Ideas, tree choices, landscape?

   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape? #1  

Fuddy1952

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Messages
3,191
Location
South Central Virginia
Tractor
1973 Economy and 2018 John Deere 3038E
Forty years ago I planted a long row of white pines along the road, tiny now as you see fairly large. Great thing is privacy and needles kill grass on embankment so no weed eating.
Power line (7.2kv) crosses road up to our transformer. A pine died under lines years ago, stump rotted away. Trees planted 10 ft. apart.
I noticed one died (red arrow, 2nd from left of lines). I was going to cut it but called power company, it could fall on lines or out into road, etc. Guy shows up yesterday and said they should cut it and other healthy one close to line (to right). They will cut firewood length, chip everything into mulch even grind stumps no charge. They left a brochure I can pick out two replacement trees from also free. I'm thinking about pink dogwood, dogwood is our state tree, we have lots of white ones.
My question is of these choices which would grow fastest, give most coverage/privacy?
Also I put in some islands around here, a tree+bushes+flowers mulched. I was thinking have them dump pine mulch right there making an island, maybe trees with forsythia bushes?
Tree choices are: dogwood, Kousa dogwood, prairifire crabapple, sugar tyme crabapple, redbud, amur maple, paperbark maple, Japanese maple, autumn serviceberry, weeping cherry, okame cherry, Kwanzan cherry, white fringetree, saucer & star magnolia, winter hawthorn, sourwood, pyramidal arborvitae, leatherleaf viburnum, Holly, laurel, magnolia, crepe myrtle.
A few pictures from brochure. It will face South, acidic soil (clay+pine needles), fairly shady.
Thanks...
20220407_151021.jpg
20220407_151113.jpg
20220407_151205.jpg
20220407_154935.jpg
20220407_154915.jpg
20220407_154900.jpg
20220407_154840.jpg
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape? #2  
I'd stick to the native species with later blooming. Dogwoods tend to grow fast. If you have black knot in your area avoid the stone fruit trees i.e. cherry
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape?
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Wife picked one, I the other. Star magnolia and pink dogwood. When I called they said forcythia is fine also.
I'll order & pay for other trees to plant different places.
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape? #4  
If I had known 50 years ago, what I know today about landscaping today, I would be about $5,000 ahead. I would cut down all my cedars, cottonwoods, and never would have planted redbuds. I would have never planted a tree close to the house, etc etc. I would have researched the subject or hired a landscape professional.
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
I'm happy with our trees, shrubs & flowers except I made the mistake most people do which is planting trees too close. A few years ago I planted two red maples about 20-25ft apart. At the time seemed like a mile away, now limbs going into each other.
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape? #6  
The Hawthorne you have listed as a choice describes the needles as "small and inconspicuous, but still there".

There were several Hawthorne trees surrounding our lawn when we moved here. At first, I loved them, beautiful blooms in the spring and the birds loved to hide in them. Ours had needles that were two inches long though, and between plugging lawn tractor tires and tending to injuries from mowing around them, I decided it was time for them to go. I've since cut them all down.

Nice to know that they have other varieties with shorter needles. Maybe I'll look into them.
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape? #7  
I'm happy with our trees, shrubs & flowers except I made the mistake most people do which is planting trees too close. A few years ago I planted two red maples about 20-25ft apart. At the time seemed like a mile away, now limbs going into each other.
Was kind of thinking the same thing when I saw your row of pines. Dunno how it is with the pines you have, but the lower branches tend to die off as it ages unless the tree has plenty of room around it.
Evergreens are nice for privacy hedges, but they grow so fast that they're really only useful for a few years between when they're seedlings and when they've gotten too big.

Would be nice if I had some sort of hedge between the road and my house, but the power lines run down my side and about the time they got to a useful height they'd start to interfere with the wires.
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape? #8  
For one of my back areas by neighbors we were thinking of an almost semi-circular row of forsythia (x2)with some Japanese black pine (fast grower) in front of one set and a japenese white pine (slow grower) in front of the other.
This is to cover where we lost about 20 or so large ash trees as a buffer between houses.

Good luck with your choices, seems like they will look nice.
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape?
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Some people here plant cypress for privacy along road. They grow fast. The ultimate would be two rows, the one behind staggered between first row.
2022_04_08_10.21.28.jpg
 
   / Ideas, tree choices, landscape? #10  
I think you might be money ahead in the long run if you consult a local Certified arborist or very experienced nurseryman and get some input from them. People plant trees they like. often they are the wrong tree(s) for the location. There are so many native trees, and so many non native ornamental trees to choose from that will make life easier and still be satisfying to look at.
 

Tractor & Equipment Auctions

2020 KUBOTA RTV X1100C UTV (A51406)
2020 KUBOTA RTV...
2019 FORD F-150 (A50854)
2019 FORD F-150...
2017 Yale GLC050VX 3,500 lb LPG Forklift - Powershift, Aux Hydraulics (A51039)
2017 Yale GLC050VX...
2018 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4 SUV (A50324)
2018 Chevrolet...
2007 INTERNATIONAL MA025 DAY CAB (A51219)
2007 INTERNATIONAL...
DOOSAN G90 GENERATOR (A50854)
DOOSAN G90...
 
Top