Tree recommendations

[RobA]

Dargo - the property is 22+ acres. It is sort of a flag lot where the flag has about 400' of road frontage but narrows to about 100' and then opens up to the rest of the property. I've got a lot of room to work with. I also will want to screen some of the perimeter of the property too.

You've planted 30,000 trees so far!?!? Unbelievable!

Henry - thanks, I just ordered a catalog from Mussers. Good selection.

Everyone here has some really good ideas.

 

[plants4u]

Like several have recommended, the Leyland cypress is a good choice for an evergreen screen. One big plus is that in our region they are not subject to mites and insects that other popular conifers are. The Thuja 'Green Giant' that PBinWA mentioned are a very nice tree and are said to be a better long term investment than Leyland according to many experts. I would inquire with a local nursery pro.

Good planting!
C.M.

 

[fawcekj]

My two cents would be to go with the Thuja Green Giant if your wanting a fast growing ground to top privacy evergreen. They grow 4ft to 6ft a year and can get up to 50ft to 80ft tall. They also say that they are more resistant to bag worns than the Leyland cypress. deer don't seem to bother with then at my place. Wish I could say that about my azalea's
Thuja Green Giant
Zone: 5-8
Height: 50-75 Feet
Spread: 10-20 Feet
Musser Green Giant

 

[HobbleCreek]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You may be thinking about a Paulownia tree which is marketed to Japan and which grows in both China and Japan.)</font>

After looking at a couple of websites on the Paulownia tree, that looks to be the one. I don't think the lady that was telling me about the tree told me the name of it, but that tree fits her description. Thanks, and you're right, it was a bit of a departure from the privacy screen thread. Sorry about that.

-- Grant

 

[PBinWA]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My two cents would be to go with the Thuja Green Giant if your wanting a fast growing ground to top privacy evergreen. They grow 4ft to 6ft a year and can get up to 50ft to 80ft tall. They also say that they are more resistant to bag worns than the Leyland cypress. deer don't seem to bother with then at my place. Wish I could say that about my azalea's
)</font>

Interesting, the dear up here leave my Azaleas alone. I stuck a Thuja out in deer territory a few weeks ago and it has been nibbled at quite a bit. Not as bad as Western Red Cedar which the deer absolutely demolished but they have reduced the foliage by about 25% in the last month. The deer have never eaten a Leyland but have rubbed them up pretty bad. The deer really take a tole on the small trees in the fall and winter around here.

IMO, the Leyland's look nicer in the winter as the cedars tend to go a little brown while the Leyland's keep a nicer green/blue hue.

 

[Arcane]

I'd like to make the diversity argument. If you plant all the same trees, when something comes along (disease, insect, mammal, climate) that wipes out that particular species, you'll be left with nothing. The local ag extension service would probably recommend that you plant a mix of the trees that are mentioned here, in groups of 3s. That way, you'll always have some screen even if the worst happens every couple of years.

 

[ym2610]

before you buy give www.arborday.org a look, not saying buy from them, but they have a good web site. Thanks Robert

 

[Michigan_Mike]

Rob,
One item I havn't seen mentioned is your soil type.
We've planted White and Red Pine, Hemlock, White Spruce and Norway Spruce. In one location, the Red Pine did well, but not the White Pine. The other side of the property, the White Pine are doing great. The Norway Spruce are doing well in two areas. Same trees from the same source. The difference is the soil.
You might look at this this link for some additional information
http://washtenawcd.org/catalog/conifers.php

I am partial to the Norway Spruce. We have 30 of them in one area and 3 near the house. Those 3 were about 8' when planted 6 years ago, and are over 20 feet tall now.

 

[MossRoad]

If you want privacy, plant a row of short shrubs, followed by a staggerred row of taller shrubs, followed by two rows of staggared pines. The shrubs provide food for the wildlife and they tend to leave the pines alone while they grow. It also makes a pleasing picture to the eye when viewed from the outside, VS a giant wall of green.

We did this on the outside of our property and it worked well.

Check with your local county agents to see if there are any programs available to help pay for the cost. We had 2150 + trees planted and side sprayed following state guidlines. Then we were re-imbursed 75% of the cost. Ended up costing us about $265.00 total. That works out to about eight cents a tree, planted by somebody else and sprayed. Can't beat it. One nice specimen tree can cost that much.

 

[Henry]

I understand that they have a similar "County Agent" program in Pennsylvania. You can get several types of seendlings for free, in bundles of like 500 trees. However, your land has to be zoned "clean & green" to qualify. Clean & Green allows you to pay less taxes, but you can't build a dwelling on the property.