just invest a bit into one of these, you can move the shade with you. Plus no sticks or leaves!
Shade Tree Recommendation
- Thread starter BillBrasky4Cy
- Start date
Don’t know about cottonless trees but traditional cottonwood trees are like a natural lightning rod. Good demand for their wood for utility purposes like pallet lumber.
Cottonwoods are amazing, yet people hate 'em! Gorgeous, leaves shimmer in sunshine like George HW Bush's 1,000 points of light, stately, beautiful bark... Have one that is perhaps 70 years old, survived the '67 tornado that went right past it, is around 5' diameter. Another one a block away has been home to an eagle's nest for many years now. But yeah, live in the stix and have 6 acres.
Buy from a reputable nursery like Bachmanns or Gertens? I've never actually heard of any stinky tree other than those on the ISU campus. Man, if those would keep deer away I'd probably trade for a male tree right now.
Worst deer damage in all of the decades I've lived here. My yews are in bad shape as is the big bed of vinca groundcover I've spent years cultivating. I've never seen them touch this stuff before. My yews will recover in a few years if I can keep the deer off them for a couple of seasons, vinca will take a year or two also. My neighbors 8-10 yews will probably need to be removed. They are completely stripped bare, literally not a needle on them. Because of the years of growth lost I am vacillating back and forth between
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I agree with you about a sycamore's messy nature, but that university/lincoln way sycamore is my favorite tree in the whole state. Nothing comes close.
Cottonwoods. Always a touchy subject. Remember one neighbor driving by and giving my next door neighbor the stink eye when they had a crew there taking down a HUGE mothership of a cottonwood. It was a giant, right on the street and looked fairly healthy but it was towering over their ranch house and anything on the backside of the tree going would have landed on the house. I didn't begrudge them removing it. I'm sure they didn't take the decision lightly, even 15 years ago that had to have been really pricey. Still enough cottonwoods around to cover my convertible top with cotton every year but not enough to coat window screens.
I have two giant Cottonwoods in my front yard. The derecho took down a 30ft long branch from one of them, but they otherwise held it together. On some days in June, it looks like it's snowing. Only time I hate them is when it rains shortly after they start dropping. That stuff gets glued to everything.
The deer get ballsy-er every year don't they? Lucky for them they don't taste like ribeye - I'd open my bedroom window and blast 'em. I'd bet your neighbor's yews will come back. Mine were stripped badly two years ago, and they re-sprouted. But it'll takes several years to get back to form. Now, I throw some plastic mesh over them before the first snow.Buy from a reputable nursery like Bachmanns or Gertens? I've never actually heard of any stinky tree other than those on the ISU campus. Man, if those would keep deer away I'd probably trade for a male tree right now.
Worst deer damage in all of the decades I've lived here. My yews are in bad shape as is the big bed of vinca groundcover I've spent years cultivating. I've never seen them touch this stuff before. My yews will recover in a few years if I can keep the deer off them for a couple of seasons, vinca will take a year or two also. My neighbors 8-10 yews will probably need to be removed. They are completely stripped bare, literally not a needle on them. Because of the years of growth lost I am vacillating back and forth between
Give the trunk a rub, if it grows taller, you have your answer.
Not so sure. They've been ravaged several yews running and think they might be running out of any recovery reserve. Mine were okay with Liquid Fence until this year so it's their first year of damage. Will cover next winter....was out in below zero weather in January doing that after I noticed them getting eaten up. Damn, that was one cold and miserable afternoon.
Yeah, my neighors took out the row of cottonwoods that predated our neighborhood by many decades. They were huge and deemed a threat. It was sad to see them go, but if I had them looming over my house and got professional advice that they were a risk I would probably have made the same decision.
Buy from a reputable nursery like Bachmanns or Gertens? I've never actually heard of any stinky tree other than those on the ISU campus. Man, if those would keep deer away I'd probably trade for a male tree right now.
Worst deer damage in all of the decades I've lived here. My yews are in bad shape as is the big bed of vinca groundcover I've spent years cultivating. I've never seen them touch this stuff before. My yews will recover in a few years if I can keep the deer off them for a couple of seasons, vinca will take a year or two also. My neighbors 8-10 yews will probably need to be removed. They are completely stripped bare, literally not a needle on them. Because of the years of growth lost I am vacillating back and forth between
We have so many cages around trees right now. They walk through overnight, clean out the bird feeders and eat bark. Have a replacement (sugar maple, no more Norways) in the driveway for the emerald maple they doomed two winters ago.
Have a Green Mountain sugar maple, Red Oak, viburnum, and couple juniper/arborvitae types delivered to the driveway today for planting. Wish us luck finding time
City of Ames had ginkos downtown since they're good in urban environments, and although not actually all that urban, it was their downtown. Of course they were supposed to be male, but after about 20 years of growth on those slow growing trees, they found all of that odiferous fruit all over the sidewalks. Nope, not male after all. They fought it for a few years, trying to clean it up but weren't successful. Had to cut them down.Buy from a reputable nursery like Bachmanns or Gertens? I've never actually heard of any stinky tree other than those on the ISU campus. Man, if those would keep deer away I'd probably trade for a male tree right now.
Worst deer damage in all of the decades I've lived here. My yews are in bad shape as is the big bed of vinca groundcover I've spent years cultivating. I've never seen them touch this stuff before. My yews will recover in a few years if I can keep the deer off them for a couple of seasons, vinca will take a year or two also. My neighbors 8-10 yews will probably need to be removed. They are completely stripped bare, literally not a needle on them. Because of the years of growth lost I am vacillating back and forth between
Lots of complaints about impact of cottonwood seeds on air conditioner condensers and swimming pool skimmers. Anyone who had one was not popular with the neighborhood. Native tree so hard to avoid the completely.
In open areas they are elegant for their massiveness, hardiness, and resistance to prairie fires. I'll take bur oaks for the same reasons, but without the nuisance factor.
I feel your pain on deer damage.
Interesting. I'm only 1 summer in on the growing part, but I've had the exact opposite findings.
Someone previously mentioned they type of soil and environment you plant your tree in. My dad lives in the north part of Ames. Flat land, not swampy or wet. Originally my dad had planted a Pin Oak. It did well for several years but eventually died of chlorosis. After that I helped my dad plant a Red Oak and a Swamp White Oak near where the Pin Oak was (10 to 15 yards away). The Red Oak has become the dominant tree and the Swamp White Oak is doing well but is half the size of the Red Oak.
My dad also has a Sunburst Locust, Ginkgo, Sugar Maple and Amur Maple. As someone mentioned in the fall the Ginkgo drops its leafs in 24-48 hours. Until then it has a beautiful yellow color. Then its gone. The Sunburst Locust sends up sucker trees from its widespread roots but is not as bad as a Silver Maple. it does lose more branches than the other trees due to high winds. We also have to prune it the most of all the trees. The Sugar Maple may not be in the best spot. It only has full sun on the north side and that is where the majority of its leafs are. The Amur Maple is in a better spot. If I could switch the Sugar and Amur Maples around I would. I like the Sugar Maple color more than the Amur.
My dad also has a Sunburst Locust, Ginkgo, Sugar Maple and Amur Maple. As someone mentioned in the fall the Ginkgo drops its leafs in 24-48 hours. Until then it has a beautiful yellow color. Then its gone. The Sunburst Locust sends up sucker trees from its widespread roots but is not as bad as a Silver Maple. it does lose more branches than the other trees due to high winds. We also have to prune it the most of all the trees. The Sugar Maple may not be in the best spot. It only has full sun on the north side and that is where the majority of its leafs are. The Amur Maple is in a better spot. If I could switch the Sugar and Amur Maples around I would. I like the Sugar Maple color more than the Amur.
We have about two acers we are taking over, its pretty barren of trees. Someone is gifting us a Choke Cherry and a Shingle Oak, they are indigenous to the area and good for the wildlife, Ill give them a shot.
When we moved into our house last summer we planted a Northern Red Oak up front and a Swamp White Oak in the back.
I was mainly going for diversity (read: not maple), native, and something that attracts birds/wildlife/pollinators.
I was mainly going for diversity (read: not maple), native, and something that attracts birds/wildlife/pollinators.
I just got rid of two huge cottonwoods on my property. Although they were great looking trees, every time there's a little wind, you end up picking up branches. Had the bulldozer there anyway, so he dug them out and got rid of them. I'm not going to miss them very much. Will plant something a little less dirty.
