On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:50:00 -0000, Court wrote:

You're in USDA zone 9, which means the coolest temperature you see in
10 years, on average, is not below 20o, probably Sunset zone 15. Do you
have a copy of the Sunset Western Gardens book?

Yes i have a copy, but its intimidating


Well, yes, it probably should be g -- picking a good tree for the location
should be a matter of great thought, so you don't have to do it over again
at great expense. We've lived on our property about 4 years now, and I'm
just now starting to decide what trees go and what stay (and for how long)
and what new trees I want where and how I'm going to source them. I'm still
shaking my head over the irrigated weeping willows the previous owners had
planted. Those did go right away. Totally inappropriate species for the
climate and totally inappropriate planting locations on the property lines.

And the arborvitae that were planted three feet out from the house are
interesting... the living room window was half-blocked, the siding rotted
in spots because the tree held moisture against the wood in one area...
I've given them a hard pruning on the house side, but they're just in a
holding pattern till some shrubs grow in.

One of my favorite tips for planting trees: find out how big the tree
should get. Lay out that crown dimension on the ground, using a stick and
string to draw the circumference and flour to mark the edges of the crown.
Then think again about your choice before actually buying the tree.


Revisiting your idea of an evergreen tree... is this because you want
a green crown all year, or do you just not want to rake leaves? Some of
the leguminous trees -- mimosa for one example -- have such fine leaflets
that when they fall, they virtually disappear.

There's a pool nearby, so I have to keep things as clean as
possible.

You do know that most evergreen trees shed a little all year around,
right? As opposed to "do it and get it over with once a year"?

And where is the pool, and who owns it? How many feet from the
proposed location?

No phone lines in the way, This particular area isnt that wide for
canopy maybe 10-12 feet total (assuming neighbors will chop off
branches if it gets wider), I want a wider tree for the front yard,
but I better save that for a different post. Easements are pretty
lax, as mentioned, neighbors get chop-happy if anything intrudes that
they don't approve of, but this time, at least they wont own the
trunk.

Unfortunately, a tree with a spreading canopy that's getting half of
the crown whacked off can get pretty unstable in bad weather, just
because of the structural imbalance.


No, easements like underground utilities, cable, sewer lines, all the
stuff that goes into supporting a city are what I wanted to know about.
Should be on your deed.

What I'm hearing right now is that you're going to need a fastigiate
(columnar) tree for the back yard, or a trellis or pergola with interesting
plants in such tight spaces. Me, I'd go for a pergola/loggia in that amount
of space.