Replacement Tree for Front of House

[galliano2001]

I have just had a very large Magnolia tree removed from in front of my house. It was a real shame as was a beautiful specimen but just far too large, twenty odd feet tall and 8 feet from house, blocked light badly.

So, whilst enjoying the new found light in my front room i would like to replace it with something more suitable. I would like a flowering tree that will grow no more than say 12 feet tall with a small canopy. Suggestions / ideas?

Untitled

• galliano2001
• 3 Oct 2010
• 1

 

[studips]

Prunus amanogowa - flagpole cherry is quite sweet,
Prunus hillieri spire or sometimes just called spire
Crab apples on semi dwarfing rootstocks (if you don't mind the fruit) Malus Everest and Red Sentinel are my favourites.
Amelanchier (kept pruned) loads of loveley white flowers every spring, plus autumn colour.

12' is small for a tree, you might be better looking for a large shrub that will make a small tree - especially one you can hard prune without ruining the shape or making it gnarly.

 

[galliano2001]

studips - thanks for the quick response and suggestions, i shall do some googling on your suggested trees. I am open to a shrub, i am just looking for something attractive that wont kill the light. The photo above was two years ago after it had just been pruned, so you can imagine what it was like before it was chopped down last week.

 

[galliano2001]

I knew i missed some important info out! We park a car either side of the tree, so it has to be slim before branching out into its canopy. Also, would we have to wait till spring to plant or is that very much species driven?

 

[studips]

you can plant pretty much whenever you like - avoiding very hot spells

maybe a small tree like a gleditsia would be better - no fruit or flower to speak of and quite hackable. wants to get bigger than 12' though.

sorbus vilmorinii is a very nice small tree - it a rowan, but a small one.....
nice flowers and pinkish berries

 

[r896neo]

Now is a good time to plant trees but try not to do it when the frost is arouund. A couple of silver birch may be good, they don't really have much foliage though if you want the screening.

 

[studips]

Now is a good time to plant trees but try not to do it when the frost is arouund. A couple of silver birch may be good, they don't really have much foliage though if you want the screening.

yeah, lovely tree, but he wants to go to 12' and park cars under them - aphis will leave residue on paintwork and birch will make 30' eventually.