Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Ohio > Cleveland
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 10-06-2012, 09:53 AM
 
Location: Geauga County, Ohio
1,503 posts, read 1,849,510 times
Reputation: 1547

Advertisements

Hello all. My husband and I moved here this summer from Orange County, CA, we live in Hudson. We found a large, gorgeous home for what we considered a bargain, on a large, mostly wooded lot (open and landscaped in the front, all woods in back).

Now, I ask, am I the only one that does NOT like wooded lots, now that I'm here? We had a postage stamp lot in Cali, and I didn't get much chance to garden except for a very small area (plus, our snooty neighbors looked down upon it).

Here, I didn't think about this - YOU CAN'T GROW IN THE SHADE! Not to mention, we have no say in what we plant, the bugs are HORRENDOUS, and I worry about my kids getting bitten, or lost, or hurting themselves.

So - am I the only one that feels that wooded lots aren't all they're cracked up to be?

I don't want to cut them all down, and it's so gorgeous, especially now that the leaves are starting to show color, but we might clear a little in the back, just for room to have more actual backyard. I thought it sounded so great to "live in the woods" but now, I don't care for it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-06-2012, 01:32 PM
 
Location: OH
688 posts, read 1,110,478 times
Reputation: 367
What type of gardening are you referring to - vegetable gardening or flowers? The reason I ask is if your wooded lot in the backyard is at least part sun there are myriad species which will grow iin, and in fact prefer, the shade such as hostas and hydrangeas to name a few.

To answer your question - when real estate firms list a home as 'wooded lot' the conotation is typically that of 'privacy' and I might add the image I think pops into a lot of people's head is a partially wooded lot. Perhaps a lot with several dozen feet of open space and trees along the property line to obstruct the neighbors' view of your activity. It sounds as though as soon as you walk out of your backdoor you are greated by dense woods.

With that being said the typical wooded lot is desireable for many because at least in Ohio where much of the land was cleared hundreds of years ago for agriculture a wooded lot is scarce and scarcity often boosts value. My suggestion would be to clear a few trees for firewood if they are encrouching on your living space. Of course still leave sufficient numbers to preserve your privacy and you may even plant one tree further away from your house for each one you cut. White Pines along the perimeter grow quickly and would provide you with added privacy when the deciduous trees drop their leaves.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2012, 03:23 PM
 
Location: Little Italy, Cleveland
372 posts, read 462,442 times
Reputation: 304
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zen_master View Post
What type of gardening are you referring to - vegetable gardening or flowers? The reason I ask is if your wooded lot in the backyard is at least part sun there are myriad species which will grow iin, and in fact prefer, the shade such as hostas and hydrangeas to name a few.

To answer your question - when real estate firms list a home as 'wooded lot' the conotation is typically that of 'privacy' and I might add the image I think pops into a lot of people's head is a partially wooded lot. Perhaps a lot with several dozen feet of open space and trees along the property line to obstruct the neighbors' view of your activity. It sounds as though as soon as you walk out of your backdoor you are greated by dense woods.

With that being said the typical wooded lot is desireable for many because at least in Ohio where much of the land was cleared hundreds of years ago for agriculture a wooded lot is scarce and scarcity often boosts value. My suggestion would be to clear a few trees for firewood if they are encrouching on your living space. Of course still leave sufficient numbers to preserve your privacy and you may even plant one tree further away from your house for each one you cut. White Pines along the perimeter grow quickly and would provide you with added privacy when the deciduous trees drop their leaves.
NE Ohio is a lot more attractive than Central Ohio as far as the overall landscape goes.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2012, 07:38 PM
 
4,361 posts, read 7,138,430 times
Reputation: 4866
I wouldn't want my house buried in trees, but it's nice to have a little seclusion. Trees are fantastic for that. And, coming from the greater LA area, I'd think you might want some of that. As far as gardening goes, it depends on what you want to grow. Not everything requires 6 hours of full sun.

Btw, if the bugs are bad, the woods really don't have much to do with that. It's mostly the amount of standing water that is around you. Also, there isn't much here that bites which results it more than an itch (other than if you're allergic).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2012, 12:15 AM
 
Location: OH
688 posts, read 1,110,478 times
Reputation: 367
Quote:
Originally Posted by WRosado View Post
NE Ohio is a lot more attractive than Central Ohio as far as the overall landscape goes.
Not going to disagree at all. Where I live now is not where I resided as recently as 5 years ago. I'm accustomed to hills and trees rather than the flat farmland turned suburban sprawl that is central Ohio.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2012, 10:03 AM
 
Location: Geauga County, Ohio
1,503 posts, read 1,849,510 times
Reputation: 1547
To answer the question, I meant vegetables and maybe a fruit tree or two.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2012, 10:06 AM
 
Location: Geauga County, Ohio
1,503 posts, read 1,849,510 times
Reputation: 1547
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zen_master View Post
Not going to disagree at all. Where I live now is not where I resided as recently as 5 years ago. I'm accustomed to hills and trees rather than the flat farmland turned suburban sprawl that is central Ohio.

I don't know Central Ohio that well, but when we visited my hubby's college buddy in Powell, OH, I thought it was very pretty down there, esp. on Rte. 315.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2012, 04:18 PM
 
Location: OH
688 posts, read 1,110,478 times
Reputation: 367
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrueRulz View Post
To answer the question, I meant vegetables and maybe a fruit tree or two.
Yes, then your concerns are valid. Vegetables and fruit trees are going to require full sun to near-full sun. Without actually seeing your lot my recommendation from above sounds like your best bet. Clear some trees on the south side of the wood line and if you like replace them on the north side.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2012, 04:19 PM
 
4,361 posts, read 7,138,430 times
Reputation: 4866
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrueRulz View Post
To answer the question, I meant vegetables and maybe a fruit tree or two.
I have a fair amount of gardening experience. The "sun lovers" are peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, corn, and most squash. You can easily grow most herbs, leafy greens, beans, beets, radishes, cabbages, broccoli, caulifower, and other cruciferous vegetables in shady areas. It's actually preferable as many of the "shade lovers" will actually bolt in too much sun.

Fruit trees generally like 4-6 hours of direct sun per day (when developing the fruit). The upside to them is that you can plant them in the front yard as part of the landscaping.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-08-2012, 11:19 PM
 
555 posts, read 886,393 times
Reputation: 524
If you have room in the front, could you do an ornamental garden with edibles, sort of a potager?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Ohio > Cleveland
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top