Recommend a small tree for a tough location?

15 years ago

I have an area where I'd like to put a small growing tree with dappled shade. THe difficulty is that the location gets the brunt of the sun and is adjacent to a stone barn ramp--about 6 feet kittycorner to the end.

At one time someone put down small gravel which is now a few inches below the surface soil to allow farm equipment to drive all over the place. So, even with the use of a mattock to open the planting site, a tree or shrub is going to encounter gravel at the root level at some point. I'd like to provide some bit of shade at this spot which is all day sun. What can I do and are there any recommendations? Zone 6 in S. Central Pennsylvania.

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Comments (7)

willyt
15 years ago
Goldenrain Tree is a tough, smallish tree. Mexican Plum also comes to mind, though probably not available to you.
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pineresin
15 years ago
Hawthorn.

Resin
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Hi leafy02, from a fellow central KY gardener. The Valley is out in Scott County. You may want to select an uncommon small tree, if you want it to stay within the constraints you've selected. However, you are probably like most gardeners and want something with size already since you don't want to wait for shade. The usual dilemma... I'd vote for one of the small Asian maples like Acer triflorum, Acer griseum, or Acer maximowiczianum. These will have much more of a tree-like habit, with the dry seed samaras that won't be a nuisance along a walk. Great fall color and winter bark interest supplement reasons to use these trees. Other smaller trees rarely used in KY landscapes include the many-season interest Stuartia spp. (see also Stewartia, but this is being changed). Early summer flowers, dry seed capsule, lustrous foliage, wow fall color, and very interesting jigsaw puzzle flaking bark cobbled onto a slow growing species. Fun plant. I'll throw in a few more, just so you can spend more time looking: Viburnum rufidulum Symplocos paniculata Chionanthus virginicus and C. retusus Osmanthus americanus Magnolia virginiana All are good plants, and can be grown well in central KY on normal soils. You may need to decide what your minimum starting size requirements are, determine availability, and then go from there.
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Hi Bizzylizzy, first of all those bugs you describe are not going to harm your plants. They likely are just moths and such, and the spiders are attracted to them as food. They're not very nice if you don't like bugs but they aren't going to harm your plants. If you have the choice to turn off the light at night it will clear up the problem. Second, I can't think of perennials that that like shade and that will be happy sitting in a pot all winter in zone 3. I would be inclined to try some shady bulb/tuberous-type plants such as begonias which can easily be brought indoors for the winter. You just have to dig them up and leave the pot where it is. I would also suggest that some houseplants do well outdoors in a shady summer environment then brought in for the winter, but I'm guessing you have a north-facing apartment and this wouldn't provide enough light for those same plants in the winter. Other than that, there are a ton of nice annuals you could grow if you change your mind. Hope you find something to suit.
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Well that's quite a large wall to work with and anything that helps to shade/screen it will, no doubt, cut down on the electric bills. Besides trees/shrubs, you might consider a tall trellis/vine as well. You could also train a non-vine type plant on it such as the evergreen (orange/red berried) Pyracantha. The birds will thank you. Trees that have similar orange/red berries are Yaupons and Possumhaws. The Yaupons are evergreen the Possumhaws drop the leaves and show just the berries. Then there's the sun loving, orange flowered miniature pomegranite that gets about 10-12 feet. But if you don't want the fruit then don't do it. Keeping with the natives, there's always the fragrant Mountain Laurels. Very slow growing so buy one that is fairly mature. Another lovely native is the Vitex with its lavender blooms that are enjoyed by bees and hummingbirds. It's deciduous. As far as small trees go, my new favorite is the Tea or Sweet Olive (Osmanthus Fragrans). Fragrant, evergreen, and can be used either as a shrub or a specimen tree (find one with a single trunk). As for evergreen junipers, there are varieties of Sky Rocket Junipers (or rocket junipers) that might be appropriate. They keep a fairly slim width and height under 20'. Attractive, sun loving and drought tolerant, but I'm not sure how they do in Texas. There are many more 'smallish' trees that could be used in that space. Too many to name.
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If the soil is really bad, I'd put a little effort into improving it before filling up with plants. I had similar situations in some foundation beds when I moved into my house. My solution was to spread 2 or 3 inches of bedding soil (compost/topsoil mix) over the beds. I forked it into the base soil where the plants were going. Then planted the shrubs/trees. Then mulched with bulk leaf compost (instead of bark mulch) the next two springs. Now, the beds will grow anything. If rehabbing the bed is too much work, you could just improve the soil in the specific spots where the plants are going. The amendment Nazis here will here will discourage this, but amending the planting area with compost or compost/topsoil works wonders in these situations as long as you go shallow and wide. If nothing else, I'd put down a thick layer of compost as mulch. You will get weeds, but greatly improve the bed. One shrub worth considering would be viburnum. I have them planted in all sorts of situations and they all thrive. A plicatum viburnum might work well on the corner.
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Iris GW
15 years ago
A book for southern gardening that I have recommends the following unique small trees:

Smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria - several cultivars with deep purple foliage)
Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)
Crape myrtle (many smaller kinds available)
Redbud (Cercis 'Forest Pansy' - in my yard Forest Pansy has hardly any seedlings; the species can generate a lot of seedlings)
Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume)
Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana)
Sourwood (Oxydendron arboreum)

I found Goldenrain tree to be quite weedy in my yard and was forever pulling out seedlings as were my neighbors).
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weatherboss87
15 years ago
Home Depot and Lowes has Cleveland Select pears for anywhere from 15-20 Bucks.. They wont get wide....
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Dibbit
15 years ago
The Cleveland seems to suffer less from the same structural problems as the Bradford, but is as capable of being invasive, so I suggest that you look further for a tree.

If you only have 6' of kitty-corner distance, if I am imagining the space correctly, then you really want a narrow tree, that won't get over 12' in width, to fit in the triangular area between the barn and the ramp. Is the ramp in frequent use? If so, then you will need to be careful what you plant so the access to the barn isn't hindered. You can do judicious pruning and limbing up as the tree grows, but still, the less work, the better.

What about a single trunk - or only 2-3 trunked - Amelanchier/serviceberry? It throws light shade, and, depending on the cultivar, is more or less native, and tough.

Redbud is another possibility, although the shade may be too heavy.

Hawthorn, especially one of the natives, might work, although if the ramp is in use, the thorns would be a no-no - I THINK there may be thornless selections. But if fireblight is common in your area, forget it.

A selected crabapple might be good - they are pretty tough, and some are less spreading than others. Another possibility might be Chionanthus/fringetree.

A taller viburnum, with careful limbing up as it grew, might work. Lilacs, with control of suckers, might also work.
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sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for all the suggestions.
The ramp isn't currently used as it goes nowhere. The upper story of the barn isn't t here anymore, just a roofline from a replacement structure that is one story high.
I planted the space on either side of the ramp and so far on one side along the ramp. Everything is a work in progress!

I was trying to make certain that a tree choice wouldn't throw too much shade on the plantings that want sun, but would provide enough for those that appreciate part sun (located toward that corner I was speaking of). The further out I move west of that ramp planting, the closer I get to more compacted-driven-on-gravelly-underlayment. So, I'm feeling kind of constrained about my choice. My mother (who I am making this garden for) keeps asking for a dogwood tree, but I think it would hate the sun and soil there.
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pineresin
15 years ago
Ditto to Esh Ga and Dibbit on avoiding Goldenrain and Cleveland Pears.

Sourwood is a nice tree, but it won't cope at all with the difficult compacted soil conditions. Ditto probably to the dogwood and fringetree.

Ostrya virginiana is a good idea, that'll cope with the conditions fairly well. So would the related Carpinus caroliniana.

Resin
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Recommend a small tree for a tough location?

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willyt

pineresin

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Recommend a small tree for a tough location?

Comments (7)

willyt

pineresin

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sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PAOriginal Author

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sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA
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