Quaking Aspen

Quaking Aspen is a gorgeous mountain tree that reminds me of the Arctic. It has powdery white bark, and leaves that quake violently with the slightest breeze. Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) is hardy in USDA Zones: 1-6. In areas of USDA Zones 5 and 6 with hot and humid summers the Quaking Aspen can have many disease problems. The most common is fungal diseases. They can be easily treated. The fungal issues can be treated with a fungicide. The Quaking Aspen is native to the northern half of Indiana. I live in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis. I have seen some wild patches growing on the edges of woodlands near my home. I am in USDA Zone 5b. There are some landscaped at a local nursery. They get terrible fungal problems that turn the leaves black then they fall off. They have spray fungicide on them a couple times during the growing season. This significantly reduces the disease on them. Now it is very spotty, but mostly green. These trees are very versatile on growing conditions. They can grow in arid rocky soils, to wet boggy sites. Found throughout the Rocky Mountains out west, and along streams and lowlands. There is a cultivar available called the 'Prairie Gold' Aspen that is highly tolerable to the heat and humidity of the east. It gets little disease problems, and has been grown all the to zone 8 with little problems. The cultivar was found in a prairie in Nebraska.

                                                            Native Range

 

Indiana Native Range

 Indiana USDA Zone Map

 Took these 2 pictures in Colorado

Wild clump near my home