Tree rec needed, please

[mrsreynolds4]

My apologies for the repeat question, but I posted this before TN reset & the info is gone. Sorry about the mess in photo also - it was cleanup/planting time and just chaos this weekend.

I'm west of Denver, zone 5. I need a tree that will grow quickly to block out the neighbor as much as possible. Something sort-of like this shape, but bigger is good too. I want to put it at the back of the garden area (dirt plot in photo), close to the fence. The fence is on the north side of our lot, so it will be in full sun, through most or all of the afternoon.


It needs to be good in the wind (the wind knocked down more of the fence a bit before this photo).

I know quick growers don't last as long, but I'm honestly OK with that.

Also, to the right of the photo is an apple tree in the other neighbor's yard. Behind the fence (bad neighbor) is some sort of old pine. I have no clue what the tree hanging over my fence to the left of the photo is.

Here's a close up of that area if that helps.

[panicked]

I'm in Colo. Springs! Are you dead set on having a tree? I know lilacs grow VERY well here and they grow quickly.

[mrsreynolds4]

Jun 5, 2012 20:22:42 GMT -5 panicked said:

I'm in Colo. Springs! Are you dead set on having a tree? I know lilacs grow VERY well here and they grow quickly.

You can't see it, but another 30 feet to the left of the photo I have a giant lilac/juniper/? mess that needs to be ripped out. I also don't want to lose too much of my garden area, if possible.

[mrsreynolds4]

Some of the trees I've thought of - but would like to know your experience(s) with - are:

Empress Trees: 15 ft/yr
Mature Height: 40-50, Width: 30-40 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/EmpressTree.htm

Tulip Poplar: 6 ft/yr
Mature Height: 70 ft, Width: 30-40 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/TulipPoplar.htm

Autumn Purple Ash: 3-5ft/yr
Mature Height: 50-70 ft, Width: 30-50 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/AutumnBlaze.htm

American Sycamore: 6 ft/yr
Mature Height: 70 ft, Width: 50 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/AmericanSycamore.htm

[panicked]

I live on Ft Carson, so I have no experience with what trees work. Sorry! If you really want fast growth, I'd stick with hedges/shrubs. Our boxwood does superb here and grow like a weed.

[treedimensional]

quote author=mrsreynolds:
"Some of the trees I've thought of - but would like to know your experience(s) with - are:

Empress Trees: 15 ft/yr
Mature Height: 40-50, Width: 30-40 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/EmpressTree.htm

Tulip Poplar: 6 ft/yr
Mature Height: 70 ft, Width: 30-40 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/TulipPoplar.htm

Autumn Purple Ash: 3-5ft/yr
Mature Height: 50-70 ft, Width: 30-50 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/AutumnBlaze.htm

American Sycamore: 6 ft/yr
Mature Height: 70 ft, Width: 50 ft
www.fast-growing-trees.com/AmericanSycamore.htm

I'd plant Holly. Or a conifer, like Cryptomeria. Both are fast and disease/insect resistant, which cannot be said of the plants you listed.
The Empress Tree is a very weak-wooded, short lived weed. It is quite messy. Ash is doomed to death by emerald ash borer (new exotic insect that is wiping out millions upon millions of ash trees in the upper midwest & is headed your way). Sycamore, not sure how it does where you are, but here they are subject to anthracnose disease. Tulip poplar is a nice tree but they get a lot bigger than that- I'd say 120' x 60', easy. Not sure you have enough room for it.
So off the top of my head, I'd say Ilex opaca or a smaller Chinese hybrid holly, which would provide very fast growth, good disease & insect resistance, and be exeptionally drought tolerant.

[treedimensional]

I just noticed the link you provided for the Ash tree is not actually an Ash tree; it is a hybridized Maple that I would very strongly advise against.
And in looking at the website, two things really stand out:
1. Many of the trees are not fast growing at all (palms and gingko are both notoriously slow), and
2. some of these trees have so many liabilities they shouldn't be planted anywhere (pears, Maple hybrids, too many to list). This is a bad company.

[mrsreynolds4]

Tree - thanks for the input. I've never ordered from them - in frustration I did a google search on "fast growing trees" and that's what came up.

I'll look at the Holly varieties you mentioned, and the Cryptomeria. Thanks so much!

[dirtyred]

Treedimensional is (I believe) an arborist, so you should take her graciously given free advice very seriously.

[treedimensional]

Holly is just a great screening plant because of the fast growth and how tough it is. You can shear holly to within an inch of it's life and it won't die. I have removed 1/3 of the rootmass on hollies (native and Chinese hybrids) and they didn't die even when water was withheld. So you can definitely plant holly (double check the zone hardiness for your area, not all hollies are equally cold-hardy) and let it grow or shear it to control it's size.

[mrsreynolds4]

Jun 6, 2012 10:37:51 GMT -5 dirtyred said:

Treedimensional is (I believe) an arborist, so you should take her graciously given free advice very seriously.

Yep. =) She gave me great advice on our landscape revamp last year (I was GoldenJes then)

[NitaX]

Jun 6, 2012 10:37:51 GMT -5 dirtyred said:

Treedimensional is (I believe) an arborist, so you should take her graciously given free advice very seriously.

Ditto all of this. She gives the best advice, and we're lucky to have her around this board.

[treedimensional]

You guys are really sweet. But my opinions are just that- opinions. Put 10 well-educated Arborists in a room and ask 1 question, you will get 10 vastly different opinions. And all of them are valid! There are many unknowns. And test results in Florida may not apply in Michigan. Arboriculture is still such a new science.

[simpsongal]

I was going to recommend holly. Stay away from poplars - they grow fast but are not hardy (break in wind).

On the other hand - that space is really not that big. Consider plant a pretty tree like a redwood. It'll fan out in 2-3 years and you'll have your privacy plus something pretty to look at.

[lavender444]

I live in Denver too. We have planted 2 ash trees. An Autumn Purple ash and a Green ash. Both have been very fast growers. The Autumn purple expecially. We bought it as a tiny 3 gallon end of year sale from Home Depot about 4 years ago. We almost killed it numerous times but it overcame our black thumbs and it is already 20 some feet tall.

[froggy]

I would stay away from ash trees. Colorado has a problem with ash boring beetles. A lot of ash trees died here in Boulder county this year. Maples you have to be careful of as well as the most common kinds of maples sold here do not fare well in Colorado. Iron Chlorosis is a major problem for maples in Colorado. We have lots of iron in the soil but the high alkalinity makes most of the iron insoluble. You have to have your maples treated yearly or rework your soil every year.

If you're looking for an evergreen I would buy a nice blue spruce. You can buy larger ones on Craigslist for $600. If you're looking to go cheap and just want a nice copse of trees, you can't go wrong with Aspens. You can buy them for around $14 at Home Depot for 4 foot trees and then around $24 for larger trees. Plant several of them in close proximity like you would find in the mountains. They grow fast for me and make a really nice screen with minimal water usage. If you decide someday to landscape your backyard you can go with a more naturalized xeric look the Aspens will work great with that.

[treedimensional]

www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1701.html

[froggy]

Jun 15, 2012 14:22:15 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1701.html

That advice for Aspens is like the warning on Ibuprofen bottles about what terrible fates could befall you if you're extremely unlucky. There are some people in Colorado who swear you can't grow Aspens in anything below the foothills yet you drive around neighborhoods like my m-i-laws that was built in 1957 and you'll find the most amazingly large Aspens everywhere. Xeric gardening is extremely popular in Colorado and Aspen trees are used throughout.

CSU is awesome and I would take their advice any day of the week. We had the extension come out when we had problems with our non native lawn. They recommend growing native plants and trees over anything else.

I will also add that holly is not a good choice for Colorado either because of our alkaline soil. There are some hollies like grape holly that grows here. You're going to have a tough time finding the right holly though unless you shop at a native garden center. Places like Home Depot and O'Tooles will sell you anything and say it works here. Stick with native trees and plants and you will do well.

[treedimensional]

I agree that native plants are good. I disagree that Aspen is the best available choice among the native trees. You CAN go wrong with Aspen, and people should be aware of potential liabilities before making the choice. The ibuprofen analogy doesn't work, because you don't have to be 'extremely unlucky' to have problems with Aspen. The problems are common and numerous.

[mrsreynolds4]

I'm not an expert, but I'd guess that the aspens in my neighborhood are really old. From what I've been told, when this area was built up in the 70s, 3 things were commonly added for landscaping - cottonwood, junipers, and aspen.

The cottonwoods are either dead or mostly dying. I've been told most were a fast-growing variety with about a 30 year lifespan. I was thankful we didn't have any when we bought this house.

Most of the houses have ripped out the juniper. Those that haven't have either trimmed them like large bonzai trees or most just look awful.

In my area, there are still a lot of aspens. On the old board I had discussed getting some, and I know they would grow well, but they'll also grow like a weed, and I don't want to deal with that.

I checked the local nurseries and holly isn't sold here as a tree. I'm concerned about putting a tree in the vegetable garden, and how I'd work around it and a large root system. After talking to someone at the local nursery, I'm debating a lilac, and just keeping it trimmed.

Thankfully, annoying neighbor seems to be working a different shift lately.

[treedimensional]

If there are already a lot of aspens in the neighborhood, DON'T ADD MORE.
Think DIVERSITY. If you like Lilac, get one. They certainly get big enough to meet your screening needs.