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.
The ones next to the porch look like weeping yaupon to me, and if that's the case that's as big as they should ever get (yaupon is really a shrub, not a tree). The one to the right of those looks like a Japanese Ligustrum, and that's also as tall as it'll ever get.
If anything is likely to get overpowering it would be the Pfitzer juniper to the far right in front of the double window.
Last edited by southernnaturelover; 08-29-2020 at 09:12 PM..
For me it is all about the view looking out of the windows. I like to see trees instead of other houses and their windows. I agree about taking down anything that overhangs the roof to help eliminate stuff in the gutters. If we were selling the house then it might make sense to take down a bunch of the front trees to give it more curb appeal. But while living there I like the privacy and the view out the windows.
Like one other poster mentioned... make sure you know how you are pruning correctly. I just spent thousands of dollars having some trees taken out because the previous owner had pruned them incorrectly yrs ago and now they were experiencing problems because of that incorrect pruning.
We live on a woodland lot. From Google Earth, you cannot see but a tiny portion of our roof. From Google Street View, again, house hidden behind a forest wall of trees.
But don't plant trees within 8 feet of your home if you have choice. 6ft ok for Japanese maples, or similar sized trees. The variety makes a difference. We have several 70ft-80ft trees within 6 feet of our home that the foundation of our home is certainly perched on, and we are uncertain if the trees were there already when house was originally built in the woods.
So having trees right next to home invites squirrels to come and go across your roof, drops a lot of leaves on roof in the fall, etc. We cut the branches adjacent to roof to eliminate the direct pathways for the squirrels. Our arborist comes out annually, and cuts branches and maintains the trees. Funny thing is, with all the trees we have, there are none that offer a branch suitable for a tire swing, etc. Most are giant maples, oaks, hickories, and sycamores. We just planted more trees: a Katsura, Jane Magnolia, a crabtree, weeping cherry tree, a weeping white pine, and several Redbud varieties. The important thing is to remember to keep a 10ft pathway open so machinery and cherry pickers can easily navigate around house. We do always refer to our landscape architect drawings to double check as to what can go where.
So if your going for curb appeal, I think the trees nearest front door look like they don't belong there, and planted too close. Also, with trees, don't plant more than one. It's ok to plant a row of yews, but I prefer not to see rows or matching sets of trees. Specimens are more fun - one of each. An exception - a tripyche of dwarf weeping conifers in triangle formation look nice. Not a fan of rows either, except for architectural bushes which are very useful for Xmas lighting purposes.
But I could not give a rat's ass about curb appeal of a house itself, unless was a house flipper, which I am not. LIke mic111, it's more about the view looking out your window. I love looking out the windows at our trees. Every time one tree comes down, we plant more. But we do a lot of work with an ax and chainsaw, though. We have 90ft x 3ft high of piled firewood along property border, creating a natural fence, and along another border, we have a birm, under which are piles of old pine trees branches. We do have to bring in a crew of people in the fall to help with the fall cleanup of leaves. We literally get buried in leaves and acorns. We were originally after moving here putting out over 60 yard waste bags per week, and had to stop that. We turned to professional help instead.
Someone above recommended hiring a landscape architect. I can assure you that is money well spent. In our area, it's $700 for landscape design, or $1200 for landscape + hardscape design.
Last edited by PacificaViews; 08-30-2020 at 08:22 AM..
NEVER top trees. It can ruin their appearance forever and damage the tree. I had to have a tree cut down because the branches it sprouted where it was topped kept breaking off and falling onto the sidewalk.
I agree with the suggestion to let a good arborist do the work.
It's funny. I read never to take more than a third of a tree or bush off the top. So I thought that was gospel.
However, a storm took half a tall arbor vitae and we though we'd have to pull it but now it's looking better than ever- so go figure.
We had a neighbor who had a tree fall on their house. Most all was removed but they left the stump and some lower branches and now the whole thing is growing back- not the best idea because 20 years from now it'll probably hit the house again. But they don't seem to care.
To me, it looks much too busy and cluttered with all the trees. I like the bottom picture the best.
I was thinking the same. Open up the front of the house by getting rid of the trees flanking the entrance. After that decide if you want to get rid of more trees. But start with those. Keep the trees that give you shade and/or pleasure.
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.
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.
