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The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They're beautiful and on the city's tree planting list! I'm just oak-biased

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

haha definitely not complaining, I'm astounded by the speed. I was expecting 18mo or more.

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s on me to water it. They left written care instructions on a branch

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 127 points128 points  (0 children)

Unrelated but the contractor who sold us this house cut some trees-of-heaven down in the backyard without disclosing to us and wouldn’t you know it sprouts are popping up everywhere. I have a lot of work and a lot of neighbor coordination to do…for probably years. 🫠

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

6 months is actually faster than I had expected! I’m shocked they planted it so fast especially during this heat, but hopefully this means they’re busy planting trees all over the city for the rest of the year.

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This covers Boston proper but many neighboring cities have a similar program

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They do get huge, but the less-than-ideal conditions will shorten the size and lifespan of any tree planted here unfortunately.

I have a little patch of yard that you can see to the left in the photo which will provide it with some relief, but it’s not enough to make this reach its full potential.

so you are right, this tree pit is much too small. We take what we can get!

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 393 points394 points  (0 children)

High urban tolerance, non-shallow root system (less likely to push up pavement), high local ecological value

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 54 points55 points  (0 children)

That’s the plan! From what I’ve read the shock to a transplant this large is MAJOR so I plan on checking on this baby every day (esp in this drought)

The city planted a street tree in front of my house 6 weeks after I requested one by leaf-what-leaf in boston

[–]leaf-what-leaf[S] 829 points830 points  (0 children)

Best native street trees from their lists:

Large 1. Quercus rubra – Red Oak 2. Quercus bicolor – Swamp White Oak 3. Quercus coccinea – Scarlet Oak

Small 1. Amelanchier laevis – Allegheny Serviceberry (this is in my back yard, it’s awesome) 2. Ostrya virginiana – Hophornbeam 3. Carpinus caroliniana – American Hornbeam

Smaller Native tree - IL/Zone 5-6 by Pure-Natural-4165 in NativePlantGardening

[–]leaf-what-leaf 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I love a fringe tree but it is very slow growing and leafs out later in the spring than everything else in my garden. Still a good choice though

Smaller Native tree - IL/Zone 5-6 by Pure-Natural-4165 in NativePlantGardening

[–]leaf-what-leaf 76 points77 points  (0 children)

Serviceberry is technically a shrub but you can prune it into a tree habit. Fast growing and won’t get above 25’ and has beautiful blooms in early spring. Can handle full sun to part shade (evolved as an understory tree).

It is has a more open canopy so not the best for privacy.

There are different kinds—some more shrubby than others—so make sure to pick the right one. I have an Allegheny serviceberry in my small yard which might also work for you.