Beautiful 15 Yr Old Cherry Blossom Tree

Hi! I am new to this site and would appreciate some help if possible. My husband and I just moved into our new home, which is about 15 yrs old! We have aquired some very old trees, plants and flowers. Which I love! But I am having a rough start on how to plant or get the ground started for planting a landscape under a 15 yr old Cherry Blossom Tree! I don't want to dig straight into the ground because the roots are massive. Plus the ground is dry with not very much grass around it. Oh and the children in the neighborhood love climbing on it! This is one reason why I want to plant some low lying plants and possibly some flowers around it so that the kids in the neighborhood stay off of our tree on our property. If you need a picture I will have to get it to you tomorrow because I am not at home at the moment. Thank you for the advice and direction on how to get started.

First of all, I wouldn't count on flowers and things keeping the kids out of the tree, unless whatever you plant also has nasty thorns (in which case you may find yourself in trouble with their parents!). I'd solve the problem of the kids first, either by putting up a fence, posting no trespassing signs, getting one of those motion activated sprinklers that they sell to scare off the deer, etc. (although that last one the kids might think was an awful lot of fun!). Otherwise, if you haven't got rid of the kids, you'll just end up with trampled flowers. You might try talking with the kids' parents, it could be that the previous owner let the kids climb in the tree so they think they're still allowed to.

Thank you so much for the reply ecrane3!! I have thought about putting up No Trespassing signs at the line of our property where the tree is - but that may provoke the kids as well. But if they do get hurt from falling out the of tree then it will NOT be my fault then. :) The thorn bush or thorn plant does sound like a great idea. I do have a thorn bush in my property that I can move. I am just wondering how it would do under that huge old Cherry Tree? I have been reading that whatever I put under the tree will have to be ok with a limited amount of water because the tree will take most of the moisture from what will be planted there. So now I am hitting a wall with what to plant under the tree and how to build up the soil around the tree so that the plants won't die.

With the suggestion of motion activated sprinklers - I live in a community with an HOA and the mowers and trash removers will not be happy when they come do there jobs and then they get soaked!!! hahaha....

I believe that the previous owners did not know that the tree was in their property line so they let the kids climb the tree and didn't even bother with getting a property survey done to see where their line was.

I will keep reading and doing my research on what to plant. I have a beginners green thumb and this is so much fun! Thanks for your help.

If you think the kids were previously allowed to climb the tree (or at least not stopped from doing it), I'd definitely try doing something polite first to let them and their parents know that the tree is off limits. Is it the next-door neighbor's kids whose property the tree is near? If so, I'd talk with them, make sure they realize the tree is on your property not theirs, and then ask them not to let the kids climb it anymore because you're worried that one of them's going to fall and hurt themselves. Especially if it's your neighbor's kids, I would definitely try the polite approach of talking to them first before you do anything else, after all they might be perfectly nice and understanding, if they're not then you can do other things but I always think the best approach with neighbors is to try talking to them first.

I also don't think putting up a no trespassing sign is going to protect you from legal liability if they were to fall, maybe it would but I really don't think it changes anything from a legal standpoint whether you have a sign there or not.

Since my husband and I moved to our new townhouse at the beginning of August we have been asking the kids (ages 5-13) nicely to stay off of the tree because we do not want to see them get hurt. I have also told them specifically that the tree was on our property and not to trespass. But they still come onto our property. I don't want to be made out to be the nasty neighbor and but I don't know where the children live - they come over from either sides of the development.

Our townhouse is on the end of a row of homes. The tree sits in our front yard on the corner of our lot near the sidewalk away from the townhomes next to us. Plus the tree is near the line of brush and misc. bushes that are in a common area.

So I think tonight I am going to get a no trespassing sign and post it and prep the soil for planting around the tree. And I will continue to tell the kids to stay off of the tree. Sometimes I feel so horrible saying "No!" but I want to protect what is mine and not tear it down. That is what my husband whats to do!!

Well, if you don't know where they live then you've probably done all you can. Do you have a homeowner's association there? They might be able to give you some advice on what to do, or maybe send a letter to all the residents reminding them that they and their children need to stay on their own property and in common areas.

With kids, the no trespassing sign will probably not do any good whatsoever, and like I said before I don't think it changes anything from a legal liability standpoint. Although since you live in a townhouse, is the land technically yours, or do you just own the townhouse itself? If the land's not actually yours, then you wouldn't be liable for accidents that happen on it.

The land is ours. I had a surveyor walk out the property and/or plat line with me and the tree is definately in our yard. We have a homeowners association (HOA). I will have to call them to find out what more I can do and I have some other questions for them as well. I am learning so much with having a home of my own now!!! geesshhh....sometimes it is frustrating but then again not because I have so much more privacy without living in an apartment. :)

Thank you so much for your guidance. I appreciate it so much. Also, I am still trying to a picture of that tree but with having a 9 month old, I am very busy. Here is a picture of her and my sister and part of the tree!!! Enjoy :)

She's adorable! I'll bet that cherry is beautiful in the spring, too.

Thank you! Yes, I can't wait to see when it blooms in the spring. We just moved to our house in Aug and missed the flowers.

Oh, and to get back to the kids in the neighborhood coming onto our property...what we are going to do this weekend is cut the lower limbs off of the tree. The lowest limb is about 2-3 feet off of the ground from the trunk! Just to do some clean up and try to deter the kids. And not to complain, but yesterday 2 girls about 15 yrs old were in our backyard just hanging out and talking to a boy on the other side of the fence. I was furious!!! Told them that this was private property. Then I saw them go in another neighbors yard and then they climbed up on their deck! Who do these kids think they are!!! I'm eventually going to get a fence because I can't have a damaged yard!!

Thanks again for your guidance.

Have you spoken to your association about this? If they're hanging out in peoples yards, maybe they're doing something else, too, if you know what I mean?

Kwanjin

I will be calling the Association. I don't even want to think of what they could be doing.... Other than that it may be closer to vandalism because that is the vibe of what I am getting.

That's exactly what I was thinking. The lady who had our house before us made a big stink about some kids in the neighborhood and they started putting M80s in her mailbox. They also tore part of the maple bark off the street tree and we had to destroy it it was so bad. We just ignored them and they haven't done anything.

Please be careful how this is handled and good luck.

Kwanjin

That is what I fear Kwanjin! I have noticed that the tree has some pealings around the limbs and it is definately not the tree pealing or sheading. I don't think it can do that! hmmm... And also some tree limbs have broken because of the kids climbing in it. so my husband had to cut down that entire part of the limb. I kinda feel bad for the tree.

Also, my husband found some trash crumbled up between our shed doors around the pad-lock. I don't even want to think of what that could be used for.....ie maybe to start a fire!

So, I have been ignoring them for now. Thanks for the support! :)

Good luck.

Ok so here's my idea about the situation, do, by all means try to get the kids to stop using your yard as a meeting place, congregate, vandalise or walk onto your property, before you know it, you could have an angry parent at your door looking for compensation for damaged clothing after the little angels rips their pants on your tree, falls and needs medical treatment, or whatever some folks can sue you for.
As for being unable to grow things under the tree due to lack of moisture, shallow soil etc, is there enough room to build a shallow retaining wall, boundary around the tree, fill this with top soil/compost etc, and plant into this new bed around the tree, ofcourse it would be good if you could break up some of the original soil to allow rain etc to soak into the hard packed soil around the tree, into this plant spring flowering bulbs, then on top of these (they will grow through whatever you plant) get some cotoniaster that has thorns on the branches, berry's in winter for the birds, also holly planted close together will form a good barrier, stays evergreen all year and you can cut it like a hedge to keep it say about 2 feet high, kids trying to get through that once it gets growing will soon learn it ain't an ideal meeting place, also the cotoniaster can be kept to a decent height, both these shrubs benefit from being pruned as they then grow really thick and bushy as the cutting makes them send out new side shoots, as you are going to chop the lower limbs from the Cherry tree, this will allow water to get closer to the trees trunk, it will also allow light to get under the trees to help with your new planting, better to set plants closer together than normal IF you want to form a barrier to keep the kids away from the tree branches, there are loads or other attractive but really prickly plants you can use the same way, but I am only giving you ideas to help solve your unfortunate problem, I feel a fence around the tree will only give the kids a new challenge and cost you even more worry, expense and aggravation to deal with, you will have to constantly water the new plants till they can fend for themselves and feed them a good multipurpose feed each spring to get them into growing mode after a dormant winters rest. Autumn is a good time for planting as the weather is cooler and the plants settle better without stress from hot sunshine, early spring is also good, but dont do it in the summer or you will be watering forever. it may be worth your while if you can go to the extra cost, to get slightly larger plants as these will help give the kids you mean business, dont be surprised if the kids dont try trample them to bits for the first week or so, but then you have every good reason to yell at them for the destruction to your new garden bed, they probably really dont realise it is your area that they are on as old habits die hard. Hope you can start to enjoy your new home soon, perhaps you could find the ring leader and ask him to give you a hand saying you dont know who the kids are that are destroying the tree and are on your property, but he dont look like the destructive kind of kid, sometimes being supportive works with kids rather that against you personally. Good Luck, WeeNel.

Sorry about being away from the site. Thanks for the in depth message WeeNel. I will take into consideration all of the wonderful advise that you gave me. Last weekend my husband and his friend cut down the 2 lower limbs from the tree. I have attached the best BEFORE picture that I could so that you can see what a beautiful tree it is. This picture was taken from afar and the most furthest that the zoom could take the picture. I will attach a few that I have so that you have a better idea. Thanks.

With cutting down the 2 lower limbs of the tree I am already noticing that more sunlight is coming into the ground nearest to the trunck and around to the front of the house and to the rose bushes as well that are planted on the side of our house. So from what WeeNel was saying about the moisture and the sunlight - I twill have to break up the soil and ground that is already there in order to get the plants/shrubs and flowers started. I just don't want to damage any of the roots from the Cherry Tree!!

Here is another before picture of the tree!

With the tree being really mature, by just digging around the roots for planting, you will not do a lot of damage to the tree, just dont plant too close to the trunk as when the tree is in full leaf, the light will not be too good that close to the trunk also water will be shorter at that area for ant plants/shrubs to get enough, by planting about 2 feet or more from the trunk, you give them a better chance of survival, also you need to check the height AND final spread/width of the shrubs when they are full grown, remember you can control the height of shrubs if pruned or cut at the right time without misshaping the shrub better than cutting the width, but I assume you are looking for shrubs to grow thick and wide to keep the trunk out of reach of the local kids so dont plant too close to the trunk for that reason, Good luck with this, I fell sure you will win in the end, just enjoy your lovely tree and try not to get too stressed about the kids, just try get them on your side and if that dont work, then speak to the parents. best wishes and happy gardening. Weenel.

This is good news to hear about me not killing the tree if I dug around it!!! I will definatley take your advise Weehel to start planting at least 2 ft from the trunk. And you are right about me wanting to have plants that spread out wide and thick so that the kids will not be prone to climbing the tree. I am doing the research right now to decide what types of plants I want to plant right now with the Fall season!!

Thanks again for your help!! :)

Make sure you keep us posted with what you do!!! And take lots of pictures!

Kwanjin

I will keep you posted and there will be pictures too! :) Take care.