Trees in Central TX

[RJohnson]

You didn't say exactly where in central Texas you are at but I would look at some of the shrubs instead of trying to plant a tree that is not native to Texas. IF the heat doesn't kill them the bugs probably will.
I would suggest you look at:
1) Red tipped Photinia
2) Old fashioned Privet
3) Hollies such as Nellie R. Stevens, willowleaf, Burford or Chinese
4) Pyracantha
5) Glossy Privet (Japanese Ligustrium)

You might also want to look at some of the native Texas small trees like Texas Mountain Laurel or Vitex. They are a little hard to find but have lovely blooms in the spring.
If you elect to go with a shurb hedge then you could plant trees behind the hedge to grow up a little slower and be there for many years. I have found that the trouble with fast growing trees in Texas is that they are not long lived. The suggestion of talking to the county extension agent is an excellent one and costs nothing. Good luck.

Randy

 

[cstocks]

Pyracantha is a thorny bush so make sure you don't mind the thorns if you plant them. Pyracantha is good to have if you want a hedge that not only gives you some privacy but also discourages critters, especially the two legged kind, from prowling around them.

Also, be aware that some folks allergies do not tolerate some varieties of ligustrum. They drive my wife's sinuses crazy so we have none on our property. Not only that, while I love the smell of the variety of ligustrums which I am familiar with, there are some folks who find the smell offensive.

 

[OkieG]

<font color=blue>I spend 1 to 2 hours a day chopping cedars.</font color=blue>

We have the cedars here in Oklahoma, too. Compared to the blackjack and cottonwood, which are also prevalent, I'll take the cedars any day. For screening purposes, I wish they grew a little faster on my property.

What do you do with all that wood? Do you use it in a fireplace or are you far enough South not to need a fireplace? I have burned a few chunks in the FP this winter and they burn great. The variety here has just a little pitch in it. Since I discovered chimney brushes (at Home Depot or Lowes) that doesn't concern me quite as much.

In the Northwest the cedars are a different variety. They look similar, but the greenery is very soft (occassionally stickery here in the South), and the wood is quite different. No pitch, but still makes excellent kindling...burns very hot.

OkieG

 

[centex]

Most of the cedars here are small but if I find a tall straight one I save the trunk for a fence post otherwise I pile them up and burn them. The cedars here would have way too much pitch to burn in a fireplace and besides they burn too quickly and pop and spit sparks all over the place; i.e., they are a fire hazard if you try to burn them in a fireplace. I have a few large dead red oak trees that I cut for firewood and I also have a lot of large pecans that I have to trim the limbs from so I have plenty of good firewood both for the fireplace and for barbeque. Any mequite and pecan goes to the barbeque and the oak goes to the fireplace. As far as the desirability of trees goes I put cedar and mesquite at the bottom of the list as do most ranchers around here since if you do not control them they will totally take over your land in just a few years. We have two kinds of cedars in this part of the country. One kind can be controlled by cutting it off at ground level and leaving the roots which help with erosion control. The other kind has to be dug up or poisoned to control. I went over one five acre pasture and totally cleared the cedar last month. Now there are at least 1000 one foot tall cedars covering it. I don't want to use the herbicides because of a lot of large elms that I don't want to kill and I don't like using the stuff around my cows so I have to keep mowing the cedars down. I pull all of them I can but there just isn't enough time available to do the job right. The alergy doctors in Austin love the cedar though as most people are alergic to their pollen and those that aren't develop an alergy after a few years.

We have cottonwood around here too. I also cut any of these trees I find and burn them. I had cottonwood at a house in Austin and I had to constantly clean my air conditioning condenser. There are plenty of good trees for just about any use so I don't see any reason to keep trash trees around.

 

[cstocks]

I wish I could trade your cedar trees for some of the tallow trees which I have been mowing down on my lot for the past 4 1/2 years. You'd think after being mowed down for that many years that they would give up the ghost but they don't. Tallows grow fast and make good shade but they shed limbs year round and produce berries which fall in autumn and litter the ground along with the pointy husks which stick to your bare feet. The berries have about 100% success in sprouting the following spring, so there is a new crop to be pulled up or mowed down every year.

I have several small cedars on the front of my lot which sprang up along the fence row when the lot was still a pasture. I like cedar trees; to me the tallow tree is the definitive trash tree followed in a close second by sweetgums. Be glad that tallows are for the most part a coastal tree. If you had them you'd learn to hate them as much or more than any other trash tree you have to deal with. If anyone ever offers you a tallow tree kindly refuse. Someone introduced them to my hometown of El Dorado, AR a few decades ago and now they are becoming invasive there, too. I don't think the folks there really realize what a nuisance they have allowed to take root there.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I live in Georgetown and I can tell you from experience that Poplars are not good trees for this area. Here are a few suggestions for fast growing screens that deer won't eat (actually they will eat almost anything if hungry enough):

Afghan Pine (also known as Elderica Pine, grows wide and high, tolerates alkaline soil)
Wax Myrtle (boring, but reliable and drought resistent)
Oleander (very toxic, deer definitely won't eat it, can freeze)
Bur Oak (relatively resistant to oak wilt, estate trees)
Texas Mountain Laurel (slower to grow but beautiful, also expensive if larger than three gallon plant)

I suggest variety, not monotonous rows of the same plant.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I used to live East of Georgetown. About 12 years ago a person I know who lives on a busy road planted about 300 ft. of Red Tipped Photinia. She put in 1 gal plants because that is all she could afford. Today that hedge is solid and at least 15 ft. tall. It took awhile but it sure makes for a nice screen.
Rod

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Mountain Cedar

I have to agree with Alan L. The ashe juniper (mountain cedar) has a bad reputation, but it's probably the best screen available to you - especially since it's already there. We have acres of this pest, and we are clearing out as much as we can, particularly the smaller ones. The mature trees with the twisted trunks we are leaving in place. We are also leaving a screen about 25' thick of staggered junipers along our property line that has a power line running along it. It is very effective.

I found this treatise which sings the praises of the ashe juniper, and "untwists" some of the myths. One quote from the article:
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( In general, any mature woody plant in the Hill Country will use more water than grass. This fact was made apparent at the Seco Creek project. When mountain cedar was cleared, existing springs increased their outflow. At the same time, the woody plants left behind immediately grew larger and spread their roots further to take up the water they had once shared with the cedars. It was not long before the water saved was lost.

What the project has found since their initial clearing is that you can increase your spring flow if you clear 30-40% of your woody vegetation and, more importantly, keep it cleared of all woody species. You must channelize the water so that it will not infiltrate back into the ground. They suggest that you not clearcut slopes greater than 10 degrees and that you leave alone east and north-facing slopes and riparian zones. In areas with slopes greater than 10 degrees, do not clear more than 50% cover at a time and do the clearing in strips that follow the contours of the land. The remaining "windrows" of trees and scrub can protect the soil from sun, wind and runoff as well as provide wildlife cover. )</font>

 

[tdenny]

Okie's correct our cedar varieties are much different. They don't sprout like the maple, alder and fir we have. In fact while I'm clearing more of my land I tend to keep only the big maples (we have many varieties) and the cedar. I too love the smell of the cedar.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I vote for the red tip photenia, they can be shaped if you prefer or let them grow. They are cheap, insect resistant. They get about 20 ft tall if you let them go, maybe more. Be sure to plant them far away from your fence so you can get a mower between them and the fence.
I hate juniper cedars. they kill the oaks. I don't believe they are native. If they were, they would have killed all the oak trees hundreds if not thousands of years ago.
I will cut everyone down on my property. If I could afford it, I would hydro-axe them, that way the chips are turned to beneficial mulch for the oaks.
P.S. there seem to be quite a few central Texas folk around this website.