Help me choose a specimen tree
4 years ago
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Help me choose: Oak Trees
Comments (9)All of the oaks you list are good choices for your area, nice selections :) I lived in OKC (Midwest City to be exact) for 4 years and our "clay" soil there was blood red and had to be soaked for an hour just to dig. I infer from your description you have much better soil up in your location. The tight red stuff around the house could barely grow silver maples, american elm and eastern red cedar. You might try a quercus coccinea though only if you can locate a smaller specimen in case of failure. They are tolerant of dry locations but not native to you area. They aren't native around here either, but local nursery offerings grow very well . IMO, standouts on your list are Nuttall, Shumard and NRO. Keep in mind Nuttall and Shumard are naturally found either in standing water some of the season (Nuttall in the dormant season I think) or areas that occasionally flood for short periods of time (Shumard). So in your somewhat dry climate, they may need a little extra irrigation especially while establishing the first few years. Bur is also a very good drought tolerant choice but fall color in your location probably won't tickle your fall foliage fancy. I am not very familiar with Chinkapin. I would substitute quercus phellos for yellow fall color for that reason. Q phellos can also turn red but is most often yellow. It is a little more needy with water than some oaks but not much. Let us know what you decide on! John...See MoreHelp me choose a tree
Comments (4)Thinking about it again, my height estimates are probably way off. The Red Maple is probably more like 50'+, it was planted in the late 70's. The Liquidambar was likely planted in the 90's, as it looks quite young. The site I have picked out will be shaded by the Liquidambar in late morning, the red Maple is on the north side so wont interfere at all. I'm estimating atleast 100' between the two trees. I'm in Cloverdale B.C., about 1 hour drive east of Vancouver....See MoreNeed help with specimen tree
Comments (3)I have had good and bad experiences on specimen trees. When selecting one it is the girth of the tree which places the price range. Sometimes a 3" tree will be as tall as a 1" and actually not grow as fast due to the amount of shock from planting. In my front yard are two trees planted last spring (same species) and they are now the same height. One bought for 400 including planting and the other for 30 dollars I planted myself. This may change as time goes on, but is interesting to see their growth pattern the first year. Time of year is equally as important. I made the mistake of buying one too early in the spring. Apparently not grown locally as it was in full leaf, and it's norm was leafing out a good month later. Didn't know it had not survived until after the year was up, so lost the year warranty time slot. This time of year is good as most are in their full leaf, plus the fall, to know a large tree is growing well. Also, check the tree nursery warranty. Some won't include the planting, which means if the tree fails you end up paying the planting fee again for a replacement. And those fees can be 1/3 the price of the tree. My suggestion is to check out the tree nurseries at hand, ones' growing their own trees in your environment. Perhaps suggestions from people you know who have used them and see some of their last year plantings within your neighborhood if possible. Find a tree you like and see how it is growing in the area. And read the full warranty offered. A good nursery will also return a couple of months after planting to check on the tree and share the best way to care for it. Also, to hide the "ugly" pine tree during the winter, since you are looking at a decidious tree, one with a lot of branches or one with pods would add more coverage. The Catalpa would give you this. I'd consider some vines too, beyond the tree. Evon's suggestion regarding the Mountain Oak sounds great though. Red Maples seem to thrive for me, but no flowers....See MorePlease help me choose two trees from a list
Comments (11)Yes, I agree with Yard that all of the trees listed are considered large growing shade trees and virtually all have an ability to get quite large - 40'+ and some a lot more than that - in time. Although many will take decades to achieve that stated size. But you can often find specific cultivars of most trees that will remain somewhat more compact than the straight species. However, planting the tree 30' away from the house mitigates a lot of your concerns. And if a healthy tree to start and properly planted and given appropriate aftercare, the chances of a tree falling on your house are quite slim. Typically, that only happens if the tree is very old and beginning to decline or if there are structural or planting issues that compromise the tree's establishment. I like both the hornbeam and the ginkgo...great, pretty much trouble-free trees but with no outstanding fall color (just a golden yellow). Most oaks will provide good fall color and have a root system that accommodates underplanting well. Both the black gum and the red maple will offer excellent fall color and are extremely tolerant of less than ideal planting conditions as well....See More- 4 years ago
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