I have a powerline restriction in an area of my yard and have decided this year to try Southern Wax Myrtle - I don't know anything about it personally, and couldn't find it local - but am ordering it from Nearly Native. Maybe someone here has some experience with it.

Frances

Around here, many Cornus florida eventually reaches 30' to 35'. Most of the other dogwood species get even larger. There are dwarf cultivars, but they are slower growing. If you stick with Cornus florida, I'd definitely go with a disease resistant cultivar. There are cultivars resistant to dogwood anthracnose (spot anthracnose too, although usually less important) and cultivars resistant to powdery mildew, but, unfortunately, no cultivars truly resistant to both.

Magnolia stellata will probably fit in your height limitation, but is relatively slow growing. Some cultivars tend to form a more bushy shape, while others tend to be more of a tree form. These are beautiful small trees/large bushes that are usually not significantly bothered by pest or disease.

Cercis canadensis can grow to around 30' to 35' or larger, if they last long enough. These are beautiful trees (especially in the spring) but are troubled with a number of pests and disease and seldom last to an old age. Weak branching crotches are also typical of redbuds. Compared to the number that are planted, there are very few older redbuds out there that are still in good condition. I consider them more of a temporary plant than a permanent addition to the landscape.

A fast-growing, small tree is somewhat of an oxymoron. Fast growing trees normally get very large. Smaller trees are usually slower growing. This is relative and variable with different species, but can be considered a general guideline. Buying a larger (more mature specimen) tree to start with is one way to get a bigger tree that won't outgrow its space, but can be very pricey compared to smaller specimens.
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Dirr lists Myrica cerifera as hardy to zone 8. I'd bet someone has one or two growing successfully in a protected area here, but I'd think they might be a little more challenging in an open area. Memphis is about one hardiness zone warmer than here in Knoxville, and we've had forum members report loosing them there due to lack of hardiness.

Thanks for the feedback.

Brandon, do you have any suggestions for other trees in my height range besides the Magnolia stellata? Also, as an aside question, I am looking to plant a medium to large tree on the other side of my property, but that's where the main line comes to my house from the street. Any suggestions on a good tree to plant on that side.

FYI, I'm just looking for trees that are visually appealing. When I was looking through some of the UTk extension info sheets, I found an intriguing PawPaw (asimina triloba) tree. How big do these typically get if planted in full sun? Are they practical?

Thanks again!

I generally avoid making plant recommendations online for quite a few reasons (some of which are not easily, briefly explained). Sometimes I do, but usually, I don't. I'm happy to give pros/cons about possibilities.

And, BTW, I wasn't really trying to rule out the previously mentioned possibilities (except maybe the redbud), but I just thought it was important to discuss some of the issues associated with those choices.

Asimina triloba is one of my favorite trees. I don't really know why, but I've just always liked them. I have quite a few, and added a dozen more last year. They may not be everyone's idea of the perfect look for some landscape situations, but I think they make a pretty, small tree. If you get two or three (for cross pollination) that produce good quality/tasting fruit, the fruit would be another big plus. Size might eventually become a problem if they are happy. Their typical mature size is around 20', but if they are happy, they can grow larger. 40' is not unusual for an older pawpaw if it really likes its location. If you do choose these as part of your plan, don't plant directly under the lines. Another factor concerning this choice is that it would probably be best to start these from seeds or, at least, from smaller potted seedlings. Pawpaws form a very large taproot even before foliage emerges above ground, and they don't appreciate being disturbed/transplanted. Asimina triloba do great (and fruit much better) in full sun, but really really really need some shade for their first two years. I would recommend using a cage with shadecloth, or something like that to provide the temporary shade.

Hey Brandon - thanks for pointing out the lack of hardiness for the wax myrtle, I'm a bit disappointed as it sounded like a great fit - but - I'm glad to know it's not hardy here. They shouldn't list it as hardy to zone 6 though - that's deceiving.

Frances

Here is a link that might be useful: Wax Myrtle at Nearly Native

Frances, plant yours in a protected area and see how it does. Especially with good drainage and some protection, maybe it will be OK. I know Mark seems to be able to grow some zone 8 stuff around here.

...or call them and tell them that you think it isn't right that they rate it for zone 6 when so many other sources rate it higher. Ask them to stand behind their rating with a hardiness warranty for your plant.

Brandon, I'm going to disagree with you on the zone 8 rating for myrica. While many seed sources may be zone 8, Dirr reports that several varieties have proven hardy to zone 7. Ironically, one of the hardiest cultivars, 'Hiwassee', was cloned from a large, old specimen at the UT trial gardens. It reportedly survived -3 with only slight leaf burn in the mid 90's. It is curious to me that this variety is not being offered commercially in Knoxville (last time I checked). It is available in McMinnville. There are several plantings in Knoxville that survived 5 degrees 3 years ago, including a specimen at Chikfila in Turkey Creek, a hedge behind Krispy Kreme in Fountain City, a large specimen at an apartment complex at Walker Springs, and a plant that I gave to a friend in west Knoxville. As with many plants, I think seed source is probably key. A majority of seed sources probably are zone 8, such as the gulf coast, florida, and coastal carolina. However, distribution maps show that myrica is found as far north as northern Delaware along the coast (zone 7a). Oh, and my recommendation for a good small evergreen tree under power lines? Prunus caroliniana 'Bright 'n' tight' (Carolina Laurelcherry).

Myrtleoak,

It wasn't my rating. I was just reporting what Dirr says in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (aka The Tree and Shrub Bible). Many sources agree with zone 8 as the lower end for Myrica cerifera. Many others report it hardy through zone 7. I've seen zone 6, but from far less reliable sources. Some nurseries push their zone ratings to increase sales.

I have no doubt that some cultivars are more hardy than the species, however I still wouldn't personally recommend Myrica cerifera for a landscape specimen in an exposed area here in this part of TN. Maybe Frances's wax myrtle was one of the hardier cultivars.
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Prunus caroliniana 'Monus' (the real name for the plant with the trade name of Bright 'n Tight) is consistently rated as zone 7 hardy. While zone 7 plants would probably be fine here, even long-term, one should realize that they are choosing something that "officially" may not be hardy here, and that an especially cold winter might prove too much. Nevertheless, I agree that it would be on my list of possibilities for this project. I think I will be on the lookout for a couple of these myself.

And I planted some chinquapins where I wanted something smaller than a full-blown tree, what about them? They are more bushes than trees actually, but they look nice and are supposed to bear edible "nuts" eventually.

Brandon, Prunus caroliniana has proven hardy on a long-term basis 'in the Knoxville area' and has begun to naturalize some in west Knoxville. There are specimens that appear to have been planted in the 70's, if I am correctly dating the structures. It appears to be able to recover from infrequent subzero temps (most areas of zone 7 will still see rare temps of 0 to -5). All in all, I will maintain that M. cerifera is very doable in Knoxville with proper cultivar selection and siting. I think the zone 6 rating may be related to confusion with M. heterophylla, which appears to be hardier. I have seen it marketed as "waxmyrtle" before rather than evergreen bayberry. The ranges of the two overlap. I do not know if hybridization occurs. Oh, and they had Prunus caroliniana them at Pope's in Rockford as of 10/11.

Katya,

The common name chinquapin really covers a lot of ground. Members of at least four genera are known by that name. Can you be more specific?

P.S.

...and if you're thinking Castanea pumila (like I'm guessing your are), what about chestnut blight?

Thanks MyrtleOak for the info - that's a little encouragement for trying the wax myrtle - I've made so many wrong choices I'm getting a bit weary of trying but really like the pics I see of this tree - however, I understand what Brandon is saying about not a good idea to plant things like trees/shrubs that take so long to look good and then lose them in a particularly bad season if they are not hardy.

Frances

I'm trying to decide between the following:

Dogwood (one of the white disease-resistant varieties)
Kwanzan Cherry
Crabapple

Anyone want to post positives and negatives of these three?

Kwanzan Cherry - short lived and frequently afflicted by a number of pests and diseases (aphids, bacterial canker, black knot, borers, crown gall, leaf spot, powdery mildew, twig cankers, viruses). This is one of the few trees that I've seen that frequently caries a warning about potential pest and disease issues by most nurseries trying to sell it. Kwanzans are just plain finicky, IMO.
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Dogwood - if there aren't a lot of these around where you live, give it a try.

From a Cornell publication:
"To avoid or lower the risk of dealing with (dogwood anthracnose), consider using resistant (cultivars). The white flowering Kousa Dogwoods, Cornus kousa have shown good resistance and require less input to maintain a healthy tree. A number of crosses between C. kousa and C. florida have been made in attempts to produce the flowering characteristics of the Flowering Dogwood with the resistance of the Kousa Dogwood. These cultivars are available on the market and are known as the 'Stellar' Hybrid series, 'Aurora', 'Celestial', 'Constellation', Ruth Ellen', 'Stardust', and 'Stellar Pink'. A resistant Flowering Dogwood cultivar named 'Appalachian Spring' has also been developed from a living tree in an otherwise devastated Maryland forest and (is fairly widely) available."

'Appalachian Spring' has received a LOT of good press recently and is in high demand.
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Crabapple - I'd definitely considering using a few of these. Be sure to find one that is resistant to the four major crabapple disease.

Here's a list of some cultivars (and species) that are pretty disease resistant. The ones with *** are also frequently ranked very high for aesthetics. I have not narrowed down the list for size or appropriateness for our area, but this list should give you a good start.

'Adirondack'
'Bob White'
'Camzam' (Camelot)
'Centennial'
'Christmas Holly'
'Donald Wyman' ***
baccata 'Jackii' ***
'Ludwick'
'Mary Potter' ***
'Molten Lava' ***
'Ormiston Roy'
'Prairifire' ***
'Professor Sprenger'
sargentii ***
'Sentinel' ***
'Silver Moon'
'Sinai Fire'
'Strawberry Parfait' ***
'Sugar Tyme'
'Tina'
'White Cascade' ***

If you have junipers (especially Eastern Red-cedars) near the planting location, you may want to be sure to choose a variety with EXCELLENT cedar apple rust resistance.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell Article on Dogwood Anthracnose

Well, what the heck, I'll narrow down the crabapple list a little more for you. The *** still means rated high for looks, the ### means EXCELLENT (not just good) disease resistance across the board (including cedar apple rust, fireblight, scab, and powdery mildew), and the sss means it's mature height is 20' or less (only a couple don't meet this criteria).

'Adirondack' ### sss
'Camzam' (Camelot) ### sss
'Centennial' ###
'Christmas Holly' ### sss
'Donald Wyman' *** ### sss
baccata 'Jackii' *** ###
'Ludwick' ### sss
'Mary Potter' *** sss
'Molten Lava' *** sss
'Ormiston Roy' sss
'Prairifire' *** ### sss
'Professor Sprenger' sss
sargentii *** sss
'Sentinel' *** ### sss
'Silver Moon' ### sss
'Sinai Fire' ### sss
'Strawberry Parfait' *** sss
'Sugar Tyme' sss
'Tina' ### sss
'White Cascade' *** sss

Sorry for the double-post. GW, or my browser one, malfunctioned.

Brandon, thank you so much. I'm very excited about getting these new trees for my property. I'm thinking of getting three tress total. Since that's a relatively small amount, do you think that I should stick with just one type of tree (dogwood or crabapple)?

I think that depends on your tastes and the style of your yard. Personally, I would appreciate the variety. I'd be tempted to choose a dogwood and a couple of noticeably different crabapples or three noticeably different crabapples, but not everyone would agree with that and some yards (especially more formal yards) might not even look as good with a patchwork of trees. Try looking at your yard (do this from multiple vantage points) and thinking whether similarity/conformity would look best or if variety/contrasts would be more appealing.

About chinquapins: sorry, I can't be more specific because I bought them from a local heirloom nursery that is very interesting and specializes in appletrees - the Urban Homestead in Bristol www.OldVaApples.com. They are really bushes not even small trees. Apologies for not answering you sooner Brandon.

The chinquapins that Urban Homestead offers are Castanea pumila. The species, as a whole, is susceptible to chestnut blight. The Allegheny (pumila) variety has been reported to have some resistance. I'd guess that Urban Homestead is selling pumila, because of their location. So it's hard to say if plants from them will survive long-term. Castanea pumila has been wiped out of some of it's native range by chestnut blight and the disease is ubiquitous in Tennessee, but maybe Urban Homestead's chinquapins could have some resistance.

I see I should have probably have been clearer about something. The Allegheny variety is Castanea pumila v. pumila as opposed to the Ozark variety, Castanea pumila v. ozarkensis. Below is a link that shows their native ranges.

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA Plants Profile