| Author | Content |
Crick22
Asheville, NC
December 10, 2007
11:33 PM Post #4282680
| I am a total newbie at landscaping and have almost an acre on a hillside (Asheville area) with grass and with 10 Bartlett pears (prev owner) strung along the gravel access road up to house. I now have 10 twigs from Arbor Foundation and wonder what to do with them. Thinking about placing the 4 tallest (2 each Goldenraintree & Wash'ton Hawthorn) between but further up the lawn of the lowest range of pear trees to eventually screen small houses and gas station below. (1 twig between each set of pear trees x4) Had also thought of a grouping remaining trees but if all survived, this would be a forest! Think I will put the 2 crabapples across the gravel road in front of a fence for more screening. Of course, I really don't want to wait 10 years for screening but I have to do something with these tree twigs. Have them in pots now while awaiting inspiration! Thanks for any thoughts. the photo shows one segment of the pear trees and one downhill view. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
December 11, 2007
8:03 PM Post #4285478
| Well, you need to keep in mind how big those trees are going be when they are fully grown. The Golden Rain goes 30-40ft with a spread of 35 ft. The Hawthorn grows 25-30 ft with a spread of 25 ft. They won't be "sticks" forever. You don't want to shade out your pears when you plant. |
sallyg
Anne Arundel Co., MD
(Zone 7a)
December 13, 2007
9:39 PM Post #4292473
| maybe you DO want to shade out those pear trees. Eventually they'll break. And I see nothing wrong with a forest. I would fill the corner down there with trees. Screen everything. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
December 14, 2007
4:23 AM Post #4293463
| Barlett Pears are good eating for plps. While the Hawthorne has great berries for critters. To my way of thinking that's a no contest...LOL Especially since I can't grow Barlett's here, because of cedar apple rust, sigh... |
Crick22
Asheville, NC
December 14, 2007
10:34 AM Post #4293904
| Thanks to both of you. I don't know why Arbor Foundation sends such tall trees to urban folks even though I am only part urban. But then I am retired and the tallness and overshading will probably be someone else's problem! I have things to screen all up and down the gravel road so was thinking of the 'forest' a little further up the road to screen the gas station. I think most of the tree twigs are good for critters. Thanks for input. And on another topic, I took someone else's advice and put some sage and woolly thyme along part of the sloping bank by the road and most of it has survived. We'll see as time goes on whether it actually works. |
sallyg
Anne Arundel Co., MD
(Zone 7a)
December 14, 2007
12:55 PM Post #4294325
| oh, BARTLETT pears. I was thinking of the ornamental Bradford /Callery ? pears.
I am glad you want to plant something for the great -times- 20 grandchildren of your wildlife population. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
December 14, 2007
2:07 PM Post #4294576
| LOL, if it was Bradford pears, I'd be recommending a chain saw and planting the twigs there! LOL |
sallyg
Anne Arundel Co., MD
(Zone 7a)
December 14, 2007
2:30 PM Post #4294623
| I shoulda taken that as a hint to reread. But isn't it unusual to have Bartlett pears along the road??? Can't help but wonder if they really are bartlett. |
earthling
Rowlett, TX
(Zone 8a)
December 14, 2007
2:35 PM Post #4294634
| I have never had much luck with what they send out. I finally used to plant them in pots until they would get a little larger, seems like they had a better chance of survival that way.
I have since decided its a lot better to buy locally and especially buy native.
Good luck with your baby trees..
Kris |
catmad
Pelzer, SC
(Zone 7b)
December 14, 2007
2:38 PM Post #4294641
| But, if you plant them in pots, it voids any guarantee by the Arbor Day folks that they will grow (or even live), as I found out last year... |
earthling
Rowlett, TX
(Zone 8a)
December 14, 2007
3:54 PM Post #4294815
| Well, they never seemed to survive when I planted them in the ground right away..I guess whatever is best for you and where they are being planted.
Maybe I just wasnt a good enough baby tree mama...LOL |
Crick22
Asheville, NC
December 16, 2007
2:11 PM Post #4300789
| Yes, the "come-on" of 10 "trees" for $10 is hard to resist for some of us but earthling is right about just buying what you want. The previous owner, in my case, planted the Bartlett pears as a 'cheap' way to line the road. They definitely are Bartletts with multiple trunks that I am going to try to put cables around soon. Too expensive to hire someone to do that for 12 trees. But putting the Arbor twigs between them is one way to prepare for those that will crash in the future, I hope. May not look that good though. |
Len123
Adrian, MO
(Zone 6a)
December 17, 2007
1:52 PM Post #4304200
| from all i've heard about arbor day and the pictures i've seen in other posts, i'm thinking maybe just planting tree seeds might be a better alternative. i have some tree seedlings that came up this year where i burned some brush last year that are already 3 and 4 ft high. i didn't plant them. |
earthling
Rowlett, TX
(Zone 8a)
December 17, 2007
5:48 PM Post #4304754
| One of my pecan trees died back to the root stock shortly after I planted it. I let it grow from the root because I mainly wanted the tree for shade. Now it a very nice tree with very fertile nuts. Every year I have a lot of seedlings growing under it. If I want a tree in another location, I just dig up one of the seedlings and plant it in a pot for a few years until its big enough to grow on its own..
The pecans that fall from these native trees are smaller than the papershell pecans, but they are a lot tastier so thats a bonus..
Kris |
Ladysaltfire
Denham Springs, LA
(Zone 8b)
December 18, 2007
5:50 PM Post #4308109
| I've ordered from ArborDay.org for the last two years. My most sucessful trees were my crabapples. After two years they stand over 8 ft tall. I also have the "free" maple that came with my order and it is almost at 11 ft now. The rest of the trees, I can't tell you how well they did, because my previous yard man weedwacked them just so he could mow faster. I just recieved three more babies from them, a tulip tree, a cucumber magnolia and the "free" maple that I need to find a home for, as I already have 15 trees on a 1/2 acre lot.
Carol |
