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need some small/medium size tree recommendations.

Posted by bloodmech21 4a twin cities (My Page) on
Fri, Dec 16, 11 at 7:46

I need to replace some scraggly elm trees that were left unattended and become leggy, unattractive, and are now flirting with the nearby power lines. I am going to have to cut them down, but id like to replace them with something, preferably two trees.

The sites I have in mind are west and northwest of my house on a small lot in an urban area. id say the area to the west of the house is about 50feet south to north 20 east to west. the more north western site is mostly unshaded by the house during the summer but the western one is shaded for the first half of the day. the lot is on the corner of the city block and lined on the both sides by power lines (>_<) meaning the tree cant get taller than about 30 feet.

i was thinking of planting some standard sized apples mainly for their size when fully grown, but id rather have something less prone to disease if possible.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: need some small/medium size tree recommendations.

Disease resistant crabapple-ask at your local garden center
Magnolia: Butterlfies, Elizabeth, Leonard Messel, Merill
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry
Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana)
Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)
Prunus 'Princess Kay' flowering plum
Hawthorn
Japanese Tree Lilac (becoming overplanted)


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RE: need some small/medium size tree recommendations.

To Ginkgonut's excellent list, perhaps also consider Sorbus aucuparia, the European mountain ash. Not a long-lived tree to be sure, making it to perhaps thirty years of age on a good site, but very nice while in it's prime.

+oM


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RE: need some small/medium size tree recommendations.

I'd also consider:

-'Minnesota-Strain' redbud
-Dolgo crabapple
-Three-flower maple
-Korean maple
-Red horsechestnut
-Yellowhorn
-Heptacodium (can grow more like a very large shrub, but can be easily pruned as a small tree)
-Cornelian cherry (actually a dogwood)

I've observed most of these growing at the MN Landscape Arboretum and have a few of them in my own yard.


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RE: need some small/medium size tree recommendations.

If you've gotten the idea that there are numerous choices, you got the right idea. If you haven't gotten that idea yet, we can bend your monitor for a long while yet.

The first things that come to my mind:

Apples aren't as disease prone as you might think in the drier summer climes of the upper midwest, and newer apple varieties don't get released unless they have a remarkable degree of resistance. There is a little bit of sliding scale here, but us it as a rule of thumb.

If disease resistance is truly a matter of concern, I hesitate to recommend pears (due to fireblight), but they are otherwise free of the foliar problems that bother Malus, but the sweetmeat of the woods is a fall treat not to be missed. I have heard that Parker and Flemish Beauty (my personal fav) are the same thing, but would request confirmation.

If redbud really is of interest, do not buy single stem redbud in the Twin Cities, regardless of the strain. Odds are you are going to have a clump sooner rather anyway. And look for the NDSU release, the only Cercis canadensis that survives on the plains of Absaraka (a little NW of Fargo).

And finally, when you've made a choice, run with it. Options exist. Many options exist. Establish your criteria, made your decision, and enjoy.


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RE: need some small/medium size tree recommendations.

I think the U of Minn developed the 'Honeycrisp' apple and if you have other apples around (including crabs) you wouldn't need a pollinator. I'd check with the U of Minn for other suggestions as well.

tj


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