I was saddened to see I have at least four of this articles' listed tree types in my yard. I come wondering what is left; what are the good trees? https://standardnews.com/trees-that-ruin-yards
I don’t know mate, you can go overboard with condemnation can’t you. For clarity, I am talkIng about the author of that piece. Well, I knew about several of those, but there are degrees of potential negative impact. Of course, trees are not something that I have room for in my little garden; but still, it is good to have a general knowledge in your head. One tree not on that list was a Tilia, a smaller one is the Rhamnus frangula, a decorative one is the Tetradium danielli. You may realise that these trees are particularly attractive to bees but their late fall colours are lovely. Sorry I do not know much North American trees, but perhaps hickory and buckeye trees would be choices as well. I did not understand if you were looking to acquire some trees for your property or you posted the link to show how many trees were on a sort of blacklist.
I have 2 Magnolias. I wanted a Mimosa, next didnt get it. A lot of those trees are really pretty too.
I have red oak, birch, bradford pear, magnolia and maybe some others. I did not get to the end if the list because there was no constructive replacements mentioned and that always weirds me out.
Here Red Oak is a desired tree, Bradford Pear not so much, Magnolia gets really big. We take out every hackberry start that we find. Nasty trees that drop limbs, re-seeds all over. For replacements, try a local nursery that specializes in native plants. If they don't have the tree in stock, they can still give good advice on what to plant. I've always thought that if you like a tree, no matter the variety, it's a good tree.
We had golden rain trees but the big one broke and the little guy succumbed to shot hole borers. They were pretty but very soft and big, and a bit dirty. But really what plant does not drop over time?
All the trees listed below are on the bad tree list..and in my garden . Some have been excommunicated for obvious reasons,but I like some of the trees on the list And ….I just had to defend a few… I could add the weeping elm tree. (Ulmus glabra Camperdownii). It was not on the bad tree list. But can be a pain. Here’s why.They don’t make seeds or spread because they are grafted on maple tree stock. The biggest problem is the elm leaf beetle they eat the leaves and the trunks need to be wrapped with tree goo to keep the next generation of larvae from crawling up the trunk from over wintering in the soil , causing leaf curl, attacking the tree leaves and by bringing in other insects that eat the larvae. Or if ya don’t have animals a yearly application of a systemic around the base of the trunk will protect the trees. That is unless ya don’t mind a tree with the shot hole look in every leaf. Ugly… The same with my white paper birch trees, which I love. The bark sheds in the winter from the tree with attached moss and lichens makes a great decorative statement for Xmas wrap, on table tops as a runner or a picture application. Yet they get a bad wrap too. But the gypsy moth larvae attacks them and can become a really serious insect infestation. Every season in fall a systemic must be applied. My birch trees are well trimmed.Gypsy moth larvae can defoliate a forest in a short amount of time and are treated by the state . Then there are the darn #%* magnolias. I have 5 of the supposed small trees, was the selling point at the time. Oh yeah they are now 25 footers. Every year I gotta take them down to their skivies a real hard trim or they will quickly over run the whole area and a small green house. They are a huge mess in fall. But they shine like no other in the spring when barely nothing else is blooming, they are full of blooms with giant purple/pink heavenly blooms that fills the whole side of the garden. They also have a zero insect issue. So what’s a gardener to do? Then of course I can’t say enough about my beloved Mimosa trees, my fav trees. So light and airy and bright colorful feathery blooms. I have kept them under my thumb and trimmed and trained them for years . They have stayed in there place no crawling invasive roots. Rarely have I pulled up a couple lil tiny seedlings , they are considered a weed in my garden. The winters are to cold for the seeds to germinate in my zone, usually. And the hummers come from all over, they just flock to the blooms. However, Mimosa trees are considered aggressive in many other states and considered invasive under the right growing conditions in warmer climates. And oh the white pine trees are always a mess to clean. I use the power washer to untangle all the needles.They shed their needles every year. They are so stately looking,such style and swag. They add a lot of height to the garden and I love to collect their pine cones for Xmas deco. And the needles they shed helps keep the weeds down along the garden paths. I had a ‘Queen Ann’ Linden…OMG ‼️ It was happily chopped down. I swear it was the messiest tree on the face of the earth. Really Bad. The leaves fall all season, and flowers falling all season and the constant seeds. It would cause black mold on anything growing near it due to the aphids, the whole tree was covered in them. The only redeeming quality about it were the bees flocked to it. All summer you could hear the bees buzzin from several feet away from that tree. But the messy mess was a constant clean up. I’d rather let a two year old toddler loose in my makeup parlor than have another Linden tree. I also have a lovely male Ginkgo Biloba. It grows slowly and has absolutely no issues at all. It’s just a leaf oddity. The oldest tree on earth I read and the oldest species which dates back to the dinosaurs. I like to collect dry different tree leaves for the fall color from a small collection of under story trees. Ginkgo leafs turn a bright yellow in fall. Had a sweet gum tree it’s gone nothing good about it. That all. I have a lovely Dollar Eucalyptus tree. I enjoy making holiday wreaths from the eucalyptus leaf branches and bringing small eucalyptus branches inside for winter . They always smell great and dry out nicely. It has no insect issues and it’s yearly growth is off the wall. So thankful that every few years a ice storm will come along and take it out and I mean totally out except the trunk. The hauling off of the branches is a pain . One winter a large branch was frozen solid down to the driveway and I could not get my car out. So I torched the frozen ground and thawed the branch from the concrete to clear the driveway. Then imagine, by the end of the next summer it had grown back about 5’tall and as wide. It’s a self healing tree-(my definition). Another tree are the Aspens oooo-ooo that one is gone too. Did you know that Aspen trees are the largest organism on earth? Ya well now I know too, the hard way. That’s all for now, leaving the rest for another day. The end. .
There are one or two trees I would rather leave out here with just 4 acres, but in my book ALL trees are good trees with/without their idiosyncrasies and problems, a bit like insects and bugs. In the wild it all has it's place, and it is just a question of choice, and how much space there is. I'm particularly fond of my Liriodendrons, and grow Magnolia Stellata which stays quite small. Many years ago I grew a Leylandii hedge. These raise the look of horror on people's faces. I grew the hedge from cuttings, and kept it cut with hand shears for about 30 years - NO problem! There are always grateful birds nesting in there
Tetters a very well groomed hedge. 30 years trimming with hand shears is a long time and well worth all your efforts. Magnificent hedge.
That hedge looks so good it makes me ponder if those shears might help @Zigs hairdo? If he could be caught of course!
Dirtmechanic… Magnolia Stellata are the mags I talk about in the above description. They grow like weed here but the blooms in early spring light up the garden. They were billed as small trees now 25’-30’. They grow faster than I can trim them. They are almost as fast as my wisterias.
We have Magnolia Grandiflora, Southern Magnolia. Also known as the killer of all understory plants. Even ferns hate them. Mowing around it can launch the grenade weight seed cones at dogs, cats and squirrels. The leaves moonlight as dragon scales. They are evergreen however, and like you say they have attractive flowers and a nice dark green shine in the spring. We also have one tulip magnolia that blooms so early it forgets that it is nekked.
@Dirtmechanic ,I use posh scissors to cut Ziggy's hair. If he plays up, I have a selection of words and diagrams to choose from to stick on the back -it can take a bit longer, but can be worth it.
