1/21/15 3:08 PM

Wondering if you had any advice for some more plantings.

I have a section across the back of the property that has a nice territorial view of a few miles showing two tree lines. First one about 3/4 mi and the one behind 2-3 miles.

It is uphill slightly all the way out of a gentle valley. Looking to obscure [not totally block] the view from my yard/ground level to maybe 30'. Mostly blackberry briar back there, about 30' less of it since I beat it back. ;) So I would put these 2-3 trees near the briar line. It's pretty wet at the back of the property here as well. See pic for appox placement and the briar before and after. We removed behind the shop two clusters of 'tree mass' that where growing back out of stumps you see missing in the pic also. I was afraid they would split the stump and damage the shop in the wind. They had got to 25-30', wish they where over where I want the new stuff. But still thought the 2-3" saplings growing out of the stump which was rotted in the middle was going to spilt eventually. ;)

I was googling and thinking of Black cottonwoods or hybrid Poplars. I know those both get way more than 30', but not before I won't care one way or the other. So faster growing I was thinking.

Zone 8 here. Populus trichoc and Populus X Canadensis of interest thus far...

<img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/ttf/yard-briar.jpg" >

1/21/15 6:56 PM

Deciduous?

How long is "before you care"?

I'd look at something in the magnolia family as well, they like it wet, maybe macrophyllia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_macrophylla, a spectacular tree when its in leaf.

Dawn redwoods are killer trees that will go to 30 ft in 10 yrs or so...and tolerate wet.

1/21/15 7:27 PM

Do magnolias flower ? yes leaves OK back there. mostly non deciduous round here and on the lots.

Wife is asking what flowering trees would be good for this application?

1/22/15 5:26 AM

In my neck of the woods that would scream cypress or willow. Your world normally does not have either as far as I know.

How about a tulip (magnolia family) or bradford pear. Both can be very pretty. Though the BP requires pruning because if you don't they will self prune, they grow to fast for their own good.

1/22/15 6:13 AM

Bradfords are wayyy to much work. The dawn redwood is very similar to a cypress.

Magnolias flower. The macrophyllia is the only one of the bunch that is fast growing. Giant leaves up to 24 inches and gargantuan flowers.

1/22/15 10:38 AM

We are going nursery hopping this weekend. As I have said before regarding x-mas tree farms near by where we are. Nursery locations abound! Probably 10 with in 5 miles of the house out here are the edge of outlaying suburban areas.

1/22/15 8:25 PM

Greg, we have the giant ones down here. Huge flowers and shiny leaves. Not all of them bloom. I used to pretend the seed pods where hand grenades when I little. I would bet that is a purely southern thing.

1/23/15 7:10 AM

Those are magnolia grandflora. They are evergreen, and beautiful. They have extended their range to the lower northeast, I have a couple different ones, thru hybridization. Very slow growing though. What I'm suggesting for Bob are macrophyllia, which looks almost like some kind of exotic tropical tree-deciduous, leaves twice again as big as grandflora, and flowers that are larger as well, but not fragrant.

Magnolias have a global range, many of the deciduous varieties originated in asia.

1/23/15 10:21 AM

My neighbor has a beautiful magnolia in their front yard that overhangs my driveway. It's an absolute explosion of color when it blooms in the springtime. Gorgeous. And a clear indication that the cherries will be blooming two weeks afterwards.

The only downside is the cleanup involved when the flowers drop. A small price to pay for the color display IMHO.

1/23/15 11:20 AM

"cleanup involved when the flowers drop"

I will just blow all that fodder back to rot and feed the briar I guess.

One of the advantages here is that a very low percentage of the tress are deciduous. I have light autumn yard duty as compared to TN which was perhaps 95% deciduous. But you loose the extreme autumn color show.

1/23/15 10:33 PM

Bradfords also are weak. Storms cause limbs to break and entire sections to spilt off as they get older (15 years or so)