Can I plant shrubs in a small yard that has tree roots throughout?
Lynn Nevins
2 years ago
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRelated Discussions
Shrubs and very small evergreens/tree for front yard
Comments (2)hey liz.. royal oak eh?? [from your members page] .. grew up in livonia... and bought my first house there ... first.. refer to the link .... for a suggestion as how to proceed ... linds ... did it right.. by catching us.. when we were bored out of our minds.. prior to the weather breaking ... note the pix we requested.. as well as having her define what her goals were ... and they did not end up being what she started with ... and its your use of common terms.. that is confusing you .. and us.. as to where to go with this ... e.g... evergreens... well.. that covers a wide range of things ... i THINK you are talking about conifers ... if you are.. that is where linds started .... and that is usually the backbones of the front of ones house ... but there are many other plants that are .. in essence.. evergreen ... so you need to define what you are talking about ... and technically.. conifers are NOT shrubs.. though i also called them such for decades .... but it is not helpful in defining where we want to go .... BTW .. your link doesnt work.. and that pic is not going to be helpful to anyone defining a plan ... and take a walk some evening.. and snap a pic or two.. of what other peeps have done with the front of their houses.. to help you define what you like.. and give us some guidance as to where you want to go ... you are spot on with the foundation ... when i had my first house in livonia.. i learned that 3 feet AT THE FOUNDATION .. should be left blank ... so i could get a ladder in there.. to do gutters.. paint.. xmas lights.. window washing.. etc ... and if you agree with that.. then you should 'see' that your bed is horribly out of configuration .... lol .. i just glanced up.. and i see the neighbor still has the ugly old improperly planted conifer .... and the root of your problem might be this forum.. but you never know ...... the conifer forum is much more active.. than the shrub forum.. and not every one of the peeps there.. come thru here ... so if this post dwindles.. try over there ... my best suggestion ... is to define and build some great beds.. for planting in fall .. the next proper season for planting conifers .. and trees.. as i doubt you can properly build those beds in time ... you simply should not plant such.. in the heat of summer ... but .... once you define the beds.. and add some of your annuals.. and perennials.. then we can get the backbones in place in fall ... of my 600 conifers.. about half came in the mail ... and that is how you get truly unique things.. rather than JUST what the bigboxstore offers ... well.. that and a budget.. lol .. of course .. as compared to me in adrian mi ... you have some great large upscale nurseries in the area including bordines .. english gardens.. etc ... so.. get us some better pix.. that perhaps we can photoshop ... and lets try to find some words that explain where you want to go .. oh.. i would expand that bed to about 10 feet from the house.. which would make it only 7 feet deep to work with .. it would NOT be straight across.. and we would have to figure out how to deal with what i will guess is an arcing walkway .... [any chance you want to replace that with brick as a part of the process] ... and i would insure.. that some part of the plants introduce a vertical element.. as compared to your 1950's metro detroit ranch ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link...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 Moresuggestions needed for small yard privacy tree/shrub
Comments (12)I really like the wax myrtle, and think I'll try one just to the left of the pines. That area is in full sun for 8 hours or more a day. I love wildlife in the garden and do not mind berries. Also thinking of two Arborvitae Smaragd in the spaces between the three pine trees. I'll research the suggestions for more shade tolerant trees and shrubs. As far as the roots go, guess what we did all Sunday! We had good rain the day before and the ground was soaked. My husband used an axe and I used a saw. Severed thick roots as close to the trunk as we could and then pulled away from the trunk and snipped with loppers as we went. Most came up easily enough, but it was still backbreaking work. The stump grinder came yesterday and ground the stump and about a foot of root clumps right next to the stump. Saved us a lot of money by removing most roots ourselves....See MoreShrub / small tree recommendation for privacy in SF yard?
Comments (4)You could go native and put in a flannelbush (Fremontodendron californicum). Drought tolerant, beautiful flowers, about 10' tall, dense evergreen foliage... I've seen some growing on the east side of the city (potrero). I don't know how one would do in the fog belt but it could be okay. Other thoughts, how about a loquat? They grow well in the city, have nice dense foliage, and can be kept at about that height with a little maintenance. I also have seen a nice hibiscus in the city that might fit your needs....See MoreLynn Nevins
2 years agoMichauxia
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2 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
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