That is a very pretty house.

I’m not sure I understand your question, but here’s what I see with the two trees.

Tree circled in red looks too close to the house. What’s the mature spread size of that tree? 20’? If so, I’d make sure it was placed so that, at maturity, there’s at least 5’ to spare between its mature spread and the house. So, a 20’ tree should be planted no closer than 15’ from the house.

Why is the tree circled in yellow planted on a mound? Looks odd and will probably affect its ability to capture and retain moisture.

Here’s a few more shots from different angles. Also, she is wondering if building a small retaining wall where I have grossly drawn a redline. Lololo…….. I don’t know how to make the pretty lines you have littlebug.

Across top of the property. The house with blue is neighbors.

I believe this tree is at least 15-18 feet from house.

she bought it from you .. or shes 4 doors down from you?

No, she didn’t buy it from me, but I live 4 doors down from her. Everyone is trying to give her advice about the tree she planted on the edge of the hill…….so I said I would take photos and ask for help from my expert fellow gardeners……..ken I know you have an opinion, so give it to me………nicely :-)

debra

We have planted all kinds of ornamental and larger trees. I should say that we have purchased and then had the trees planted. I would tell her to call in a couple of reputable people who are familiar with trees and the soil in your area and discuss with them what to do and what it will cost.

Trees are an expensive investment--they shouldn't be moved around without a lot of thought being given to their placement and their needs. Our early mistakes included trying to "save" a number of pin oaks which experienced sun scald and had to be taken down within a few years after we moved into our home. We also tried without success to plant dogwoods--we can't grow them our clay soil simply doesn't drain well enough--we had the nursery dig huge pits and filled them with all of kinds of good soil and amendments--as soon as the dogwood roots hit the clay, they died. Finally I had one moved to the farthest area in the back yard and one has survived for years--guess the soil back there wasn't disturbed by building the house and it was ok. We should have asked a local tree expert at the start and would have saved thousands, not to mention all the hassle. She needs a tree expert not just some guy who does landscaping and has a bit of knowledge about trees.

You don't need a "tree expert" to site and successfully plant a tree!! And the tree at the crest of the slope is fine as placed, A semicircular retaining wall would even out the soil level surrounding the tree and assist with proper watering and potential erosion but from a design standpoint, I would prefer to see that slope terraced off a bit more neatly with a larger/longer retaining wall.

If your neighbor does employ some sort of retention, make sure the soil level does not increase around the tree.

And do not amend individual planting holes....especially those in a clay based soil! That is just a recipe for disaster and the reason your trees failed, miles.

I don't think I am going to add anything worthwhile here. My thoughts were why would someone want to plant crabapple trees? They do have beautiful blooms. But after dealing with my own at my first house, and then one at my parent's house, (a total of over 30 years), I would never plant a crabapple tree. Too messy! But then, maybe it depends on what kind of crabapple?

I am not understanding the brick wall near the sidewalk. How high is it going to be? My husband built two raised beds for me with similar kind of bricks. He said you can only build to a certain height with those small bricks or it won't hold. I think having a couple of tiers of bricks near the sidewalk would hold the flow of water and allow for a nice planting.

I'd make sure any trees planted in the front are well away from the house so that tree debris will not plug up the eavestrough. I notice that the house roof has quite an angle. That means when we have those strong rain storms and heavy winds, the debris from the trees lands on the roof and gets quickly washed down to the eavestrough to plug it up! I would be very careful and watchful of the front downpipes that can be seen in the photo. Why I am writing about this is that I have that problem with my house. The first 20 years everything was fine. Then climate change began to happen with those crazy storms. The steeper angle of our roof (on one side) along with the trees growing too close have plugged up our eavestrough three times. And that's after having cleaned it the day before or even on the same day!

Thank you everyone!

ken, you have never been rude to me, only helpful and encouraging! But……I think you ruffled a few feathers in a recent ”Name That Plant” thread …….. lololo :-)

I would like your opinion on this matter.

Anyway, they are crabapple trees. One with white flowers, other pink. She’s attracked to the flowering aspect and is well aware of the mess they create.

Miles, She’s just bought a new home $$$ and paid $3200 to have the large rotten tree taken down, So calling an expert isn’t in the picture right now……so many other things she wants to do.

gardengal, I believe she will finish off that wall…..the other side is one layer taller I believe. She started with what she found when the tree guys brought in their equipment and started unearthing these stones. She’s been adding to it. I am happy you think a semi-cirular wall is doable. She’s not anxious to move the tree.

Still waiting for others to chime in……… :-)

debra

Two crabs. Well, there are so many gorgeous flowering trees that she could have chosen other than or in addition to the crabapples.

Update on what’s been done so far…….continues to be a work in progress, remember, the lannon stone house is the neighbors:

Can you take a picture of the entire front of the house?

Very difficult to get the whole house, but here’s the best shots:

debra

Really nice house & street scape. Lucky you Debra, to acquire a new neighbor with common interests to create a budding friendship! Looks like great progress being made. I wondered about the Easter Island statue …adds a bit of whimsey…. But I do have a question or maybe a suggestion. Full disclosure that I know nothing about technical aspects of garden retaining wall building but I wondered if the blocks at sidewalk level should be reduced one level. The dirt behind the blocks looks like it’s not quite at level 4 block height so the fifth level seems unstable or at least unnecessary. If a top is wanted, I think there are thinner cap blocks that could be used.

My husband says that you can only put a cap on if the stone fencing is straight. Since this one has a curve, it won't work?

Just noticed in the pictures---so these houses don't have garages?

Garages likely in back on an alley.

tj

I would pull the first tree forward and move the second tree to the same position on the other side. They would frame the lovely entryway.

I’d keep the trees where they are so as to not block the street view of the big window. Is that a dead shrub in front of that window or some kind of driftwood thingy?

tj

I wondered the same thing @tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱ asks about the thingy in front of window. It isn’t in the first picture posted but appears in the later pics just posted.. I also agree about leaving trees where they are..

Yeah, after I posted I saw it wasn’t there before. If it is meant to be sculptural I’d move it to the right in front of the bare brick wall. That would show off it’s sillouette better and clean up the look of the window.

tj

"My husband says that you can only put a cap on if the stone fencing is straight. Since this one has a curve, it won't work?"

Yes, you can cap a curved wall!! It's done all the time. Just takes a bit more work and craftsmanship.

Yes garages are on the alley line in back.

Another neighbor has a curved wall on the corner front, which she plants with perennials.

The ”thing” in fron of the front window is a drift woody type thing that came from the back yard. She’s very artsy and has plans to paint or other decor down the line. She’s done a trememdous amount of work since moving in. Done mostly til next year.

Thanks for everyones feedback.

debra

neighbors curved wall:

It looks like the house faces south and the one crabapple might be shaded by the street tree for a good portion of the day, so maybe not the best choice for that spot? I'm also curious what specific varieties these are (hopefully disease resistant cultivars)?

The house actually faces mostly west, we are on a slight south axis. Sorry, I don’t know what varities she planted. She had them purshased and planted ppretty quickly after the large tree was removed. I know she bought from a reputable nursery.

debra

@djacob Z6a SE WI I wonder if her gardens will measure up to yours? Yours is a hard act to follow - from the pictures you’ve shared with us! 😊

I disagree with gardengal about the relative aesthetic merit of your semicircular retsining wall vs a continuous one. Our historic parkwsys here in New York feature the individusl curved retaining walls!

I believe GG agreed that a curved retaining wall is totally appropriate. Someone else mentioned that straight would work better.

debra

She sai, “A semicircular retaining wall would even out the soil level surrounding the tree and assist with proper watering and potential erosion but from a design standpoint, I would prefer to see that slope terraced off a bit more neatly with a larger/longer retaining wall.” I msy have misinterpreted ”larger/longer.” In sny case, I think we’d agree your friend did a splendid job. In fsct I am inspired to attempt the same for the pear trees on my slope. .

I never meant to imply that the retaining wall should be a straight line!! It's just that the continuity would be enhanced if the wall was carried further along through the garden rather than just the half circle around the tree.

I just want to make the point that any trees need to be a good distance away from the front of the house. As I looked at the pictures of the house, I realize that there is a similarity in the angle of the roof (of your neighbor's house) to our house. The angle of the roof, along with the limited amount of eavestrough (for the front of that house) means that when you have a downpour, the eavestrough is going to have to be free of any tree debris in order to have the water go down the drainpipe freely. Also when you have such a steep roof angle, when you have a heavy rain storm, all roof debris washes into the eavestrough making it potentially get plugged! Then you have the eavestrough pouring over with rain water drowning and ripping your plants below. The eavestrough then begins to loosen and angle away from the house making the problem worse and worse. This I have learned from experience.