HELP!! My husband cut down the 50 year old elm in our backyard and now we have a toxic amount of sun and no privacy with our back lane neighbours. I am looking to plant a tree (possible two) along our back fence that will grow reasonably fast, with deep roots and a nice canopy. We live in Winnipeg (zone 3a). What would be the best planting time? Would now be too late in the summer?
plant green ash , really fast grower in mb. good canopy , no bugs(that i know of) . maple trees attract wasps(yellow jackets) .
I'm crying cause I live in Winnipeg lol. I do not know if you planted any trees or not because this is a post from last year. All my neighbours are planting those cedars that grow tall for privacy. One neighbour planted a row of them and it actually looks like a fence. They are getting bigger now and look so nice that I may plant some next year so that I will have privacy from my other neighbors. The nice thing is that there are no leaves, hence no raking.
Poplars are a very fast growing shade tree, but they are prone to rot, and which makes them unpredictable in storms. You could try another Elm. Manitoba maple could be a good one. Fast grower. Watch for seedlings, though - it's a weed! slatcedar: I see your point about the ash borer, but we have TONS of ash in Winnipeg, and I have not heard of a problem, so I would not discourage planting ash, although it's not that fast growing.
Have you considered planting your husband in the same spot? Is he big enought to provide an adequate amount of shade & privacy?
I agree Lysichiton! And we're all going to make good fertilizer some day or compost lol. After thinking about all of this, why not plant a fruit tree? Apple? Plum? Or how about planting something unique? Apparently, you can grow Walnut trees out here. A friend of mine brought back a shoot from Kelowna quite a few years ago and gave it away to a friend. Unfortunately, the friend neglected it and it died. It's on my list to grow one day. Thanks for the chuckle!
Hey, my family lives in Squamish! Now I am really Crying in Winnipeg: I miss them. Squamish is so beautiful.