On 7 Mar 2005 18:16:21 -0800, wrote:

greetings,

our landscape architect has picked the following trees to use in/around
our patio/pool area. would appreciate any comments...

1) 3 betula nigra 'duraheat' (river birch)
2) 1 magnolia butterflies
3) 3 lagerstoemia indica 'dynamite' (crape myrtle)
4) 1 acer pal. diss. 'ever red' (laceleaf japanese maple)
5) 2 ilex x. 'mary nell' (holly 'mary nell')

i'm a bit concerned about size of a few of the trees. the manolia will
be w/in 4 ft from our 2nd story deck. 1 of the birches will be w/in
8-10 ft from the deck.

thoughts?

thanks.
LA's tend to think in terms of how the yard will look tomorrow, not in
ten years (those with lesser skills, at least). They put potentially
big trees where they will not fit when mature, squeeze three plants in
where one mature one will be crowded, and sometimes choose plants that
are more pretty than sustainable (due to soil issues, weather, or
whatever). Perhaps it's not always a bad way to go--you can always
thin out two plants later--but if you plant a big tree within 4' of
your house you'll just be planting a lifetime's worth of headaches for
yourself or any future residents.

On a related note, the quality of the installation is questionable for
many tree transplants. Trees that are planted too deep, or with the
burlap/wire basket intact, or with codominant leaders, or with
girdling roots are nothing but income for removal companies and
replacement plantings a few years down the road.

To improve your odds, learn a bit about choosing a good specimen and
planting it correctly, and do it yourself or supervise those you hire
(a year guarantee won't cut it when you're talking trees most of the
time). Further, a sapling will be less prone to many of the common
problems and will establish in the native soil quickly, and will
overtake the larger, slower-to-establish trees within a few years, so
save your money and get young trees.

See consumer info brochures on these and other tree topics at
www.treesaregood.com

good luck,

Keith Babberney
Isa Certified Arborist