Suggestion for tree like plant, S exposure, Kits

I have a spot facing South in Kitsilano that is not very large where I would like to put a tree-like plant (ie. it could be under-planted) in the area. The light is sun to partial sun as we have a huge cedar further south, the house and a fence which all block the sun at different times of the day.
The height has to be less than 8' and as I want it taller than wide that limits its size. I want a fairly open plant, not congested, twiggy. Flowering, fragrance though not a stopper. Maybe standards would be good? Any suggestions?

 

Basically shrubs: What about "beautybush", Kolwitzia amabilis, a nice old-fashioned shrub? It can be thinned and shaped, and grows quite tall, up to 6'... it's deciduous, so you'd have the structure in winter but not the leaves... It can sprawl, but trained as a standard might be possible, with a support to start. Or, a lilac, a traditional lilac. They are easily pruned and seem to thrive on it.

Basically tree: What about a Japanese Maple, or a smaller-growing variety of Vine Maple, upright ones? Select it carefully, the Maples Forum here would be the place to deposit a question like this and wait for an answer from some real specialists. There are some maples which are rather upright and spare, not filling out, but not too tall. You'd get some gorgeous foliage and barks, in either Spring or Fall or both...

What about a flowering crabapple, some seem to have small delicate flowers in spring and small almost berrylike "apples", and there might be a really small type.

There are other small trees and shrubs -- one of the real experts here will no doubt make some suggestions.

 

A couple of ideas:

1. Hibiscus syriacus (more commonly known as Rose of Sharon) - this is a flowering shrub which you can keep under control to make it more tree-like. It flowers in August, which I like. There are several colour choices- white with red centers; blue with red centers. It isn't fragrant. If you want to see several different kinds of Hibiscus, the area around the Korean pavilion at VanDusen Botanical Garden is the place to go (it is the national flower of Korea). Here is a good article on the plant: http://landscaping.about.com/od/shrubsbushes/p/rose_of_sharon.htm
One important thing to know about this shrub is that it doesn't begin to look alive again until June (I almost ripped mine out the first year after planting because I thought it was dead!).

2. Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Aureomarginatus' (called Holly Olive because it looks like a holly but isn't) - this has scented flowers in autumn but also has the attraction of variegated leaves. Here is a photo and description of it:
http://www.portkellsnurseries.com/plantdb.php?id=532
There are other types too - Goshiki is very nice. I don't have experience with this plant in the soil - mine has been grown in a pot for several years and is very nice.

3. Kalmia latifolia - This flowers just after the Rhododendrons. There are different cultivars available so you can choose what colour you like best (take a look at the Kalmia that was one of the Botany photos of the day for a neat reddish one:
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2009/08/kalmia_latifolia.php
Here is a really good description from Kwantlen's horticulture program:https://appserver1.kwantlen.ca/apps...BB569B421F66DA6D88256EB500691579?OpenDocument

Have fun choosing!

 

Hello Janet Doyle,
I have looked at flowering crab apples but all seem too tall even at 15' (there is a window at 8' high).
I am looking at perhaps a shrub trained in a tree-like manner. Does anyone know of a nursery which may specialize in such plants?

Hello Cindys,
I already have an Hibiscus, though this is a potential. Likewise we have 3 Japanese maples already, and I plan to plant a Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki' in the front in quite a bit of shade. Kalmias are susceptible to lace bug (a new invader in Vancouver), which is badly effecting my two 15'high pieris see http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/ornamentals/publications/pesticide/insect/LACE_BUG.pdf (though the link did not work just now when I tried it...)

One possibility I am thinking of is a tree form of Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'. Another possibility is Abutilon 'Kentish Belle (though I don't know if the spot is warm enough). My final thought is Calycanthus 'Venus', but two problems: I have read on this forum that the one at UBC Botanical gardens gets black slime in the summer, perhaps due to full sun stress (I will watch for it there), and also the availability of 'Venus'.

Barbara

 

Not sure why you want to train it as a tree other than it's not a very large space and you don't want a specimen shrub which grows wider at the base or suckers... Can't think of anything else other than: a Tree Peony [fashionable in Australia and China]? A rose bush trained as a tree? It probably is hard to find anything already set up like this, other than the tree peonies, although I have seen rose standard "trees" for sale around Victoria at the higher-end, larger nurseries. If you have lots of sun despite your periods of shade, I would go for a perfectly beautiful summer-blooming deciduous shrub like a shrub rose, or a Weigela, there are some smaller-growing, heavily blooming types available... Whatever you choose you will have to wait a few years to have it performing. I am beginning to see, in my own case especially, that having unrealistic expectations in gardening is a recipe for continual frustration. With me, it was trying to grow things not suitable for shade, or not suitable for where deer browse, in my townhouse garden. What about putting up a particularly well-designed arbor with a reading bench, and growing a recommended climbing rose over it? In a world no longer devoted to perfect lawns, I think if I still had a house [rather than a townhouse with a landscaped lawn area I don't have to maintain] with the right space and existing plants I just might want to develop as a hobby the perfect lawn, even a small one... wonderful to contemplate on a lovely summer day, especially if sitting out near it, book in hand, bare feet on grass...

 

I have an old Kalmia in my garden...it was there before I moved in in 1982 and was pretty much mature at that time. I haven't noticed any insect damage on it, though I have seen the damage to the pieris in my garden.

Re Ninebark...it is really beautiful, but I thought you said you wanted a plant that was less than 8' tall and not so wide. I have seen estimates of up to 10' high and 10' wide for this plant and it grows fast! I have the Dart's gold variety and, after just 3 years, it is already over 6 ft tall and equally wide (and mine is in a very shady place). I haven't seen anything about it being available in tree form.

One more to consider...Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'. This has beautiful "black" foliage and looks wonderful with limey green companion plants. It has nice flowers. It is easy to keep to an appropriate size - in fact, I was told that is best to cut it back really hard each year. It is, in fact, rather similar to the ninebark - just more easily controlled.

 

If you want to keep it simple, why not a Lilac. You can prune them, abuse them, and they can be any height and width that you desire. Lots of colours to chose from too. They do well in our acidic soil.

 

http://www.colorchoiceplants.com/black_lace.htm has a nice picture of the Sambuca nigra 'Black Lace' suggested above by the questioner, which I would love to try, but I think it will need a bit more sun than I can provide, my sunny space is all filled up. This write-up indicates you can prune it to a tree-like shape. Sounds interesting!

But please note, just noticed this and edited this post -- info from the Kemper Center for Home Gardening in Missouri http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=C596 :
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Spreads by root suckers to form colonies. Prune suckers as they appear unless naturalizing. A large number of late winter pruning options include (a) pruning out dead or weakened stems, (b) shortening one year stems or (c) cutting back to the ground to rejuvenate. Some horticulturists recommend a hard spring pruning for maintaining best foliage and habit. Regular pruning of the foliage of this cultivar will promote growth of additional purple leaves.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

BLACK LACE is a cultivar of European elderberry. It is particularly noted for its deeply cut dark purple foliage, its lemon-scented, pink flowers and its dark blackish-red elderberries. It is a large, upright, deciduous shrub that typically matures to 6-8’ tall. It was developed in England in a somewhat complex 10-year breeding program commenced in 1988. Compound pinnate leaves (3-7 ovate to elliptic leaflets each) are dark purple and generally retain that color throughout most of the growing season. Leaflets are deeply cut (laciniate). Young stems are also purple, with older branches being a rough, gray-brown. Tiny pink flowers appear in large flattened cymes (to 10” across) in June. Flowers emit a lemony aroma. Flowers give way to clusters of black elderberry fruits in late summer. Fruits of species plants have been used to make jams and jellies, but are not considered to be as flavorful as the American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis). Species fruits have also been used to make elderberry wine. Fruits are attractive to wildlife. U.S. Plant Patent PP15,575 issued February 22, 2005.

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It suckers [sends up shoots from around the roots and spreads], prefers moist places, could be used as a hedge... doesn't sound suitable perhaps.

 

Just to reinforce the Tree Peony idea... they sound easy to grow. I have no idea what to do with them in winter, I suppose they are pruned back to the standard or main stem ["trunk"]... the following is a nice little web essay on them in the Canadian Gardening magazine website:
http://www.canadiangardening.com/plants/trees-and-shrubs/tree-peonies/a/1368/2

And, on edit here, a search of Tree Peonies in this Forum's main page brings up, on the pruning topic,
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=27032&highlight=tree+peonies

many of this forum's longtime advisers have advice there.

 

I have not yet had enough experience with my Sambucus to say whether or not it suckers. However, my daughter in law in Victoria has a couple of them and, so far, they haven't shown that tendency. It seems to be a question of where one gets information as to whether they sucker. This article:
http://shrubs.suite101.com/article.cfm/elderberry_plants_versus_japanese_maples
says that, while Sambucus canadensis suckers, Sambucus nigra does not. On the other hand, this:
http://search.schriemers.ca/NetPS-Engine.asp?CCID=11050001&PID=4028&page=pdp
says that it is something to be aware of.

To Janet...you said you were afraid there was not enough sun for you to try a Sambucus nigra...mine is doing very well and gets no more than about 6 hours of sun a day in the summer months. I have quite a shady yard.

The tree peony idea is also good, though there is a small problem with peony wilt (a fungal disease) in Vancouver.

Actually, I know of no plant that doesn't have some problem to overcome...I would say suckering is low on the scale of worries. The worst plant I have for suckering is a Purple Pavement rose! I have found suckers growing up 20' from the plant! This plant must really love my yard...it was sold to me as a plant that would be no taller than 4 feet! It is probably 6 feet tall (and only because I prune it heavily)!

 

Well, where I have shade I don't get anywhere near 6 hrs of sun! Wish I did. Our suburb Broadmead is very tree-shaded, too, and protects all the tall stands of Douglas Fir and various cedars... plus the positioning of my townhouse, which is rather tall too, shades my only spots... I might be able to fit one in, in the front sunnier spot, though... may try it, it would look great along with the Kerria I have there, which is now blooming with lots of buds and opened yellow pom-poms and has very glowingly-bright light green leaves...

Isn't it true, there is a problem with everything, but I think one has to just try something and I have hit it lucky so far with most things I've planted, except for the items which needed lots of sun!...