N. Alabama Landscaping (Mobile, Huntsville, Decatur: houses, dorms, buy)

[zenjenn]

So I want to plant some trees in my yard for beauty and privacy (the neighbors behind me can look RIGHT into my bedroom and living room windows, which means I often have the blinds drawn when I'd rather not)

My landscape guy is recommending a row of Leyland Cypress for the back. Researching this tree, I see it is susceptible to disease in areas with hot summers, especially during drought. Is this tree a poor choice for my backyard? I do have a sprinkler system and can keep the trees watered even in times of little rainfall - would that reduce the potential for disease being a problem?

Other trees he recommended (ornamentally) - crepe myrtle, and some kind of pear tree (not fruit bearing) that has white leaves in the fall. (The name escapes me.) Any thoughts or other recommendations?

[caution]

crepe myrtle, if managed can be an inexpensive and fast-growing privacy plant-- but if you don't want to trim it and keep it on track to get to the correct hieght and stay there, they can be a challenge. some think they are "ugly in winter" (don't know how they fair in N. AL winter though). We had them in MD, and they were a bundle of sticks in winter.

the flowering pear tree is really pretty, and grows quicly, but it has a large drip radius (think a big circle of dead grass due to eventual circle of shade), shallow roots than can crawl close to the ground within the drip line (some don't like the look of it), and I hear they're "soft" when it comes to thunderstorm winds (they'll split, although I've not seen it myself).

I don't like any cypress unless you're up in the mountains or in a colder climate.

caveat: I don't live in AL, but we're moving there and have noticed your problem at several houses we've viewed online. I worked landscaping as a teen, and it's been a personal hobby the few times I've been fortunate enough to have a yard (none lately). if we buy with a short back yard and overlooking neighbor, we'll go with crepe myrtle to start and some long-term hardwoods to eventually take their place over time

[Keeper]

I see a lot of the leland cypress trees around here and many are really big. I was thinking of putting some of them in my yard too.

Was it the Bradford pear? They are very pretty especially in the spring when they bloom. The downside of the Bradford pear tree is they tend to blow over in a strong wind. They get pretty tall, and just about everytime there is a strong wind here, you will hear about one being blown down. I don't know if it is because the roots are shallow or if there is another reason. I would just be careful and not put one too near your house. I think they grow pretty fast so that may be why he recommended them.

I would consider the crepe myrtle, you can keep them trimmed so they don't get too tall. They bloom in spring, and have a selection of different colors.

[Keeper]

Caution.. you are right in the winter the crepe myrtle looses all its leaves, but then so do most trees.

I like the leland cypress as a border more than the evergreens they plant.

You can also get hibiscus.. they can be a bush or even a tree. Camillas are slower growing but the camilla bush can get over 6' tall.

[cjaila]

Zennjenn- Check out my post titled 'Fast Growing Trees.' Currently it is located on page 7. I posed the same question to the forum and received some good suggestions for the same issue.

[Mawoods]

Do not plant Leyland Cypress - they are susceptible to disease. Bradford pears are overplanted and split easily. The Cleveland pear is an ornamental pear that does better. I wish I could remember the name of the tree that is similar to the Leyland but is not disease resistant. I do not have time this afternoon to research it but will. Your dilemma about trees is a real one here. So many lots are old cotton fields and the builder does not plant enough. A good web site for Southern landscaping is www.walterreeves.com. Click on landscape and trees . He is master gardener in GA with the same terrain and weather as AL and you can learn alot. I believe you can even email him and he will give you a good sub for Leyland. You can search the site by putting in leyland cypress substitute and the tree may come up. He has addressed this issue before. Sorry I cant remember it off the top of my head.

[MadHaus]

You may want to consult a new landscaper. Every landscape architect or good nurseyman I know will tell you to stay far away from both Leyland Cypress and Bradford Pear. One substitute for Leylands that did well for us in both north and central AL is Cryptomeria Japonica. It's relatively fast growing and seems to be hardier than many evergreens in the south. I agree with Mawoods about the Cleveland Pear, too. Crepe Myrtle is a sentimental favorite of mine. Please read up on crepe murder and don't let your landscaper commit it in your yard. Southern Living's website offers a lot of helpful information.

[caution]

Some old-timers may know this one: When I was a little kid at my Grandparents house in Mobile, there was a large shrub in the yard, and elsewhere used for privacy, that everyone called "banana friscati".

The real name for it, I found out later, was "Banana Shrub" or Michela figo. The smell was great and people would take the blossom and put them in their cars/homes for an air freshener.

I don't know how they'd fair in the HSV area, but assume they'd do OK as long as it wasn't too rocky at your place.

If you can find them, or at least read up on them, they may be a good choice. You'd be pushing the zone reccomendation, I'd have to guess.

I've missed them since I was a kid, and outside of Mobile, I've never seen one.

[Southlander]

Banana anything is strictly a summer plant in this area. I've seen banana trees come back the next summer if they were heavily mulched, but they die back in winter. Fun to grow, though!

Hibiscus is not a good permanent plant for this area, either. We've had such mild winters that it's possible they might survive close to the house on the southern side, but I wouldn't expect them to last more than a winter or two.

Crape myrtles will grow anywhere, and in any conditions. I actually like them in the winter - the bark curls a little and is interesting to look at. Makes a nice contrast with red brick, too. If you want the tree kind, be sure to get that, but frankly, they all need to be trimmed regularly at the base to keep the tree shape. I saw a gorgeous crape in Auburn next to one of the older dorms - it must have been 30 feet high!

Bradford pears are beautiful in the spring, and the leaves are turning a wonderful dark red right now. It doesn't take a lot of wind for branches to split off. There is no central trunk system - that's why the branches are so weak. (That's what they tell me, anyway.)

We've had very good luck with maples. They don't grow very fast, but they do grow steadily. They turn red or yellow in the fall - you pick the species to choose the color.

Lots of landscapers use river birch. Very fast growing tree, shallow roots, loses leaves in a drought. Don't plant it next to a house! Gorgeous bark in the winter - it peels fantastically!

Do talk to several landscapers and observe what is planted and thriving. Again - the guys that do all the Burger Kings in Decatur and Huntsville are my guides! ...them and my trusty Southern Living landscaping book.
Happy gardening!

[Keeper]

I remember the banana plant having grown up in Mobile, we had one and I loved the smell. I have a similar plant in my yard here but it doesn't have a scent and has red flowers. We called it the banana plant because of the smell. We had real bananas when we lived in Panama. You don't have winter there but we cut the stalk down when it had bananas, it would grow back and have more bananas.

I found out it is called Banana Shrub, Port Wine Magnolia
Michelia figo
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1187/


The Hibiscus I have in my yard here is just like the ones we had in Mobile. The ones in my yard here is 20 years old at least and is a tree more than a shrub. They have small flowers and aren't real bushy. They definitely are not like the ones you find in FL or the tropics.