Hi guys! A friend is looking for a fast(er) growing tree that has pretty flowers and the tree itself is relatively disease free/lower maintenance (low disease fruit is a plus but not necessary). He’s looking for pink flowers if possible, or just not white I think.
The main function is to provide privacy along a fence line with the next door neighbor who built their deck above the height of his privacy fence, anything extra is a bonus.
I personally was thinking some peach trees might fit the bill with fast growth and showy pink flowers. Any ideas?
If fast growing is a priority and fruit not, how about Rose of Sharon? I has the advantage of blooming late summer when not much else is happening.
If you can tolerate a medium growth rate but prefer fruit, my out-of-the-box suggestion is a red-fleshed apple, such as Redfield. The flowers are a very showy pink. The fruit, which I have not yet tasted, is reportedly suitable for cider. I mention it because I am in the process of rejuvenating an old, fruitless, ornamental crab by top-working it to Redfield.
Peaches need to be pruned to a very open shape and might not provide much privacy. Plus most varieties are susceptible to leaf curl, which is unsightly.
For a non-fruiting option we’ve been talking pink dogwoods, redbuds, and magnolias of which my preference is redbud because they are native and can be trained to have very dense leaves for privacy (I have one trained as such to block the neighbors house). Rose of Sharon is another great one to add to the non-fruit list, thank you!
Will you friend spray the tree? If not and your friend lives in PA, you can forget about a peach tree. No peach tree in the east is diseased resistant without spray.
I could not think of a fruit tree that fit your friend’s criteria. I would go for a pawpaw or a persimmon. Pawpaw has very unique looking flowers and beautiful tropical-looking leaves.
Persimmon has beautiful orange fruit in the fall. It will be stunning to see those “little pumpkins” on the tree after leaves fall.
I have personally avoided peach trees for the necessary spray needed as well as cherries for similar reasons. I haven’t asked if “no maintenance” is a requirement, I will now.
I think an NC-1 (known for landscaping quality foliage) or edit Rappahannock (more unique upright foliage) would make a great option for pawpaws.
JT-02 would appear be a great option for persimmons (more compact growth habit and cold hard hybrid)
I greatly appreciate the input mamuang, I wasn’t sure if there was a “unicorn” peach out there that fit the bill. I was honestly leaning towards suggesting Contender due to the showy flowers/higher disease resistance in general, but I don’t know enough about them personally so that’s why I didn’t mention it in the original post.
Those who tell you peach trees are low maintain are those who grow them fewer than 5 years or spray consistently. No unicorn peach trees in the east. Otherwise, I would have had them in my stable
I think your friend really should get ornamental trees or shrubs. Fruit trees in general require more care than your friend wants to provide. That’s probably the best choice.
But if he still wants fruit cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry) and serviceberries might work. Cornus mas get yellow flowers early in the Spring and produces fruit but it is slow growing. Serviceberries have fruit as well and white flowers. Both of these are used as landscaping plants. Both are offered in landscape cultivars and cultivars that are grown primarily for their fruit.
All great choices. The foliage on pink dogwood seems a bit sparse for privacy and at least in my area it is disease-prone. Evergreen Southern Magnolia is a great choice for privacy but the large blossoms are white not pink. Cold tolerance is an issue – it just makes it here in Z6B. Redbuds and other mangolias obviously are deciduous.
I’d second @YumYumTrees’ suggestion of PrairieFire crab, though I’ve had faster, denser growth with the similar Royal Raindrops. Fruit on both is so small that it’s inconsequential.
Niedzwetzkyna apples on B-118 rootstocks come to mind. (If you could find them.)
Pyramidal shape like a pear, lovely blooms, fruit useful for jelly, cider.
Planted about 10 feet apart…as good for the purpose as Cleveland Select pear that is commonly used in such situations. Or evergreen arborvitaes.
If privacy is the goal, then deciduous is probably not a great choice (unless he wants privacy only part of the year). Maybe if the trees are really twiggy then that’s enough of a screen in the dormant season. Otherwise, maybe evergreens as the main screen, and then possibly some additional flowering shrubs if there is still some light left.
My two Redbud trees died of verticillium wilt. My Rose of Sharon grows fast and pretty.
My neighbor’s Prairie Fire has gotten cedar apple rust.
If your friend is considering flowering tree, my vote goes to Kousa Dogwood. Carefree, beautiful star shaped flowers in the summer ( where not many flowering trees are blooming).
Some varieties have tastier fruit than others.
Some fruit are larger than others, too.
There are pink Kousa Dogwood but their color is not as pretty as pink Dogwood (regular Florida Dogwood).
I still think Pawpaw or Persimmon is a great choice esp. if your friend like to eat the fruit.
Well, I am not going to recommend any fruit trees along the fence. To meet fast growing, low maintenance requirements, I recommend this bush. I don’t know the name(someone here may be able to id it) but it grows between me and my neighbor, providing privacy of both yards. It can grow at least 8 feet tall but can be maintained at any heights. It has pink flowers
Thanks for the suggestion Annie. That is a honeysuckle which I believe is invasive in PA. They do fulfill all the requirements except for fruit, and they do have pretty /nicely scented blooms. There is one native red blooming honeysuckle vine in PA but I’m not sure that it would work. Many native insects do utilize it from my understanding. There was actually just an npr story I listened to about the above yesterday on the way to pick up more coco coir for my gardening.
I wouldn’t come on here recommending a invasive that’s great for bees hummingbirds and butterflies like suggesting he plant a empress tree with great smelling summer purple blossoms that can grow 20’ a year.
