# Need a tree recomendation



## bwright (Sep 6, 2018)

By my HOA's rules, I have to have at least 1 tree in my front yard. The one I currently have has died, so I have to replace it. Does anyone have suggestions for a tree that will not shade out my lawn? I cant get away with some minature maple tree either, it has to be a regular tree, although there is no mandatory height requirement.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Plant a small oak tree and ensure it dies every 5 years or so.


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## Southern Lawn (Dec 31, 2019)

^ +1


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Plant a palm tree. &#127796;


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

What about a saucer magnolia? They have small cultivars and it's kinda spindly. You can get the multi-trunk kind and they are really beautiful all light up from below. They are beautiful when they flower in spring.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

Redtwin said:


> Plant a small oak tree and ensure it dies every 5 years or so.


Save the Oak tree, plant a Bradford Pear! The wind, snow, ice or something is guaranteed to kill it quickly! :lol:


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

TulsaFan said:


> Redtwin said:
> 
> 
> > Plant a small oak tree and ensure it dies every 5 years or so.
> ...


You could certainly count on a Bradford Pear to split every other year in any significant storm so it would stay small. I love Live Oaks, but they don't play nice with grass.


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## andymac7 (Oct 30, 2018)

Either a fastigiate cultivar (something that grows tall and skinny), or as @JayGo suggested, a Windmill Palm.  But in your zone, a Longleaf Pine might be good. They are pretty sparse when young, and only moderately so when old, then you can trim the lower limbs as they get taller for even more sunlight. Believe it or not, I have a few here in southern OH, and love them. They also give me free mulch!


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## ZachUA (Dec 28, 2018)

Bradford pears (at least the one I have) sends up suckers all around the tree. Some of them have popped up in my grass 10 feet away from the tree. Just something to consider.

I like the idea of a fastigiate tree.

Will something like an italian cypress fit within the HOA rules or are they looking for something with a wider spread/branches?

If the later then the Pine idea could work. I have a friend with 4-5 large pines in his yard and the limbs are up so high that they don't create much shade.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

I was completely joking about the Bradford Pears! Absolute worst tree ever for the plains with our wind and freezing rain. In fact, they are considered an invasive species and the residents were told not to plant anymore of them.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I used to have a lot of pines before hurricane Michael cleared them all out. They don't produce much shade at all and it really wasn't that big of a issue to deal with the needles or cones. Don't park anything under them though because they drop sap... at least the sand and slash pines we have here. A palm would be my very first choice but I didn't know if that was possible in Birmingham. You guys can get some serious cold snaps.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

TulsaFan said:


> I was completely joking about the Bradford Pears! Absolute worst tree ever


Seconded. They're a bad tree for any site in any zone in any conditions for a multitude of reasons. Friends don't let friends plant Bradford Pears.


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## Darth_V8r (Jul 18, 2019)

Redtwin said:


> I used to have a lot of pines before hurricane Michael cleared them all out. They don't produce much shade at all and it really wasn't that big of a issue to deal with the needles or cones. Don't park anything under them though because they drop sap... at least the sand and slash pines we have here. A palm would be my very first choice but I didn't know if that was possible in Birmingham. You guys can get some serious cold snaps.


I would prefer a pine or a cedar to a palm, personally. cutting the dead fronds of the tree really stinks as the tree gets taller. Well, I guess that would depend on the type of palm. But a cedar, you can cut the bottom few feet of branches off, and it's very low maintenance.


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

I would look at a dogwood if they'll grow in your area. They stay small, have flowers, minimal leaves and shade.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I love dogwoods. I have a small one that I planted in my backyard as a replacement. j I don't know anything about their shade but the flowers are beautiful on them.


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## Darth_V8r (Jul 18, 2019)

Tulip trees are pretty nice too and very low maintenance.


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## bwright (Sep 6, 2018)

It has to be a hardwood tree, so pines are out and maybe probably palm trees too. Was considering bradford pear, until now. Will look at dogwoods, those are a pretty option.


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## Automate (Aug 14, 2020)

"Flowering dogwoods can be grown in sun or shade; however, trees planted in partial shade generally perform better. Trees planted in full sun can be stressful, making them more susceptible to dogwood borers and heat stress. For care of flowering dogwood trees, dogwoods that are planted in full sun must also rely on frequent watering, especially during hot conditions."

Read more at Gardening Know How: Tips For Caring For Dogwood Trees https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/dogwood/caring-dogwood-trees.htm


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I think you should look at these. I'm putting a bunch in my backyard along my fence. I had one at my other house. It was fairly slow growing and not overly leafy. I'm putting the Alexandrina cultivar in my backyard but there are smaller ones. You can prune it to be somewhat trunky like an olive. Not sure if it will grow in your area. They are called saucer magnolias and some places call them tulip trees.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Something that grows incredibly slow, such as a Japanese maple or a dogwood


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

If you are wanting to get around your POA/HOA requirements, I would suggest a Princeton Sentry™ Columnar Ginkgo Tree. They grow slowly to only 20-30'. Their mature width is 10-15'.



Another option is the Goldspire Ginkgo Tree. They grow slowly to only 14-16'. Their mature width is 5-6'.

A Sky Tower Ginkgo is even smaller.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

Longleaf pines are awful, they shed all summer long and make mowing with a reel in my back yard not ideal. Picking needles up is a weekly chore that is best done with a push mower and a bagger. They don't generate much shade but the mess they leave is ridiculous. There are several types of long needled pine, the loblolly isn't as messy but the longleaf (Pinus palustris) is. They are cool because they live 500 plus years, the one in my back is probably a few hundred years old.


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## gkaneko (Dec 11, 2018)

Coconut tree?

This thread is kind of funny.

I wonder how long an artificial tree would go unnoticed?


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## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

What does "everyone else" in the neighborhood have? Can't go wrong following the herd - pick a neighbor with tree and a decent lawn and get that tree?

Around me, birches seem very popular. To my point of view, no trees that drop leaves every fall. I'd say American Holly might work well. You can thin it out to a point where it won't produce much shade.


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## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

TulsaFan said:


> I was completely joking about the Bradford Pears! Absolute worst tree ever for the plains with our wind and freezing rain. In fact, they are considered an invasive species and the residents were told not to plant anymore of them.


I hope so!

When I had my business, I hated those things because there seemed to always be something I had to clean up. In the fall, it was a nasty job to remove all the debris At my latitude, (33.5 N), they live about 20 years and the limbs break off. Those last few years they are awful. But they're pretty in the spring ... for a while.


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## andymac7 (Oct 30, 2018)

rjw0283 said:


> Longleaf pines are awful, they shed all summer long and make mowing with a reel in my back yard not ideal. Picking needles up is a weekly chore that is best done with a push mower and a bagger. They don't generate much shade but the mess they leave is ridiculous. There are several types of long needled pine, the loblolly isn't as messy but the longleaf (Pinus palustris) is. They are cool because they live 500 plus years, the one in my back is probably a few hundred years old.


Hmm. My longleafs certainly don't shed all summer long, so I'm not sure what's happening there. I also have loblollies, and they are great, but a bit more dense than longleaf, thus increased shade. You'll be wanting to rake up straw with either early fall. If you do happen to get a bit of straw in the reels, the southern pines have pretty soft needles, so they certainly wouldn't damage anything.

But hey, to each their own I guess.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

andymac7 said:


> rjw0283 said:
> 
> 
> > Longleaf pines are awful, they shed all summer long and make mowing with a reel in my back yard not ideal. Picking needles up is a weekly chore that is best done with a push mower and a bagger. They don't generate much shade but the mess they leave is ridiculous. There are several types of long needled pine, the loblolly isn't as messy but the longleaf (Pinus palustris) is. They are cool because they live 500 plus years, the one in my back is probably a few hundred years old.
> ...


The needles wrap around the reel near the bearings. By all summer I mean MOST of summer. Raking every week for 2-3 months sucks. The tree doesn't lose its needles all at once, it's an on-going multi month process. I just mow with my rotary and bag it all up. Easiest way. It's a nice looking tree, it just produces a lot of stuff that falls into the yard (needles, buds, pine cones) It's a healthy rather large tree, not sure why it sheds for so long (maybe because it's so big and has LOTS of branches) A tree that size is probably 150 years old or so which is pretty cool.


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## MGC (Jun 4, 2017)

jane magnolia ...high-quality hybrid that's cold hardy, drought-tolerant, and adaptable.
jane Magnolias grow to be 10-15 feet tall, with a maximum spread of 8-12 feet.


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## andymac7 (Oct 30, 2018)

rjw0283 said:


> andymac7 said:
> 
> 
> > rjw0283 said:
> ...


Ahh @rjw0283 yep, the age of yours could be why it sheds more. My longleafs are maybe 10 years old. Interesting. However that's good news to me, because I use the straw for mulch, as mentioned in an earlier post .


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## sam36 (Apr 14, 2020)

Hackberry, mesquite, or huisache if you really want to make "friends".

On a serious note, I've been buying Bur oak saplings off of ebay for around $15 shipped and they arrive bare root and ready to go. They are a fast growing tree and can be pruned to keep a small canopy. They are one of the few trees that have a tap root (hence why you need to buy them as a sapling and not a 3 year old tree in a pot from the nursery) so you won't have to worry about it falling over. They do make a mess with acorns though, but won't produce until 10 years old or so.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

@andymac7 this is what I'm dealing with







That's alot of needles and everything else that falls from it


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Ugh we just took out four of those pine trees in our front yard and unfortunately the neighbors behind us have 3 right up against out back fence. The dang trees dropped so many needles I couldn't keep up with it with my trash cycle. My kind next door neighbors let me use their dumpster they were using for remodeling but we filled it several times and still had needles on the ground. Good riddance. I would never put those trees in. They provided nice shade but the cleanup was too much work. To be fair, mine had been let go for a long time by the previous owners and were about 40 years old.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

I use to have another almost as big as this one, but it was leaning over my house. I had it removed after Hurricane Matthew. It always naturally leaned over my house. Which made it a pain because all of the needles would fall directly on my house into the gutters and all over my Patio. If the needles only fell a few weeks a year I wouldn't have an issue, but when it's 3-4 months, it gets tiresome.

When hurricane florence hit I didn't have to worry about the leaning tree falling on the house, so I'm glad I had it cut down.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

The Loblollies that are right behind my property grow fast! The Longleaf pines grow slower and live much longer. I spent about an hour researching the differences in the two trees one night when I was in the backyard smoking a cigar. Longleafs are endangered, loblollies are not. A pine tree was a pine tree before I read up on it


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## Lawn Burgundy (Apr 27, 2020)

Since you are in the south like me, a crepe myrtle is always a good option. They have smaller cultivars that don't get too big. Just don't do the "crepe murder" pruning.


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## NeVs (Aug 17, 2018)

bwright said:


> By my HOA's rules, I have to have at least 1 tree in my front yard. The one I currently have has died, so I have to replace it. Does anyone have suggestions for a tree that will not shade out my lawn? I cant get away with some minature maple tree either, it has to be a regular tree, although there is no mandatory height requirement.


Take a look at a Chitalpa. It's a cross between a desert willow and a catalpa. It doesn't drop seed pods, only it's gorgeous flowers. It blooms spring through fall. Grows to about 30ft tall and 20 wide.


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## NeVs (Aug 17, 2018)

NeVs said:


> bwright said:
> 
> 
> > By my HOA's rules, I have to have at least 1 tree in my front yard. The one I currently have has died, so I have to replace it. Does anyone have suggestions for a tree that will not shade out my lawn? I cant get away with some minature maple tree either, it has to be a regular tree, although there is no mandatory height requirement.
> ...


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## andymac7 (Oct 30, 2018)

rjw0283 said:


> @andymac7 this is what I'm dealing with
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@rjw0283 That is a big boy! A beauty for those of us not used to seeing them up here . But yeah I understand about needle drop, especially if you rake it instead of using it for mulch, like I do. Here's what I'm doing with mine (Sorry for the poor pic quality):



My three longleafs are near the back, still pretty small, and mini in comparison to yours . But yep, I love the southern pines. My Loblollies actually seed EVERYWHERE up here in southern Ohio. The young one you see way in the back sprouted up a couple years ago and my son begged me to not spray it. Lol. I also have a single Slash pine, which is usually listed as certainly not being able to survive up here. Well apparently it doesn't know that! .

@Bermuda_Newbie Do you all grow longleaf pine in Fresno? Are you sure it's not possibly Apache Pine, or something similar? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_engelmannii The western pines might even have more needle drop, I'm not sure.

Anyway, sorry, as you can see, I'm a little bit of a tree nut  (But not a tree-hugger, don't get confused. Lol)


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

I recommend an Ikame cherry.


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## bwright (Sep 6, 2018)

this is exactly what I went with.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@andymac7

The pines were really in vogue when my neighborhood was built so there's a ton of them. We're close to the sierra nevada mountains so there's lots of natural pines not too far from here but no one it seems purposely plants pines here anymore. I at one point looked up the cultivars we had. Here's a picture prior to takedown. They were too close to the house and filling up my rain gutters. Not to mention one was over the septic system and all of them had roots that had raised the ground a few feet. I prefer a clean looking yard that's well manicured. It's not everyone's cup of tea but it's what I am looking for. Now I just have to wait a few years for the stumps to rot properly and have everything taken out.


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## blitz28179 (May 28, 2020)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> What about a saucer magnolia? They have small cultivars and it's kinda spindly. You can get the multi-trunk kind and they are really beautiful all light up from below. They are beautiful when they flower in spring.


Ill never buy another magnolia. They drops leaves all througout the growing season. I had one of the small cultivars and decided to cut it down. Also mine only had 1 bloom a year. I think one time I had 2.


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## blitz28179 (May 28, 2020)

Go with a crepe myrtle., They can be growed with a nice turf under it. I do top mine every 2 yrs so it wont block all the sun for my bermuda


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

blitz28179 said:


> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> > What about a saucer magnolia? They have small cultivars and it's kinda spindly. You can get the multi-trunk kind and they are really beautiful all light up from below. They are beautiful when they flower in spring.
> ...


Which kind of magnolia? The traditional ones with the white flowers and those red weird cone things are quite messy I agree but the saucer one hasn't been so bad and I've had it for a few years.


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## andymac7 (Oct 30, 2018)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> blitz28179 said:
> 
> 
> > Bermuda_Newbie said:
> ...


Agreed. Southern Magnolia (the one I think most people think of) is actually completely terrible for growing grass around it. It's what is called "allelopathic" which means it's roots and leaves act as a natural pre-emergent, practically choking out all grasses near it. And, yes, it's very messy. I have one, and trimmed a bunch of lower branches off in hopes my bermuda can actually grow a little underneath. But yeah, a saucer magnolia would be a bit better overall for growing grass. Around here I call it the "stupid tree" though because it tries to bloom so dang early, and EVERY time gets burnt by a late frost. Lol.


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