We just removed a very large Bradford pear. It was 23 years old and was taking up most of the smaller side of the yard where it lived.
However, the vacant spot looks empty now. There is a sweetgum there that had been so encroached upon, it's completely bare on that side! I would like to replace the pear with some kind of small flowering tree that won't get so out of control (and would let the sweetgum have most of the space). Problem is, I really don't know anything about flowering trees. I was thinking a pink crabapple or something, but apparently over time those get quite big too.
Exposure is southwestern (full blazing hot sun in the afternoon), so a Japanese maple or dogwood won't work. That's about the desired ultimate size, though. Any other suggestions?
Flowering tree suggestions
How about a Little Gem Magnolia.
A Mexican Plum would be ideal
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME
or maybe a Texas Redbud
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CECAT
How disease resistant are Mex. plums? Does the fruit taste good?
Cheryl
I have never had any disease problems with mine, the fruit is small and usually gets eaten by the birds, but it is supposed to make good jam or jelly, unfortunately those birds have never given me a chance to try it.
The tree is truly beautiful when in bloom, and also a very good source of nectar for the bees and butterflies.
It is also a larval plant for the Tiger Swallowtail and the Cecropia Moth.
I didn't know redbuds could have pink flowers... I've only ever seen the lavender ones. That might be just what I'm looking for.
Ken, I love magnolias, but somehow I just can't picture one out there. The shape or the leaf texture or something... I dunno. I might have to think on that one awhile.
Patty, I have a potted Eastern Redbud that I can give you it is about 2 feet tall, but no guarantee about the bloom color since it is a volunteer.
I also have a Mexican Plum about the same size.
Josephine.
I love Redbuds! The only thing is that they do have a short blooming season. However, they're one of the earliest bloomers in the late winter/early spring and are always a ray of sunshine after the cold of the winter.
I think redbuds are still attractive when not flowering - there's a graceful droop to the branches, the rounded leaves might be a nice contrast with the pointy sweet gum ones, and then the seed pods add some interest. And darn hardy.
I am also a little enamored of wafer ash. They do get a little bigger, but since the sweet gum has a good head start I think it would be fine. It's really a citrus tree, not an ash, but the leaves do collectively have that sort of quivery aspect. Not much for flowers, but the wafers are kind of cool, and they're larval food for some swallowtails. The overall form is sort of a puffy cylinder, so again might be a nice contrast with the more angular sweet gum form. Supposedly yellow fall color from the leaves, although down here they mostly just die and fall off.
Oh, I love redbuds, even when not in bloom, but they just have a short blooming season.
consider fruitless pomegranite
http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/granatum_double.htm
Josephine, if you could save your redbud for me, I would love that. The reason I'm waffling over the color is that whatever I put there will have the house as a background. My house is dark red, and--believe it or not--there are a lot of colors that really clash with it. That vivid lavender is one of them. But, if it turns out that it is that color, I can always find another spot for it, where its beauty will really be displayed.
Lovetropics, I actually already have a fruitless pomegranate. (Although it does fruit after all, and every year we check to see, "can we eat them yet?" LOL!) It's not exactly what I'm looking for for this particular spot. But I just love, love, love the one I have. They're so beautiful, and if that wasn't enough by itself, my hummers adore it too.
Here is a photo of the spot where I need a new tree. It's several years old, and doesn't begin to show how much the pear had encroached on the sweetgum and the house. But hopefully it'll give you an idea where we need a new tree.
Yes Pattie, I will save the Redbud for you and when we have a chance you can take it.
Josephine.
Thanks, Josephine. :)