Return to the Rocky Mountain Gardening Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Tree suggestions
| | |
Posted by david52 z5CO (My Page) on Thu, Jun 25, 09 at 11:04
| Seeing the other threads here on tree selection, thought I'd open it up a bit more.
Twelve odd years ago, I used the Soil Conservancy to pick up hundreds of bare-root trees and shrubs to plant a noise/wind/visual border as I live on the corner of two busy county roads. The trees are Scots Pine and Green Ash - the pine is getting hammered by bark beetle, I lose a few each year, and there are several that are, for all intents and purposes, dead already but still look green. And the Ash may well get hit by the borer, if it makes it's way over to the western slope.
So I wish to replace them, slowly and as they die off, with inexpensive bare-root selections. I'd also like to have several different species to avoid what I have now, a mono-culture susceptible to a single bug or disease.
I have lavish irrigation, but that isn't really the direction I want to go - I think it reasonable to assume that in the future 50 years, the available amount will go down, but still have some water available.
Any ideas? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Tree suggestions
| | |
| Noise barriers, to be ~effective, must be broad-leaved evergreens. Second, effective wind barriers use shorter shrubs to windward then a row of trees, so keep this in mind. Dan |
RE: Tree suggestions
| | |
| Well, they aren't broadleaved, but what about Thuja. There are different sizes etc. I took a quick peek at the CU extension site and looks like the can get winter burn and that they could be damaged by heavy, wet snows. Would cedars work? I don't really know, I just like guessing ;) Maybe taking a peek at the site will give you some ideas? J.
Here is an even better link as it lists native trees of Colorado...I'll bet they don't need much water! http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07421.html |
Here is a link that might be useful: CU extension trees and shrubs page
RE: Tree suggestions
| | |
| I think you posted on a thread that you had planted wind break, as I did. I used Lilacs on the windward side and Rocky Mountain Junipers inside. I don't know of any native pines that won't get the beetle. I hope as time goes on we find a way to combat it, but it may just be nature. I like Rocky Mountain Juniper, but they can also get the beetle. There is the eastern red cedar, but they can get scraggly looking as they age. I really like Austrian Black Pines. I think you're on the right track as far as mixing up the plantings, although windreaks aren't as effective if you mix up the varieties. Pick what you like! |
RE: Tree suggestions
| | |
| RM junipers are starting to look invasive as we control wildfire and they expand their range into piñon and displace them, so they might be problematic soon. But I'd use those windward to run the wind up into the canopy. Dan |
|
|
|
|
