ shade tree also qualifies for the Riverside Shade Tree Program.