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| Hi- I need to plant a tree in my front yard and
I am hoping you could comment on my selection here or provide some alternatives. I get full afternoon sun and would like something that would provide some side privacy for the porch and also provide a little bit of shade for the sunroom (2 windows all the way to the left in the pictures) I had previously posted asking folks here to ID a tree that I love and it is a Magnolia virginia. I was wondering if you all think that would be a good choice here? I called a nursery and they have a "moonglow" and a "sweet bay" She told me that one is a tree with a single trunk and the other is more of a clump form. Which one would you select? If you don't think this is a good option, what would you suggest? Thanks for your help. 
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Mon, Sep 3, 12 at 9:08
| Posting from the cell so I will be a man of few and mistyped words. Bury the downspout extensions, trees hate grade changes. Plant a stunning round evergreen or two a few feet in front of the A/C. It will like some shade but wanna stay green. And how about paperbark maple for your tree? Acer gresium. Look around and see how they do in your area before you go the magnolia route. In the warmer spots around st louis some look good. Elsewhere they live but it is a struggle. |
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| Thanks Toronado. Yes the downspouts are actually being buried today. I should have said that in my original post. There are several magnolias nearby and they are beautiful. I think it would do well but am open to other options. Thanks for your suggestions. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Sep 3, 12 at 17:28
| what are you doing on the other side of the walk ... perhaps a pic straight on.. of the whole front.. might help define the issues .. ken |
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| Ken, not sure yet. I'm new at this so I have to tackle one problem at a time LOL! My computer died this am so I have to reload my pictures. I'll get a few more on here especially since I'd love some suggestions for the other side of the walkway. Thanks! |
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| Hi Here is a picture of the house from the street, as best as I could get. It sits up pretty high but has a fairly level area at the top of the steps all the way to the brick wall of the porch. I am planning to landscape in front of the walls on both sides and have a pretty good idea of things I like and what I would like there possibly including roses, grasses, maybe weigela. The trees close to the street must stay- they are township trees. I appreciate any suggestions! Thanks |
Here is a link that might be useful: Ext pic
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| chestnut, What direction does the house face (nevermind I see west), and roughly where are you located i.e. North Kentucky or Northwest Arkansas in my case. That way we can better advise you of what is likely to do well for you. IMHO, that is not the best spot of a Magnolia, though those with more experience with them may disagree. Another potential problem that I see is the fact whatever you plant may be awfully close to the AC unit. That would do neither of them any good. Plant restrict the airflow around the AC, and the AC pumps out allot of extra heat, and desiccates anything near it. The first thing that comes to my mind would be a Redbud. Perhaps one of the new cultivars like Rising Sun or maybe Appalachian Red. Or if you are in 6b, then Oklahoma Redbud Cercis reniformis (some consider it a species others do not) which has magenta flowers and extremely shiny leaves. Paperbark Maple Acer griseum is also a good suggestion. Another maple would be Chalk Maple Acer luecoderme, which is kinda of a smaller tougher Sugar Maple. Acer triflorum the Three Flowered Maple should work as well. Various cultivars of Acer japonicum. Can you tell I like maples. ;-) All these are predicated on having some space away from the AC unit. I'm sure we can come up with more options with more info as to what you like. Arktrees |
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| Thanks Arktrees. I'm in Pittsburgh, PA. I think that is 6b. The tree will be about 8-10 feet away from the a/c unit. Thanks for your suggestions. I am trying to find something a little different- maples are very pretty but they are in front of every house on my block. I will definitely check out the cernis reniformis because that is a look I really like- the shiny leaves with flowers. I was hoping the magnolias leaves would be shinier than they are but I still like it. After going to see the different magnolia I think I am leaning toward the sweet bay variety which is multi stem instead of the moonglow which is a single trunk. Not 100% sure but trying to decide. Any suggestions for another multi stem tree? Someone else mentioned the paperbark as well so I will check that out. Thanks! |
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| I love Paper Bark Maples, I have three. Two planted, and one that I have in a pot that came up as a volunteer. GREAT trees as far as I'm concerned, and not terrible common. Their Species is Acer griseum. Look into the Three Flowered Maple Acer triflorum. They are nice in their own right. Both these maples have trifoliate leaves, meaning each leaf is divided into three parts, so they look like the typical maple foliage. Other suggestions that come to mind are any number of Crabapple, but those are rather common as well. American Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus. A unusual small flowering tree. Various Serviceberries, Amelanchier species. There are many selections of these. They flower in the spring, have fruit in summer, and end up with fall color display. As for Oklahoma Redbud, some name them differently than what I indicated above. So you might actually have better luck searching by common name. The intensity of the magenta color varies by specimen, so you might want to look at them just before flowering in the spring. I have seen some a grape purple, and other a pink-purple. Below are a couple of pictures of our Oklahoma Redbud from last spring. Arktrees
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| Ooh Arktrees that's a pretty tree! I like how it is sort of open and not a real tight foliage. Thanks for your help. I'm going to take a list and go see some in person. |
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| That house has tremendous character. What ever you do don't hide it. If it wasn't already mentioned I'd plant a grouping of a dense compact rhodie to hide the AC and window well. Then just a small ornamental that is light in leaf texture. |
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| Look at a Vitex. They will be multiple trunk, not too large, and have spikes of lavender or purple, pink, or white blooms for several months. Bee and hummer magnets. |
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| Thanks Whaas. We are in the process of fixing it- it was a mess and the landscaping non-existent. There were 7 HUGE pine trees completely covering the whole house- it was totally hidden. I like the redbud or Paperbark Maple idea combined with the rhodies in front of the ac. I don't know if you can see it in the pictures but the roof is red terra cotta tile so that would bring out the red. Could anyone (Arktrees?) post a picture of a paperbark maple? Eahamel I've never seen or heard of a Vitex- I will look into it. I have other spots to work on around here too! I appreciate all the help! Thanks again |
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| This was a tough to find lower branched specimen. The bark was some really nice exfloliation going on right now. I'll have to get an updated pic.
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| Sorry for the delayed response but WOW! Whaas that has incredible color! So beautiful! I have a nice list that you have all provided, and some pictures too, so I'm going to try and get to the nursery to check out what is available. Thank you all so much for your help- I appreciate it. I'll be back with pictures once I've got things planted! |
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| If you where from around here I just saw a decent 7 gallon paperbark maple for $18, yes $18. Its 75% off but hidden near a post under a canopy. |
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| Wow Whaas! That's a bargain! I took a picture of another tree I saw and was wondering if any of you know what it is. It is multi-trunk and quite full at the top. I don't know how old it is but it is about 15 ft tall. Here is the foliage up close.  |
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