Desperate for SHADE!

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

So this is the North Carolina version of the fires of hell...my back deck! It is perfectly aligned with the southwest corner of my property and starting 11 AM the heat becomes too much to handle and by 3 PM you cannot even walk barefoot on it. We cant comfortably use the deck until 730 of the summer evenings. The deck was built the first year we lived out here and I wish I would have waited...no idea how hot it was going to be!

Some thoughts I have had....

-Arborvitae right up against the deck on either side of each stair set

-Small deciduous tree that is fast growing at walk through gate and right hand corner

issues: how close can I plant a small tree to the house? The waterlines run past the deck to the other side of the house, do I need to worry about a smaller tree infiltrating the lines?

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Comments (9)

branson4020
4 years ago
pictures please.
Mari Driver
Original Author
4 years ago
I have been trying to add a photo to the main post but have been unsuccessful. I will try to load it to this comment.
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Came across this old thread while looking for suggestions for something I could plant in place of the lilacs under our front window facing NE. I believe these were planted about 5 years ago; we moved here 3 years ago. According to the previous owner, who kindly gave me labeled drawings of the foundation plantings and 2 other long flowerbeds (a nice perk, if accurate!), these SUPPOSEDLY are dwarf Korean lilacs ('Miss Kim')-- but they are obviously not. For one thing, I know 'Miss Kim' from our previous home, and also there definitely ARE 2 actual 'Miss Kims' on the SE side of the house that are doing pretty well, although they do get a fair bit of summer shade from the big silver maple about 20 feet opposite them. (More about this site in a minute!) ANyway, this front-of-the-house NE site is heavily shaded by 2 big purple Norway maples--also planted by the previous owner -- that I have chosen to leave in place since they block a good deal of noise from the rather heavily-traveled county route we live on. I dislike Norway maple on general principles, but equally-detestable English ivy runs rampant under these 2 trees & is probably the only ground cover that will grow there, and anyway I cannot afford to pay to have these monstrosities removed. So, I have pruned these 2 lilacs for the past 3 years (immediately after flowering) in an effort to maintain their size at about 5' since they are right in front of my dining room windows and I do not want them blocking the windows. They bear few flower clusters in the spring--due, I am guessing, to the heavy shade, definitely not due to my pruning technique since I do not touch them after the spring dead-heading and thinning, and so I know I am not cutting off potential buds. Rather than fight these (which already have once more outgrown my pruning, straining to find more sun, I should think!) I'd sooner dig them out & replace them with something more appropriate. It is dry shade, the worst kind, I know. The ground slopes away from the house there so rain scarcely has time to even sink in. I also want these to be a native shrub. From what I have read here & there, it seems that oakleaf hydrangea is amenable to pruning and also will bloom in shade. However, I happen already to have 2 half-gallon pots of sweetshrub, Calycanthus floridus, purchased in the spring. They'd maybe be OK, except that at our previous house I had a sweetshrub in full shade and it was pretty leggy & sprawly. Same for a neighbor's specimen growing under the same conditions. Now, I mentioned the 'Miss Kim' on the SE side of the house... in between them are planted 3 dwarf holly bushes that of course require a soil much more acid than the lilacs! Bad combination..and as one might expect, the hollies are not doing at all well. SO I expect I'll dig them out as well, but want only very low shrubs or perennials there. That area gets a little more sun than the NE site, so I am confident I can come up with something there. SO: my question: oakleaf hydrangeas or calycanthus or has someone another suggestion?
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We have a Fire Dragon that the owner of Metro Maples (and patent holder) brought to us about 18 months ago, when he happening to be coming to the area. It has done very well. It has endured several late freezes in the 21-25F temp range, after buds have opened, and shots about 6 inches long, with very little to no damage resulting. Tough little tree. I can look out the window at ours as I type and see a very dark green dense body to the tree, with red growing points at the end of the shots. Hasn't got the glossy leaves that it does when it gets hot yet. We are very happy with ours. Look to the link provided for additional info. And since you seem to go for the rarer stuff, it would be a candidate from that standpoint as well. I think he will ship smaller ones during winter, or I think he did at one time anyway. Also on the Pistache, I can speak for elsewhere, but those that are planted here are kinda like a lollipop in from. They are not that greatly spreading, but maybe that just because of the age of the trees. These are fairly new to the area, and mostly planted near roadways, and parking lots with something like 8-10" caliper. Occasionally elsewhere. But these aren't as large. As for the other columnar trees, you will probable have to special order them. I don't know this, but I would expect that most of these are expected to be sold to towns, cites, and landscapers for commercial projects. You might try a landscaper in the area as well. Try the local cities, and see what they will tell you. Might even piggyback one on for you in their next shipment. Just depends. Also look to tree farms within driving distance. There are a goodly number in that area of the world. Sometimes they can be of help. Nurseries will have you believe they are the only place to get the plants you want, but that's not always the case. Arktrees Here is a link that might be useful: Metro Maples
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I have a lysiloma planted that close and it blends with our natural desert acre well. It is semi-deciduous though and does shed some of it's tiny leaflets and also puffy blooms in the spring. But it's beautiful, feathery and ferny and could offer some shade for that window during the hot part of the year. HTH
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
intact water lines are not an issue... other than in digging the hole for planting ... and trust me.. you know when you have a water leak ....

tree roots are a potential issue.. with VERY OLD sewer lines that involved terra cotta pipes packed with oakum . ... https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sewer+pipes+packed++tree+roots&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

if you have newer pvc sewer pipes.. it will never be an issue .... as tree roots do not carry drills to break into pipes .... lol ..

trees do not cause holes in pipes.. they can only take advantage of pre existing problems ... so if you have a newer house.. just forget about it ...

i would also like pix... and in the mean time.... is the deck elevated at all .. and how big is your yard ... why do you need to jam the tree real close to the house/deck ... its not really going to solve your issue faster ....

also.. with trees .. we talk about years.. and years.. and decades ... you are not going to solve this problem with trees with any level of instant gratification ... and perhaps.. we can offer suggestions otherwise ...

but for sure.. you ought to come up with a plan for trees to take over the issue.. when the quick fix starts rotting away ...

i moved in the house 20 years ago ... and i planted some trees... and just in the last few years.. are the trees solving the issue ...

and finally.. where are you ... tree suggestions might differ by location.. big city name is good enough ....

a pergola of some sort.. is probably your quick fix .... https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pergola&t=ffcm&ia=images&iax=images

ken
Mari Driver
Original Author
4 years ago
Hey Ken thanks for the reply. I am new to the forum and am working on the photo issue. I am an hour west of Asheville NC in the mountains, and the deck is appt 8 feet from the ground. If waterlines won’t be an issue, I don’t have to plant the trees so close to the deck. I will check out the pergola link!
laceyvail 6A, WV
4 years ago
I would group small trees--about 30 ft maximum height--all around the deck, some at a little distance, some closer. Plot it all out on paper to help you establish where to plant each one. Layers of small trees and maybe a couple of large trees some distance from the house with the smaller ones as understory. It would also help cool the house, which is simply baking in the sun.
kitasei
4 years ago
Remember that the sun is your friend in winter and possibly spring and fall too. You want it streaming through the windows and warming your roof at least some part of the year, and probably enjoy basking in it on the deck. So that should steer you away from towering evergreens to deciduous trees. Also think about the view you want to preserve. It doesn't look like privacy is a concern. Choose your trees to create a canopy.
PRO
Yardvaark
4 years ago
It looks like if two medium-ish trees were off the long side of the deck, flanking the steps, that would be sufficient to provide good shade to the deck. That location is also not directly in line with windows, so no impeding the view.

There is a vague, general correlation that the faster growing a tree is, the junkier, or trashier, it is. Since most trees grow fast enough anyway, if you give them water and fertilizer, there is no need to get a super fast growing tree.
Andrew Miller
4 years ago
You might also be able to attach some shade sails from your roof to the railing. They'll provide plenty of shade in the summer, and you can take them down once it cools off.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
4 years ago
There are also retractable awnings that can be fastened to the side of the house and extended as needed.

or some folks build a pergola and add fabric in the sunniest seasons.

Desperate for SHADE!

Comments (9)

branson4020

Mari Driver
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Desperate for SHADE!

Comments (9)

branson4020

Mari DriverOriginal Author

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Mari Driver
Original Author

Mari Driver
Original Author