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Florida Gardening

do you recommend any tall skinny trees for close to the house?

16 years ago

My neighbors are making some very scary "remodeling" choices. Our dining room and kitchen face their house. In the past, we haven't had window treatments at all, and I've really enjoyed the light. But now I need something. I'll put up window treatments, but I'd love suggestions about tall skinny trees that could grow fairly close to our house.

Thank you!

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Comments (8)

castorp
16 years ago
How tall? The crepe myrtle cultivar "Sioux" is narrow and very upright, deciduous, and storm resistant.

Little gem magnolia is a very narrow cultivar that ultimately grows to forty feet.

Then you have various cultivars of juniper that are upright and conical.

The native pond cypress is much narrower than the bald cypress. It'll get tall but it's pretty storm resistant.

Bill
naplesgardener
16 years ago
How about a bamboo grove. There are many kinds of bamboo but the tropical type is a good choice because doesn't "run", it stays in a clump.
Within the tropical bamboo family you can choose types that have leaves on their lower branches (sounds like what you want) other types have the leaves at the top only.

In your zone you should have a lot of suitable tropical bamboo choices.
The reason I have begun adding bamboo to my garden is to block the ugly side of the house next door and I don't have a lot of room to do so with trees which could be a problem in hurricanes.
Good luck.
P.S. It isn't cheap. If the price is low it probably is the running type because it grows really fast. The tropical kind grows slower and is more difficult to propagate so more expensive.
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msmarion
16 years ago
What exposure? Blooming? Fragrant? A photo might help.
Window treatment suggestion...Sheers they let in more light than you'd think. I'm replacing my verticals in the front with them.
onthebrink
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all!

Height doesn't matter that much, I guess. We have a 2 story 1917 house.

This side faces north. Blooming, fragrant would be great, but not necessary.

I'm very interested in the bamboo. How do I know if I'm getting the right stuff? Where do I find it?
naplesgardener
16 years ago
I have bought bamboo from various sources and can say that the best place to buy it is from a specialist. I mail ordered some from tropicalbamboo.com--it was expensive and the shipping was too but it was the best.
I also bought some in person at Crowley nursery near Sarasota for $30 and it was a great buy.
I was told that if you aren't sure what kind it is take it out of the pot--if the roots are long and wrapped around it's the runner kind. The clumping kind has a fibrous root mass not a rhizome.
Lastly if the name starts with Phyllostachys it's a runner. If it's name is Bambusa something it's clumping.
dghays
16 years ago
White stoppers or East Palatka Hollies would work.

Gary
JerryatTreeZoo
16 years ago
I would consider palms and Podocarpus macro. Will Polyalthia grow there?

Jerry
thelittlepet
16 years ago
I love the Little Gem magnolia. Have three. I may ad some tropical bamboo for more privacy and I have heard that Ylang Ylang is fairly narrow and upright. Also adding one of those. Cabbage palms are native and are probably good close to house also.

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