Two large 'focal points' destroying each other

gardener_at_the_gate

16 years ago

Hi, I am crossposting this because I'm not quite sure where it should go and I am hoping for some opinions.

I have a problem, which I've laid out pretty extensively with pictures on this webpage:

Link to my

Rose versus Spruce Problem

Your advice will be greatly appreciated. I really think this spruce is destroying the rose, but I hate to take it out.

Thanks so much for anything you can suggest.

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Comments (7)

rhodium
16 years ago
As the Blue spruce got bigger it has cut off sun to the rose, so it has already destroyed your rose "focal point". Roses don't perform well in shade or part shade, as your experience has shown. So move the existing rose and plant a shade tolerant rose on the rambler if the Blue spruce is to stay. The yard really needs some plants with "substance" like the blue spruce.

However the blue spruce will be getting bigger, and already it's encroaching on the fence. In 8.5 more years it may be touching the porch as well. So consider moving the Blue spruce further away from the house, and install a small evergreen in it's place.
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melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/
16 years ago
I second the suggestion to move the rose. Prune it back and transplant in the more dormant season. My experience is that roses are fairly tough :-) I also agree about the spruce: that will grow to be a very large tree.
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dee_can1
16 years ago
Do the neighbours seem concerned with the prospect of the tree growing into their property?
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katrina1
16 years ago
I agree move the blue spruce tree to a place where it can grow as a beautiful speciman tree. It should be a place where it doesn't bother you when it gets very large.
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lpinkmountain
16 years ago
Realize that the spruce is going to get HUGE, and I mean HUGE!! Move it now while you still can, regardless of the rose. If you don't have a HUGE space for it, cut it down, blue spruces are a dime a dozen. There are gazillions of dwarf bluish evergreen options now on the market to replace it if you are going to miss it. If you leave it where it is, someday it will overshadow both your house and your neighbors. You need a large expanse of lawn to grow such a huge specimen tree. But like I said, don't dispair, there are smaller options if you really want an evergreen specimen.

The rose is stunning. No difficulty making the choice IMHO! I like roses mixed with evergreens, but I'd pick something dwarf and low growing and not spreading too much. I have a dwarf balsam fir in my yard, it grows very slowly, wouldn't compete with a rose. I also like the dwarf bluish creeping junipers.
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laag
16 years ago
Prune the spruce annually and move the rose.
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duluthinbloomz4
16 years ago
Given a choice of moving one or the other, my instincts say to move the rose at this point. What is it - a Blaze? That can be trained on a fence simply by tying down a few canes. Without training, it can get a little wayward as picture #1 shows. If it's a Blaze, it could also be replaced with a more unusual climbing rose.

The bottom sweep of branches on the spruce could eventually knock your fence over and cover the entire space (picture #2) from your downspout to the neighbor's garage door... mature widths can reach 40'. But not likely anytime real soon - especially with appropriate candle/new growth pruning.

In truth, I'd move the tree out to some large free space while it's still a manageable size. Save yourself - or the next owner of your home - a headache in having to remove something too large for its location..
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Two large 'focal points' destroying each other

Comments (7)

rhodium

melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/

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