I never did reply to this thread the correct way, I have a couple of 40 something Eastern White Pines, and a Colorado green spruce about as old, some 40 odd years old. There had been a Colorado Blue spruce just as old, but, it has just this summer lost every needle that it had. But, the green one is fine, really strange. My parents planted them when I was practically a baby. I got this thread in my email, like someone else had just recently posted a reply before mine, but, there was no recent reply at least not since my last one May 5 of this year.

Might as well post my wild woods Pinus resinosa, walked by it today and was impressed again. Possibly 80+ years old. Hard to get a decent picture with the phone. Estimating 3 ft. dia. trunk at the base. Possibly 80 ft tall? Designated the Minnesota state tree in 1953.

Dunno if this is the oldest. But a few days ago it was definitely the prettiest

There were several large old white oaks (can't tell much more of species) on my property under the previous owner, however, some years back we had an ice storm, and the roof had to be replaced. He cut down the four largest oaks (so I have big ground level stumps). Now the oldest actually on the property (which I planted about 4 years ago) is a sweet bay magnolia which is only about 15 feet.

I've a year younger chitalpa (about 15 feet also...I keep it pruned to around that height or it would be 30). The oldest woody plant on the property is a five year old fringe tree (which is only about five foot).

Yes, it was a shame to lose the tree cover near the house, but also considering windstorms and ice storms, maybe for the best. I'm getting old to maintain the trees, certainly can't climb them anymore.

Here in southern Maine, an arborist told me that the huge oak near my house is 200+ years old.

Mulberry tree in the backyard, probably 40-50 years old? It's not the tallest tree on our property, but it has the thickest trunk. Other lots on the block have larger trees, generally maples and black walnuts. I don't think any of these trees are as old as the houses, though - street was developed in the 1890's, but I don't think any of the current trees were there back then. Maples here seem to be mostly volunteers, given the way they've sprouted up in side yards and backyards.

Our street historically had street trees, but they've long since died off and were never replanted. I'll be petitioning the city to plant new ones. I'll also be planting a Japanese maple or dogwood in the front yard. Front is literally just grass right now, and needs SOMETHING.

This house had a yard full of very tall locust trees until the tornado of 1974. The previous owner lost every single one - he was very lucky that only his roof was damaged as many in my neighborhood lost their houses in this awful storm. After the tornado, he plated several trees - a pine oak in the front yard, a southern magnolia, also in front, which 10 years later, totally blocked the two east facing windows in the LR (we had it moved to the side of the house!), a Foster holly in back and also an ornamental pear in back. Unfortunately, the ornamental pear was the kind with multiple trunks and we lost that tree, one trunk at a time over a few years. An unholy mess! He also planted a pink dogwood, that finally died a couple of years ago. SO sad...

We wanted some shade for the house, so we added a very large red oak to the front, and a huge white oak to the back. We also added a 2nd Foster holly and a huge Norway spruce.

When I say "huge", I mean trees big enough to be brought in by one of these!

Everyone in the neighborhood was out watching these big trees be planted!

So, the oldest one planted by previous owner was planted 44 years ago - not sure of the age of the three big trees we planted but probably 40-60 years old.

When we lived in LA, the house we rented in Hancock Park had an enormous Ginkgo tree in the back. It was said to be one of the oldest trees in Los Angeles County. It was absolutely gorgeous, with it's golden yellow leaves, at Christmas, but a bit incongruous next to the camellias that started blooming at that time, too! One doesn't really think of autumn leaves and pale pink flowers if one is from the midwest!

Right now, my yardman is blowing all those oak leaves up from front and back. They will fill all 3 barrels and probably some of the paper leaf bags as well. This will continue until around Christmas. Love the trees, hate those leaves as the dogs bring them into the house on their lovely feathered legs, feet, ears and underpinnings!

The tree I DESPISE is in my neighbor's backyard. It is an enormous Redwood (yes, a Redwood tree in KY) and those awful little leaves (look like fronds), all blow over the fence into my garden. They are like Velcro when they attach to my dogs. If I try to pull them off, they fall into bits of dirt and then that is everywhere. They are just starting to fall and the next two months will be a housekeeping nightmare. I'd spray that sucker with Agent Orange, if I could!

Avocado 'Fuerte', 19 years old

I used to have 2 oak trees in the front, framing the view from the living room. Several years back, we had a drought, and a disease that ran through oaks here, and I lost both of my trees. Had to have them cut down, before they fell on the house. They were dropping entire limbs with every wind and storm. They were at least 65 years old. They had been there as long as I can remember, and I grew up in the house. Now I have a couple that have spontaneously rooted nearby.

Brb, off warning Anglophilia's neighbor to point a security camera at that Dawn Redwood.

Now that I'm a homeowner, one of my darkest fears is that I'll get a neighbor that hates my trees for some petty reason and schemes to sabotage/destroy them, or worse, tries to take action, or worse still, succeeds. This is literally nightmare fuel for me.

Guys, please don't be that neighbor. Good reasons to hate your neighbor's tree include the tree being dead and a fall hazard, bad reasons, in my opinion, include its leaves making your dogs dirty, or disliking the fact that the squirrels throw walnuts from it at you/your laundry basket (this is me, but I still very much like those trees, and my like more than outweighs my dislike of walnut-hacking squirrels in it).

Cool notes on Dawn Redwoods: they are an ancient species, a living fossil, if you will, and before an isolated grove was discovered in some remote mountains in China in the 40's, they were believed to have been extinct for like 20 million years. They are deciduous because they used to grow up around the North Pole during a super warm age millions of years ago where it would be night most/all the time in the winter, so needles for photosynthesis was pointless during that time.

queenvictorian, I think it has more to do with continental drift rather than the trees growing near the North Pole.

Mike, Greenland hasn't moved north much the last 20 million yrs (it's more cartwheeling). So the dawn redwoods were indeed very far north.

Using an age of tree calculator I found online, I have some white pines and white and red spruces that are 150 years old.

DrDeb, that is one of the best tree photos I've ever seen!

Gosh, thanks Molly!!

It's stunning, doc.

The neighbor had one removed this summer (the one with the arrow pointing to it). I was expecting about 90 years out of it. w/o dorking it up too bad with the tree service still there I snapped a pic and then counted on the pc and came up with some numbers in the mid 60's. I'll just assume I missed a line or two doing this digitally but yeah, those big ol' oaks in the front, I bet they all are as slightly younger than the houses in back of them.

I have this conifer tree - not sure what species (maybe Picea abies ?) - in my yard. It was already pretty big when we moved here back in 2008 but I have no idea how old it is. I'm guessing it was once a christmas tree and got planted afterwards by the previous house owners.

I live in a suburb of NYC that was developed in the early 1920s. The area used to be a natural oak forest, and they kept LOTS of the oak trees when building the homes. My home is over 90 years old, and there are still lots of oak trees that are much older than that on my property and the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, having trees that old means they are very tall, and when diseased (ie, eaten by carpenter ants), they fall during storms. My home used to be very shady due to the tall oaks, but after the Sandy Storm in 2012 we lost quite a few and now we have more light. Lucky for us, none fell on our home, but our neighbors weren't so lucky, and had to move out for many months while the damage was repaired.

Everyone in our town cherishes these trees and it's so sad to see any of them go.

We live on two acres with mostly 90+ yr old burr oaks. Ours are in various stages of Burr Oak blight. Here we are in process of inoculating to save a few.

arcy_gw, sorry to hear about the oaks. I assume those grew wild, but looks like they were "planted" way too deep. Not sure how that would happen w/a wild tree -- there should be a massive root crown right at the surface. Was soil added at the base of the tree(s) at one time? Or maybe the root crown died from the blight?

Agree those bur oaks don’t look right...

Kinda surprised the Burrs lived that way for any length of time with no problems.

My oldest tree planted by me is a Norway Spruce planted in about 1997, it's about 25 feet tall, and maybe 15 feet wide, if you measure the branches from tip to tip. The trunk may be about 2 feet in diameter, but, it's hard to see the trunk really well. the branches sweep the ground.

My neighbors have a huge Black Walnut tree that was huge back when I was a little kid, it has to be AT LEAST 80 to 100 years old, maybe more, most likely more.

We have an old Rose of Sharon shrub that was in the yard of the Black Walnut tree before my parents bought the property, it's now right on the property line actually. I cut around it, so I guess it's ours.

Acer macrophyllum, or Bigleaf Oregon Maple. It was fairly large, but it was falling apart. A couple of friends were looking for wood used in guitars. They weren't successful. I used it for firewood.

A 90-100 year old pin oak, that unfortunately is on it's way out due to what I believe is bacteria leaf scorch. Every year the tree buds and leaves out normal, but it starts to lose it's leaves a little earlier each year. This year was the very end of August. There are pin oaks all over, and every other one doesn't start losing leaves until October. It's odd.

This tree is in the town I grew up in, it was planted in 1718 and always been called a cucumber tree

I was at a friends house and here is "his" 700- 1000 year old Escarpement Live Oak. He see himself as the protector. He has advanced degrees in botany and he is the right man for the job. There is a street RIGHT behind it. Amazingly close, but you feel in another world standing before it.

Great burl on this

He has springs on the property but very shallow soil above a strata of dense limestone. Down by the springs he had oak tree fall over due to all the rain this fall and that the trees roots did not go down far. His neighbors large oak also fell over.

betula pendula that was planted the year the house was built. 1983

Wantonamara, that's a beautiful tree!

Yes it is. My friend says that this is not his tree .He is this tree's human. It is much older than the "Treaty Oak" in Austin. His garden is heavily and beautifully gardened but not around this tree. He does not want to chance messing with the roots and conditions of the soil.

Angel Oak is the oldest known Live Oak near Charleston SC on a plantation. It's said to be over 1500 years old but was not substantiated. Generally for a live oak in native climates, a very old live oak would be about 600 years. Angel Oak stands 65' tall with a girth of about 28' with a crown covering about 17000 sq ft. Longest limb measured 89' in length. It's owned by city of Charleston since 1991.

The Middleton Oak in Middleton SC was the largest measured Live Oak until it lost part of its crown. It had total wood volume of about 4,820 cu ft. It was only surpassed by The Senator, a bald cypress in FL.

Trees are amazing!

Kathy, do you know where that cucumbertree is located? I searched & found a big one registered near Petersburg, VA, but not sure if it's the same one.

American Forests named North Canton OH cucumber-magnolia tree a champion tree in 2015. Tree is 96' tall with species average of 60-80' in trunk height. Circumference is 292 inches or 24 feet. It's located on private property of Auburn Knolls condominiums (originally a 34 acre Hoover family estate) just east of Everhard Road and S. Main Street and was 430 years old in 2010. It's known as Magnolia acuminate aka cucumber-magnolia tree. This tree was only written about in a local newspaper.

However,American Forests the Champion Tree National Register listed a Magnolia Acuminata as being the largest known of its species. It is located in Stark County Ohio of which the county seat is Canton. Nominated in 2003 by Jeremy R Felland, it lists the circumference as 299 inches or 24.9 feet and 96 feet in height with a crown spread of 79 feet. There is a plaque in front of the tree in the photo on the American Forests Champion Tree registry site.

Another on is located on Sunnyside Dr. in Upland (Delaware County) PA. In 2014 it was considered to have a girth of 6.4 meters or 20.9974 feet in diameter. Height was measured at 24.38 m or 79.98 feet. It was measured by Cottage Wade by laser. It is listed under Monumental trees that have been confirmed of record.

Neither photos of the PA nor OH tree resembles the one Kathy posted and the plaque in Kathy's photo is different from the one in the Suburbanite.com photo or the photo or the PA tree which has different housing structures. The Ohio tree was reportedly saved by North Canton resident Rod Covey in 2001 from being cut down.

Also Kathy mentioned this tree near her was planted in 1718 w which makes it 300 years old. The North Canton tree was estimated to be 430 years old but couldn't find if this is a correct estimate or not. The PA tree has no age estimate as far as I can find.

According North Carolina State University, the Magnolia acuminate, aka cucumber tree has only been recorded as reaching the latest sizes in the southern Appalachian Mountains where it is native to eastern North America. It has been noted of growing from AL to CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, NY, LA, KY and Ohio.

Thanks for the detailed info, celestina. I thought I knew alot about trees, but this info on how enormous cucumbertrees can get is new -- size and stature of the biggest oaks. They are not uncommon here in the west MD forests, but don't know if I've ever seen them planted. Too bad.

cucumber tree has only been recorded as reaching the latest sizes in the southern Appalachian Mountains

Seems like it has no problem growing huge in more northern areas.....

Yes, begz6westmd. I was very surprised, too when I read about this. I read much on Houzz that I want to find more information, so I start looking online. I'm working on a 5 year project of reforestation and rebuilding a natural habitat for local and visiting wildlife. So, I'm always looking up stuff. LOL

Also remember, that just because something isn't recorded, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen elsewhere. From the info about Cucumber-Magnolias, it seems they prefer colder more northern climates, but perhaps few are ever measured and recorded like the Ohio tree. I've also discovered different tree recording societies. I think I posted links to two different ones. :)

Here are a couple links on how to propagate you down cucumber magnolia tree. :)

1. gardeningknowhow.com is more of an informational site

2.the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centeris my to-go-to site for almost all plant info.

3.University of Florida has two methods of propagation.

Yeah Jalcon, most Pin oaks here don't lose all their leaves until spring, mine is Q. Palustris. At least you had one live to 90 years, I wasn't sure they would live THAT long. I have 2. They should be good all my life.

Kathy that Cucumber tree looks really oakish to me. But, it surely must'nt be, since there is a plaque with info written on it. Wow, it has nice form.

Wantonamera, I love the Live oak pics. I have a very young QMLO. I would love to see one of the mature Escarp LO in person, maybe one day I will. That tree in your friends yard looks like a stag/deer with one heck of a rack on it. Really love how it looks.

Celastina I have a pic of the ANGEL OAK in my hallway, I want to see it in person, but, Youtube video is the closest I've gotten so far.

A tree called a Cucumber tree, I would think was just some small little tree, NOT a tree like that, but, it is 300 years old, though.

I have kept away from planting a Pin Oak in my garden. I don't like the way the leaves dribble off all winter long. No matter how I would rake the leaves , the garden would still look like it needs raking. The Fall color of the Pin Oak is but a flash. I'll pass on that one. Besides, I can see one at the nearest parking lot. Saying no is just as important as saying yes. It just depends on how it fits in your vision.

@Mike: mow the leaves and it becomes nutrients for the soil and the tree. Or use them in a compost pile. Either way you save $$ and don't have to buy fertilizer, mulch, etc. for that tree. :)

In the smokies of TN the cucumber magnolia keeps company with the tulip poplar, which can reach to near 200 feet. The cucumber doesn't quite make it that tall though. If memory serves, there is a cucumber at MOBOT that is open grown and shaped like the image above, but not nearly so large or so old. Cucumber is cut with and marketed as poplar, there's not much difference in the lumber. When I was a kid in CT there was a double trunked cucumber that towered over the old sugar maples in my neighborhood. When the house changed hands, the new owners racked all the leaves around the base of the cucumber and set them alight, killing a magnificent old giant.

How sad. Old ones are magnificent trees. I've avoided them in my garden for several reasons. Fall color is lacking, in fact, it's usually a detriment to the Fall garden, looking sad and forlorn in the midst of fireworks. It has large leaves to the point of being a maintenance problem. I'm on a high bluff and they don't do well in wind. End of story.

Mike, I guess if you live in an area where raking is needed or expected a Pin oak would be a pain, but, I am in the country and don't rake anything, just mow them. I actually go to the leaf dump and bag leaves and collect them to add to my Compost Tumblers, I have 2 of them. I also will spread leaves among my shade plants that I've collected from the leaf dump. Shade plants love that. It's great paired with shredded bark or wood spread under them.

Nicholsworth, I love your yard, you are likely not needing much AC in summer with that shaded yard. My Pin oak has just gotten big enough to shade our AC unit within the last few years. BUT, I can't plant a tree too close on the South side of the house because of the septic tank lines being there, plus, I want to eventually put a greenhouse there.

Kenswoods, there was another recent post on GW about a Cucumber tree, MAYBE that meant Cucumber Magnolia ? The tree that was pictured was a HUGE tree that really looked like an oak. It was said to be 300 year old Cucumber tree. I am thinking it MUST'VE been a 300 year old Cucumber Magnolia (?) It was really an impressive tree with great form, very "oaklike" to me.

I will never rake leaves from under my trees, BUT, MANY people kinda HAVE to in cities.

Speaking of Tulip Populars, in the infamousPA Longwood Gardens, they have "Pierre's Popular (Tulip Popular) that was measured by Scott Wade (PA State Coord of Champion Tree Program). It measures 164.2' tall with a circumference of 146" and spread of 73" with a score of 329 on the registry. It is considered to be the tallest Liriodendron tulipifera in NE US recorded. BTW, Longwood gardens can claim they have the most champion trees in any one place in PA (164). OMGosh!

The tallest native broadleaf tree known in all of North America is aTulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera. It measures 191.9' talland stands in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I twas found in a remote spot in 2011. A half acre stand of these trees was found in North Carolina Mountains. Links provided if you want to read more about this subject. :)

Trees and all flora are amazing. They help keep earth alive in the eco-system.

I HAVE SEEN MANY DIFFERENT TREES IN THE CHAMPION TREES OF PA, AND I DO REMEMBER SEEING "SCOTT WADE" AS THE MEASURER OF MANY TREES, MANY WEREN'T IN PA.

My 1690 to 2000 Bur Oak. Only a medium size tree. It was very healthy when developers decided they wanted another lot to build on. sad. It‘s branches and trunk were covered with Resurrection Fern. Tennessee. Thank you. Randy Allen of www.WhiteHouseArboretum.com

That is sad.

Brother's big white oak got oak-wilt -- half was dead. Literature says no chance of recovery, so had to cut it down. Counted rings afterward -- about 150 yrs old. Even bigger one back side of house, fortunately far enough away that we doubt it could become infected from this one (literature says can only spread from roots grafts in white oaks):

My clonal colony of Populus tremuloides could be thousands of years old. Every time they are cut, they regenerate from the roots, so conceivably could date back to when the last glaciers receded 12,000 years ago.

Bill, so does that mean those trees are "Poplar trees?" ANYHOW, MY oldest trees on MY property are the 2 Eastern White Pines that my parents planted when I was very young, maybe about 6-8 years old. The trunks are pretty big, BUT as far as the oldest or biggest tree that I have planted, that would be a tossup between the Sycamore that I planted back in about in about 1995 OR the Dawn Redwood that I planted about the same time in 1995. The Dawn Redwood would be bigger BUT, I had dug it up and replanted it when I had moved. BUT, those Eastern white pines are the oldest and biggest trees on my property, the trunks are very wide and impressive.