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small trees for small yard advice

11 years ago

what trees would be good to plant in small yard in subdivision in middle tn

Comments (3)

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Here are a few common ones to get the conversation started:

    Crabapples
    make beautiful trees for yards and come in different sizes, shapes, and bloom-colors. Crabapples are subject to the same diseases as other apple trees, so be sure to choose a cultivar that is resistant to the four main apple diseases. Cultivars like 'Adirondack', M. zumi 'Calocarpa', 'Camzam' (aka Camelot), 'Centennial', 'Chrishozam' (aka Christmas Holly), 'David', 'Donald Wyman', 'Inglis' (aka White Angel), M. baccata 'Jackii', 'Ludwick', 'Molzam' (aka Molten Lava), 'Prairifire', 'Professor Sprenger', 'Sentinel', 'Silver Moon', 'Sinai Fire', 'Strawberry Parfait', 'Tina', M. hunnanensis 'Veitchii', 'Winter Gold', and the species M. sargentii are reported to have excellent or good broad-spectrum resistant to scab, fireblight, cedar apple rust, and mildew.

    Crape myrtles can be grown as tree-form (especially if limited to a single trunk) or shrub-ish-form (if multiple trunks are left to develop). You can get crape myrtles that will grow to all kinds of sizes, so, if you do your homework, you can pick one that will develop into the right size for your space. Be sure to get one that is mildew resistant!

    Dogwoods are a good choice. If you go with Cornus florida, be sure to choose a disease resistant cultivar. Dogwood anthracnose and powdery mildew are serious problems with susceptible cultivars and just plain species plants. Other species of dogwoods, like Cornus kousa and Cornus mas, are not as plagued by disease issues, but may not be quite as popular.

    Japanese Maples are beautiful and come in a wide variety of sizes, leaf shapes, and colors.

    Redbuds are very pretty when in bloom, but suffer from two major concerns. They tend to develop very poor branch crotch angles and tend to be relatively short-lived. If you buy a larger one from a good nursery, you may be able to find one that has already been pruned and splinted, when young, so that it has developed a better-than-typical form. I'm not a big fan of redwoods in yards (they are great for natural areas) because of their problems, but these problems can be addressed, if you want one.

  • 11 years ago

    P.S. I would stay away from most trees in the Rosaceae family (especially like the ubiquitous always-sickly flowering cherries). Many trees have some disease or pest issue, but these have more than their fair share.

  • 11 years ago

    Some others:

    Dwarf ginkgos are a great choice. Ginkgos are about as tough as trees get. In a yard, you'd want to make sure you have a male cultivar, because females produce fruit that smell something like vomit.

    Amur and Chinese maackias
    are tough, relatively pest and disease free, and tend to be long-lived.

    Small southern magnolias are wonder trees for just about any yard. Cultivars like 'Southern Charm' (aka Teddy Bear) and 'Kay Parris' should be more commonly used in landscapes. They are big improvements over the somewhat lanky looking 'Little Gem'.

    American persimmons are dependable, native, and can provide fruit! You don't want to plant a female Diospora virginiana next to a sidewalk or driveway. The fruit can be very messy. In Tennessee, chances are good that a pollenizer will be close by, so you may not have to plant two trees for fruit, if you want fruit.

    The Chinese Pistache is especially remarkable in fall, with it's showy colors. 'Keith Davey' is a male selection (so no messy fruit and no possible weediness), with superior fall color. This species occasionally has problems with a few fungal pathogens, but generally is not bothered by pest or disease.

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