Shrub or very small tree for front of house.
I've been looking up "small trees" and apparently MY idea of a small tree is not anyone else's. Most garden books and websites consider a small tree 30' or so. No. What I want is a tree that would stay well below the attic window in this old pic of the house:
We were told that Little Gem Magnolia would only get about as high as the sill of the window above, but this is what we have now:
At the two corners are podocarpus "Maki" and below are "Mojo" pittosporums. We lost one pittosporum with a plumbing leak--plumbers pulled it out before I could stop them and ask them to do it properly (or we could do it ourselves).
The podocarpus are there because we have a line of them growing all along the side of the house that gets full sun--just to try to keep our bedroom a little cooler. Guy who planted them thought it would look better to tie them in with the rest of the landscape by putting two in front. (If I had known better I would not have planted either the Makis or the Mojos because they have gotten frost-bitten in the last several winters.)
What I've wanted to be able to do is attach a flag bracket from the attic window sill so we can have a flag on holidays as some of our neighbors do. I also have some large house flags for Christmas that it would be nice to hang too. So whatever I put beneath would have to stay well below the sill.
I am not married to any idea except that it be inexpensive and super easy to care for. I literally do not go out in the summer (because of lupus) so I need plants that don't need much care.
One native plant nurseryman suggested dwarf tea olive. Any thoughts?
Comments (11)
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoCJ Mac
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Very small, sloping, north facing front yard for older house
Comments (11)The head-on picture is not really necessary since you are landscaping for your own enjoyment from inside the space rather than for curb appeal and tree decisions. I have a very similar porch and the thing that jumps out at me first from your photo is that the view from your porch is likely just grass unless you are actually leaning over the railing or sitting ON the steps. I actually do both, so very much enjoy the plantings near the house, but overall for there to be a nice view from the porch or front door, the "garden" should be at the public sidewalk part of the yard, not at the house. Moving the garden to the sidewalk side would alleviate the need to put groundcover on the slope, which is fraught with problems if you've ever tried to establish and maintain groundcover in this sort of setting. Grass has evolved into the most popular groundcover for a reason. I would tend to retain the slope... but there are a couple of ways to do it. You can do rocks on the slope integrated into the plantings, you can do a wall right at the public walk and along your walk to your stairs and fill it - this will constrain your walkway a bit - or you can do it more even with your stairs - cutting into the slope and creating a flat apron (of grass) outside of it. You can have plantings all the way back to the house - it really all depends on how much of a gardener you are. If the row of boxwoods and matching azaleas (?) is your look - less is more could work well. Landscaping is done to reflect the people in the house, not just the house. Whatever the plant look, significant use of hardscape in the way of a wall or stones will enhance it by framing it and providing structure. Karin L...See MoreSmall Tree / Large Shrub Speciman for Front Yard
Comments (15)Well, there is so much variety with that species, some of them are bushlike and some of them are small yet naturally "limbed up." They can have colorful flowers and seeds, leaves and interesting bark, depending on the variety. But not always easy to find the variety in typical nurseries. And then if you want to order online, what to order, what will thrive. Anyway, that's what I went through. Unfortunately my yard in the back where I have room for the maples is really hot and sunny, so only the most hardy varieties for me, but if I had a more hospitible spot I (one that would support pagoda dogwood, for example), I would definately explore the maple option. Here's a link to the nursery where I bought mine. They were recommended to me by someone on the JM forum. I have only ordered the one tree from them that I have, and it has done spectacularly well. And I was so skeptical that the stick that came in the mail in the fall would even live. The nursery is Herter's Nursery I think in VA? Anyway, below is a link to their Web site My own fireflow or something like that maple has grown by leaps and bounds. It's easily four times the size it was when I got it. It grew a whole lot in the first year, so don't be discouraged by the small size of the saplings. Small saplings tend to establish themselves better right off the bat at a site. They look small at first but make up for the size difference with quick growth and overall health. At least that has been my experience. Sorry I can't post a picture, my photo site is down. I just got a new camera so am looking forward to posting "before" and "after" shots of my maple. Here is a link that might be useful: Herter's Nursery Japanese maples...See MoreSmall Tree / Large Shrub Speciman for Front Yard
Comments (7)Is the 'limbed up' thing just about preventing it from taking a lot of ground space? If so, what about a columnar evergreen conifer like an emerald green arborvitae? Or something similar that'd remain green & attractive during winter, without bushing out too badly. Of course, if you want a tall naked trunk under the crown of the tree, that's not going to work out. What is it about the Purpleleaf Sandcherry that you don't like? I'm not pushing the plant, just thinking that knowing what you don't like about it might help rule out some of the other options. Richard....See Morelarge shrub/small tree close to house?
Comments (3)you might consider areca palm. it is dense if planted closely together and the litter is limited to the occasional palm frond. I cut ours down because they were planted too close too the lanai but I have seen them used as shade producers....See More
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years agoCJ Mac
7 years ago
Embothrium
7 years ago
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
7 years agoCJ Mac
7 years agoCJ Mac
7 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
Logan L Johnson
7 years ago
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5