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help selecting tree for corner of house

15 years ago

My wife and I are having trouble choosing a tree for the corner of our house to replace a fallen weeping cherry. We need a colorful tree since most of the landscape of the front yard is green. Also there is a decent amount of wind that comes through (which is why, I suspect, the weeping cherry never took).

When the bed was first planted:

{{gwi:365945}}

Front of the house before anything was planted:

{{gwi:365946}}

The two ideas I had were Kwanzan Cherry and Fullmoon Maple. I'm looking for suggestions on something that will fit this space, provide a color contrast, and withstand the wind coming around the corner.

We live in the Philadelphia suburbs, and the house face E-SE and gets sun most of the day in that spot. Thanks!

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Comments (5)

bullthistle
15 years ago
How about redbud? It should withstand the wind.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
15 years ago
Copper beech.

and I'm perfectly serious. This needs something big.
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I'd suggest you do some research on birches to see if that's the tree you want. A well selected and properly sited and cared for birch tree should have no more problems than any other type of tree. They do tend to produce surface roots over time which can pose issues for underplanting or mowing but they will not damage a structurally sound foundation. As to pests, birch borer is a concern with certain species - river birches tend to be most resistant. And birches often attract aphids -- not a real issue for the tree itself but honeydew or the aphid excrement can drip off the foliage and make a mess of cars, driveways or patios that may be below. Specific plant selection is really not a landscape design topic - you will get a much more active and pertinent exchange if you were to post this request on the Trees forum.
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I also have seen reports that 'Smaragd' Emerald Green do not go brown in the winter. There are some other arborvitae cultivars which are reported to brown in the winter. That person may have gotten the Emerald greens confused with those cultivars. It, also, could be that in your area the Smaragds get so stressed in the winter that they do turn brown. I have a screen of thuja 'Green Giants' which all winter stay a nice color for me situated on the north side of our neighbor's two story house. But my friend has a 3 foot high row of the same cultivar of my trees planted along the south side of her 7 foot tall privacy fence. Her trees while they were trying to get established did change color last year. Not exactly brown, but more of a burgundy shade. They greened back up the following spring and summer, and we are still waiting to see if hers will stay green over the coming winter.
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ya know lou ... your over-generalizations are starting to bug me. ... tell me... precisely .. what is wrong with telling the poster to think about what he is going to do with the whole landscape.. BESIDES the tree itself.. what is so wrong with that suggestion ... i admit i have a thing about GARDENING UNDER MAPLES ... and i warned this peep, without addressing said hatred ... but your generalization to ignore my comment in toto is NOT helpful to the poster.. all that said.. if you are just yanking my chain ... you are hilarious... but it doesnt help the poster ... now.. OP .. where in OH .. i have a number of nurseries and friends in OH.. and perhaps can guide you to such if you are interested .... are you anywhere near manfield OH .... there is a great tree farm that way ... it would be worth a 3 hour drive to learn all about OH trees ... and where to get some ... BTW.. prime planting time in z5 in OH is 4/1 to 4/15 .... regardless.. think oak .... ken
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For street trees, my top pick on your list of large trees is Ginkgo -- so long as it is a male clone -- because it's a great tree and there aren't enough of them. Most of its leaves drop suddenly so there isn't extended cleanup. But others on the list are good too. I wouldn't want a honey locust though ... too sparse looking for my taste. Plane trees seem to drop their leaves mid-summer in many places. I like tulip tree, too. I would go with a matched pair of whatever you get, rather than one of each. For the same reason you picked matching window styles for both left and right sides of your house. I would keep the central area open to view of your house if possible.
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picea
15 years ago
Enlarge the planting area and put in a Hoopsii Blue Spruce( great blue color) or Purple fountain beech(great purple color and upright weeping form) about 10-15ft from the corner of the house. Both are great plants and add nice color.

If you are looking for something with yellow foliage the the full moon maple, Acer Shirasawanum 'Aureum' will likely burn. The cultivars 'Moonrise' or 'Autumn Moon' would do much better. Other nice yellow plants that will take sun are The Dawn redwood cultivar call 'Goldrush' which will get large, Picea Abies(Norway spruce) Gold Drift which is weeping and Picea Orientalis 'Skylands'. Skylands will burn when small so you may be better off purchasing something at least 4-5' You may also want to consider 'Tiger Eye' Sumac. It is a tough plant but can sucker and spread over time.

David
jayinpa
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. Redbud was another of my ideas, but for some reason my wife wasn't a fan. Keep the suggestions coming ,I need to have plenty of options so we can agree on something. One more question: I was told that we should be looking for a tree that will mature to about 15-20 feet. was this good advise or do we need to go big?
Thanks
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
15 years ago
'Bloodgood' Japanese Maple
Purple leafed plum?
There's a red-leafed Redbud.

These should all stay under 20 feet.

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