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Need Tree Selection Help

17 years ago

I'm not new to the GW but I have never posted to this forum so I'd like to say hello and to ask for your guidance.

I Iive in zone 8 at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Western Washington State and I'm looking for a tree.

My house is on the coast - I'd say I'm about a hundred feet from the Strait of Juan de Fuca with with only a row of single story houses between me and the water...and about ten to fifteen feet above water level. I have a two story house that needs a tree out front.

Can't be too tall, because I don't want to block the view from the upper level, which is where the living room is to take advantage of that view. I'm thinking about ten-fifteen feet tall full grown. It's a very windy spot and the air is salty. It would be in a NE facing spot so it would get some morning sun. I don't want it to get too wide.

Deciduous or not, doesn't really matter to me. Soil is pretty good and drainage is decent. We get some frosts in winter but the av. doesn't get much below 35 I'd say...rainfall is about 18" a year - most of it in the winter. Although we're not so very far from Seattle we are protected by the rain shadow. Summer temps. are moderate, much above 70 is a heatwave for us, although we do get higher temps once or twice in the summer. This climate is very like an English climate but not so wet.

I would truly appreciate any suggestions.

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Comments (6)

Embothrium
17 years ago
Strawberry tree.
lsu27
17 years ago
Here along the gulf coast you could plant many kinds of different trees, so I am sure along the Washington coast you can do the same. Some good seashore trees to consider are Cypress, American Holly, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Black Gum, Japanese Black Pine, Plane Tree, Camphor Tree.
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Hi Fireduck. Sounds like you're describing my situation pretty closely, so I'll tell you what has worked for me. I grow a Gold Spice pear on OHxFarmingdale, not positive which one, and it has done well; I've grafted a few other varieties to it and it's has been happy, precocious, healthy, and manageable. So I recommend that one. I also have a Liberty apple on some unspecified "semi-dwarf" rootstock. Libety is hale and healthy and hard to manage, but it churns out a ton of apples. I've grafted about 20 varieties to it, and most are doing OK if not well. I'd do it again. Liberty is one of the most disease-resistant apples and we love the fruit, although it's not a great keeper. I kill off stone fruit with some regularity, but I'm still attempting a prune plum and some apricots. No real advice for you there. I'm not currently doing any soft fruit or grapes but maybe someday- I should live so long. Good luck, Mark
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Thank you everyone for all your inputs. I will look into the other trees that you guys have suggested. I guess I'm reaching for the stars having that combination of contradicting parameters--> strong structure that will grow fast and stay small. I suppose if I took out the tree swing requirement, that would open up a whole lot more choices as there are many rapid growing small trees available (will just have to make that swing some other way). One of the reasons I like the October Glory (my apologies for calling it Red October - I must have been thinking of the movie..) is it's beautiful autumn color. But I can't have a 50 foot tree on that spot. Among other things, I don't want to take out a big part of my next door neighbors view of the lake as well. Our houses are on top of a slope, so a 50-foot crown will be at about eye level and will directly block the view. So the search continues, but this time with a more doable set of parameters. I just want a rapid growing tree, under 30 ft. tall that will grace us with a beautiful color during the autumn months. And of course, disease resistant would help too. By the way, I am in western CT, region (6a).
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Dibbit
17 years ago
Camphor trees are invasive in FL. I don't know if they would be so in the PNW. A number of the trees listed by LSU get pretty tall. Arbutus unedo, the strawberry tree, may also get taller than you want - it can grow to 30'. It's the European relative of madrone, which is another possibility, albeit maybe tall.

You could ask the local county extension agent's office for tree suggestions - they should know what grows locally. Also, see if you can find a copy of the Sunset Garden Book - I think it has lists in the front for plants/trees suitable for certain locations and planting requirements.

East coast short trees/tall shrubs that are good for the sea shore include beach plum, Prunus maritima; Sawara false cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera; Yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria; Arrowwood viburnum, V. dentatum, although it might be too shrubby, it can be trained up into a tree-form; or one of the sumacs, which would need controlling for root suckers to keep in bounds, but shining sumac, Rhus copalina, or R. typhina 'Laciniata', cutleaf staghorn sumac are possibilities. Some one of these may do well on the West coast.

Others include serviceberry, redbud, pomegranate, tree lilacs, or mulberry.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
17 years ago
Conditions along the NW coast, especially that very exposed tip where you are located, are very different from those along other coastlines in the country. I'd focus on local recommendations - Sunset Western Gardening book carries a very nice listing of plants suitable for coastline planting.

Arbutus unedo is an excellent choice, will never get close to 30' in this exposure and compact forms are available to reduce the size and spread further. Shore pine, Pinus contorta var. contorta, is also another classic choice and can develop a very appealing, windswept/contorted growth habit under these conditions.
adrianmonk
17 years ago
European Hornbeam
Embothrium
17 years ago
Globe hornbeam might fit in the space, if you like that sort of thing.

Acer pseudoplatanus
Arbutus unedo
Castanea sativa
Crataegus
Eucalyptus
Fraxinus angustifolia
Fraxinus excelsior
Griselinia littoralis
Ilex X altaclerensis
Ilex aquifolium
Laurus nobilis
Phyllyrea latifolia
Populus alba
Populus tremula
Quercus cerris
Quercus ilex
Quercus petraea
Quercus robur
Quercus X turneri 'Pseudoturneri'
Salix
Sorbus aria
Sorbus aucuparia

(but not Carpinus betulus) are listed as suitable for SEASIDE AREAS in the back of THE HILLIER MANUAL OF TREES & SHRUBS. Not all of these will meet your requirements, of course, even when represented by dwarf or compact cultivars, or be readily found in North American commerce at this time. But there may be something for you or another reader to seize upon.

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