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Port St. Lucie - Sebastian - Vero Beach St. Lucie, Martin, and Indian River counties (Treasure Coast)
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Old 05-06-2013, 01:07 PM
 
Location: Vero Beach
910 posts, read 2,217,460 times
Reputation: 478

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Here (I hope - it may not have uploaded correctly) is a photo of the house we bought in Vero Beach. We are so excited to be moving in next month ! Our realtor said that the tree in the front yard is a live oak, and it sheds some of its leaves in early Spring. I assume these are the trees that frequently have Spanish moss hanging from them (not that we plan to add that to the tree !). Does anyone have a live oak, and if so, do they grow as slowly as most oak trees ? Are they fairly hardy (and strong in wind storms)?



Last edited by SeaLark7; 05-06-2013 at 01:12 PM.. Reason: trying to insert photo
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Old 05-06-2013, 01:42 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaLark7 View Post
Here (I hope - it may not have uploaded correctly) is a photo of the house we bought in Vero Beach. We are so excited to be moving in next month ! Our realtor said that the tree in the front yard is a live oak, and it sheds some of its leaves in early Spring. I assume these are the trees that frequently have Spanish moss hanging from them (not that we plan to add that to the tree !). Does anyone have a live oak, and if so, do they grow as slowly as most oak trees ? Are they fairly hardy (and strong in wind storms)?
Nice! Do you have a better picture of the tree? Hard to tell from just a branch. There are other oaks that have similar leaves and grow quickly. The live oak is fairly quick growing when small but very sturdy and long lived. It also takes up a lot of real estate.
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Old 05-06-2013, 02:32 PM
 
Location: Vero Beach
910 posts, read 2,217,460 times
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I don't have another photo of the front yard that includes the whole tree, but I think this photo of our back yard (if IT loads correctly...) includes another live oak at the back. It may also be too far off to tell for sure. The pool takes up a lot of the back yard, but I love this little lawn section, with tropical flowering trees and palms in addition to the (possible) live oak. Thanks for the reassuring words on live oak sturdiness, Harry !
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Old 05-06-2013, 03:39 PM
 
Location: Venice, FL
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Very nice home!! I am sure it will be a place for many wonderful memories!

As for the tree- yes, the Spanish moss will end up on it eventually.
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Old 05-06-2013, 03:46 PM
 
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Yes, the tree in the background certainly looks like a live oak. I had a few "supposed" live oaks that turned out to be laurel oaks. Here's a site that shows the difference when they're young. It's much more obvious as they grow.

http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenP...LaurelOaks.pdf
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Old 05-06-2013, 04:42 PM
 
Location: Vero Beach
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Thanks Harry, that web page was very helpful. It sure looks like we have two live oaks ! Thanks also, to you and SeetheUSA, for your compliments on our new home. I fell in love with it right away ! And I must admit that I like the idea of Spanish moss being on the live oaks eventually - to me, that is one of the classic "Southern symbols".
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Old 05-07-2013, 01:03 PM
 
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The only thing I don't like is if they are planted too close to the house the large roots will damage your foundation and everything else. They grow very big and grass will have a hard time surviving in the shady spots. I have a small one in the front yard that I have debated about cutting down but it will be the problem of the next owners. There is a house in our neighborhood that has four of them planted and have basically destroyed the house. It has been sitting empty for over a year and is in bad shape. My guess is that who ever ends up buying the house will knock it down and rebuild after they spend thousands getting rid of the trees. It's too bad.
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Old 05-07-2013, 02:35 PM
 
Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida
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LOVE YOUR HOUSE!!!!!!!! its GORGEOUS!
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Old 05-07-2013, 04:02 PM
 
Location: Vero Beach
910 posts, read 2,217,460 times
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Thanks Barbara ! It was exactly what I wanted in a Florida home. We will screen in the pool eventually. The landscaping is very well done, and with plenty of sun in the back for even more tropicals. It even has a white picket fence around the back yard. The house was built in 2005 so I imagine it will take a while before the live oak takes over the yard...
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Old 05-07-2013, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Sunny South Florida
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Live oaks can get very, very large...but they live for hundreds of years, so they won't get unmanageable for at least several decades (maybe even 60-70 years). The leaf shedding is a bit annoying, and the leaves are "slick" if they cover a sidewalk or walkway. I grew up basically under a canopy of live oaks, and one thing that bugs some people (not me, but some) is the high level of pollen production in the trees. Everything turned yellow (cars, house, any flat surface) in early spring.

Since the wood is very hard and sturdy, these trees don't do very well in hurricanes. While palms (and even most pines) can sway in the breeze, oaks hold fast--at least until the wind is overwhelming. The tree and its roots will basically get ripped out of the ground if the wind blows hard enough.
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