|
| It's our front yard "centerpiece." I dont know what kind of maple it is, but it was planted before our house was built, just a young thing. 12 years ago our house was starting contruction, and although a safe distance away, the equipment hit the little tree, causing a small gash in the trunk. Well, as that tree has grown, the gash grew too, and it's now nearly as long as the trunk, and very wide. The tree leans, and just doesn't look very good. I always wanted to try to save it. But now it's to the point I know we're going to lose it eventually anyway. The gash is very long, very deep, and very wide.
We are looking for a replacement tree. It is the ONE tree we have in the front yard. (we do have trees all over, but only one in this particular spot). So it really does serve as a centerpiece. We're leaning towards another maple. But we would also like to look into "fast growing" trees....hoping it won't take another 12 years to get as big as the one we have is now. It gets full sun there...and I am in southern WI, zone 5. Just in the looking/researching stage now...but any ideas? No willows, we already have one, and although beautiful, they're quite messy! Hubby's leaning towards another maple. I'm willing to keep my options open to anything. Angie |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| I'd go with an oak, but that is just a personal preference since I am not a pro. In five years, you will have a decent size tree. We have a white oak that popped up in our yard maybe eight years ago that is now around 20-25 feet tall and quite beautiful. We have a willow oak that was here when we moved in and is much older, but is one of the reasons we bought our home 15 years ago. It is huge (40 inch diameter-not circumference!). All in all, we have about 12 oaks on our property. They will be here generations from now which is a good feeling. Always good to leave something for those who come after. In fact, we have so many volunteers coming up, if you are up for a road trip, we would be happy to share! |
|
- Posted by grullablue 5 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 1, 12 at 20:04
| Thanks for the offer to share! We live with a woods in our backyard. We have tons of oak trees in our back yard. So kinda want something different. They grow fairly fast you say? I thought they were slower growing.... But, we have a treeline full of oaks (some absolutely ENORMOUS and beautiful!), and then have about a half dozen in the yard itself. I'd really like to go for something ornamental-like, or that has beautiful fall color, like maples do. I'd love to go with a japanese maple, but hubby is convinced they don't grow fast enough. He's as bull headed as they come....lol |
|
| I think (the pros may correct me) that oaks can reach a pretty decent height fairly quickly as evidenced by the volunteer ones in our yard. They are so long-lived that I suspect they seem to slow down as they put on more girth. Japanese Maples are very very slow growing in my experience. I planted two about 12 years ago and they have grown maybe three to four feet in height in that time. How about a flowering tree? My favorite is a crabapple and there are lots of varieties. They are beautiful and do grow quickly. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 2, 12 at 15:59
| if you are surrounded by green.. why not look into something besides green???? and why not a conifer ... like Cham nootkatensis `Green Arrow' .. now that is a center piece ... see link you are aware.. that PROPER PLANTING TIME.. wont be until sept or so??? ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
|
| Japanese Maples aren't well suited to Zone 5. As for slow growth, it varies widely by cultivar. Those that we have, have been anything but slow growing, and that includes a supposed "dwarf". Some things we need to know are: Soil conditions? Wet? Dry? How does the grass grow? Slowly? A picture of the site would help? How big a tree do you want? What region are you located, as Zone 5 varies allot from between west and east. What do you consider fast growing? Anything else we should know? Wild shots in the dark with varying growth rates. I'm sure there will be others if we have a better ideal of the requirements. Arktrees |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Trees Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.