British Columbia: Strong accent trees for entranceway

I am seeking narrow accent trees to replace white birches that have died. We miss the year-round beauty that the white birch brought to our entranceway. Sadly, we had no way of providing them with the water they needed and so we think they became drought-stressed over several years - likely filled with insects as the woodpecker made ring-upon-ring of holes all up and down the trunk. Finally they fell over in a windstorm.


The new specimen trees would receive part sun, and can grow to 50 feet tall but at most 15 feet wide.


We would’ve liked Cornus x Eddies White Wonder as it is part-native, but don’t think it’ll do well because of the droughty location.


A cultivar of a native tree would be ideal but I’d welcome any recommendations that would be drought-tolerant and do well on the coast, I.e. salt tolerant, wind tolerant.


Cheers!

 

I entered your criteria on the Great Plant Picks website Great Plant Picks: Unbeatable Plants for the Maritime Northwest Garden
"Great Plant Picks Lists—Helpful plant lists for shade, sun, small trees, great foliage, and more". Choose Advanced Search Options.

These 4 deciduous trees are recommended from their database but I have not personally grown any of them. Unfortunately none are native to this area.

I grow Sorbus sitchensis, Sitka mountain-ash which may appeal to you. EFlora BC says it is erect to spreading to about 12 feet tall. Mine grows on a dry slope. One website said the flowers may be smelly; who knows?

Plant Name Common Name(s) Height (ft.) (m.) Type
Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’ COLUMNAR HORNBEAM 25' 7.6m Tree
Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Gold’ COLUMNAR GOLDEN EUROPEAN BEECH 25' 7.6m Tree
Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck’ COLUMNAR EUROPEAN BEECH 30' 9.1m Tree
Quercus palustris ‘Pringreen’ GREEN PILLAR ™ COLUMNAR PIN OAK 20' 6.1m Tree

You would probably have fun on the Great Plant Picks website, filling in some of your preferences such as Foliage Colour, Flower Time Flower Colour, The Birds & The Bees, to help narrow down the perfect tree for your situation.
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Yes, I love that site! Thank you for reminding me of it.

Thing is, seems like the beech isn’t that drought-tolerant here perhaps because soils are shallow (?). We have a row of Dawyek Red in a dry spot and they are failing, meanwhile the Arbutus unedo and Pacific Wax Myrtle are doing just fine....

I’ll look into the horn beam - I’m not familiar with that one nor that specific Pin oak.

Funny thing about the smell of flowers - what is sometimes disturbing to one person, is not so to another. I’ll look into your sorbus suggestion as well.

Thanks so much!! Your ideas are very much appreciated!

 

So true about the smell of flowers - "what is sometimes disturbing to one person, is not so to another"; conversely, plants often described as fragrant may not be universally appreciated . . . one such plant for me, sarcococca, is to put it politely 'malodourous'.

 

Me too! I can’t stand the smell of sarcococca! Of course, I withhold my opinion unless in same company....

I looked up the Pin Oak (aka Swamp Oak) and the hormbeam and sadly, the sites I visited all say neither are drought tolerant....and nor the beech....and it seems they all like a lot of sun.

Surely BC has a small tree that grows in part shade on rocky bluffs close to the ocean? We have ocean spray but it’s very shrubby. Many ‘trees’ require full sun (Arbutus) and these trees get large... I can see why the coast is prone to invasion from other plants (I.e. English laurel, Portuguese laurel, laburnum, to name a few) - there’s lots of opportunity for these in the shadier dry areas... :-(

Surely I’m missing something...

I wonder if that would be a spot for the Vine Maple? It’s a tad broad, does anyone reading this know if it can be kept more narrow without mucking up its looks? I understand it won’t color well in the fall in this part-shade spot which would be unfortunate - unless someone is familiar with a new cultivar that would color-up even in part sun?

Thanks again!

 

is this for the coastal or urban location you have on your member description? I ask because I am longtime familiar with other parts of the sun coast - and once something is established, it seems to do well. For example, you mention dogwood - and I know of many dogwoods that are nice and healthy (the native ones) near the ocean and wind, on a slope, hot and dry summer (and smoke these recent summers) ...

so I wonder if you can drip the trees (or use those bucket bags like on the street trees around downtown village of Sechelt) til established.

in fact - that's a good idea - go for a look around soon in Sechelt before the leaves fall off so you get an idea of what fall foliage colors are - etc. Those street trees are mighty tough esp considering the watering restrictions. There are some similar street trees in the Gibsons village and both malls too. (IGA and SuperValu) where there are also water restrictions the past couple of summers. At the top of the "bypass" (off the ferry) - where there is a big map on a huge sign - those trees seem to do well no water, cold, snow, road salt, etc.

check out the brand name of the bucket bags used in Sechelt - they seem tough material

remember some practical tips - including -
1. cleaning up leaves and / or fruit (like fall off mtn ash)
2. sticky pitch (evergreen firs)
3. seasonal appeal (flowers in spring - leaves in summer - color in fall - nice shape in winter)
4. decorative lights in winter (like one often sees street or mall trees) - if you do want decorative lights - then often the decid tree has more impact (no leaves or needles blocking the lights)
5. roots that grow under your pavement and heave it up. (like seen on sidewalks, next to street trees)
6. deer or elk in Pender?

I know a Katsura tree in a very dry spot (clay soil) on Vanc Island on a waterfront property -- pretty fall foliage - nice overall shape - small leaves.

Ginkgo tree?

I know of a hawthorne on the coast that is tall and has nice spring flowers (white ones) - then berries that the small birds love - and nice "architecture" thru the winter - that the small birds also enjoy for perching and safety from crows etc ... it does well near the ocean beach, never been irrigated after the first couple of years. I like that the leaves are very small so they kind of self-clean thru decomposition quite quickly (versus the large big leaf maples that are native on the coast) -- I don't remember any sharp thorns like it says on the internet - however, the branches definitely have sharp short little twigs Hawthorn | CFCG (make sure you're looking up the one with WHITE flowers - not the hot pink flowers common in Oregon with the garry oaks)

I have also had very good success with Aspen at the coast (near the ocean with big wind etc) - I like the sound the leaves make (they have a special joint in the leaf stem that allows them to make the rustle-rattle sound). I know they are not watered except for when they were planted from nursery stock approx 3 yrs ago (drip for first yr) Trembling aspen | CFCG (they look best planted as a little grove - that said - some find them invasive like any poplar willow family). I think that's a whole row of trimmed aspens near the BMO bank in Gibsons (next to that new distillery place across from Shell gas)

Here's an interesting article about vancouver street trees
Vancouver's 10 top street trees

In the end - I think I'd go and ask someone like the Jardin De Flores lady in Roberts Creek (off Hwy 101) - and see the samples. show her detail and overall scene photos of your setting etc. (disclaimer - I have no interest in this business other than appreciation of their plants and setting and knowledge)

 

I chose an ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ dogwood.

E-flora BC has observed the nuttallii in both xeric to wet soils. I suspect where it occurs in xeric soils, the soils would be deep with lots of humus - just interpreting their info combined with other sources.

I know this is an inter specific cross so not fully nutttallii.

The planting site is in part shade with lots of air flow so this hybrid should do well.

Thanks for all your ideas!

 

Sounds like an excellent choice!