Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Nov 12, 2008 9:22 pm Okay, so front landscaping is included in our land price, Neither DH or I have any clue what so ever about plants but have been given a list and have to chose the ones we want and come up with a garden design. We are probably going to go fairly modern, kill proof plants like agave, flax and yuccas, but I think we also have to pick a tree and I am halving a hard time picking one that will fit in with the modern theme. Some that we have to choose from are Japanese Maple, Crepe Myrtle, Chinese or Japanese Elm, Callery Pear, Manchurian Pear or weeping lily pilyme (there are others so if you have any other suggestions please let me know), for those who know more than me do any of those stand out as fitting in with the other plants I mentioned? I would also prefer a tree that didn't grow to a million metres tall Re: Help me choose a tree please 2Nov 12, 2008 9:26 pm Which city are you in Sharee? Is your front yard on the shady or sunny side of the house?
I love Crepe Myrtles, their bark is just stunning in winter and they are pretty tough. Japanese maples are great too, particularly if you have some blacks/dark greys in your facade. For a shady area nothing will beat a Lily Pilly (not sure what the weeping ones will look like five years down the track though). Re: Help me choose a tree please 3Nov 12, 2008 9:34 pm Hi Lyn, We are in Melbourne, our front yard faces North. I like the look of all three trees you suggested - I am just thrown a bit because we have to have a tree and I sort of just had a really minimalist, modern garden in mind and I am having trouble envisioning how a tree will fit in. Re: Help me choose a tree please 4Nov 12, 2008 9:42 pm Hi Sharee
Personally, I love Japanese Maples, I have 4 in pots waiting to go to their new home . But they don't like wind, the tops of mine are dead where they stick up over the neighbours hedge...so if you get a lot of wind where you are, they might not be good. Not too sure about the other trees you've listed though. 'chelle We have a hand-over date...15/10...but I won't hold my breath! http://people-in-glass-houses.blogspot.com/ Re: Help me choose a tree please 5Nov 12, 2008 9:46 pm I think a Japanese maple would look good with your bricks & tiles (if planted off to the side). Not too sure how it would look with some of your other choices, suppose it depends what the final layout is. Re: Help me choose a tree please 6Nov 13, 2008 12:04 am oh wow! trees, i love trees
Magnolia little gem. I love the little bugger, or magnolia Kay Paris which I have two of they have slightly bigger leaves than little gem, grow faster and have more fragrant bigger flowers. That velvet brown underside to the leaves looks great. How about planting three silver birch close together? looks awesome and they do so well in Melbourne. Even one silver birch (betula alba) will look magic. There is a very nice dwarf liquid amber available. Liquidamber orientalis. What a colour show. small tree (unlike its rellies ) Then a plant most know as a hedge. Luma apiculata. If it isn't hedged it turns into a beautiful small tree. The bark is very much like a snow gum. very pretty with a very natural architectural type shape. Agonis flexuosa afterdark. this is another small tree that has a brilliant dark burgundy colour to the foliage. the flowers are white and it really stands out at night when in flower. can be a bit messy. Hibsicus tilleaceous rubra. A fav of mine and one I don't think is grown much in Vicco. Most around are the yucky green one but the rubra is a chameleon. It is always changing colour. they do need the lower trunks pruned clear of foliage to get a traditional tree shape but fast growers that offer some brilliant colour. I did a job in Subi the other week and the lady there had an amazing Hibiscus tilleaceous rubra in the back garden. She let me get a pic The chinese tallow is a fav too. Sapium sebiferum. a stunning plant. lovely shade, beautiful leaf shape and natural shape that is much like the shape of the leaf when you pluck one off and turn it upside down. (in other words hold a leaf in your hand and that is the tree shape) another fav of mine and one I know a disturbing amount about is the Ginkgo Biloba. One of the worlds oldest existing trees. thought to be extinct it was discovered in an ancient chinese garden. Most of the worlds stock is derived from that one garden specimen ( a specimen is also an Italian astronaut ...sorry ) They are considered the ultimate in feng shui trees. the Japanese sumo model their hair style on the leaf shape. also known as a maiden hair tree because it's leaves are like a giant version of a maiden hair fern. If you hold a leaf upto the light you can also see that they are so ancient the viens in the leaf are all parallel like in grasses. (unlike in any other tree or shrub). The bark is like a soft cork. the colour show is amazing come autumn. They are also of intrest to scientist studying its medicinal properties. ginkaloids are known to be very effective in a treating a range of illnesses. The bark is used in eastern medicine and the leaves too are used somehow in teas. thought to be good in treating cancer too. One famous one is in hiroshima. When the city got flattened in WWII This tree survived. the temple that was built next it was flattened. It was the first plant to reshoot leaves after just a few weeks and it still lives today healthy as ever with a new temple built around it just bloody good trees those I was at wandilla nursery the other week and they had some amazing Jap maples in thier shade house. most were done up in these big low flat bowls. just amazing. I got some good pics on the phone too I recon that is when Jap Maples look their best is under a patio in a feature pot or bowl. wow I have so many pics of all these but no time to upload them all. Frangipani of course is a great feature tree. If you are lucky you can get or "find" big specimens for next to nothing in trading post or car boot sales. Otherwise fork out the coin for a good sized one in a nursery. gee whizz! I could babble for ages on trees Re: Help me choose a tree please 7Nov 13, 2008 7:38 am Fu There is a very nice dwarf liquid amber available. Liquidamber orientalis. What a colour show. small tree (unlike its rellies Wink) Fu...this is obviously still related to its bigger cousins and therefore would still have modest watering requirements. Fu Manchu wow I have so many pics of all these but no time to upload them all. ....unacceptable And on another note.... HomeOne....can we give FuMan his own gardening forum on H1?....just let him write...everytime he puts finger to keyboard I learn (and realise how little I know... ) mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Help me choose a tree please 8Nov 13, 2008 8:43 am and I know very little compared to some of the people I work with Re: Help me choose a tree please 10Nov 13, 2008 9:42 am Just to hijack this thread a little:
Fu, we have a Japanese maple in a pot that we do want in the ground (just waiting on a little retaining wall). Should we wait until late autumn/winter to plant it and risk it dying in the pot over summer, or should we whack it in the ground as soon as our wall is finished (later this month)? It is over a metre high and in a 40-50cm pot (can't be bothered going out in the heat to measure the pot, sorry!). Re: Help me choose a tree please 11Nov 13, 2008 9:52 am Hi Lyn,
I'm no where near an expert, but as I said before I have 4 Japanese Maples in pots, and have had them for about 2 years now. They are about 1-1.5m tall and the pots are about the same size as yours. They seem to be doing well...just have to remember to keep the water up to them over the summer obviously. Can't answer the other part of your question though about when to plant them out. 'chelle We have a hand-over date...15/10...but I won't hold my breath! http://people-in-glass-houses.blogspot.com/ Re: Help me choose a tree please 12Nov 13, 2008 10:09 am Thanks 'chelle, we had other Japanese maples in pots and lost them all last summer - this one is particularly beautiful and we just don't want it to head the same way!
We really need to get another water tank. Re: Help me choose a tree please 13Nov 13, 2008 10:10 am Lyn Just to hijack this thread a little: Fu, we have a Japanese maple in a pot that we do want in the ground (just waiting on a little retaining wall). Should we wait until late autumn/winter to plant it and risk it dying in the pot over summer, or should we whack it in the ground as soon as our wall is finished (later this month)? It is over a metre high and in a 40-50cm pot (can't be bothered going out in the heat to measure the pot, sorry!). I thought all deciduous plants should be replanted when they are dormant...my guess would have been autumn winter....the shock of replanting and summer my be too much for the little guy. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Help me choose a tree please 14Nov 13, 2008 10:12 am Hmmm, I suppose Melbourne does get a bit warmer than here...and we don't have water restrictions. Goodluck 'chelle We have a hand-over date...15/10...but I won't hold my breath! http://people-in-glass-houses.blogspot.com/ Re: Help me choose a tree please 15Nov 13, 2008 10:13 am 'chelle Hmmm, I suppose Melbourne does get a bit warmer than here...and we don't have water restrictions. Goodluck Yet another reason to move to Tassie...I do so love Tassie...! mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Help me choose a tree please 16Nov 13, 2008 10:23 am to_do_list 'chelle Hmmm, I suppose Melbourne does get a bit warmer than here...and we don't have water restrictions. Goodluck Yet another reason to move to Tassie...I do so love Tassie...! Psst, buddy, want to buy a block of land? 'chelle We have a hand-over date...15/10...but I won't hold my breath! http://people-in-glass-houses.blogspot.com/ Re: Help me choose a tree please 17Nov 13, 2008 10:32 am 'chelle to_do_list 'chelle Hmmm, I suppose Melbourne does get a bit warmer than here...and we don't have water restrictions. Goodluck Yet another reason to move to Tassie...I do so love Tassie...! Psst, buddy, want to buy a block of land? You want me as a neighbour.... mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Help me choose a tree please 18Nov 13, 2008 10:36 am to_do_list 'chelle to_do_list 'chelle Hmmm, I suppose Melbourne does get a bit warmer than here...and we don't have water restrictions. Goodluck Yet another reason to move to Tassie...I do so love Tassie...! Psst, buddy, want to buy a block of land? You want me as a neighbour.... Hmmm, well maybe you could have the smaller block down near the road, not too close. But then again.....? 'chelle We have a hand-over date...15/10...but I won't hold my breath! http://people-in-glass-houses.blogspot.com/ Re: Help me choose a tree please 19Nov 13, 2008 8:43 pm Lyn the high jacking pirate, heh heh Just to hijack this thread a little: Fu, we have a Japanese maple in a pot that we do want in the ground (just waiting on a little retaining wall). Should we wait until late autumn/winter to plant it and risk it dying in the pot over summer, or should we whack it in the ground as soon as our wall is finished (later this month)? It is over a metre high and in a 40-50cm pot (can't be bothered going out in the heat to measure the pot, sorry!). Oh gee whizz! as long as you keep it watered each day in the pot over summer it will give back the love water morning and night, It will be fine. i will upload some of my pics if I get the chance to show you guys just what can be done with them I always have a heap of other stuff on at the same time happening on line so it is trickey I will need to start getting some of my colleagues on here maybe Oh that reminds me of a tree I forgot that a mate of mine that knows more than me loves. She loves the Fraxinus Raywoodii or the claret ash. A tree first grown in South Australia. That although not a native species is kind of now a native. Re: Help me choose a tree please 20Nov 13, 2008 10:32 pm I've got a beautiful Japanese Maple in the frontyard. It's my favourite tree ! the leaf, shape, tree shape and autumn display are wonderful. I tried to strike three from cuttings this year, but none took I wanted to have a row of them in the frontyard. My tree is about 4m high and requires no maintenance other than some very modest pruning.
And the claret ash ! I had one in a house I lived in years ago. It reminded me of a giant Japanese Maple - the tree was enormous - and dropped a huge amount of leaves in autumn. But again, a truly beautiful tree. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. - Dale Carnegie Hello. I just bought a few acres in Habana, Mackay, and my horses seem to love hanging around under this tree. I would like to name the paddock after this tree. Can… 0 9528 Fellow Perth dweller. Looks like pruns nigra. It's a dark leaf flowering plum. Doesn't get massive and is easily trimmed deciduous tree. Very popular in small gardens in Perth 7 2759 |