So my plum tree is diseased and will die in a year I've been told. So I'm looking for a replacement. It's a small narrow space between my deck and neighbours fence. I was thinking lilac. Is the a good idea? We won't be removing the stump so this will also limit the space. We get such bad aphids so I'm also hoping to find something that won't attract them as much. If that's possible. Thank you
My favorite for such spaces would be Amelanchier ovalis, canadensis etc etc. In Cheshire they throw a flush of delicate white flowers around the first day of Spring (not this year though), have light foliage density similar to Silver Birch in density as well as leaf size and shape. Those leaves go a wonderful bright red before shedding leaving small black fruits that birds enjoy in the early winter. It's a tree for every season and every seasonal facet is striking. Worth a Google ? Also, I should mention that they are not large in maturity (although a bit bigger than I would expect a Lilac to achieve) and are relatively slow growing.
