New Tree on the Block
We gardeners get as excited about new plants as some people do about new restaurants. The day I heard about the new InnovaTreeTM poplar developed by the University of Minnesota, I was as excited as I had been all week. “For homeowners, InnovaTree’s fast growth and disease resistance make it ideal for quick shade, privacy screens and windbreaks,” reports Jeff Jackson, Extension Education with the University of Minnesota Extension. This is music to a gardener’s ears.
It’s virtues are many, but first and foremost, InnovaTree is a fast grower at five to eight feet a year; you can enjoy its benefits sooner than later. It reaches a height of 75 feet (within a decade) and a width of 40 feet. It’s a big tree! It’s a cross between a cottonwood and a poplar, so it truly looks at home in the North. It reminds me of the majestic cottonwoods that lined the banks of the creek near our farm… but the InnovaTree is cotton-less. I never minded the fluffy little clouds on the farm where they just seemed to blow past, but they are a bit of a messy pain in the city on the patio and driveway. Also, they do not send up root sprouts, which if you are familiar with cottonwood trees, is a thing to deal with.
My mom and dad planted Lombardy poplars in the 1970s to grow quick windbreaks, though I remember them being not particularly healthy, with lots of dead branches. The InnovaTree takes their place as the perfect, quickly establishing windbreak that will enjoy a nice long life of 70 years. It’s also a great replacement for storm-damaged or Emerald Ash borer ravaged trees in your landscape. Mature trees that go away leave such big holes in our hearts and landscape. The InnovaTree tree fills the hole quickly and brings a handsome specimen to the yard. They have a pleasing oval canopy, a striking silvery grey bark that’s a beacon in the landscape and the leaves remind me of the beloved cottonwood. They are hardy to zone 3.
Like most big trees, they need full sun and well-drained soil. The U of MN reports they grow best in well-drained loam (a mixture of clay, sand and silt soil and other organic matter), sandy loam, clay loam and light clay. It doesn’t like dry sandy soil and wet feet, which is not too much to ask of a tree. Because of its aggressive root system, the U of MN recommends planting at least 25 feet from buildings and septic systems.
But where do we get it?
InnovaTree hit the market this year, but it was a soft launch. Hauser’s Superior View Farm in Bayfield, Wisconsin kicked off sales on July 28 and sold out in two days. They will begin the 2024 season with 1,000 trees ready for sale—you can pre-order trees on their website.
“We anticipate having several additional nurseries selling it in 2024,” the U of MN tells us. You can sign up to receive InnovaTree updates, including a list of nurseries that will carry it in 2024.
Let the tree shopping begin!
Photo credit: All photos courtesy of UMD Natural Resources Research Institute
Minneapolis-based Eric Johnson blogs at gardendrama.wordpress.com.
Eric Johnson is very enthusiastic about this new tree! Here is additional information to complete the picture.
The European Black Poplar and the Eastern Cottonwood*, of which Innova is a hybrid, both have shallow roots which can lift sidewalks, damage trails and make lawn mowing difficult.
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=368499
(Cottonwood’s) “…fast growth means comparatively weak wood, and this tree is known for frequently shedding branches. Being fast growing means it is also relatively short-lived, typically living only 80-100 years…”
https://www.threeriversparks.org/blog/species-spotlight-eastern-cottonwood
Three Rivers Park District*
Jeff Jackson, one of the developers of Innova, acknowledged that the wood, like other Poplars, Cottonwoods and Silver maples, is not structurally strong, in an MPR interview. https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2023/08/15/a-new-fastgrowing-tree-species-out-of-minnesota-may-be-part-of-a-climate-change-solution