Serviceberries and dogwoods are lovely but tend toward a more open, airy growth habit, so not as much of a screening effect.
I kind of think the disease concerns with dogwood and redbud are somewhat overstated. They can definitely have problems, but I see well-established trees growing all over the place where we are, so clearly they can do fine, given an appropriate site.
There are many pink-flowering magnolias that are hardy enough for where we are at the 5a/6b border (and even beyond).
There are also pink-flowering cherries that could be an option. A weeping variety might have more of a screening effect.
One of the bigger viburnums might work - like nannyberry (Viburnum lentago). Low maintenance, pretty dense growth habit, attractive blossoms and fall color, edible fruit.
Fringetree (Chionanthus virgicus) is an attractive small native tree with distinctive late spring blossoms (white), attractive fall foliage (yellow) and a dense, rounded, growth habit. The foliage is reminiscent of a pawpaw, big, kind of tropical-looking leaves. (It does leaf out relatively late.)
But wouldn’t a cross with Niedzwetzkyna parentage be preferable because it might be more palatable? That’s the attraction of Redfield. I think Otterson (which I recently got from Fedco) is similar. They may be too sharp for eating out of hand but can make a cider or contribute to a cider blend.
Here are a few ideas. What about a row of apple or pears grown as upright cordons? Maybe a quince? California lilac? Grapes grown as standards? Fruiting or non fruiting olives? Figs? Persimmons? Tart cherry like montmorency?
Hey its not a willow but it is a tree that can sequester 90 metric tons per acre of carbon in its first year of growing and its seed was used as the original packing peanuts.
Well i would not plant it that close to a foundation although people do and pollard or coppice it.
What about one of the fancy skinny tall thujas like this. If he is into pruning he can do things like this with lots of the landscaping trees or large hedges
Actually, I have all three…but Otterson is grafted to a full sized rootstock, so I don’t have enough info except that put out by U of Michigan. Just don’t know if it looks lovely in a landscape situation.
Redfield is indeed a nice one. (I have apples on Redfield for first time…pollinated probably by Niedzwetzkyana, it’s daddy, that blooms a day or so later.
But, on a simi-standard root, Niedzwetzkyana is fast growing, sturdy, and has a pyramidal shape at 8 to 10 feet across and 18+ feet tall in a few years. (Pear tree shaped)
There’s a trade off, better fruit, or a upright tree that blocks the view and doesn’t spread so wide…all three should give the pink/red blossoms.
(This not my photo, probably M-9 root, causing wider crotch angles, or a G root.)
I did. I grafted it to my nectarine tree. I sprayed the whole tree so I am not sure how disease resistant it was. It has thick fuzz. That could help protect against bugs.
Several people here like it. @scottfsmith lives closer to you. He probably could tell you how disease resistant it is. I found it was too tart for me. After two years of the same taste plus tough skin, I did not care for it.
Umhum…but the original post requested screening, non-white blooms, disease resistance and fruiting a nice bonus. Nothing mentioned about ’ fragrance desired '.
(Maybe that is important to you or I, but not to this person.?)
Fair enough. My recommendation of fragrant viburnum didn’t check many of the boxes. I just want more smelly viburnums for myself. I projected my desires onto the OP’er.
I’m sure if all the boxes could be checked, and fragrance a bonus, that’d be super!
There are some fragrant apples…I don’t recall much ‘smells’ from the ones discussed above.
And there are some very fragrant viburnums…but the ones that bear edible fruits are not
the same ones that are fragrant I don’t believe.
I have black boy from rain tree. I found the fruits were very tasty with a strong flavor of raspberry. It’s a little sour but very balanced, indeed a high quality peach. The tree was relatively disease free last year (no PLC and brown rot without spraying), and the PC damage was minimal compared to my other Saturn and Sweet Bagel trees. Overall I highly recommend this tree to any grower in Northeast and mid-Atlantic region.
The Indian Free and Black Boy could be two very different peach trees wrt disease resistance.
To answer the question of the 1st post, Corinthian Flowering Peach Tree may be a good idea. I have two white ones, with very showy flowers in spring. They now have a “rose” one, it looks even prettier than the white one. The peach from the tree is small but edible, with unique flavors. The tree is very disease resistant.
I had Black Boy, too. So similar to Indian Free in look and in taste. My Black bBoy had bitter after taste. I had a pic comparing them somewhere in the forum.
Please wait 4-5 years before you declare your peaches are disease resistant if you live in the east coast.
I do not want to hijack @disc4tw ’s thread about what he is looking for. If you want to talk peaches, please look up peach threads. There are tons. We can talk there.
I saw some responses here that may not have taken Ryan’s friend’s zone and location into consideration. I assume Ryan’s friend also lives near him in zone 6a PA.
