Small deciduous shade trees close to house

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Hi,

I would like to plant two small shade trees on the west side of my house to provide relief from the hot afternoon sun. I'm looking for something:

Deciduous.
Small (around 20 ft height) but with large spread relative to trunk diameter.
Well behaved roots so that it can be planted close to the house and concrete driveway.
Does not mind being unbalanced. I'll probably cut all branches that go over the property line (unless my neighbor doesn't mind) and over my roof.

So far, the only ones I can think of are the larger Crape myrtles like Natchez and Muskogee. Are there any others that would do well here?

In in the South Bay (Santa Clara, Calif.) in zone 9b.

Here is a plan of the planting site. The two trees are marked T1 and T2 and are colored green. Ideally T2 would spread its branches over the driveway to shade a large west facing window there.

I know it's not ideal by any means but it's what I have to work with.

Thanks.

Featured Answer

Embothrium

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Any trees big enough to cast shadows as large as you want will

1. Take years to develop to that size

2. Will almost certainly be too big for the available space

In fact there is no in-ground space for a tree at all where you have the existing canopy set up. However the climbing plant that is growing from the bed up onto the corner of the house does suggest the alternative solution of putting up a trellis or arbor and furnishing that with a fast growing climber. This approach would have its own issues of course, including a need for effective annual pruning and training, to get the climber to assume and maintain the desired shape. And not damage the downspout or other parts of the house. And the climbing plant dropping litter onto the drive (as trees would do also). And the installation becoming a possible highway for rats up onto the house (as trees planted so close to the house would probably be also).

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Comments (10)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
west is on the right of the pic????

how about a pic ... i dont think i would plant a tree at spot t2...

your base problem.. is that no tree is going to grow to 20 feet and magically stop ... so then you would be down to topping the tree ...

you might be better off using a shrub.... that you train into tree shape .

but i dont know CA in any sense.. so i will leave suggestions to others ...

ken
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
Embothrium
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
How long do you want to wait for relief? Trees take years to develop, small growing ones often even more so. If blinds or curtains aren't considered suitable probably you need an architectural solution.

Also look how in your visual representation the tree shapes appear to be bursting out of their planting sites. Is this really what you want? Waiting perhaps decades for them to size up, and then having them overwhelm the space, both physically and visually?
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b) thanked Embothrium
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ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b)
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks for the replies. Here is a picture of the site taken from the north, facing South.

West is on the right side (both in the plan and this picture).

You are right that these aren't good spots for trees. I just wanted to check if any might work. I like the look of trees shading the driveway.

Are there any large shrubs that I could train to a tree shape like Ken mentioned?
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
I think that you have very unrealistic expectations of what a tree can do for you in your specific site. You may like the look but with the pruning that you are already planning, your tree will be an eyesore.
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b) thanked rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
(ryanga7a) Ryan M
9 years ago
Crepe myrtles from what I've seen appear to be adaptable in conditions like this -- not sure I'd plant anything close to the house (so I would avoid T2), but the T1 location might take a crepe myrtle. Appropriately pruned, it would look great. http://apps.lsuagcenter.com/news_archive/2015/December/headline_news/Prune-crape-myrtle-trees-properly-.htm

Also, fringe trees don't typically grow taller than 20 feet - but I have no idea if they'd work out in California or if they're even available out there. I'd say they are more of an ornamental tree than a shade-casting tree however.
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b) thanked (ryanga7a) Ryan M
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b)
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Good point about rats. Definitely do not want to deal with them.

But yes, training a vine was my first idea but I don't prefer it.

I might abandon the tree idea then.

But the fringe tree looks good. I don't know either whether it is planted here or not.

One other possibility. I sometimes see this evergreen tree planted right next to houses and it leans away from the house with arching branches. It could be a Juniper? Could this work?
Embothrium
9 years ago
Hollywood juniper. Again you may be talking about at least 15-20 years for it to get as big as you are visualizing. And it being a conifer there will be persisting debris from it.
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b) thanked Embothrium
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
9 years ago
You just don't have a lot of space there for any plant. Look into an exterior solar shade for that west-facing window. They really help keep the heat out. A 'Skyrocket' Juniper might fit, but it is evergreen and won't give you a huge amount of shade. The space is small for a Hollywood juniper, they get bigger. Callistemon 'Slim' would give you some height. They get 8 or 10 feet tall and about 3' wide. Red flowers that attract hummingbirds. Evergreen.
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b) thanked hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
i think you already found the solution..... the fabric carport ...

if you insist on greenery ... you could build a heavier pergola type structure.. and do vines ....

you have no room for trees .. nor shrubs ... imo ....

ken
ofdm (South Bay Area CA zone 9b) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5