|
Sat, Sep 25, 10 at 16:14
| I am looking for a "unique" looking tree to plant in front of my house. It must be drought tolerant and like part- to full-shade along with hot temperatures in summer and down to zero degrees in winter. Around fifteen feet high would be ideal. I'm hoping for something with a single trunk where the branches start up a little higher so I can get a nice even row of trunks (about three trees on either side of the front door, for a total of six- possibly eight). The more ornamental and unique, the better.
The area currently contains some horrific looking juniper bush. I'm looking for something more pleasing and would like to draw the eye upward (especially because my house is very very tall). This particular bed is several feet from the foundation and the soil slopes slightly away from the house (thank you builder!). Any ideas??? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Frist, define "unique". Second, 15 ft. high-there are many shrubs that easily get that tall and with some limbing up will have a "tree" shape. Third, I'm confused on the "part to full shade along with hot temperatures and down to zero degrees in winter" bit. Can you narrow it down? You're on the east side of the Sandias so what exposure will these plants get? How far up the mountains are you located? Zone 5/6-is that the USDA zones? You must be up aways. What's your soil? "Branches start up a little higher", higher than what? "Three trees on either side of the door for a total of...", how much bed length in front of your house do you have? The "horrific looking juniper bush", are they landscape junipers or native? "Draw the eye upward", 15 ft. isn't going to draw eyes upward very far.Do you want to draw eyes or balance the plantings with the height of the house? "The bed is several feet from the foundation", how far? 10? 12? You don't want a tree closer that 10-12 feet to your house. Trees need a lot of space and remember, what goes up, will come down and perhaps on your roof. Also, snow load sliding off of limbs needs to be kept in mind, especially at your front door. I keep thinking that some large limbed up shrubs would work nicely for you especially that close to the house and without knowing the bed size. Do you want evergreen or deciduous plants? There are some great nurseries in Alb., have you talked to any of them? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Southwestern Gardening Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.