The thing that occurred to me is that depending on where your a.m. or afternoon light comes from, that maple (likely Norway) will get very large and shade whatever you put in, so I'd keep it in mind when deciding what to do, but I'd probably find something that doesn't get TOO large, put it closer to the walkway side of the house than the drive, and about halfway between the sidewalk and house. A local nursery might have the best advice on what's appropriate and what'll grow in your soil there (is it all fill, or clay, or what?).

Dogwoods are understory trees and might be stressed in the full sun you now have, though many years later might appreciate the shade of the maple, which looks like it might be to the west of the house, judging by the shadow it is casting. The purple leaf plum will show best color in full sun.

BTW, the mulch is applied incorrectly around the maple. It should not be heaped up at the base of the tree, which encourages rodents, but should be spread out to at least the drip line.

Hi lucy. My house is facing east. I need your help regarding the position you have mentioned. I drew a picture of my house in top view. I've added 8 small objects(4 squares and 4 circles) so you can tell me which position where you suggesting earlier. :) I'm sorry, I'm really bad at following directions.

laceyveil,

so, are you saying the the mulch around the maple should be the same level as my lawn?

Thanks!

I think whatever tree you choose, it should be placed for balance on the left side of the house, as you look at it from the road.

30 feet south of the maple and north of the sidewalk.

That maple is also planted in the ideal spot to block your curb appeal. Traditional planting schemes have tree to provide shade and to frame the view of the house. To frame the house, then trees are planted off to the side of the front door (focal point). Also the size of the tree (mature) needs to be considered. Just a few things to think about.

To add my 2 cents worth, I agree with Laceyvail that you should put the tree more to the left (south) side of the house, not on the right. Also, since the house faces east, I think you should give very serious thought to planting a shade tree in the southwest sector of your back yard. This will provide afternoon shade in the summer, and might lower your AC requirements.

And since I am tossing out advice all unasked for - I will also suggest planting shrubs of some kind to shade your AC compressor, not so close that they will block the air intake or make it hard to work on it as needed, but something that will provide it with shade - your utility bills will be lower.

And Laceyvail is right about the mulch. While there may be no rodents for it to encourage, it WILL encourage rot down the road - there should be NO mulch in the 2-4" right next to the trunk, and it should, as suggested, extend out to the end of the dripline, no more than 4" thick.

Where does the wind come from in the winter - or have you lived there long enough to be able to say? If you know, then planting an evergreen tree of some kind to block that might be good too.

I agree with Laceyvail that you should put the tree more to the left (south) side of the house

I actually have a tree in the corner but I don't know if it's going to be a tall tree. The builder didn't tell us what plant it is. It's about 6ft tall right now. I can take a picture of it later.

Also, since the house faces east, I think you should give very serious thought to planting a shade tree in the southwest sector of your back yard. This will provide afternoon shade in the summer, and might lower your AC requirements.

Will do.

Where does the wind come from in the winter - or have you lived there long enough to be able to say? If you know, then planting an evergreen tree of some kind to block that might be good too.

I noticed that wind always come from north side. Even this morning, my trash cans got blown by the wind towards south.

And also, I'm thinking of removing all the mulch near my porch and planting it with ground covers instead. Is that a good idea? What do you thing folks?

First of all, you have a beautiful home. Just wanted to give you some more choices to choose from. For the north side of your house I would go with Serbian Spruce or Black Hills Spruce, that will help block that north wind. For the front yard you could go with Japanese tree Lilac (Variety Ivory Silk), Japanese maple they can grow in full sun in zone 5. My personal favorite is the green leaf Jap. Maple grows to be about 25-30 feet tall. Maybe some white birches, crabapples, flowering cherries, or any of the oak species that grow good in your area. I would put a groundcover down, I personally like the natural look. What state do you live in? I have a cutleaf white birch that I would be willing to give you and mail it to you. It is about four feet tall and is very healthy.

I am new to gardening and it is exciting to see all the great ideas that everyone has:)

"I actually have a tree in the corner but I don't know if it's going to be a tall tree. The builder didn't tell us what plant it is. It's about 6ft tall right now. I can take a picture of it later."

I think I can see it in the top photo, if it is the one planted at the house corner. Find out from the builder what it is. How close to the corner of the house is it actually planted? If it is a shrub that will max out at about 8', then it may be OK. Just bear in mind that most shrubs are as wide as they are tall, so if a shrub, you may be trimming it back from the windows in a few years. And remember that plants right next to the house will hold moisture and may cause mildew problems. Even though it looks pretty, planting trees that will grow tall RIGHT next to a house is a very bad idea. If it is a tree, MOVE IT!!! Otherwise, you will be pruning branches back from the house with great regularity, and it won't look very nice.

Ground cover rather than mulch is good, in my opinion, although I like mulch, too, around plants.

Posted by lsu27 8 (My Page) on Mon, Apr 23, 07 at 23:22

First of all, you have a beautiful home. Just wanted to give you some more choices to choose from. For the north side of your house I would go with Serbian Spruce or Black Hills Spruce, that will help block that north wind

Thank you very much! :) So, I'm assuming that I should put around 5 to 7 of these trees parallel to the side of my house in the north side. Am I correct? Or should it be close a little close to the north side walls of my house?

What state do you live in? I have a cutleaf white birch that I would be willing to give you and mail it to you. It is about four feet tall and is very healthy

I'm in Huntley, Illinois. What about you?

You are very welcome! As far as planting trees on the north side of your house if you go and do a google search on windbreaks, they will give you a good idea of how to plant your trees. Arborday.com also has a good info. It also depends on what tree you decide on. If you go with Serbian Spruce they are more narrow, so plant those closer together, Black Hills Spruce are wider, so would not have to plant as close together. I live in Shreveport, Louisiana and have a brother that lives in Barrington, Illinois. Not far from you at all. Let me know what trees you decide on.

The houses in Barrington are really nice! We always go to Barrington specifically at WillowCreek every Sunday.

For the trees, I'll do some research. I will layout(top view) my house on a big piece of paper including the lot. I'll try to show it to a nursery to get some ideas.

Thanks for the names of the windbreakers. I will surely use one of them.

Thanks! :)

If it were me, I would plant 2 or 3 larger evergreens in the NW corner and the N side of the back, to block the wind and give privacy. In front, so as not to block your view as you exit the driveway, I would plant something evergreen that didn't grow too tall or too wide (say 8-10'T x 4-6'W), along the N property line from about the front corner of the garage to say 6-10' from the sidewalk. That way, you don't have to contend with the shade from the houses, nor block sightlines. If you wanted to continue this hedge to the sidewalk, you could either pick something that grew lower anyway, or keep it trimmed shorter. Perennials might do also, instead of shrubs.

If the lot lines are drawn to scale, I wouldn't plant anything right next to the house on the N side, as there really isn't a lot of room. If you wanted, you could plant shade loving plants there, once the neighbor's house is there to give shade, with a path back to the rear. You would then need to allow space for a walkway at the garage end of the suggested hedge. Of course, I may be misjudging the room, both from the photo and the drawing.

Don't forget, as you plant these trees/shrubs, to allow for the eventual width - your neighbors will probably object to your trees encroaching on their property, and are legally entitled to cut off whatever sticks over the line. Since there isn't too much space in front, you may end up having to trim a hedge annually, just so your drive isn't overgrown.

Possible evergreen hedge plants could be cultivars of hollies, arborvitas, pine, pyraccantha, etc., chosen for mature height and width or because they will withstand shearing. I am not certain what will thrive in your area, but if you ask a good nursery they can advise you. Just remember that they do make their money selling plants - AND that they do want satisfied customers, so they probably won't steer you too wrong, if they are a GOOD nursery.

Sorry folks, I took me a long time to take a picture of the tree or shrub in the corner of my house. I also added a picture of the maple tree but I would like to know the exact cultivar or type of it. Can you also please ID the tree in the corner of my house?

I will go over all your replies again. :)

This is the tree near the street
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This is the tree in the corner of my house
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Your tree is Red Maple or Acer rubrum.
Your shrub is Serviceberry or Amelanchier sp.

The serviceberry is good where it is - you can trim it to keep it short, if it is a tall variety, and it looks as though there is plenty of room between it and the corner of the house. If you can get to them before the birds, the fruit is edible - some varieties have been selected for flavor and are usually shorter-growing. Another name for the tree is June berry, so you know when to start to keep an eye on it.

Red maples are attractive trees - they are one of the earliest to begin to flower in the spring. Their flowers are red, thus the name - the leaves will be green, with good fall color. Selections have been made for specific growth habits and for fall color, so maybe in the fall, you can identify yours more exactly. That's if you can't get info from the builder who planted it. My only caveat, which probably won't apply to your situation, is that wilted red maple leaves are toxic to horses - I don't KNOW if rabbits or hamsters, etc., would be affected, but if you or your family has such, it's probably safer that you don't feed the leaves to them.

V1tuo, as someone mentioned, you also don't have a lot of space directly south of house. But the SW and W sun in summer can sure be hot. So if you can, get a maple, oak, or other large-growing shade tree started to SW of house. Possible another one to north of this to catch more of the W sun. I'd have included ash in the type of tree(s) you're going for, white ash, in particular being a great tree, but Emerald Ash Borer is present in your state if not your immediate vicinity.

I think the existing plantings are appropriate. Your house is tall, so don't be afraid of some height in your plant selections. Something like a tall, narrow arbor vitae could be the center plant in a grouping that also shields your AC from sun. Just place it far enough away to never actually grow right against the house. Plants like this can be easily managed in such situations, and help to integrate the house into its' surroundings. A similar planting, but with a less tall center plant, might fit on the NE corner to lend balance.

+oM

Awesome guys! I'm very happy to know the type of plants/trees I have. Also, thank you very much for all the suggestions.

What I'll do tomorrow is update the drawing and post it so that I will know if I really understand your recommendation. Sorry, english isn't my native tongue. I'm hoping guys you will still help me. :)