I'm in search of an ornamental tree for my yard in CT. The space is full sun in the middle of the yard, gets at least 8 -12 hours a day. I was looking at a 'Royal Raindrops' Crabapple, but Forest Farms seems to be the only people that carry them and they are sold out until fall of 2009! Plus, looking at the pictures of the crabs, they seem to have a bit messier habit than I'd like. I would like something that has that more traditional tree look to it...defined stem and rounded top...a bit spreading is ok too. I'm thinking about 15' (maybe 20, though that is pushing it). It will be at the end of an ornamental border about 30 feet long and 10' deep. I'd like something the flowers in the spring, has nice summer foliage, fall color and maybe fruit/berries for birds (is that enough!). Any suggestions are appreciated.
Miles
Ornamental Tree Recommendations
You can do a search on Arbor Day foundation's website to find specific tree your looking for.
http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/advancedSearch.cfm
Thanks, I'll check that out...
My fantasy was that someone would just tell me XYZ is the best ornamental tree ever! ;-)
What color do you want it to flower? I love the cercis canadensis. Royal White or Forest Pansy are my favorites with beautiful leaves. The Forest Pansy has purple leaves.
Hee Hee, what 's one man's fantasy is another one's nightmare.
Not super picky on the color, purple, pink...probably not white.
Corlelian Cherry is one of the dogwoods & has yellow flowers. It does have fall fruit which you might find messy, although the robins like them,
Modern cultivars of crabapples have small, persistent (clinging, non-dropping) fruit, quite different from grandmother's messy ones. A great one would be 'Coralburst' crabapple: Coral pink buds open to double rose pink flowers. Fruit is only 1/2", bronze to reddish orange. Described as a dainty, dwarf type forming a rounded, bushy head, growing 10' to 15' high, 8' to 10' wide, and usually grafted on a 6' standard.
Another would be 'Sargent' which grows slightly smaller, with red buds opening to white.
Birds love the fruit of crabapples. I once saw a dwarf crabapple in January with a flock of at least 15 bluebirds completely stripping the tree of its fruit. What a sight! Also beloved by robins and cedar waxwings.
I think you'll find that modern varieties are just great, but be sure to rely on a reputable nursery, not the big box stores which often still sell older types with messy fruit and extreme susceptibility to scab and other diseases.
I have a 'Sargent' crabapple. I love it. However, it's a very slow grower, I'm constantly yanking out suckers from the base and it gets cedar-apple rust every year. In spite of all that, I still love it.
the blooms smell heavenly.
Thanks for all the info everyone. Does anyone have magnolias they like up north?
For what you're asking for, it's hard to beat Cornus kousa - Asian dogwood. Satomi, which I have, is a great one, but there are others. I second Polly's recommendation of Forest Pansy. If you don't mind the shrub form, many viburnums will get 12 - 15 feet high and meet all those criteria. Other nice small trees are Stewartia pseudocamellia, Franklinia and Oxydendrum. I have all I mentioned except Franklinia (not yet).
I like some of the modern crabs, though I don't have any. For fall color, it's hard to beat the ones I've mentioned though.
Cornus kousa was the first thing that popped into my puny head. Don't have one, but am coveting it.
That Cornus kousa is on my list too.
I'll be posting fall color pics of it in a few weeks!
Great suggestion on the Cornus kousa I'll look that up and see if I can find some pics!
How is the disease resistance of the Cornus Kousa and cercis canadensis? When I started to research the crabs, it seemed like they got al kinds of blight and scale and were a Japanese Beetle magnet...I've got enough of those with my Rosa stuff and Alcea!
Miles
No disease I know of on the cercis. I've never had anything bother it, and I have quite a few different ones.
Victor can answer on the cornus. I don't have one, but I'm planning on getting one soon. They are beautiful.
No problem - unlike the native Cornus florida. Other advantage is that they bloom later - May into June, when most trees are done. Same for Stewartia.
I will second victor on the DG Satomi and the forest pancy redbud - there are also radiant rose Kousa and beni fugi that is suppose to be more pink than satomi - i have all of these - although young - try looking at greers garden. there is a white kousa called moonbean that gets 8" flowers - have it and waiting for it to grow up.
for the satomi - check out a few local garden centers - i've seen them now at two nurseries this fall - new arrivals - they are about 5 to 6 ft. tall about $70 if not on sale. bigger than you would find at FF or GG. BTW freight at greers is reasonable, FF is stealing $$ on their shipping costs. probably will order from them again due to this.
yeah, I see online some places have the satomi, but they are only about 3' for $45 with shipping. My local nursery has them, I have to find out how big and how much. I'd do $80 for a 5-6' specimen if they have one.
I got my Kousa Satomi planted last weekend...nice specimen, about 5'. Had a nice root system and was not pot bound...not sure how to rotate the pic...Miles
Woo-hoo!!! I like how they bloom later than other dogwoods.
Very nice Miles! (I have a stiff neck now!)
yeah, I'll get a pic this weekend of it in the ground ;-)
M
I have several spring bloomers. I planted two SugarTyme crabapples 4 years ago. One is doing well, blooms nicely and has attractive fruit, the other has succumbed to a scale that turned all the leaves yellow and brown. I like my Stewartia, but it is more pyramidal than rounded. So is a "Pink Chimes" Styrax, but it is covered with drooping pink flowers in spring, and "berries" in fall. Probably the best, though, is a Redbud (cercis canadensis) , at least according to my wife, the garden critic. It's not a "Forest Pansy", but would have been if I had seen one seven years ago when I bought it. I had a cornus kousa in my old house but sadly had to move away when it was just old enough to bloom.
miles congrats!!
Don do not fret the forest pansy - there is a new one coming out that is purple all the time. make room for that one, it is call burgandy hearts redbud.
I want to get a "Forest Pansy" just for the name... ;-) Who comes up with these names?
Some big, hairy, former truck driver guy.
-- LOL
So here is my Kousa Satomi happily sitting in it's lasagna island bed...this is before the deer ate all the leaves off the right branch. I neemed it before I left yesterday, hopefully the taste will deter them from doing it again...
Looks good! I use Liquid Fence and it works pretty well.
Cornus Kousa's might not like full sun. Ditto redbud. Both are considered "understory" trees. If the soil is good and moist, it would help. Between the two, I would choose the redbud to handle more sun
The crabapple 'Royal Raindrops' sounds quite interesting, but it is new territory, so a bit of a risk I guess.
Some other trees come to mind to consider: Fringe Tree (trained as a tree form), Halesia, Magnolia, Ginkgo Biloba, weeping Katsura, Oxydendrun(maybe too sunny) Tupelo (maybe too big), Acer griseum,
another ... heptacodium miconioides .. Seven Sons
I have kousa Satomi in full sun and it's doing fine. My Forest Pansy redbud is an understory.
I'll try the liquid fence stuff....I guess the leaves will fall off soon so it might not be until spring....glad yours does full sun since it will get about 12 hours a day....plantaholic, thanks for the other recommendations, I'll need some more small trees down the road...I know the royal raindrops is a risk, just can't resist trying it...