Honey locust cultivars

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Can you imagine anything more unlikely than a street tree with thorns so dense and thick that they’re dangerous to anyone who encounters them? And with seeds pods that became gooey when stepped on? Amazingly, plant breeders developed grafted honey locust cultivars for people to grow in their yards and along streets, obviously without thorns and without seeds pods. Honey locust leaflets are very small and give light shade, you can actually grow grass under them. Once established, the trees are drought resistant. These trees have straight trunks, good branching patterns, and an attractive yellowish fall color. When those small compound leaves fall, they just disintegrate, no raking necessary, a trait appreciated by homeowners and city maintenance crews. As for sidewalks, these trees are deep rooted and buckling concrete won’t be a problem.