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We have not had good luck with any of the trees we’ve tried next to our driveway.
When we moved here there were 2 old Wax Myrtles. They were a good size and the birds liked the berries, but they grew old and died.
At first, I wanted to avoid the more common, ubiquitous things, like Crape Myrtle, because I wanted more unique plants.
The following trees have failed to thrive…redbud, dogwood, cypress, and flowering plum. Some died and some got pulled out and moved.
I finally gave in and planted a Crape Myrtle and it’s doing fine. My next try might be a small magnolia, or perhaps a fringe tree.
The driveway is on the north side of the house, but it gets sun all day.
Anybody have a good suggestion?
GA, I will bet that you have probably already done this, but on the off shot that you have not, I will mention it. Have you done soil samples on the places where you want to plant? The other thing is what is the driveway made of and is there any chance there is leaching of that into the nearby soil? We finally gave up with driveway planting in my former home because of that.
Yes, I have had a soil analysis, but not exactly in that spot. I do know that, on the whole, acid loving plants do well. The only other plants on that side of the driveway are blueberries and they are healthy.
The driveway is concrete, and 30+ years old. I’ve heard of leaching, but would it still be leaching after this long?
Anyway, it’s a good thing to ask the county extension website, but since I’m a volunteer Master Gardener there, I should be able to sleuth it out for myself.
See I knew that you. had done that already. Re concrete doubtful after that time. The only thing that comes to my mind is one of the Holly varieties. I so love magnolia too.
When we lived in WV we had a cultivar of rhododendron that was pretty tall- like 20 ft. The flowers were stunning. We used to go hiking around Blackwater Falls in WV and the wild varieties would grow alongside much of the trails, and they were huge too. So pretty when in bloom. I know they love acidic soil, so not sure if it does well in your area.
I would try Magnolia Jane. It grows too about 15 feet and has gorgeous blooms. If it likes the spot it will put out multiple sets of blooms.
I also like Profusion Crabapple. It is not as showy as my PrairiFire Crabapple but it is more reliable and looks good all year.
Juneberry trees also offer multiple seasons of interest. The berries are edible and look good on the tree, but the real show is the spring flowers.
Both Juneberry and Crabapple will attract birds.
If you live fall color Japanese Persimmons put on a nice show and most stay small.
Spicebush is more of a large Shrub, but I love the spring flowers and bright yellow leaves. Birds love the berries.
You mentioned you didn't have much luck with plums. I have two purple leaves ones and they seem pretty tough. The leaves are Ruby red in the spring and fall and purple in the summer. The flowers are pink and look gorgeous against the newly emerging red leaves.
Red Bay and Cherry Laurel are pretty generic but they are tough and evergreen so they normally don't look shabby this time of year.
Sweet bay Magnolia is another favorite of mine. It doesn't get as big as the southern Magnolia but still have those huge flowers.
I would try Magnolia Jane. It grows too about 15 feet and has gorgeous blooms. If it likes the spot it will put out multiple sets of blooms.
I also like Profusion Crabapple. It is not as showy as my PrairiFire Crabapple but it is more reliable and looks good all year.
Juneberry trees also offer multiple seasons of interest. The berries are edible and look good on the tree, but the real show is the spring flowers.
Both Juneberry and Crabapple will attract birds.
If you live fall color Japanese Persimmons put on a nice show and most stay small.
Spicebush is more of a large Shrub, but I love the spring flowers and bright yellow leaves. Birds love the berries.
You mentioned you didn't have much luck with plums. I have two purple leaves ones and they seem pretty tough. The leaves are Ruby red in the spring and fall and purple in the summer. The flowers are pink and look gorgeous against the newly emerging red leaves.
Red Bay and Cherry Laurel are pretty generic but they are tough and evergreen so they normally don't look shabby this time of year.
Sweet bay Magnolia is another favorite of mine. It doesn't get as big as the southern Magnolia but still have those huge flowers.
Thank you for all the good suggestions. I adore rhododendron, but it was an epic fail in my yard. Not in this spot though. I think it’s too hot here. I’m not a fan of purple or red leaves because my house house is brick and they disappear.
I’ll,look up magnolia Jane.
Last edited by gentlearts; 01-19-2023 at 02:47 PM..
Thank you for all the good suggestions. I adore rhododendron, but it was an epic fail in my yard. N9tnin this spot though. I think it’s too hot here. I’m not a fan of purple or red leaves because my house house is brick and they disappear.
I’ll,look up magnolia Jane.
No problem.
Could you give more detail as to what you are looking for .
By that I mean about how tall, do you want ever green or deciduous. How visible is the area? Some trees put on a shore for two weeks in spring or fall but look rather shabby the rest of the year.
I can't grow rhododendrons here either, but the Southern Indica Azaleas will grow like beasts to where they are Taller than the house.
I like the growth structure of native azaleas, and they come in a wider range of colors, but you will have no luck growing them next to that concrete. That is what probably hurt the redbuds and plums. Those are understory Shrubs and the reflective heat of the driveway was probably stressing them out.
American Fringe trees might do well. I see them planted in between the street and sidewalks so they can take that reflected heat.
I have Hong Kong Orchids along my drive in giant pots. They will take the heat but not the cold so I have to drag them in during hard freezes. They will come back after mild freezes but won't flower that year.
Cassias and desert willow are also two small attractive trees that won't mind the heat
I am fine with deciduous. My love affair with evergreen in the south was short lived, since I’d rather have a fresh flush of growth in the spring than tired foliage hanging on.
I’d like a 15-20’ shade tree with flowers, but also other features like bark and fall color. For example, I have a clump of River birch in the yard that is thriving, and the bark is beautiful even when the tree is bare.
I’ve heard that magnolias can be an awful scourge, since they shed all year long, but I’m open to a smaller one.
I am fine with deciduous. My love affair with evergreen in the south was short lived, since I’d rather have a fresh flush of growth in the spring than tired foliage hanging on.
I’d like a 15-20’ shade tree with flowers, but also other features like bark and fall color. For example, I have a clump of River birch in the yard that is thriving, and the bark is beautiful even when the tree is bare.
I’ve heard that magnolias can be an awful scourge, since they shed all year long, but I’m open to a smaller one.
I was just gonna recommend river birch. I have the Heritage version so it is not as big as the straight species.
The evergreen magnolias shed rear round and usually have tougher leaves that take a while to decompose. Magnolia Jane is deciduous. It doesn't drop early though. It won't be until the first frost that they drop and they will drop all at once. The leaves are also not that thick so they will decompose faster. Magnolias grow really slow, especially the first 2 years. I got mine about 3ft tall. It grew about 6 inches the first year. Maybe 10 inches the second year and about 10-12 the following years.
If you are open to a smaller evergreen/ southern Magnolia I would try Baby Grand. Don't think those get much bigger than 15 feet but it still has those big Magnolia flowers.
Baby Doll Magnolia is similar, but it gets a little taller. Teddy bear and little gem are not for me. They are rather tall and skinny so I prefer the umbrella shape of the baby grand.
Chinese and Russian elms have interesting bark, but they grow way too fast and are invasive.
A tree that I really want is the Shuntung Maple. It has good color across multiple seasons and withstands the heat better than Japanese maples.
I mentioned Persimmons higher up, those are a riot of color in the fall. Red, oranges, yellows on the same tree.
Sweet gum leaves are a rich red in the fall, but if you go that route get the sterile ones, their seedpods are a pain.
Ironwood is another with beautiful fall color, but they grow rather slowly.
Muscle wood has interesting bark, gorgeous green leaves in the summer and orange to red fall color.
Sumacs are also reliably fiery in the fall.
Chokecherry has berries for the birds and red fall color. It's more of a big Shrub though.
Pineapple Guava has interesting cinnamon bark. It has white and pink flowers in the spring that are edible. They taste like marshmallows and have a similar texture. They will slowly turn into a shade tree but they are not deciduous. The guavas are edible but I usually eat too many of the flowers and don't leave enough to turn into fruit.
Flowering pears have also come a long way. They put on a site in the spring with flowers and repeat in fall with their leaves. Branford pears are invasive but there are new sterile ones. Some are overly scented and the smell is not one I enjoy.
Also there are some that are really columnar, such as chanticleer, so those don't make good shade trees.
I would also recommend looking into Autum brilliance Juneberry. It has the flowers in the spring, edible berries in the summer, beautiful fall foliage and motled bark during the winter. It is deciduous and maxes out at about 25 feet.
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