08/13/2026
2026 Fall STREET TREE SALE
Swarthmore Borough’s Tree Committee has a limited number of balled and burlapped street trees available now for purchase by borough residents who wish to plant a new tree or replace one that has been lost. Trees must be planted along the curb within the right of way. The price, including planting and mulching, is $250. A list of available trees and an order form are available on the Borough’s website (www.swarthmorepa.org).
The order deadline is September 25, 2026. Payment may be made by check or via Paypal. Return the order form and payment to Borough Hall. Any questions please contact Swarthmore Borough Hall, 610-543-4599, and a Tree Committee member will respond to you.
LARGE TO MEDIUM-SIZED TREES - not to be planted under utility lines, requires a wide curb strip (greater than five feet)
Acer rubrum ‘Red Sunset’ –red maples are common in the northeast US, and this is an exceptional cultivar for a street tree that will stay a medium size in maturity. It is paramidal to rounded in outline and will grow to 40’ to 50’ at maturity.
Acer saccharum Fall Fiesta--sugar maple--a large maple (60 feet tall) that is one of the most attractive trees for its scarlet fall color. This selection is one of the better maples for our area. This tree grows fast when young and it needs plenty of room for it to mature growing in full to mostly-full sun.
Gymnocladus dioicus ‘Espresso’ – Kentucky coffee tree is a native tree that reaches 50 feet or more in height when mature. It had large compound leaves, but very small leaflets so fall cleanup is easy! Espresso is a seedless cultivar so there is no mess from seed pods. This tree is very adaptable and tough and has a golden yellow autumn color.
Ginkgo biloba ‘Magyar’ – the maidenhair tree can reach 50-70 feet tall at maturity with beautiful golden autumn foliage. Ginkgos are very tolerant of street tree conditions. This selection has upright, ascending branches and is a male selection so it doesn’t get the messy, smelly fruit.
Tilia americana ‘Redmond’ – a cultivar of our native American linden, this pyramidal-shaped tree grows 40 to 60 feet tall and prefers a well-drained soil (it will even tolerate drought once established) in full to partial sun. Lindens flower in early summer with a very distinctive sweet floral fragrance. Leaves are oval and turn light yellow in autumn.
MEDIUM TO SMALL-SIZED TREES - suitable for planting under utility lines and in narrower curb strips (less than five feet wide)
Carpinus caroliniana –American hornbeam or ironwood—a native tree that reaches 20’ to 30’ in height with a rounded outline. It has small to medium leaves that are dark green in summer changing to yellow, orange and scarlet in autumn. Older branches have an attractive winter look with smooth gray, muscled-looking bark.
Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’ – Green hawthorn is a native tree to the eastern United States. The cultivar Winter King features beautiful orange-red small fruit that persists autumn and into winter, which result from clusters of white flowers in the spring. Autumn color of the leaves is purple to deep red. Its silver-gray bark peels off as it ages and it reveals the orange inner bark to give a nice dormant season show. It will grow 20 to 30 feet tall with a broad vase-shaped habit. It tolerates street tree conditions well.
Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ‘Shademaster--Shademaster honeylocust is a medium-sized (45’tall) open, airy tree that has tiny leaflets. Autumn color is a clear gold and the leaves are so small there is little to rake up. It is a strong grower and has a vase-shaped form when young, maturing into a more rounded shape.
Ostrya virginiana – the American hophornbeam is a native, east-coast tree that naturally grows below high canopy shade trees like oaks and maples. It will grow 25 to 40 feet tall and can grow in average soil in full sun to partial shade. Its leaves turn a pale yellow in the autumn. The common name hophornbeam comes from the sac-like seed-bearing pods which resemble the seed pods of the hops vine.
***RETURN FORM TO BOROUGH HALL BY SEPTEMBER 25, 2026***
Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________
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1st Choice ___________________________________________________________________________________
2nd Choice ___________________________________________________________________________________
