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.
In that case, my apologies. I am going to assume you are a new landlord, so correct me if needed. In the case of a rental, you should put in a pretty tree that is low-maintenance. It may not be a tree you'd select for your own yard. I would say the major thing is to use an attractive tree and avoid trees with seeds, fruit and suckering tendencies, for maintenance reasons.
It is going to be difficult to get a renter who wants to maintain a yard, and it may be difficult to get in there on a regular basis to do maintenance w/o disturbing the tenants privacy or causing yourself expense and aggravation. I know you're tempted to plant an awesome native, or a fruit tree on the property, but there's no guarantee the tenant will properly maintain the yard to keep those trees from becoming a problem.
If you are planting in a front yard, I would recommend an ornamental fruit tree such as a peach or citrus tree or even a weeping cherry. It is easier for you to send a landscaper to maintain the front yard. You can even pick the fruit yourself as part of the maintenance if the tenant doesn't care for it. In a backyard, I would recommend something w/ inconspicuous fruit that doesn't require a lot of care.
Thanks, I have been a landlord for three years, maintaining the lard is part od the lease whether they do it themselves or hire someeone. But once the tree is established I don't want to have to do much to it, and I have no objections to pruning it myself, if a tenant thinks free tree maintainence is a problem then they are probably not someone I would approve in the first place. I need to notify them to enter the house, don't think that includes grounds, but I would anyway. Anyway, its entirely possible I may again lve there in the future, I bought the house for myself and became a landlord by accident when I met my fiance three years later. Backyard needs a tree.
Status:
"Mistress of finance and foods."
(set 28 days ago)
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,091 posts, read 63,467,387 times
Reputation: 92706
A wax myrtle is not like a crape myrtle. It has small graygreen berries that form along the branches; no flowers. It's also known as bayberry and was used to make bayberry candles in colonial times.
Thanks gentle, I had looked it up and it looks like a definite possibility for the backyard there. And bugs don't like it! Don't think a tenant would have a problem with a mosquito repelling tree. Pardon all my typos in my previous post, comes from typing on a phone, in haste.
And I didn't mean to sound like I'm thinking of leaving my fiance either! We often talk about getting to the age of when 1.25 acres is too much to handle, and when our current herd of dogs and cats thins out to at least smaller dogs and less cats, and he's 15 years older than I, and maybe someday we will want to move to the little house near the waterfront and out of the acreage, and maybe rent out the acreage house, one never knows. More then a financial investment, the house is my past and possibly future home. So I can look at getting a small tree now for a nice shade tree in the future. There used to be many trees in that backyard, it was wildly overgrown, francis and jeanne knocked the biggest ones down, the year before I bought it. The stumps were left. When I bought it I wanted the full property line fenced so I spent three months with my loppers and wheelbarrow, clearing it out all the way through the county 15' right of way, to the church in the back, then had a guy come take out the one big tree left lying on its side, and he also ground down every stump. I then had it fenced, the county right of way grew back, its all that elephant grass which also filled in 10' back into my fenced area, and that darned big tree is growing back but far enough on the other side that its not my concern. I babble. Drop a sandwich around there and it will grow.
In that case, my apologies. I am going to assume you are a new landlord, so correct me if needed. In the case of a rental, you should put in a pretty tree that is low-maintenance. It may not be a tree you'd select for your own yard. I would say the major thing is to use an attractive tree and avoid trees with seeds, fruit and suckering tendencies, for maintenance reasons.
It is going to be difficult to get a renter who wants to maintain a yard, and it may be difficult to get in there on a regular basis to do maintenance w/o disturbing the tenants privacy or causing yourself expense and aggravation. I know you're tempted to plant an awesome native, or a fruit tree on the property, but there's no guarantee the tenant will properly maintain the yard to keep those trees from becoming a problem.
If you are planting in a front yard, I would recommend an ornamental fruit tree such as a peach or citrus tree or even a weeping cherry. It is easier for you to send a landscaper to maintain the front yard. You can even pick the fruit yourself as part of the maintenance if the tenant doesn't care for it. In a backyard, I would recommend something w/ inconspicuous fruit that doesn't require a lot of care.
I'd like a tree in the front yard, its about a 25' by 20' patch of weeds and sand right now though, darned last tenant parked his boat across it. Want to sod it, and add a picket fence before I'd consider a tree there though. Might stop someone from stealing it, seriously. A passer by stole one of the 4 pansies in the flower box. Typically ya don't leave things in your front yard in that hood, lol. Picket fence MIGHT slow them down, but I think a citrus would be too tempting. I do have a new little orchard where we live now though, one honeybell, one red ruby, one persian lime, one meyer lemon. We also have an older tangerine that is still producing, but wasn't cared for well.
I'd like a tree in the front yard, its about a 25' by 20' patch of weeds and sand right now though, darned last tenant parked his boat across it. Want to sod it, and add a picket fence before I'd consider a tree there though. Might stop someone from stealing it, seriously. A passer by stole one of the 4 pansies in the flower box. Typically ya don't leave things in your front yard in that hood, lol. Picket fence MIGHT slow them down, but I think a citrus would be too tempting. I do have a new little orchard where we live now though, one honeybell, one red ruby, one persian lime, one meyer lemon. We also have an older tangerine that is still producing, but wasn't cared for well.
Ooh another landlordette! Hmm... a honeybell! A pink honeybell is on my ever-expanding I-want list for native plants. Other than tropical plants for South Florida, I am not sure what to recommend. One of the plants I recently got is a Magnolia tripetala. I'm sure it is messy and supposedly smells strange, but it looks like a very pretty tree, and it is native. The ones I have should take several years to mature, but if it is suitable, you may be able to get larger ones from a local nursery.
Hmmm don't know if its pink or not, guess we'll find out when we pick that one orange that has recently turned orange. They were just planted in the spring. One of my projects on my two whole days off this weekend is to weed, fertilize, bug treat and mulch them.
That magnolia is freaky looking. Pretty flower thingie though. We have a tree in our backyard here that grows year round, and produces long bunches of seed/fruits year round. We have no idea what it is. Will have to get some pics when its seeding and post them here.
The Davie area has some great nurseries for all sorts of plants, I am tempted every time I go down to FTL to visit family. I would love a Satsuma but the State is tough on citrus now, I went to HD in Jensen Beach and the lady said the state came by and quarantined all they had.
1. If you want a real native tree, but one that assumes very interesting shapes and has a beautiful reddish 'peeling' bark ... try the Gumbo Limbo tree.
2. For truly pretty tree that yields either white or purple orchid like flowers, I recommend the Bauhinia - or Hong Kong Orchid Tree.
Last edited by Clark Park; 03-26-2013 at 05:12 PM..
A citrus would be my first choice, but they aren't giving very good shady spots since the branches go all the way to the ground.
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.