What to plant

[Big Ry]

I was trying to find the best place to post this thread beside the general chatroom, so hopefully this is right.

The wife and I are down to our last major home renovation for a while - overhauling the landscape. We live on 0.7ac in the Philly suburbs (corner lot). The current landscape is far too much for us - huge gardens, unused dated hardscaping, a small fish pond, drainage issues, etc. We are pretty much going to tear it all out and start from scratch with a much more minimalist approach that will give us more usable lawn for the young ones. This may involve taking out some trees that divide the back yard (hawthorn, willow, magnolia), but rest assured I will mill and use anything that gets taken out We are hiring a contractor for this work, and for the most part we are going to put in plants that are low maintenance, resilient, and somewhat colorful. We have a major deer problem around here, and they will eat just about anything, including plants known to be deer-resistant such as Green Giants and Holly.

I do want to pick out some trees or bushes to plant though, so I was hoping to get some suggestions for this climate. Ill probably plant a fruit tree or 2 for the actual fruit (keeping our 2 peach and 2 fig trees as well). It would be cool to have something a bit more unusual/exotic if anyone has suggestions. I already checked and confirmed guaiacum wont survive here

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

Notable Trees List

Last Updated April 21, Frogs Return Moon North Philadelphia Willow o ak, Quercus phellos -- Hunting Park, Hunti...

phillytrees.blogspot.com

What type tree? Fruit, decorative, or lumber?

 

[Nature Man]

I was trying to find the best place to post this thread beside the general chatroom, so hopefully this is right.

The wife and I are down to our last major home renovation for a while - overhauling the landscape. We live on 0.7ac in the Philly suburbs (corner lot). The current landscape is far too much for us - huge gardens, unused dated hardscaping, a small fish pond, drainage issues, etc. We are pretty much going to tear it all out and start from scratch with a much more minimalist approach that will give us more usable lawn for the young ones. This may involve taking out some trees that divide the back yard (hawthorn, willow, magnolia), but rest assured I will mill and use anything that gets taken out We are hiring a contractor for this work, and for the most part we are going to put in plants that are low maintenance, resilient, and somewhat colorful. We have a major deer problem around here, and they will eat just about anything, including plants known to be deer-resistant such as Green Giants and Holly.

I do want to pick out some trees or bushes to plant though, so I was hoping to get some suggestions for this climate. Ill probably plant a fruit tree or 2 for the actual fruit (keeping our 2 peach and 2 fig trees as well). It would be cool to have something a bit more unusual/exotic if anyone has suggestions. I already checked and confirmed guaiacum wont survive here

If Crepe Myrtle grows in your area, that is an option.

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

It does.

 

[Webb]

You are in zone 7B if you are in Philly, PA.

 

[JD1137]

Google “native trees” for your area. Pick out a few and pay attention to mature size.

Then look around for a nursery that specializes in native trees. When we built our house 20+ years ago we went all native with flowers, bushes and trees. Typically lower maintenance and should grow well.

We have a native plant nursery, somewhat nearby, that starts all their stock from seeds they collect in northern IL, Indiana, Iowa, WI. The nursery should also provide guidance on species.

Be sure to get a variety of species to enjoy.

We live in a newer home with a decent amount of black dirt, but some newer subdivisions have a minimal amount of black dirt and a lot of clay soils, so be aware not all native species do well in clay. Maybe dig a test hole. If you hit clay right away, adjust accordingly.

Also, side yard and backyard easements (along the property lines) typically slope away from the house and act as drainage swales and should be considered more “wet” than closer to the foundation. So, pick trees for those areas that like moisture.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Big Ry]

Notable Trees List

Last Updated April 21, Frogs Return Moon North Philadelphia Willow o ak, Quercus phellos -- Hunting Park, Hunti...

phillytrees.blogspot.com

What type tree? Fruit, decorative, or lumber?

All of the above? ha ha

There is no particular type I am looking for, but some of those are quite large. I was thinking small to medium sized. However, having osage or persimmon would be pretty cool.

 

[Big Ry]

If Crepe Myrtle grows in your area, that is an option.

I already have several crepe myrtles...boring ha ha Ugly wood too.

 

[JonathanH]

I already have several crepe myrtles...boring ha ha Ugly wood too.

It can be quite curly, although it's smaller wood and hard to dry without cracking. I've got some in storage that I need to pull out and take a peek at. It should be dry now.

Osage may be a good option if it will grow in your area, but it can get large over a period of time. It's native here and there are some good sized ones around.

 

[trc65]

John made some great points about native plants and nurseries. Many nurseries have a design staff, but that is expensive. However, those same personnel are usually happy to talk about your needs and suggest some options and ideas for landscaping.

As for fruit trees, the best bang for your buck is buying bare root stock. Probably want to stick with dwarf varieties. What fruit do you have, and what would you like?

 

[Big Ry]

It can be quite curly, although it's smaller wood and hard to dry without cracking. I've got some in storage that I need to pull out and take a peek at. It should be dry now.

Osage may be a good option if it will grow in your area, but it can get large over a period of time. It's native here and there are some good sized ones around.

Yeah, my Crepe Myrtle is not figured. Its just a bland cream color. It is shockingly stable though. I have had some drying in my shop over a year, and none of it checked, split, or warped at all. I even cut a 1x1 blank while green, and it remained straight and true throughout drying...with pith in it.

Its probably not wise to plant huge trees. The eastern white pines we have are already much too large for the land.

 

[Big Ry]

John made some great points about native plants and nurseries. Many nurseries have a design staff, but that is expensive. However, those same personnel are usually happy to talk about your needs and suggest some options and ideas for landscaping.

As for fruit trees, the best bang for your buck is buying bare root stock. Probably want to stick with dwarf varieties. What fruit do you have, and what would you like?

We have two peach trees and two fig trees (bushes). I couldn't tell you what kind they are, but they are edible fruit-bearing varieties. We only had 1 good fig season since buying the house, so Ive only eaten those once. The peach was not producing fruit that would ripen due to being unpruned, but I thinned them out very good a few weeks ago and they're already doing much better.

I'd love to get the same kind of cherry tree my grandmother had in her yard in this same area. It produced tart cherries that she used to make cherry pie and cherry jam. There is also a type of apple tree that my wife loves. She used to get the apples form a local orchard growing up in Londonderry, NH. I don't recall the name, but my wife would definitely know. I have no idea if that could grow here or not, but I would venture to guess that any apple tree that can grow in NH can grow here as well. Beyond that, I'm not really sure I have a preference on fruit trees for the fruit itself. I'd more be going for the appearance and potential lumber down the line lol.

I would also consider nut trees if any are more medium sized. Maybe hazelnut/filbert? Maybe a Chestnut, but only if I can be reasonably comfortable that it wont die from infection. Carpathian English Walnut? Some rare bushes might be interesting. Im not sure what I would even be able to get my hands on to be honest.

 

[trc65]

For the cherry, consider Montmorency. It's the one I have, and we love the flavor. It's an old cultivar originating in France and brought to the U.S. in the 1700's. Main sour cherry in Midwest production areas (WI and MI). It's a cold hardy variety (zone 4-7, or maybe 8). There are other varieties, but this is the most common when pie cherries are mentioned. I'd say it's a fair bet it was what your grandmother had. It is also self fertile, so a pollinator isn't needed.

As to apples, there are so many flavor profiles, that it gets confusing trying to pick one of you don't have a favorite. Being in an urban area, you shouldn't have to worry about pollinators as there is probably a crab apple (or a dozen) in your neighborhood.

 

[Big Ry]

For the cherry, consider Montmorency. It's the one I have, and we love the flavor. It's an old cultivar originating in France and brought to the U.S. in the 1700's. Main sour cherry in Midwest production areas (WI and MI). It's a cold hardy variety (zone 4-7, or maybe 8). There are other varieties, but this is the most common when pie cherries are mentioned. I'd say it's a fair bet it was what your grandmother had. It is also self fertile, so a pollinator isn't needed.

As to apples, there are so many flavor profiles, that it gets confusing trying to pick one of you don't have a favorite. Being in an urban area, you shouldn't have to worry about pollinators as there is probably a crab apple (or a dozen) in your neighborhood.

My mom will most likely know the type of cherry. She grew up in the house and is into baking and landscape design. It's definitely more tart than most people use for pie and jam, which is exactly why i like it.

Also with the apple tree, my wife will definitely know the type. I just can't remember what it is offhand. I know it's a variety that you cannot buy in grocery stores or markets around here. I'm not a big fan of apples as a fruit, though i do love apple pie lol. This is a red apple though, and I'm pretty sure my grandma used green apples in her pies. But we probably won't put 2 apple trees in, so if i can get my wife's apple that would be good.

 

[trc65]

You should be able to find your wife's favorite. Even if it's a rare variety, there are many nurseries that specialize in rare, hard to find varieties. Our favorite is WineSap, a tart apple that has sweet notes, and is great for eating and cooking. Makes the best flavored applesauce too.

 

[daniscool]

You should be able to find your wife's favorite. Even if it's a rare variety, there are many nurseries that specialize in rare, hard to find varieties. Our favorite is WineSap, a tart apple that has sweet notes, and is great for eating and cooking. Makes the best flavored applesauce too.

In Austria we have these amazing apples called “Kronprinz Rudolf” because they were the crownprince rudolf’s favourite variety (that is hearsay and not citable)

I love them. When in season, they are crisp, sour and have some sweet notes to them. Some added complexity reminiscent of red grapes and something almost citrusy (like grapefruit) make the apple divine to eat. They don’t grow very big though and lose almost everything when frozen or even chilled. If you don’t pick them off the tree they aren’t really worth it.

 

[Big Ry]

The apples my wife loves are Cortland apples

 

[trc65]

The apples my wife loves are Cortland apples

Shouldn't have to look very hard for that one. Common variety that is still popular and available at many nurseries.

 

[Big Ry]

Shouldn't have to look very hard for that one. Common variety that is still popular and available at many nurseries.

Yeah the name is familiar. They just don't have them here for some reason.