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#1
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Ideas for "unique" small landscape tree
Hi,
Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to be placed in my front yard. A little history..... The house was previously owned by a landscaper and he has already planted a nice assortment of trees: japanese maples (coral bark, red laceleaf, green laceleaf), corkscrew willow, river birches, holly trees, magnolia, pin oak, zelkova, mostly in the backyard. The front yard has wonderful shrub and flower beds, but I would really like to fill one spot near the driveway (= no sappy trees)..... I want to find something that is rare and unique (a showstopper). While I am not looking to spend a bundle, I would definitely pay more to acquire such a tree. Any ideas? Something that would fluorish in SW Wake County. One tree I am thinking about is a Chinese flame tree..... |
#2
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A couple of showstoppers are
Prunus mume which blooms very early on bare branches and with a fabulous scent. Do a google search and check this for particulars: hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/PRUMUMA.pdf Sophora Japonica (but which will get big), that has apricot colored foliage in autumn which smells of burned sugar. Donna |
#3
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Jeff Springer wrote:
Hi, Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to be placed in my front yard. A little history..... The house was previously owned by a landscaper and he has already planted a nice assortment of trees: japanese maples (coral bark, red laceleaf, green laceleaf), corkscrew willow, river birches, holly trees, magnolia, pin oak, zelkova, mostly in the backyard. The front yard has wonderful shrub and flower beds, but I would really like to fill one spot near the driveway (= no sappy trees)..... I want to find something that is rare and unique (a showstopper). While I am not looking to spend a bundle, I would definitely pay more to acquire such a tree. Any ideas? Something that would fluorish in SW Wake County. One tree I am thinking about is a Chinese flame tree..... Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. Visual interest when the tree is bare. *smile* If I had space for a(nother) tree in my front yard, I'd put one in immediately. -- Susan shsimko[at]duke[dot]edu |
#4
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| Jeff Springer wrote: | | Hi, | | Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from | the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to | be placed in my front yard. One of my personal favorites is a Catalpa tree. It produces bunches of very showy, white, orchid-like flowers. Go to Logan's in April to see the one there. Raleighgirl |
#5
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Jeff Springer wrote:
Hi, Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to be placed in my front yard. A little history..... The house was previously owned by a landscaper and he has already planted a nice assortment of trees: japanese maples (coral bark, red laceleaf, green laceleaf), corkscrew willow, river birches, holly trees, magnolia, pin oak, zelkova, mostly in the backyard. The front yard has wonderful shrub and flower beds, but I would really like to fill one spot near the driveway (= no sappy trees)..... I want to find something that is rare and unique (a showstopper). While I am not looking to spend a bundle, I would definitely pay more to acquire such a tree. Any ideas? Something that would fluorish in SW Wake County. One tree I am thinking about is a Chinese flame tree..... Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea, formerly called C. lutea) matches your qualifications -- it's rare, unique, small, and a showstopper when in bloom. It has great beech-like bark for winter interest. One of our most ornamental southeastern natives. The main disadvantage is it's slow growing - it'll be 7 years or so before it blooms, but it's worth the wait. I'm not sure where you can buy it, but Niche Gardens has a mature tree you can look at. |
#6
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In article ,
wrote: There is also the Empress Tree (Which will also get huge, but seems to be pretty slow about it). Look for the purple blooms along I85 and I40 near hillsborough in spring. Currenty they are the bare trees with what look like clusters of fruit or nuts the size of walnuts. The Empress Tree, also known as Princess Tree or Royal Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) is not a small tree (60 to 70 feet), and is also not slow growing (up to 15 feet in one season!). They are also weak trees and are prone to dropping branches as they get larger. But more importantly, the Royal Paulownia is considred an invasive exotic (and is listed by the NC Botanical Garden as one of the most troublesome exotics in the area). They are fast growing and outcompete native species, and can produce up to *20 million* seeds per year which end up everywhere. That's why they are so common along the highways around here. http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pato1.htm http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/si.../tomentosa.htm http://www.ncbg.unc.edu/plants-to-avoid-Chapel-Hill.htm How about a nice native deciduous holly, instead? -- Steve |
#7
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Jeff Springer wrote:
corkscrew willow This one needs special care. If it's like mine, it will get lots of small, metallic, blue-black bettles on it, and they will "lace" the leaves. Sevin spray will get 'em, but ya' gotta be persistent. |
#8
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On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 10:37:23 -0500, "Jeff Springer"
wrote: Hi, Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to be placed in my front yard. A little history..... The house was previously owned by a landscaper and he has already planted a nice assortment of trees: japanese maples (coral bark, red laceleaf, green laceleaf), corkscrew willow, river birches, holly trees, magnolia, pin oak, zelkova, mostly in the backyard. The front yard has wonderful shrub and flower beds, but I would really like to fill one spot near the driveway (= no sappy trees)..... I want to find something that is rare and unique (a showstopper). While I am not looking to spend a bundle, I would definitely pay more to acquire such a tree. Any ideas? Something that would fluorish in SW Wake County. One tree I am thinking about is a Chinese flame tree..... One that I'd like to plant is a Forest Pansy Redbud, which has striking purple leaves most of the year, great fall color, and amazing flowers in the spring. Tops out at around 20 feet, but takes a while to do it. I understand it does well here without a lot of work, too, although I haven't seen that many around. Here's a pic from a wholesaler to give you an idea. It's about halfway down the page. http://www.freedomtreefarms.com/forest_pansy.htm MAC |
#9
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Quote:
Hi Jeff, You've gotten some wonderful suggestions here. I like your choice as well. One other tree that I'd like to suggest is the Sourwood - Oxydendrum arboreum. It has 4 season interest and offers food to wildlife as well. It gives a beautiful fall display and is so pretty when in bloom as well as fragrant flowers and interesting bark. My favorite tree. http://www.aragriculture.org/horticu...s/Sourwood.asp http://www.plantbio.ohiou.edu/epb/in...,%20winter.htm With no disrespect to the posters who suggested the Paulowinia and the Catalpa, these are both considered invasive and both are very messy trees. Here's a site where you can get all kinds of helpful info on trees including aspects such as roots lifting sidewalks, tree litter, invasive potential, etc. http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/index.htm Good luck with your selection. Newt
__________________
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. |
#10
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Jeff Springer Wrote: Hi, Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to be placed in my front yard. A little history..... The house was previously owned by a landscaper and he has already planted a nice assortment of trees: japanese maples (coral bark, red laceleaf, green laceleaf), corkscrew willow, river birches, holly trees, magnolia, pin oak, zelkova, mostly in the backyard. The front yard has wonderful shrub and flower beds, but I would really like to fill one spot near the driveway (= no sappy trees)..... I want to find something that is rare and unique (a showstopper). While I am not looking to spend a bundle, I would definitely pay more to acquire such a tree. Any ideas? Something that would fluorish in SW Wake County. One tree I am thinking about is a Chinese flame tree..... Hi Jeff, You've gotten some wonderful suggestions here. I like your choice as well. One other tree that I'd like to suggest is the Sourwood - Oxydendrum arboreum. It has 4 season interest and offers food to wildlife as well. It gives a beautiful fall display and is so pretty when in bloom as well as fragrant flowers and interesting bark. My favorite tree. http://tinyurl.com/3rquf http://tinyurl.com/4nwqg With no disrespect to the posters who suggested the Paulowinia and the Catalpa, these are both considered invasive and both are very messy trees. Here's a site where you can get all kinds of helpful info on trees including aspects such as roots lifting sidewalks, tree litter, invasive potential, etc. http://tinyurl.com/4s4f7 Good luck with your selection. Newt -- Newt |
#12
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MAC Wrote: On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 10:37:23 -0500, "Jeff Springer" wrote: - Hi, Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to be placed in my front yard. A little history..... The house was previously owned by a landscaper and he has already planted a nice assortment of trees: japanese maples (coral bark, red laceleaf, green laceleaf), corkscrew willow, river birches, holly trees, magnolia, pin oak, zelkova, mostly in the backyard. The front yard has wonderful shrub and flower beds, but I would really like to fill one spot near the driveway (= no sappy trees)..... I want to find something that is rare and unique (a showstopper). While I am not looking to spend a bundle, I would definitely pay more to acquire such a tree. Any ideas? Something that would fluorish in SW Wake County. One tree I am thinking about is a Chinese flame tree..... - One that I'd like to plant is a Forest Pansy Redbud, which has striking purple leaves most of the year, great fall color, and amazing flowers in the spring. Tops out at around 20 feet, but takes a while to do it. I understand it does well here without a lot of work, too, although I haven't seen that many around. Here's a pic from a wholesaler to give you an idea. It's about halfway down the page. http://tinyurl.com/5t37p MAC Hi Mac, Great tree, but some things to note about it are that it tends to be short lived and needs to be pruned properly, eliminating 'V' shaped crotches and leaving the 'U' shaped ones. Also, fall color can be variable, so if that is very important to you, purchase in fall to determine color. You should find this an interesting read. http://tinyurl.com/6p93q Newt -- Newt |
#13
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I love the look of the pomegranate (punica granatum). The flowers are
extraordinary! I have one in my yard in Cary and it has done quite well. Ron "Jeff Springer" wrote in message ... Hi, Since we are getting close to spring I thought that I seek some ideas from the group. I would like to solicit ideas for a small tree (20-25' max.) to be placed in my front yard. A little history..... The house was previously owned by a landscaper and he has already planted a nice assortment of trees: japanese maples (coral bark, red laceleaf, green laceleaf), corkscrew willow, river birches, holly trees, magnolia, pin oak, zelkova, mostly in the backyard. The front yard has wonderful shrub and flower beds, but I would really like to fill one spot near the driveway (= no sappy trees)..... I want to find something that is rare and unique (a showstopper). While I am not looking to spend a bundle, I would definitely pay more to acquire such a tree. Any ideas? Something that would fluorish in SW Wake County. One tree I am thinking about is a Chinese flame tree..... |
#14
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Ronald Page wrote:
I love the look of the pomegranate (punica granatum). The flowers are extraordinary! I have one in my yard in Cary and it has done quite well. Does it prodcue fruit? -- Susan Hogarth "We dissent, secondly, because the powers vested in Congress by this constitution, must necessarily annihilate and absorb the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the several states, and produce from their ruins one consolidated government, which from the nature of things will be an iron handed despotism, as nothing short of the supremacy of despotic sway could connect and govern these United States under one government." - Minority opinion on the ratification of US Constitution |
#15
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No, mine hasn't. Not sure if it will when it reaches a more mature age.
The blooms are very showy. Here's an example photo: http://ohric.ucdavis.edu/photos/full...omegranate.jpg "Susan Hogarth" wrote in message . com... Ronald Page wrote: I love the look of the pomegranate (punica granatum). The flowers are extraordinary! I have one in my yard in Cary and it has done quite well. Does it prodcue fruit? -- Susan Hogarth "We dissent, secondly, because the powers vested in Congress by this constitution, must necessarily annihilate and absorb the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the several states, and produce from their ruins one consolidated government, which from the nature of things will be an iron handed despotism, as nothing short of the supremacy of despotic sway could connect and govern these United States under one government." - Minority opinion on the ratification of US Constitution |
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