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Summer 2020 Banter and random observations


Baroclinic Zone
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In all seriousness, I would not plant a tulip poplar there. Too close to the house. I am biased against them, but they drop tons of shit, grow rapidly, and sway a lot in the wind. It doesn't take 100 years for them to get to scary height. Could get above your roof in 15 years easily. Why not something smaller like a dogwood or something?

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7 minutes ago, tamarack said:

Many years ago (mid-50s) I attended summer camp in western Morris County, a YMCA place called Camp Morris.  Weather permitting, they held the Sunday service in a grove of tall (especially to 9-10 year-olds) tulip poplars.  Memories get fuzzy after 65 years, but those trees were probably 20-30" diameter with clean trunks up to 40-50 feet or more and who knows how tall - could not see the tops.  Like being within a bunch of huge columns.  Not many in the woods where we lived in northern Morris, mostly oaks, maples and black birch except for younger stands, which had a whole different suite of species.

Our cabin is near Sparta. My wife has a ton of family around Morris County. You have mentioned many familiar names. She has family in Denville, Long Valley, Parsippany and Dover. I was just there this past weekend Canoeing down the Delaware. 

IMG-20200725-155759.jpg

 

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7 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

In all seriousness, I would not plant a tulip poplar there. Too close to the house. I am biased against them, but they drop tons of shit, grow rapidly, and sway a lot in the wind. It doesn't take 100 years for them to get to scary height. Could get above your roof in 15 years easily. Why not something smaller like a dogwood or something?

I get the concern... but how big does a dogwood get? My house is directly in the sun... I’m basically looking to blunt the sun hitting the house directly... I’m open to all kinds of suggestions.... within reason as far as prices go.

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6 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

You could put a few nice flowering trees. I don't see the value in getting a big ass tree there given the neighborhood character. 

The small ones I already have there are flowering pears. They are all along the street and look nice but are kind of meh size and don’t offer much shade or coverage. 
 

I think a nice big tree would kind of stand out.

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Just now, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

The small ones I already have there are flowering pears. They are all along the street and look nice but are kind of meh size and don’t offer much shade or coverage. 
 

I think a nice big tree would kind of stand out.

I guess for me if I wanted shade, it would have to be something where I can get a benefit sooner rather than later. Since it takes 20-30yrs for a tree to get close to doing that...I think some dogwoods, crab apples..etc would look nice. You are rather open, so I understand wanting shade. 

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2 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

I get the concern... but how big does a dogwood get? My house is directly in the sun... I’m basically looking to blunt the sun hitting the house directly... I’m open to all kinds of suggestions.... within reason as far as prices go.

We have a dogwood we planted in front of our house 19 years ago.  It is around 25-30' tall and at its widest around 20' in diameter.  It might have gotten a bit bigger but it got damaged pretty badly in the 2008 Ice Storm

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5 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

I get the concern... but how big does a dogwood get? My house is directly in the sun... I’m basically looking to blunt the sun hitting the house directly... I’m open to all kinds of suggestions.... within reason as far as prices go.

I have a Kousa Dogwood.  I planted it on my SW corner of my house about 10-12 years ago.  It's about 12-15' high right now.  I'll send you a photo.

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9 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/hybridpoplar?variant=13940790624308
 

how about this? Doesn’t get as big as a tulip poplar and seems to have a more controlled canopy.

Our neightbor has a Tulip Tree they planted about 15 years ago.  It's gotta be 20'+ now.  I'll send you a shot of that as well.

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8 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/hybridpoplar?variant=13940790624308
 

how about this? Doesn’t get as big as a tulip poplar and seems to have a more controlled canopy.

I've read the hybrid ones have more invasive roots.

https://www.gurneys.com/product/tree-katsura

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Comments: Plant away from waterlines, sidewalks, etc. as roots are invasive. Soak roots for a couple of hours before planting. Incorporate generous amounts of peat moss, compost, or well-rotted manure into the soil. Prone to ice damage. Commonly lives 20 - 30 year

I mean pick any tree and it's going to have negatives. They all drop seed and leaves.

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When our neighborhood was developed the landscape contractor planted a Bradford Pear in every front yard.  Makes for a nice Spring appearance when the blooms come out. I have since put in a Himalayan Birch, 2 Sunset Maples, a Kousa Dogwood and most recently, a Plum, a couple years back.  Lack of rain has put a clear strain on the Birch.  It;'s lost quite a bit of leaves over the last couple weeks and a couple branches looks like they may have died off.  Hoping its the lack of rain and not something else.  The trees were not cheap.  They were 8-10' delivered from the nursery (Briggs).

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55 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/hybridpoplar?variant=13940790624308
 

how about this? Doesn’t get as big as a tulip poplar and seems to have a more controlled canopy.

The entire Populus genus, aspens, cottonwoods and poplars, have relatively weak wood and roots.  Some of the hybrid poplars grow incredibly fast but are short-lived.  Where I grew up a neighbor had 4 Lombardy poplars (narrow crown so not a good shade tree) that were about 10 feet tall when we moved there in 1950 and by 1970 they were 80 feet tall and dying.  When I was at U. Maine I once walked by the woodsmen team's practice site and saw "cookies" of some hybrid poplars that were 12-13" diameter with only 11 growth rings and some interior decay.  Incredible growth and already heading downhill at middle school age.

Kousa dogwoods are pretty but cannot come close IMO to the native flowering dogwood, which I don't think would be available due to its disease issue.  Of course, 21 years living on the appropriately named Dogwood Trail (NNJ) makes me biased.  The dogwoods there would get about 8" diameter and 30 feet tall but in nature they're mainly an understory tree and might not do as well in full sun.

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1 hour ago, Baroclinic Zone said:

When our neighborhood was developed the landscape contractor planted a Bradford Pear in every front yard.  Makes for a nice Spring appearance when the blooms come out. I have since put in a Himalayan Birch, 2 Sunset Maples, a Kousa Dogwood and most recently, a Plum, a couple years back.  Lack of rain has put a clear strain on the Birch.  It;'s lost quite a bit of leaves over the last couple weeks and a couple branches looks like they may have died off.  Hoping its the lack of rain and not something else.  The trees were not cheap.  They were 8-10' delivered from the nursery (Briggs).

Kill those bradford pears with fire. Those are very invasive...as bad as norway maples. 

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42 minutes ago, tamarack said:

The entire Populus genus, aspens, cottonwoods and poplars, have relatively weak wood and roots.  Some of the hybrid poplars grow incredibly fast but are short-lived.  Where I grew up a neighbor had 4 Lombardy poplars (narrow crown so not a good shade tree) that were about 10 feet tall when we moved there in 1950 and by 1970 they were 80 feet tall and dying.  When I was at U. Maine I once walked by the woodsmen team's practice site and saw "cookies" of some hybrid poplars that were 12-13" diameter with only 11 growth rings and some interior decay.  Incredible growth and already heading downhill at middle school age.

Kousa dogwoods are pretty but cannot come close IMO to the native flowering dogwood, which I don't think would be available due to its disease issue.  Of course, 21 years living on the appropriately named Dogwood Trail (NNJ) makes me biased.  The dogwoods there would get about 8" diameter and 30 feet tall but in nature they're mainly an understory tree and might not do as well in full sun.

I’ll take a peek at dogwoods. Thanks. This area would be full sun pretty much so I have to keep that in mind.

Id be open to something that maybe got 20-30 feet tall if it gave off some good shade.

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17 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

I’ll take a peek at dogwoods. Thanks. This area would be full sun pretty much so I have to keep that in mind.

Id be open to something that maybe got 20-30 feet tall if it gave off some good shade.

The Kousa should be fine in the sun; it's Cornus florida that prefers partial shade. 

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3 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

I get the concern... but how big does a dogwood get? My house is directly in the sun... I’m basically looking to blunt the sun hitting the house directly... I’m open to all kinds of suggestions.... within reason as far as prices go.

Maybe invest in a good set of window shades?  Direct sun in the summer is not ideal, but it’s nice in the winter. 

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28 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

That’s why everyone there is pale and wears earth tones.

I’m rocking one of the gnarliest farmers tans you’ll see... tons of outdoor time in the sun on the mountain, forearms and face are as dark as ever but then my wife needs to put sunglasses when we go swimming.  

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