DEAR NEIL: Is it possible to sterilize cedar elm trees so we won’t have all the seedlings come spring? We have put down corn gluten meal in September to stop the germination, but millions have ...

The cedar elm’s yellow fall color is fairly dependable, and it has lots of small seeds in the fall. It is the most common elm tree in Texas and easy to grow in a wide range of soils.

I have cedar elms on our property, too, and the way that I cope with the myriad seedlings is to apply an inch of compost or finely ground pine bark mulch across all my beds in the fall.

Cedar elm grows at about the same rate as live oak, but it will grow to 100 feet tall with a more upright shape. The leaves are small, so leaf raking is not a major job. Advertisement ...