With gardening season coming to an end, gardeners can take a rest from their labors and from asking for help with their gardening questions.

“By the time late fall arrives I have probably offended most of the residents in northern Utah,” said Jerry Goodspeed, Utah State University Extension horticulturist. “This feat is accomplished by either telling people that half the plants in their yard are going to die, should be killed or never should have been planted in the first place. With this in mind, there may still be a few people I haven’t offended yet. So with winter setting in, I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

I am often asked to make recommendations for tree varieties in a landscape, he said. My philosophy about trees is that they are a lot like people — they have very distinct personalities. There are mean, bully-type trees, rich prima donna types and dumb, ugly trees. Selecting a tree by its personality may make it easier to make a good choice for the landscape.

“I will start with the quaking aspen, also known as the ‘weakling of the tree kingdom,’” said Goodspeed. “It can be heard wheezing and coughing every time the wind blows.”

On the other end of the spectrum is the bully of trees — the blue spruce, he said. It’s cute when it’s small, but once it reaches the puberty years, look out. Before long, a blue spruce can overpower the front of a home as it shoves aside innocent plants, tricycles or slow-moving pets.

“If trees were car salesmen, the poplar (or cottonwood) would still be selling Edsels,” said Goodspeed. “This tree never delivers on its promises and rarely sticks around longer than a few years. It starts off with a bang, grows tall and lanky and then dies, leaving gardeners with a bill of a few hundred dollars for its removal.”

The rich prima donna tree that flaunts its uppity good looks is the Japanese maple, he said. It has to have its living conditions just so. Too wet and it will die. Too hot and it will burn. Too cold and it will whine for hot cocoa and a fuzzy blanket. For the price of having this pretty-boy in the landscape, it should come with a 100-year guarantee and the ability to plant itself in the ground.

“Speaking of planting itself, that’s just what the Siberian elm does,” Goodspeed said. “When it comes to personalities, it is the obnoxious person who shows up at the house, hangs around and refuses to take the hint to leave. Gardeners can pull, spray, move and even pay them to go bother someone else. Yet, the minute the hoe is hung up, it is back begging to stay and grow.”

Then there is the Russian olive tree, he said. Most trees have enough sense to avoid swamps, deserts, old warehouses and abandoned mines — but not the Russian olive. This tree tries to grow anywhere it can.

Every plant species needs its “Pigpen,” Goodspeed continued. That would be the willow. Every time the wind blows or the sun sets, it throws down a little more mess — a twig here, a branch there, a limb on the car.

“There are a couple of trees that are well mannered, like the hackberry and linden,” Goodspeed concluded. “They can be messy at times in the fall when they shed their leaves, but most of us can overlook these faults. These two trees can adapt to most situations, unlike some of the other trees I mentioned.”