We have a 50ft south facing stretch of fence on a corner lot whithin which we want to plant a hedge (Started another thread for this), and a couple of trees. The trees will serve two funcions, one is privacy to block out the two story townhouse accross the street and the other of course is ornamental. We would like one tree to ultimatley be around 15-20ft in height, the other about twice that (40ft). We are leaning towards the larger being a maple of some type (Norway or Red? We already have a Japanese red leaf maple in the yard), and the smaller possibly a fruit tree (Pear?). We would like something fast growing (In the first few years) and have a spreading canopy (Don't remember the word for this), definately not columner (Spelling?!). Our soil has good drainage and is a mix of stuff, but I would add whatever compost/ soil types necessary for the tree when planting. The trees would be planted in the open, getting full sun for most of the day. Definately do not want a cedar, pine or similar. We already have two of those and the acidic needles they drop year round are a real pain. If one could be an evergreen leaf tree that would be ideal but not sure if our climate (Vancouver) is suitable. We saw a couple at Vandusen, a Japanese Oak and a California Bay, but they were fairly well protected and in our yard they will be much more exposed. Also don't want trees that are water greedy or have shallow roots. My gardening skills are very basic but I am a fast learner. After living in an apartment all my life I planted a row of 15x6ft Emerald Cedars on my own last year and they look great and I loved it, hard work though. Any suggestions
Most trees that achieve eventual size are reasonably fast-growing when young (although in eastern North America, the white oak seems to be pretty leisurely). You're doing the right thing by looking around Vancouver's botanical gardens. Choices for broadleaf evergreen trees seem limited. Southern magnolias thrive in Portland, Oregon but that's a much warmer summer climate. These trees survive quite a bit of cold, though. Think of the big ones at the White House in Washington, a place that does get Ontario-cold once in a while. Magnolias are bad for their fallen leaves, fallen "cones" and for creating deep shade under which nothing will grow.
Its doubtful that anything fast growing in the first few years will stay within those heights. But then what is fast growing to you? One foot per year? Three feet per year? How big of a tree are you willing to buy and pay for? That can make a big difference for suggestions. ...
Thanks for the replies. My budget is around $500 max for both trees combined, maybe a little more for the 'perfect' tree. So at around $200+ each I know they won't be big. Plus I don't want to pay extra to have someone else plant it, so doing it myself with maybe a little help they can't be that big anayways. As for fast growing, in a perfect world I would be planting an 8-9ft tree that whithon a couple of years would be 12-15ft to achieve at least a little privacy. Howver the ultimate height and appearance long term are more important. Any thoughts? PS - I just saw a great broadleaf evergreen in town (I drive for a living). On the NW corner of Broadway & St Catherines (E of Fraser). It looks very similar to the Japanese Oak I mentioned earlier but about twice as big. I will have to go by it again and take a few detailed pictures to see ifsomeone can identify it for me. Cheers
