Help me pick a tree!

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I just finished painting the front of my house. I won't get to do any serious landscaping for a while but I would like to pick out a tree.

It needs to be a small to medium sized tree. I'll be planting it 3 or 4 feet from the house. Facing west. Full sun. Sunset zone 6.

I want something with either interesting bark or leaves (not all that interested in flowers but flowers are.... ummmm.... okay) with red/dark colors. I would like something uncommon -- not a japanese maple -- there are 15 on my block.

I've identified a few that grow in my region that I like.

I'm hoping that someone here can help determine which tree might work best.

I love the birchbark cherry but I'm worried it might get too big. Could this tree be pruned to keep it within 12-15 foot range?

http://image50.webshots.com/650/3/35/20/2453335200045680674LxelDY_ph.jpg

Another choice would be a coralbark maple:

http://mendocinomaples.com/new_images/products/1Fjellheim.jpg

I also like the smoke tree, mostly for it's purple and red leaves:

http://www.rainyside.com/images/shrubs/Cotinus_coggygriaRoyalPurple060705.jpg

But the tree itself is pretty interesting:

http://cdn.blisstree.com/files/2008/02/3324_l.jpg

Or, maybe you know a pretty tree that would work in such a location!

Any advice appreciated.

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Type: Question • Score: 9 • Views: 8,951 • Replies: 52

[+4] - boomerang - 09/15/2010Why don't you get a grip, osso? A2K bills itself as "ask the experts" -- free expertise. As responding to any question is completely voluntary you are not required to read or respond...

Gaahh.

I've tried posting a couple of different, decent pictures of that cherry and they keep not showing up except in "preview". Here's a photo of the bark, maybe it will show up:

http://www.floraselect.co.uk/start.php?page_type=show_image&w=200&img=Prunus+serrula+tibetica1.jpg

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@boomerang,

3 or 4 feet is mighty close to the foundation of the house...

I like smoke trees, they are very cool. (the purple ones are the best)

cherry is awesome, but messy.

1 Reply

@boomerang,

we have a flowering crabapple, pale pink flowers in the spring, red/burgundy leaves all year round

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Japanese or Korean Maples are gorgeous in the fall.

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not as exotic, but good for tight spots and has a tap root...

rose of sharon.

flowers all season from June on.

1 Reply

@Rockhead,

good choice, we got one a few years back, and last year i dug up some suckers from it, and we now have 5 more started around the yard

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Fruit and nut trees provide food for the rest of your life after you plant them.

I don't know why we have any other trees than fruit and nut trees, actually, planted in cities and neighborhoods.

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@Rockhead,

The second two trees are listed as "patio" trees - root systems don't interfere with foundations/patios. The cherry is listed as a small garden tree so I think it should be fine. Maybe I could keep one in a big pot instead.....

I have a 40' ornamental cherry in my backyard. It is a mess but oh so pretty.

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@Cycloptichorn,

just spent a week and a half on the manitoulin island, very rural area, and lots of old farm homesteads, everywhere you drove in the country and even in the towns there were apple trees growing, it was great, stop and grab a couple of apples to eat whenever you wanted

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Fruit trees can't be planted very close to the house.

My neighbors have a beautiful crabapple that I get to enjoy without the mess of having a crabapple tree!

I think Japanese maples are beautiful but they're as common as weeds around here. I want something a bit different.

I really want something dark -- dark leaves or dark bark. No pinks or light purples.

1 Reply

Will a crepe myrtle do well in your zone?
Lagerstroemia

They come in all sizes.
Bush, tall, short, spreading, upright, big, small, you name it.

The flowers vary from white, lavender, light pink, medium, dark pink, and a pink that is so dark it's almost red.

The bark and leafs are both pretty.

It blooms from Spring until Fall. I love when the blooms drop and there's this frothy pink/white/red decorating the plants on the ground.

http://img4.southernliving.com/i/2002/06/crepe-myrtle-pruning/crepe-myrtle-pruning-s.jpg?150:150

http://www.atree4me.com/images/crape_myrtle_natchez_oci2.jpg

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/images/Siren_Myrtle_2_220.jpg

2 Replies

@boomerang,

the crabapple we have, has really little fruit, about the size of rosehips, no mess

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@chai2,

Some varietites of crepe myrtle will do well here. But again, I'm not so interested in flowering trees -- more interested in unusual bark or leaves.

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@boomerang,

Quote:

I also like the smoke tree, mostly for it's purple and red leaves:

I was just going to do some Googling to see if this tree would thrive in your growing zone! Yesterday I got to see several of these at the grand opening of a new plant nursery here and fell in love with them. I'm determined to find a place for one in the yard. The deep purple leaves are gorgeous.

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@chai2,

I saw some beautiful crepe myrtles yesterday too. We have two very small ones in the front yard that don't seem to grow much beyond their current size of about 4 feet. Might be because the soil in the front isn't in very good condition and I haven't gotten around to reworking the soil there yet.

http://www.usna.usda.gov/graphics/usna/PhotoGallery/CrapemyrtleGallery/AnimatedCrapeIntro04.gif

The one thing that concerns me with recommending the smoke tree or the crepe myrtle is Mo's allergies. They both produce quite a bit of pollen, don't they?

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The Winterberry Euonymus (Euonymus bungeanus 'Pink Lady') is a shrub that grows only 15' tall and 8-12' wide in zones 4-7. Weeping branches hold bright pink berries, yellow and red fall foliage, and deeply textured winter bark make this an excellent year-round specimen.

http://www.cirrusimage.com/Trees/Celastraceae/winterberry_euonymus_1.jpg

http://www.qscaping.com/Images/Photos/F374-16.jpg

http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-461.jpg

http://creative.plantdatabase.info/plant_imgs/size3/euonymus_bungeanus_I6166P79774.jpg

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I agree with Rockhead that 3 to 4 feet is awfully close to the house.

Here's a list of trees from your local nursery -

http://www.portlandnursery.com/plants/docs/trees/Trees_15-25_Feet.pdf

and their website -
http://www.portlandnursery.com/plants/trees.shtml

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One more suggestion and then I'm done...

Persian Parrotia -- this is a beautiful tree with unusual upright or spreading oval form and texture. It’s fall color is a breathtaking mix of yellow, orange and red. The bark is an interesting exfoliating gray, green, white and brown.

Height:
20-30 ft. (6-9 m)

Spacing:
20-30 ft. (6-9 m)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade

http://www.stpetersmo.net/UploadedMedia/12523_parrotia_1.jpg

http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Shrubs/M-R%20Shrubs/M-R%20Images/Parrotia%20persica2.jpg

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@Butrflynet,

not to derail, since boom's not interested in this type of tree, but...

no, it just may have reached its full high.
There's many types.
Some grow with one truck, others have multiple trucks.
Some are globular in shape, others spread, still others grow more upwards.

Some grow more than 2 stories tall, others are quite small and demure.

Austin is crawling with 'em.

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