Honey Tree Trio

Why these three go together

Black locust and American basswood give the two lightest, most sought-after honeys in the East, and black gum is a good honey tree in its own right. What makes them a set is the calendar: black locust opens in May, black gum flowers through May and June, and basswood comes last, for about two weeks in June, so a hive near the three has a heavy flow for the better part of two months. The native bees that work the same flowers get the same run.

They also divide the work of a yard. Black locust is fast and fixes its own nitrogen, so it is the first to reach flowering size; basswood becomes the broad shade tree; black gum is slow, one of the longest-lived hardwoods in the East, and turns scarlet in fall when the other two are yellow.

Where it fits

All three want full sun, and black gum and basswood take light shade. Black locust and black gum stand dry ground; basswood wants average moisture; black gum is the one for a wet corner as well. Together they are hardy in zones 4 through 8 (basswood alone reaches zone 3, black gum zone 9).

These are large trees, 40 to 90 feet at maturity, so allow 30 feet between them and from the house, and keep them clear of overhead wires. Black locust suckers from the roots and carries spines on its young wood, so it belongs at the far edge of the planting rather than beside a path.

Planting the trio

Plant dormant saplings from leaf fall until the buds swell, in holes wider than the roots and no deeper, and cage or tube each one for three years against deer. Water weekly through the first summer when rain is short. None of the three needs fertilizer; black locust makes its own nitrogen.

Expect flowers on the locust within a few years, and on basswood and black gum once they have made a crown. A hive can go in the year the locust first blooms.