Need suggestion for decorative small tree for my front yard

Hi,

Sorry if this sounds too open ended :)

I'm looking for a decorative tree (as an accent) that I plan to plant at one corner of my front yard. There's a fairly big, sloping, well maintained lawn that is going to serve as the foreground for this tree. Here're some of the attributes that I'm after:

* Must be showy, graceful, neat/compact
* Ideal height 6-8', similar width
* Should be low maintenance, i.e. need not need training for a showy appearance
* Zone 9 (Zone 15 per Sunset Garden) and full afternoon sun
* I have little preference toward flower, fruit, style (tropical, mediterranean etc) so long as it looks good!

Some of the ones that I looked at (may not have satisfied all my criteria above):

* Persian parrotia
* Dwarf banana
* Kumquat

If you have suggestions, and better yet, if you have first hand experience with one or more varieties in my zone, please help!

I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Thank you,
Prabal.

Parrotia gets 20-30 feet so if you really have to stay at 8 feet or less I'd cross that one off the list right now. Are you willing to either consider something larger (most "small" trees are at least in the 12-15 ft range) or consider a shrub instead of a tree? If you really must have a tree and must have 8 ft, then your options are pretty limited. Some dwarf citrus may stay in the right height range, and there are some crape myrtles that would be in the right height range, but I have a feeling the ones that stay under 8 ft are going to tend to want to be shrubs rather than trees. Or some Japanese maples stay really small, but I don't think they'll be happy with afternoon sun.

Thanks ecrane3!

I'm posting a photo here. The desired space is shaded in red. As you can see, I do have a height constraint due to the eaves.

I don't mind shrubs, provided they are neat, decorative and satisfy the other constraints that I posted above.

- Prabal.

I recommend a So jujube. It only requires 5 inches of rain a year to live, 15 inches to produce fruit. It will only live in full sun and loves heat. It is cold hardy to -20 and can take temps over 100 with no problems. It is very fancy with leaves but is extremely ornate during the winter. It is really a show stopper when it has no leaves. It will also give you tons of fruit, even during drought.

Here is a link where you can buy one.

http://burntridgenursery.com/fruitingPlants/index_product.asp?dept=21&parent=7

This site is wonderful and their plants are excellent.

This message was edited Mar 8, 2008 10:25 AM

It looks to me like there's something already in that space--is it getting removed or is whatever you plant going to be sharing space with it? That also seems like a location where the shrub isn't really going to be showcased very much and is probably not going to get noticed, so I'm not sure I'd even bother putting anything there (and I would absolutely not consider putting even a small tree there--the areas looks WAY too cramped and there's too much chance that the tree might get a pinch too big and be banging into houses, etc).

If it were my yard, I'd move out a little more into the front yard and then plant a small tree there--maybe something like a flowering crabapple or cherry which puts on a gorgeous display in the spring, or maybe some sort of evergreen flowering tree. Then you can put some colorful annuals around it. I took your picture and drew in what I'm thinking (please ignore the terrible artwork...I have a laptop with a touchpad mouse, not very good for drawing with!)

On the jujube...how does it do if it gets more water than what it needs to survive and make fruit? Since it's planted in a lawn area, it's going to be getting way more than 15 inches of water a year, and sometimes trees/shrubs that are really drought tolerant don't do well when planted in or near a lawn.

The 15 inches was the minimum it needs to produce fruit. Jujube can do fine with more rain especially if it has well drained soil. In fact, it will produce more fruit with more rain. It can also do okay in heavy clay, just not as well. It is an extremely versitile tree.

The kumquat sounds like a good idea. You could also try a Calamondin citrus. It is known mainly as an ornamental. It is cold hardy to the upper teens.

Hello jujubetexas, can you post a picture of a So Jujube? The ones I'm seeing so far are way too close-ups.

Hello ecrane3, thanks for the drawing. I posted another image of the same landscape, this time taken from the left side to give you a better idea of the available space. You're right, I'm planning to remove the plant that is there.

- Prabal.

I checked you earlier post and now realize that the So jujube would need to be pruned to fit your specifications. Also, they send up suckers and may effect your lawns appearance. I will make some other suggestions instead.
I am zone 9 and I have kept a "snow fountain weeping cherry" for a few years. People actually stop on the street and stare at it when it flowers in the spring. It requires little maintainance and is insanely beautiful. It is listed at zone 8 but I didnt have any problems with the heat last year. You could check it out and see if it fits the bill. It does produce edible fruit but they are very tiny cherries.



This message was edited Mar 8, 2008 7:27 PM

Thanks jujubetexas, weeping cherry looks awesome! I'll check with the local nursery this weekend!

Any suggestions on tropical plants, anyone?

Thanks!

Hello Jujubetexas. I would love to see a picture of the So Jujube tree. It sounds exactly what I am looking for. Would you happen to have one?
Thanks, misstwiggley