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.


yes it appears that a previous owner cut down what appeared to be
about a half dozen pine trees (stumps have been left behind). My
neighbor told me that the property was overrun with them a few years
before I moved in. there is one left out front, and it's 1/2 dead
anyways so it has to go. What sucks is that its about the only tree
left amongst 4 houses!

I have been scoping out the trees that have been planted by developers
when new houses get built, and they seem to be a pretty common tree
for the whole area, so I'm thinking of clipping a piece and bringing
it into a tree nursery to find out the name. The trees seem to be
picked for their hardiness and non-damaging nature. They grow at a
decent rate too (about 12 feet in 3 years) but stop at a certain
height of 20 or so feet.

San Jose seems to be getting famous for infestations of strange
foreign bugs as well, and I dont like chemicals, so i'll need to find
something hardy. (Willows seem to grow well here, we even have a
neighborhood close by called Willow Glen



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.


thanks. I'll also see how it will look if neighbors cut half of it
away



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?

It's my pool, it's about 12 feet from the location the tree would be
planted. I also would like to keep cleanup for neighbors at a
minimum. Im guessing the small shedding over time would not catch
their attention as much, thus not blaming me.

Eventually for the front yard i'd like to plant a nice blossoming
tree, but my neighbor, a nice old lady, would be stuck with the
leaves, based on how the wind blows. (offering cleanup i suppose would
be a nice gesture, and she does make great oatmeal cookies...)




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.

fastigate! A word i have been searching for to describe this.
Thanks! i feel oner word smarter and farther down the path of finding
the right tree, or other space-filling idea. I was planning to build
a roof over my deck next spring, so maybe i can extend it and have a
matching pergola over there. I'll get back at them with a wisteria fed
on miracle-gro. (kidding!) Thanks for the advice!

-Court