Silver Maples coming down, what to plant? Tree recs
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Anonymous
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We are taking down 2 giant (and sadly hollow and sick) silver maples and are having trees planted in their place. What did you decide to plant? We have clay soil.
What trees would you consider good front yard trees (i.e. non-obstructing root structure) that were a good value. |
Anonymous
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Silver Maples are good street trees, meaning they will tolerate poor soil, grow quickly, and stand up to heavy abuse. If that's the environment, other good street trees include several oaks (White Oak and Red Oak) and Zelcova. My current favorite maple is an autumn blaze - fast grower, tolerant of sun/shade and poor soils, and great fall color.
If you're looking for more of a specimen tree for your front yard, I am a huge fan of river birch, because of it's shedding bark and winter interest. Some people hate them - personal preference. |
Anonymous
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not the OP, but what is a good tree to line the street frontage to a property for privacy? similar concerns about value and speed of growth.
right now the front is just grass then sidewalk then a 2 lane secondary road. one neighbor has a white picket fence but we want more privacy than that. |
Anonymous
| For fast-growing privacy, leyland cyprus and green giant arborvitae are very common but good choices. They are relatively inexpensive too, and you can plant a grouping to get a good privacy effect. |
Anonymous
| thanks. |
Anonymous
OP, I don't have the answer to your question, but would love to know (if you are willing to share) if you would recommend the tree service that took down your silver maples and approx. cost of doing so. We have a huge silver maple in the back yard and are currently getting quotes for removal (which would involve a 90 ton crane). The quotes are all over the place. |
Anonymous
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Those giant silver maples have a life span of usually 35-40 years. If you're hitting that mark, you may consider planting baby ones. Chances are you'll be gone to another house by then, so not your concern.
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Anonymous
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OP here - thanks for the responses.
ALSO, do the trees that have been recommended allow you to plant around the tree and is the surrounding grass in good shape? Silver maples are water/resource hogs and it's difficult to plant anything around there and the grass suffers. Also, their root structures are huge and near the surface and that also gets in the way of other landscaping. To the pp who asked about trees, there was a big range in the quotes. I have 3 trees at issue. I am getting the two SMs out and they are grinding the stump of both, and pruning the 3rd tree for $4k. I think that is a good price and there might be a discount in there because they are doing a lot of work at once. If they only cut down the tree and leave you the stump it is less. One of my other quotes for taking down 1 SM to the stump and significant pruning of of the other two trees - this quote was $2700. I didn't like this company as much so didn't go back to get a comparable quote to the one above. Another tree company said SM #1 didn't have to come down. (sole opinion on that one, the other 4 companies and arborist I met with all agreed that one of my SMs is a hollow hazard) and quoted me $1750 for pruning of 2 trees. The (probably uninsured and unlicensed) tree guy trolling around my neighborhood said they would significantly prune all three trees for $1800. When you are planting new trees, make sure you get a 1 year warranty on the new lil tree!! |
Anonymous
We just had 8600 of tree work done, and I agree that these are decent prices. (We had a lot of trees taken down). I would go as far to verify license and insurance if you unsure. Licensed and insured are the things that matter. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
Can I hijack my post and also ask for general postings about trees you planted and love. What other landscaping do you do near the tree? What is your soil like? Also feel free to talk about trees you hate and why. |
Anonymous
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Silver Maples are trash trees and not sure why someone would ever recommend them.
I think some crepe myrtles (the big ones - say 30 feet high) would be beautiful maybe 3 of them. They like sun and are not understory trees. We have a 10 year old Crepe Myrle which is about 30 feet tall now. Why not go to Betty's Azalea Ranch and get some recommendations. They have a huge selection of trees. We bought a Japanese Zelkova there. It is sort of the American Elm replacement tree. Also have a Honey Locust, but I like the Zelkova (Green Vase) better. Or call a landscaper and have them suggest and plant trees. |
Anonymous
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My mother is an avid gardener and has chestnut, almond, peach, pear, and apple trees in her yard (more like an orchard). Peach trees are sort of dinky looking to me but man she gets some delicious fruit. I just love the chestnut trees. I love the look of them, especially when they get their little pom-poms from the chestnuts and I love the chestnuts too. This is in WV btw.
I found a seed budding in an apple I was eating a few months ago and I put it in some dirt and I've got a little baby tree here now! It's waiting for me to move to my new house! |
Anonymous
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11:21 and 14:07 here: you can absolutely underplant autumn blaze maples, zelcova, and oaks. The maples will grow faster and are therefore cheaper to get large specimens. I think i paid $60 for o e last year - bought at 6 feet, it is now 10. Planted a rhodo and some annuals underneath. Roots are shallow but it is drought tolerant.
The cyprus and arborvitae are not really olantable underneath, but you can layer other plants in front. I like the look of ninebark against the dark green. I like crepe myrtles too, although i think they are a little ubiquitous today. Also, you need full sun for these. Good winter interest. Lot of work to prune and maintain. But if you can find a deep red, definitely a possibility. |