Beginner in need of advice for front yard.

10 years ago

Hello,
we recently had 2 big palm trees cut down in front of our house. Now we are left with some ugly stumps. While they are ugly, I would rather have the stumps than the big trees, anyway, this is what we are left with. I'm in need of advice of something I can plant there that would somewhat conceal the stumps. Maybe a kind of plant that grows up onto it and can cover it? Maybe some kind of bush? I also want to eventually plant a tree in the yard to help shade the house. A medium size tree with minimal upkeep would be nice. Any suggestions on that would be appreciated as well. Thank you!

Comments (6)

hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
10 years ago
Can you not have those ground out with a stump grinder?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Selection Guide CalPoly
eloise_ca
10 years ago
If you can't have the stumps grounded down, you can dig a hole in the middle of each (they are fairly soft), add soil and plant. Eventually, the stumps will dry out and will be easy to get rid of. Why is it that you pay all this money to get a tree cut down, but they never cut it ground level?
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gobluedjm 9/18 CA
10 years ago
I agree with Eloise why not cut at ground level. I took down 2 queen palms that were about 15 inches in diameter. They each had about 50 half inch round roots in which I just used an old pair of loppers to cut them all. They didn't have big roots like other trees or 1 big tap root either. Was very easy to do it. Once the rains come soil will be easier to dig around them to do that.
There is a chemical that destroys strumps but I believe you can't plant anything around them for 2 years.
Kippy
10 years ago
My experience is only with long dead palm tree stumps but.

You might be surprised just how easy they come out. I used a corded Ryobi "Sawsall" and sliced up them up like I was slicing a large wedding cake. Using this method I removed a few stumps that when taken down we could only afford to have them cut but not removed.

This method also worked on Yucca plants, but was a lot harder.
hosenemesis
10 years ago
If you can't get them any lower, or hollow them out to plant in them, you can put really big wire basket planters on top of each one and plant an asparagus fern in each.

Do you want a tree that stays green year-round or a tree that loses its leaves? I like my Chinese Fringe Tree. It isn't messy and I have not had to prune it at all. Another favorite is Brachychiton acerifolius. Both trees are pretty in bloom and when they are not in bloom and have nice green leaves.

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of tree
iris_gal
10 years ago
Do you have strong winds? What are winter lows?

What shape of tree appeals to you (umbrella, pyramid, etc.)

And do you want evergreen or deciduous.

There are trouble free trees if we know more of your likes. I think a tree purchase is the most important of all landscape choices. Congrats on getting rid of the huge palms.