Which redbud?

We lost some hemlocks on our northeastern property line this summer (to the left of the red maple in the photo). With them we lost a lot of privacy and we now look up at a cinderblock retaining wall that looms above us on my neighbor's property.

I would like to plant a hardy redbud, presumably a cercis canadensis cultivar, to replace the hemlocks, but we think that we will need a taller tree (about 25 feet) to effectively screen our yard. I'm a little confused because I'm finding mixed information on the maximum heights of the various trees.

Would anyone be able to recommend a particular, somewhat taller, cultivar for this spot? Or, I'd appreciate suggestions for alternative trees. We have LOTS of DEER, so anything they love wouldn't survive long.

Thanks!

redbuds do not get that tall 15-20' tops and they are not hardy - they live about 20 years i believe - they do grow fast however.

Do you want something flowering? A tulip tree might work they are a fast grower as well or get a sugar maple to go next to the red maple.

If you have the room and the area gets good sun, consider a Norway spruce. Fast-growing, deer-resistant and will screen all year. For a fast-growing, fantastic deciduous, consider Dawn Redwood - again, if you have the room.

I looked up dawn redwood and tulip tree. (I clearly have some homework to do!) They are both beautiful and I don't believe I've ever seen either before. Thanks so much for the suggestions.

you are welcome - another choice is a blue spruce, there are several to chose from.

Blue spruce is great, but not very fast growing. Norway is much faster.

I think the dawn redwood or tulip tree would both be good choices. Both have great fall color. I like the idea of a sugar maple, too. Great color on those. That's a beautiful maple, btw. You called it a red maple, though I'm guessing it's a red Japanese maple?

Karen

Yes, the maple is a Japanese maple although I don't know what cultivar. It's beautiful all year round. I love sugar maples altho I was thinking that maybe a stronger contrast to the Japanese maple would create a more dramatic effect. (Truth is I have no experience with this stuff so please do advise!)

The person who took down our hemlocks suggested a spruce, and maybe placing 2 rose of sharons (hopefully artfully) in front of it. That would give us the year-round privacy screening and I would still get the showy flowers I want.

Sugar maple would make a strong contrast to the JM, especially in the fall. I still think a dawn redwood would be great. 'Ogon' is a great cultivar, as Victor can attest to. The chartreuse foliage, with a nice warm brown in fall, would make a striking contrast to the JM. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56911/

Karen

The J. maple would be great against the dawn redwood or a spruce. The contrast would also be great in the fall with a tulip tree.

is that j. maple still red in the sring/summer? looks like it might be a bloodgood or close relative. If you have the money i would have a large blue spruce delivered and planted and you could put a few rose of sharon's in front or even a hedge of them with different colors. they are pretty cheap and box stores carry them in quantity.

Thanks so much for the id wha! It must be a bloodgood. It certainly has the spreading shape and that elegant leaf.

This is an interesting thread on the adaptability of blue vs norway spruce in the northeast. It also gets into the problem of finding screen trees that provide fast-growth without becoming too tall:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/conif/msg0615241331550.html

Another pic of my problem spot:

i think you may want to look into the holly that spruceman mentioned on the gardenweb link - it looks like the problem area has some shade - i like blue spruce although it does not look like it would receive the sun required - so either the norway or holley would be the way to go

Victorgardener's, your dawn redwood photos are absolutely stunning!

I do have shade due to both the slope and all the tall trees nearby. The best I ever get is part sun anywhere on my property. Given that, I am starting to think that the Satyr Hill holly would be a nice, very pretty addition. (The Satyr Hill is gorgeous in this pic, altho I'm not sure I can offer the same conditions that this one got in Kentucky.)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/139681/

Does anyone know if it requires special conditions? I've never had a tree planted so I want to be sure that I'm not setting it up for failure.

Probably needs more sun.

I do get eastern light there in the morning, and then part sun to full shade most of the day. Would anyone have any other suggestions for a tree or shrub that could cope with that?

That's tough. Fast-growing is not likely. Does it need to be 25 feet tall to give you the necessary screening?

We just went out and did an official measurement. We are trying to screen the view from 2 angles -- our back patio and upstairs bedroom window. Because the slope is so steep, the ideal way to screen both of those viewing angles would be to put some dense foliage from a height of 10 feet to 20 feet off the ground. Maybe my first idea of using a redbud was right after all.. ?

Might be. Forest Pansy does well as an understory tree. But again, you will have no coverage for five months.

you may want to dmail Viburnum Valley about a holly suggestion and let him know your conditions.

I had 2 oaks taken out last year and wanted a screening tree in one of the spots so I asked the 'tree pro' what tree would he would suggest as a 20-25 footer, he suggested a redbud or a katsura. I choose the redbud (forest pansy), planted a six footer this past April, it already grew a foot in height since I planted it. Very satisfied, it'll take time to fill out but I love the spring display.

That American holly is magnificent! I really love them myself, and I have seen them growing in shade. They're wonderful trees.

Karen

They're best in full sun to only light shade, though.

Oh, okay.

Karen

On wha's recommendation I requested sage advice from ViburnumValley via the D-mail below. I have copied my summary of the thread and the request for info that I sent to VV below to keep this conversation within the thread:

Hello ViburnumValley,

I'm wondering if you would be so kind as to chime in with advice on what tree might provide a decent privacy screen in my backyard. Despite a decade of effort, I still consider myself a novice gardener and as a new homeowner, I've never planted a tree. A few others have offered advice on the thread here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1053261/

The basics are that we lost some of the hemlocks that screened my eastern property line this summer, leaving a gaping opening in the back (northeastern) corner next to a Japanese maple. The loss of the screening trees brought my neighbor's partially-constructed cinderblock retaining wall into full view. (It's been under construction for 2 years so I'm not expecting it to be finished soon.) His property slopes steeply down to my yard so that from my 2nd story window I am still a good story below his retaining wall. After some measuring, I think I need the densest coverage between the heights of 10 and 20 feet. In addition, I have lots of deer, and part-shade to full-shade in the corner where I need coverage.

It's getting a little late to plant this fall, but I'm still hoping to get a tree planted if possible. I started by considering redbuds, but concerns were raised about the hardiness of forest pansy and adequate height of the Minnesota strain. I considered northern spruce coupled with 2 rose of sharon but I'm not sure if I have room for a spruce in width and height. Since, I've been considering American holly -- particularly ilex opaca 'Satyr Hill' but victorgardener has helpfully pointed out that I might not have enough sun.

Would you have thoughts on what might work in this spot? I've attached an image; another is available on the forum thread. I would be very grateful for any advice.

All the best,

Kathy

Thumbnail by kakaufman
Click the image for an enlarged view.

after and before pics