In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

• Ask a question

« Those pesky food moths | In the Garden front page | Raised garden in winter »

December 4, 2007

Trees for tough places

Readers want to know.....

Q: we have about 10' on the west side of our home to the fence. Currently, there are 3 liquidambers that we are having removed because their roots are causing our neighbors' sidewalk to lift & they are very messy trees. What can we plant in their place that will grow tall, but not get the root system the liquid ambers have, provide shade for our home & privacy.
Cindy Ott, Gold River

A: My favorites include crape myrtle, smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria), as well as Sasanqua camellias. The crape myrtle and smoke tree are both deciduous, which means they will lose their leaves each fall. The camellia is actually considered a shrub, but many of them grow politely to 20 feet or more. Their growing habit is graceful and somewhat open, and theybloom in early to late fall.

Don Shor of Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, suggests Tilia cordata. He describes it as "a well-mannered tree with a pyramidal shape. " It grows about three feet a year, he says. "The Calleryana pears are less and less popular due to limb breakage, but the Capital variety has a strongly upright habit, nice fall color, and seems less problematic than other varieties. It grows about five feet a year with regular watering. The upright form of European hornbeam -- Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata' -- is another rather formal-looking upright grower. I think it's boring, but it fits the criteria. Along my own driveway I used Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the Dawn redwood. Fast (5'+ a year), narrow, lovely, but not common in the trade; you may have to look around or special order it. It provides a light shade.” Finally, Shor says, a great evergreen tree is the old stand-by Laurus nobilis, or bay tree. "It's tough, grows about three feet a year, and can be pruned to whatever height they desire.”

Send us your questions by clicking on the "Ask a Question" link below, and we'll get them answered quickly.

Photo - a crape myrtle in full bloom - by Owen Brewer, Sacramento Bee

Ask a question

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.