"Clean" Tree?

I am looking for a tree that I can plant next to my deck that will not constantly drop trash or spit goo and liquid on my deck and furniture.
I am fine with anythiung that will get at least 15 feet tall, and decidous is fine--I don't mind the once a year leaf cleanup. But please--no months long cycles of icky stuff to clean up. Now, there is a crepe myrtle there, which I cannot wait to get rid of. It spits goo from June -October, and flowers get all over everything and stick there and STAIN from July-October. Must. Go. Ideas???? Again, it doesn't have to get big, I am OK with leaf drop and even a short period of flower drop. It gets full sun. Oh...and I do want something that at least has a medium speed of growth. No camellias. Any ideas? What about a redbud...are they clean? THANKS!

Why are your crepe myrtles dropping goo? I have 15 or so here and I have never had any of them ever drop goo... these are a wonderful plant that I would think would be perfect - you might need to get someone out to look at your crepe to know what is going on before you plant anything else.

That said what about an oak, magnolia, redbud, dogwood, or vitex? Just make sure you do what you need to about getting the area clean after the goo dropping first or it might spread to any new planting.

is it goo or poo?

The goo from the crape myrtles is probably honeydew from the aphids--they love crapes, and if you have a big infestation of them you'll get honeydew dripping down from the tree.

right, or a fungus or such.. take care of the problem and the crepe will be a nice plant to have. Trees just need a little TLC from time to time.

Thanks....the "goo" is actually a fine mist of a sticky watery substance...if you sit under it (which you have to do...it is the deck...) then it feels like a very fine mist of rain. But that is not what I want to sit under. It does it every year...I don't think I have aphids...but I willl check. If it was JUST the mist, I might be fine with the tree there. Although, it keeps all of the furniture and cushions wet all of the time, which makes them turn black and sticky and gross. BUT, it's alss the flower petal drop. They are dark pink, so the flowers drop all over the furniture and the wood...for almost 4 solid months. And it alos drops last year's seed pod things. It is a messy tree. I have 6 other crepes in my yard, and I love them. I am not a crepe murderer. But this one is ill-placed and after 5 years of hating it there, I feel entitled to plant something else. I have over 300 different plants in my yard, that I planted myself, including trees, including a ginkgo which will live for thousands of years. I won't sweat chopping down one crepe myrtle. I'm just looking for advice on a tree that you can sit under, and have furniture and a deck under, that won't be daily maintenance for months on end. And an oak would be too big...I need something that will not have that much "spread". Any height is fine as long as it is at least 15-20' at maturity. But spread, that has a limit, due to the house and future expansion plans. And I want something LONG lived, which is why I nixed the dogwood idea...though I do have my eye on the Empress Of China dogwood...hmmm....and the redbuds...anyone know if they drop sap or goo? I am fine with early and quick flower drop, and leaf drop is totally fine by me. It's the constant goo/rain and the prolonged constant sticky dark staining flower drop that I am hating.

PS: I forgot....dogwood won't work, the spot gets full afternoon sun from about 11:00 until sundown...

You are going to have figure out waht makes this tree drop goo before you plant anything else. Crepes do not drop goo on their own and my fear from the start was the new planting just might get the same illness and start dropping goo too... I would have for you to get another tree and have to worry about the same issues.

On the other hand Red Buds are nice trees. I love them but then again I am from OK and they are the state tree. There is a new Texas White Red Bud out there too... very nice and a good tree and I have a mixed planting of the both of them and it is stunning.

Your description of the mist of watery feeling stuff falling from the tree sounds exactly like what can happen if you have a bad aphid infestation. The black sticky gross stuff which gets on the chairs (and I'm guessing probably on some of the tree's leaves as well?) is sooty mold which tends to form on things that are coated in honeydew from. So I'm about 99% sure that you have a bad aphid infestation, these trees are one of the aphids' favorites which explains why you're seeing it happen every year.

And please dont feel like we are doging you to keep the crepe- it is just we want to make sure your next tree planted there is everyhting you want it to be.

the thing about redbuds is they only look really pretty for such a short time in the spring.
they don't offer much shade, more of an understory tree. the leaves and bark are very dull and non-descript imho. I think they look their best enmasse in the spring in the woods and they are everywhere. I have one and it doesn't have the same impact as the thousands or so blooming in the woods. if someone give me some I'd probably find a place to plant them, if i didn't have anything else to plant, but i definitely wouldn't pay for one. It's a mystery to me that people like them so much and I know i'm in the minority on this because I went to a tree nursery auction and of all the trees the highest prices went for the redbuds! I think i would rather have a river birch or an amur maple. or have you considered a vanhoutte spirea, or other large spirea's, maybe a large rose bush, my favorite is conrad ferdinand meyer gets 10'.

Thanks for the aphid advice. I will find out what to do about it, do it, and while I contemplate the fate of the tree at least the GooMist will stop.

Right and you will know it will not be passed on to the next tree.

I wouldn't worry about that particular spot being necessarily disease prone. Crapes are notorious for aphids and sooty mold, particularly late in the season. Really not a big deal, although admittedly hard to scrub off of deck furniture.

Were I you, I'd be planting a real shade tree, not some small ornamental. Yellowwood comes to mind. Red maple? An oak (not a pin oak -- those branches will always hang low and aren't particularly deck compatible for that reason)? Nyssa? Lots of choices out there.

What about a Yaupon Holly tree? Not too big. Clean. They do have red berries, but the birds get them before they become a nuisance around here. I have one in a large pot on the deck, and move it around where I need it. I think they are fairly fast growning. Not a LOT of shade, but okay for sitting next to.

As MaryMD7 says, "lots of good choices." And may I also suggest a Katsura tree. My guess is that it would be too hot down there for any birch, even river birch.

Any other ideas?

Just a bit hesitant to suggest things in a climate I know little about. You're too hot for me.

I have a katsura near the deck. No problem whatsoever with leaf mess (not so with magnolia...I love our two...but messy --also brings bees when in flower --but very interesting to watch the flowering.) Back to Katsura ...autumn color is fine and an all around nice tree. Good size/growth rate in the 5 years we have it. Also near deck - big leaf holly and it's really nice. Have it off the corner of deck for privacy. A light light green flower. No uglies (leaf clean, shiny, evergreen).

Pomegranate -hot orange flower with pomegranate -- narrow leaf. Likes the sun. Male / female flowers on the same tree. So some 'fruit' but not alot and not messy. Interesting to watch fruit develop. Not a bad tree for neatness. It will break some with ice storms - winter dieback is not uncommon - but just the smallest skinniest 'twigs' on some of the limbs. I hear it is not a long lived tree - more than 10 years but not 30 for sure. Fast growth.

I suggest Wax Myrtle. It's evergreen and the berries (female only) are not juicy, so bird poop is usually not a problem. They can be grown as hedges or trees. If you want a tree, just pick a few main stems and prune the rest.

I've a pair of way big mature Quercus velutina's over our back deck. Not the best combination. There is always a black residue that forms over everything. Then you have the oak catkins to deal with in the spring followed by acorns in the fall. These trees are magnificent. They are also what I consider a messy tree. I should also mention that they attract numerous squirrels (red and grey) who will leave droppings all over everything and pee in your coffee cup as you stand below.

>>>pee in your coffee cup as you stand below<<<

A case made for a patio set WITH an umbrella!



This message was edited Aug 8, 2007 6:49 PM

I am having a devil of a time with this post.

>>pee in your coffee cup as you stand below

Has anybody had any problems with being able to post tonight? I am trying to place a comment after "pee in your cup as you stand below" but each time I 'SEND" it.... just the first sentence posts and the rest is lost.... I keep trying to say that the sentence makes a great case for purchasing a patio set with a nice big umbrella!

....finally.......

how about a hawthorn