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Been trying. Nothing lives long. We have hard dense clay and an overpopulation of deer. So ar we have killed 5 maples, 2 dogwoods, a sizable magnolia, several apple and plum trees. . . .
Only thing we had any luck with is a weeping willow we planted over our beloved mastiffs grave in a swampy area of our property. The thing is massive and beautiful. We also managed to keep a pear tree alive for two seasons so far. two more years and we may get a pear!
There are a number of very old monkey brain trees where we live. I might try one of those. I also want to give paw paws a try. I like unusual fruit trees. Have to plant them in the back though. I hear the blossoms smell like rotting meat.
When we lived in California we did well with trees. We had a fruit cocktail tree, a plum (red and white grafted), apricot, cherry, apple, loquat and a forest of banana trees. Most are still there. the apple never produced anything and did not grow much at all. The loquats and apricots were amazing. Better than anything you could buy. The fruit cocktail tree was mostly taken over by its base stock (lemon) but there is an occasional scrawny Orange, tangelo, or grapefruit. the lemons wee decent though. backyard will produce fruit for many generations. even neglected fruit tree can last 100 years. Our other legacy planting was 78 rose bushes. They were not cared for and are down to about 40 now, but they could easily live 100 years if they are watered.
I did hang Copper tags that say what they are even the newly planted trees. But, a plaque would be nice, too, especially the ones from Yosemite (corrected from a Sequioa National Park). Yes, I have seen beautiful trees cut down, too. Our own county courthouse has a large Metasequioa on its grounds. The architectural firm wanted to cut it down so their grandiose monument to their egos would infringe on the tree. Thankfully, citizens discovered this and put a stop to it, one of the few times the council or executive listened to the people who vote them in. It was planted decades ago and still stands.
There was a huge 150 year old stunningly beautiful tree in Orange California. It was a blood tree or something like that. They were going to remove it and people literally chained themselves to it for days until they relented. I wonder if it is still there.
I have planted so many trees over the years, so I can’t point to any special one. The only ‘rare’ one I’ve planted is a Nutmeg Hickory, which is nearly extirpated in its native range.
Oh, wow. You sound like me. Do you buy your trees from Weyerhauser when they have their yearly sale? We have about 28 acres. Some of it is forest, and now that we no longer have livestock I am planting the rest. I have planted Sequoia, Douglas, spruce, Noble, etc. I have planted a couple Camperdown elms by the house. They don't get huge, but they attain a decent size and are gnarly. There are some on the capital grounds in Oregon. I want a ginko tree, some dogwoods (my native dogwood died) and some more Japanese maples. I am a tree freak!
What I am unhappy about is the increasing fire danger. I am hoping we don't have another dry summer. Climate change sucks.
We buy ours every year from the Whatcom zcounty Conservation District. They are small and cheap, like $2 apiece but grow quickly if the deer don’t nip them. The blue cones help. No Weyerhaeuser up here.
Yes, we get nervous living close to public and private timberlands. Dry summers are here for awhile, I guess. I wish we had 28 acres; that is a nice chunk.
I will check out Camperdown Elms. I have never heard of them. We do have one ginkgo as a specimen. Love trees, too. We have a grove of aspens but although they quake, they don’t turn that beautiful gold that drier areas have. Also have a grove of paperbark birch and lots of alder.
Been trying. Nothing lives long. We have hard dense clay and an overpopulation of deer. So ar we have killed 5 maples, 2 dogwoods, a sizable magnolia, several apple and plum trees. . . .
Only thing we had any luck with is a weeping willow we planted over our beloved mastiffs grave in a swampy area of our property. The thing is massive and beautiful. We also managed to keep a pear tree alive for two seasons so far. two more years and we may get a pear!
There are a number of very old monkey brain trees where we live. I might try one of those. I also want to give paw paws a try. I like unusual fruit trees. Have to plant them in the back though. I hear the blossoms smell like rotting meat.
When we lived in California we did well with trees. We had a fruit cocktail tree, a plum (red and white grafted), apricot, cherry, apple, loquat and a forest of banana trees. Most are still there. the apple never produced anything and did not grow much at all. The loquats and apricots were amazing. Better than anything you could buy. The fruit cocktail tree was mostly taken over by its base stock (lemon) but there is an occasional scrawny Orange, tangelo, or grapefruit. the lemons wee decent though. backyard will produce fruit for many generations. even neglected fruit tree can last 100 years. Our other legacy planting was 78 rose bushes. They were not cared for and are down to about 40 now, but they could easily live 100 years if they are watered.
You're lucky you don't have a bunch of moose though. Nothing keeps moose out but I put fence cages about 5 feet tall (higher if you can is even better) around my planted trees like this picture shows to keep the deer out of them. 3 t-posts is stronger than 2 but I was short with 20 apples trees to plant last spring. 3-4 feet in diameter for the fencing works good. Don't underestimate the damage rabbits and small rodents can do as well.
The soil will take work. I have rocky soil which is sandy loam but a periodic high water table in spots as well, so a different problem. After a few years I've discovered some parts of my land will never be a fruit orchard, but some parts are wonderful.
Oh, wow. You sound like me. Do you buy your trees from Weyerhauser when they have their yearly sale? We have about 28 acres. Some of it is forest, and now that we no longer have livestock I am planting the rest. I have planted Sequoia, Douglas, spruce, Noble, etc. I have planted a couple Camperdown elms by the house. They don't get huge, but they attain a decent size and are gnarly. There are some on the capital grounds in Oregon. I want a ginko tree, some dogwoods (my native dogwood died) and some more Japanese maples. I am a tree freak!
What I am unhappy about is the increasing fire danger. I am hoping we don't have another dry summer. Climate change sucks.
You might already know this living there but I'll tell you that after fighting wildfires out West enough times the properties that had a fire break around their perimeter (and a big one around the houses) were often the ones that survived intact or with much less damage. Keeping some spacing between your mature trees and your neighbors' will prevent crown runs from continuing through your trees. Keeping the brush and immature understory trees under the mature trees cleared especially on the edges prevents the fires from both spreading and from climbing into the crowns and causing torching or worse. Pruning mature trees' lower limbs is a major help. A mature ponderosa can laugh off a fire if the fire stays at ground level.
You're lucky you don't have a bunch of moose though. Nothing keeps moose out but I put fence cages about 5 feet tall (higher if you can is even better) around my planted trees like this picture shows to keep the deer out of them. 3 t-posts is stronger than 2 but I was short with 20 apples trees to plant last spring. 3-4 feet in diameter for the fencing works good. Don't underestimate the damage rabbits and small rodents can do as well.
The soil will take work. I have rocky soil which is sandy loam but a periodic high water table in spots as well, so a different problem. After a few years I've discovered some parts of my land will never be a fruit orchard, but some parts are wonderful.
I make those same cages, but I usually just use 6” long landscaping staples to hold them down. So far I’ve never had a deer to knock one over.
If your planting a tree in your yard it will have to get cut down eventually. When you have roots from a 50 year old tree going underneath your house causing a multitude of problems you know it.
I am very lucky to have an old American Chestnut tree. It is beautiful! Deer love the chestnuts.
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