Orange County Tree suggestions for front yard (criteria included)
roobix
11 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (15)
hosenemesis
11 years agoSuzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
11 years agoRelated Discussions
front yard landscaping revamp - suggestions needed!
Comments (2)Im also in zone 9, although in a colder spot (San Joaquin Valley). I have been working on my front and back yards with the ultimate goal of creating a very low-maintenance landscape. You can see my progress so far in the Cacti and Succulents forum. I included the link below. Good luck! Josh Here is a link that might be useful: Succulent Garden Progress...See MoreNeed suggestions and advice for front yard
Comments (15)Well, let me start by saying that I don't have a mailbox like that, so my opinions are exactly that - opinions - and no more. I think you have a point when you say they don't look great growing out of the grass. But they don't make really convincing flowers either :-) What a mailbox garden in an otherwise plain yard says to me is "I couldn't think of anywhere else to put a flowerbed." That said, if having a mailbox garden is important to your wife, it doesn't seem worth having a war over. They can be cute, and they are actually a bit of an American cultural icon :-) An image search brings up lots of ideas for them by the way, including a charming row of mailboxes springing up out of the grass - but it seems to me that mailboxes have a function. I would think that function is best served if you have a brick pad around/beside it to stand on, which would also make mowing around it easier. Maybe a brick or paver pad, or even a 24" x 24" slab, with the flowers adjacent and good edging in a nicely shaped bed would be the best of all worlds. For my taste, a bed without hardscape always looks a bit accidental (unless it has really crisp edges). I always say that landscape design is for people, and so what constitutes good design in each place depends on who lives there. We, and the renegade gardener, can only give some objective guidelines, which if followed slavishly in all cases would create their own kind of undesirable outcome. So your landscape should definitely reflect your preferences. I'm also not a foundation planting guru - I prefer no foundation planting in the vast majority of cases - but let me take a stab at the problem with yours. I remember in an old thread, our guru Laag saying that a dark-foliaged plant reads in the landscape as a dark hole, or something to that effect, and gave as a solution something about backing it with something green. So one possibility is that the purple foliage is itself the problem. Only in this case, maybe if you put something bright green in front of it, using the barberries as a background, they might look better - deepening the bed to accommodate another layer of planting. You could also consider extending the foundation planting as far to the left as an antidote. Maybe move a barberry beyond the house corner. It looks on the aerial view as if you have some space there. But if you do that I would actually shift the planting weight away from the front door. The other general idea I was hoping you might pick up from those threads I linked earlier was about creating space in front of a recessed doorway instead of shutting it in. You have a fair bit going on there - I don't like what's in the middle either. But somehow what really bugs me here is that you have two uneven sections of your house, the garage one and the one to the left of the door. The one to the left of the door is smaller already, and your planting is hiding more of it; your tree will later do more of the same. That's why I would rather be able to see (or at least discern) the foundation of that section. And in contrast, the plantings on the garage side do such an inadequate job of hiding any of its mass that they look a bit... incongruous. They have no hope. They do not begin to address the blank mass over the garage door, which I think is what needs... screening, disguising, balancing... things that plants may not be able to do here (your tree on the right will maybe do it later). I don't know all the things that a person can do with that wall. Perhaps a little rooflet to match the one over the window on the right? A section of grey siding? Out of my realm there, but you get the idea. But in pursuit of having plants help with it, I would draw the bed on the right up toward the house instead of down to the driveway entrance. That will also maintain better sightlines for driveway egress. KarinL...See MoreMedium-sized trees for front yard
Comments (32)Arktrees - you are right maple is a 1.75" b&b, magnolia is a 15 gal container. I checked with the landscaper about the tree depth question, and while he took this as an insult (why can't tradesfolks let go of their ego - it was a fair question and I meant no harm!!), he did say that he did not bury the root ball and that the trunk flare was slightly above existing grade. Visually it looks like the place where the trunk meets the soil is 2-3 inches above existing grade when I measured with a tape. So if no additional soil was added on the root ball, I can think of two possible scenarios: (i) he is right and the trunk flare is indeed about an inch underneath what you see in the pic and the trunk flare is planted 1-2 inches above existing grade which is right acc. to the website below or (ii) The tree was planted too deep in the nursery and his definition of trunk flare is where the trunk meets the root ball. If the latter is the case, it might be too late because I can keep removing soil until I hit the root flare, but if the root flare is below grade then that means the planting hole originally dug was too deep and there will be a low level right around the trunk where there will be water logging which might be worse off than current situation :( What do you think? Same goes for the magnolia. My other question: I am guessing I can deal with this during the Thanksgiving weekend as it is not imminent and how big would be the main roots from the root flare for a 1.75" caliper b&b tree - I don't want to accidentally damage those and then it will be a point of new return ;-) Would scratches or dents inflicted on the roots by a small plastic hand-held shovel be ok or entry points for bugs? An interesting website I came across: http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/633.html...See MoreNative trees for front of yard
Comments (16)Coral tree -- Erythrina is the genus --not native, they are from South America, I think--there are many many in my OC neighborhood. They get huge and need careful pruning nearly every year because the wood is heavy and weak--many snap in Santa Ana Wind season. Also not clean, they drop a lot of stuff--flowers, twigs, branches, leaves--almost year-round. People who have them around here don't like them much, but they quickly get too big (70') and thus too expensive to remove. Until they fall over. But it gets windy here. Exactly how much space do you have? For many Orange County yards, a large shrub works far better than a "tree". A large shrub can be 20' tall and provide plenty of shade, while a small tree can be 35' and grow to large for the small lot that many Orange County houses are built on. Look at Agonis flexuosa. There is a green version and a version with very dark purple foliage called 'After Dark'. Clean, drops little litter, deep, non-invasive root system, gives good shade but does not get huge, drought tolerant once established. Not native, though. Pittosporum 'Silver Sheen', lovely with a silvery shine to the leaves in sunlight, grows fast, doesn't get huge. Also not native. The native oaks are beautiful but they have aggressive and invasive roots, eventually. The native Sycamore is simply to large for most properties. Cercis are okay, but rather mess. Catalina Ironwood, maybe. Some of the Manzanitas are lovely. A really good idea would be to walk around your neighborhood and see what looks good and what you like and what would be an appropriate size. Right away you know it will grow well at your house if it is already growing well in the neighborhood. You can take a picture and post it for identification if you don't know what it is, or ask at your local garden center. If there are power lines in the area, please don't plant a tree that will get very large that will end up like this:...See Morepeachymomo
11 years agoroobix
11 years agoSuzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
11 years agoJXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
11 years agoJXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
11 years agohoovb zone 9 sunset 23
11 years agoCentral_Cali369
11 years agoelvie z9CA
11 years agoJXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
11 years agolgteacher
11 years agotim45z10
11 years agoparker25mv
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Related Stories
HOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: An Orange County Ranch Gets Into the Swing of Things
Golf course views and a mild climate feature in this 1960s ranch remodeled in midcentury modern style
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESHow to Keep Your Citrus Trees Well Fed and Healthy
Ripe for some citrus fertilizer know-how? This mini guide will help your lemon, orange and grapefruit trees flourish
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGN7 Great Trees for Summer Shade and Fall Color
These landscape-pro faves straddle the seasons beautifully. Could one enhance your own yard?
Full StorySIDE YARD IDEASNarrow Trees for Tight Garden Spaces
Boost interest in a side yard or another space-challenged area with the fragrance and color of these columnar trees
Full StoryEDIBLE GARDENSHow to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home
Plant a mini orchard in fall, winter or early spring to enjoy fresh-off-the-tree fruit the following year
Full StoryINSPIRING GARDENSNative Plants Bring 10 Southern California Front-Yard Gardens to Life
Rare plants, rain gardens and wildlife habitats are just a few of the features showcased on the 2016 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
Full StoryFARM YOUR YARDIf You Have Room for Only One Fruit Tree ...
Juice up a small garden with one of these easier-care or worth-the-effort fruit trees for a mild climate
Full StoryFALL GARDENING11 Trees for Brilliant Fall Color
Give your landscape the quintessential look of autumn with the red, orange and yellow leaves of these standouts
Full StoryFRONT YARD IDEAS10 Ideas for a Front-Yard Edible Garden Your Neighbors Will Love
Choosing attractive, well-mannered plants and sharing the bounty will go a long way toward keeping the peace
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen of the Week: Orange Splashes Add Personality in Kansas
Bursts of color and a better layout make cookie baking and everything else more fun for a Midwestern family
Full Story
JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)