I have found about everything else i want to know on this site, so i thought id give this a shot too. I want to plant some big trees by my house. I dont want any berries or acorns and stuff like that. Something that colors in the fall and wont break off if the wind blows. Im also having trouble growing things in the woderful gray clay here in MO. Any suggestions?

 

Can't go wrong with my favorite, the good old sugar maple. You will get some seeds in the fall, but it's worth it for it's amazing fall color. Very hardy tree, as long as your area doesn't flood. How big do you want them to be when mature though? Keep this in mind with whatever you decide! Too many folks will plant big trees way too close together.

 

Depends on how fast growing you want it to be, as to what to get.

I have a Schubert Chokecherry by the front of my house, and it is a fast growing tree.

http://content.calgary.ca/NR/rdonlyr...f/shubert2.jpg

It starts out green with white blossoms in the spring, then changes to purple until the leaves fall off.

I have a Debora Maple in my back yard ( no seeds ) but it is the slowest growing tree known to man kind. The Summit Ash on the other side, were both 4 caliper tress when planted, and the Ash is about 2x the size of the maple now. I think I am going to be dead before it is the size of the house.

Summit ashes are not bad trees, fast growing, nothing annoying on them.

I do not know how these trees apply to your climate.
Ortho has a nice book on trees and pruning that is a good item to have no matter what tree you get. Example the Summit ash is to be trimmed with the ground is frozen, don't know what you are to do if you are in southern TX, where a hard freeze is non existent. MO I do not know if you ever get a true hard frost there or not. Lots of freezing rain

If your lot is in a wet area, a fast growing tree that will dry up the area is a willow, but the branches are a PITA. Parent's willow is always dumping those branches on the ground, the thin ones that don't go through a chipper. Dry them out, they burn like gas though.

Just some addition items to think about.

Good luck

 

Nice post, SSCULLY...

Quick question for you... I need something that has foliage (doesn't have to be year round -- not in the market for an evergreen type) from top to bottom and grows more upwards that outwards.

This will be concealing my Directv dish that is on the side of my house and will be placed within the beds at the front of my house as an end (accent) tree.

I thought about a weeping birch or a weeping cherry (both of which would fit the bill) but, I can't decide...

Anyone have any other thoughts/options? (soil = clayey but not horrible. Water will be normal to slightly wet. Sun 8 hours per day)

 

I find a lot of good info here:
http://www.lawnsite.com/index.php
May as well join, good stuff.

 

Another dumb question of the day for me ( need to stay in front of Jack ), isn't that bad for the signal path. I guess it depends on how far away you are talking.

Also, is this a 2 story or ranch ?

The Schubert Chokecherry was fast

Edit : Found the picture. This is 5-AUG in Northern IL, just after getting wacked by the leading edge of a tornado.


This is compared to what it did to an ash


This is how fast the wind was ( that is my Debora Maple )

 

Thanks Bayou... looks like a cool site. I'll probably jump in there too (I need more forums to follow... LMAO!)


SSCULLY - The tree will be out in front of the dish... probably greater than about 12' from the planting spot. The dish won't be obstructed by the tree. The placement is simply to conceal seeing it from the road. The dish isn't placed in the 'ideal' location (near the front of the house and visible from the road) but, I was VERY limited on placement due to foliage around the house obstructing a view of the sky in the correct direction.

That's why I want to make this, not only look swell but, be functional as well.

I ran down to the local nursery (kind of a local chain type of place) and they had a few options. I think the bloodgood Japanese maple may be a very good option. I like the looks of a weeping cherry when they're in bloom but, otherwise, I'm not a big fan. I kicked around a weeping birch as an option but, I can't find one around here - everyone is sold out. Last option that I have currently is a river birch (and keep it trimmed back from the house (planting location will be about 7' from the house to keep the bed symmetry correct).

 

In the pic that has the black car in the background... what is the tree immediately in front of (and obstructing the view of) the black car?

Is that some kind of peach?

2 story house... dark red brick with dark colored morter

 

Flowering Crab Apple. Has dark pink blossoms in the spring, and of course berries.

Found a close up picture of what it gets.



Slow growing tree also.

Don't know how the Schubert Chokecherry would look against dark brick, but that would fit the bill. It grows tall & wide fast.

This is all in Northern IL clay soil, so it would not have a problem with that. The rain in the spring has been SEA like, ever since Boeing moved corp HQ to town for some reason. Hardly used the sprinklers last 2 years.

 

Odd that you say crabapple...

I actually saw a weeping crabapple tree a day or three ago at another nursery but had discounted it because I didn't want the fruit litter. Maybe it'd work better than what I'm giving it credit for...

I want something that'll look sharp... year round.

Also - sorry, Smokey. I didn't mean to take over your thread.

 

I think I'm going to do the weeping crabapple.

 

I can't find it in the Ortho book to be sure. Some online source checks vary by the height. Some say 8-15 others say 15' to 25' ?? The pamphlet from the landscaper has the flowering Crabapples a a range of 8' to 25' depending on the species. I don't know about the weeping species, but the flowering one I have is slow like the Maple.

Just verify with the tag on the tree.

Also make sure the roots are not galling ( also called root knot ) in the tree that he has discounted. Some will put the ones on sale that are starting, and once they start, it is expensive to get them to stop.

Another one from the book looks to be a NannyBerry ( 15' to 20' ). This seems to be another option in the top height category, but it more then likely means it is a slow grower.

Willows grow quick, but they are trash producing trees.

Popular tree maybe ? Something like a tower popular ( up to 35' ) or Amur Bird Cherry ( upto 35' ), these are noted as fast growing trees, and are full sun trees ( tower is full sun to full shade ).

I keep going back to growth, as I assume you do not want the expense of a 6 or 7 caliper tree ( price and planting costs ).

Smokey -> sorry about the hijack also, hope you are finding this information useful.

 

I would never plant a large tree too close to my house again. Too many hurricanes around here plus they make a big mess. Just moved into a new house last year and told the wife to keep any trees she want's planted as far away from the house as possible.

 

The plan is to plant the distance recommended for the size of the tree....Umm so if it supposed to grow to 25 ft around i was planning on planting that far plus5 or ten from the house. Im wanting them for shade more then decoration for my landscape bed that goes across the whole East side of my house. and it gets some sun in the summer. Ive been doing a little research soo far and am leaning towards something like Maple. October glory is what my wife likes and I have planted a lot of them for other people in MO. They grow medium speed, but their growth speed is something that sacrifices the hardiness i guess.?

 

After talking to three nurseries that are very close to my house, I opted to go a safer route --

I went with a Acer palmatum 'Butterfly'... aka: Japanese Maple.



Should have the growth that I need and the density that I need... it's in the ground and done.