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bobelliot

What tree to plant

bobelliot
10 years ago

Our backyard bradford pear tree lasted 15 years until it literally came apart last November after an early snow on Long Island. It was only then that I disovered that this is the norm for pear. It was a good size tree for our yard which is about 25 ft x 25 ft.

I am now looking to replace it with something that will grow to a similar size and give some shade in our very sunny yard. A purple leaf plum was recomended and it is beautiful but I've read that when they mature they produce a mess of tiny plum fruit that stains decks and furniture. Several nurserys deny this.

Can anyone comment on this? Can anyone recommend a tree that will grow to about 40 H x 25 W and not make a mess of our yard and patio?

Comments (8)

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    10 years ago

    Some form of acer rubrum, red maole, probably would work. Not very imaginative though.

    Black gum, Nyssa sylvatica, is a nice clean tree. I find it a difficult transplant but it is clean as can be and has great fall color. I have a cultivar called Wildfire. It is neat but my little one was the only tree in my yard to get frost damage this year. A yard with two metasequoias. So go main species on Nyssa.

  • strobiculate
    10 years ago

    so you have, by your admission, several places that state your concern is not valid.

    what is the source you have that says this is a problem?

    cuz in twenty years of working for some of the largest garden centers and landscape nurseries in country, I've never heard this particular complaint, and I've heard some odd stuff over the years.

    Addendum: you are going to have to be more specific about your plants.

    Prunus x cistena, purple-leaf plum, is a shrub. Dark purple leaves, bright pink flow youers produced in abundance, very little fruit. If a full sized shrub produces twenty fruits, it's a good year. Never seen them drop.

    There are a number of plums and cherries that are classed as flowering trees (as opposed to fruiting) and have reddish leaves. These are quite common, and if you'd ask that question, I'd agree with the several sources you have alluded to.

    And then there is the odd duck. There are some fruiting plums with red leaves. They do produce a mess, and they are not exactly common. I've been doing this for two decades, and I've seen perhaps a dozen of these. But if you come in asking for an ornamental tree...yeah, this is the albino zebra in a large herd of horses.

  • Dzitmoidonc
    10 years ago

    The biggest drawback to the flowering plums is that they don't live much longer than a dog, and the plum won't fetch, roll over or greet you with a wagging tail no matter what happened to your day.

    For a new tree, maybe there is a Holly in your future. Everygreen, decorative, some have heavenly smelling flowers.

    Maybe something like a Ginko?Lots of different shapes and sizes, and most of them are male.
    A bird cherry (Prunus avium) makes tiny fruit that are mostly eaten around here. If the fruit does fall, it is gone in a few days. Nice flowers in the spring.

  • strobiculate
    10 years ago

    As far as what to plant, the choices are too numerous to begin to enumerate, and the criteria for selection are far too subjective to think you will get honest answers by asking others. Most likely, you will get what they would plant. Go to a garden center, and you will most likely get a list of choices based on what is in stock. Which when you think about it, why would someone give you choices that they don't have available? Ask online, and you may find incredible varieties, but just try to source them. Or you find the idiots that think they entire world should be plant into their favorite (whatever). You want a non-messy, long-lived, minimal fuss tree? The best one ever is...I've been told sumac, Canada red cherry, anything that fruits.

    My best advice? Make this a learning project. Browse a couple of nurseries. Visit a couple of botanic gardens, large estates noted for landscape plantings, and when you find something you like, go for it.

    Possibilities, based on your criteria?

    Mongolian Oak
    Stewartia
    Japanese Tree Lilac or Pekin Tree Lilac
    Cornus controversa, if you can
    certain beech, ie, cutleaf or tricolor
    carpinus or ostrya or parrotia

    and without thinking about it, I can easily come up with at least as many reasons why each one of my own choices would be an example of bone-headed decision making as they would shining examples of exemplary decision making.

    This is your place, your decision. I get told all the time what people want, and I see what sets their hearts a-twitter. The two are rarely the same thing.

  • bobelliot
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    strobiculate, I didn't make it up. I googled purple leaf plum and looked at several sights. One was a tree blog where the writer complained of the mess, the other was a informational sight on trees and under the maintenance section it stated clean up of miniature fruit. As far as it being a bush? If a bush can have a 3 inch diameter trunk and be 15 feet high with leaves and branches then call it whatever you want. But, although I guess I didn't ask correctly, you are confirming what I've read so thankyou for the reply.

  • flora_uk
    10 years ago

    Prunus cerasifera aka Purple Leaved Plum, aka cherry plum. Thundercloud is a common one in the US I believe. The ones round here don't produce much in the way of fruit. I don't know how they behave in the States.

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    10 years ago

    There is a fine line between a tree and a bush. On some extremes everyone agrees. In the middle it is more of a mess than the Jet's QB situation.

    Of course I give recommendations on what I would plant. Now when my mother was moving and wanted a condo while it is not something I would do, it made sense for her and I agreed and even helped a little.

    Some of the best ideas I get are from visiting the local botanical garden. There I see how they have things situated and what grows how in my area. Tri-color beech? One of the five I know locally looks good. Ken up north has a GREAT one. As an experiment I tried one and understood my chances.

    Cornus controversa is neat. Grows well for me. Here and at MOBOT it seems to want to spread wide. I have seen a variegated cultivar advertised I just may buy someday but I already have 9 Cornus family trees and bushes so I am trying to diversify before I create a breeding ground for the greater cornus moth or something hypothetical like that.

  • flora_uk
    10 years ago

    Purple leaved forms of P cerasifera are definitely trees. Single trunked and growing to 6 - 7 metres. I've never seen it in bush form.