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September 24, 2007
street tree question
hey all,
I am planning on creating a planted tree pit in front of my townhouse. South facing, very bright light. I'm leaning toward a Callery Pear or a Pin Oak. Further down the block are London plane trees, but I think it would be good to mix it up. Any experience with either species? And can anyone recommend a nursery in the region where I could get a relatively mature specimen, maybe 8-10 feet tall? Can trees that mature survive the transplant? Thanks!
Comments
Are you talking about a tree pit in the sidewalk or a space in front of your house? If it's the former, you request a tree from the Parks Dept. if I'm not mistaken.
I'm not sure which kind of tree to plant, but I would recommend Keil Bros. Nursery in Queens. They have a good selection, or will order what you want, AND if you pay them to plant it, they will guarantee it for a year, which is really worth doing.
One out of four of the trees I got from them didn't make it over the winter, and I got a replacement without any problem.
Posted by: tinarina at September 24, 2007 4:57 PM
Problem with the Parks Dept is that you have to wait, sometimes years for them to get around to it, so I'd say go for it.
This is the best time to plant a tree...fall.
As for species, I like Gingko for their color and hardiness, but Pear sounds great also.
I wish the Parks dept. would do a sweep of the neighborhoods to determine where there are missing trees. When walking around Park Slope there is at least one or two tree pits on every block that could use a tree.
Every tree helps.
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 5:03 PM
For a sidewalk tree pit you can buy your own tree or you can request a free one from the parks department. The parks dept will give you one of their choosing while you can choose from the list of approved street trees.
you should contact trees ny, http://www.treesny.com/ or 212 227-1887 and talk to them about the choices. They are chock full of advice!
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 5:04 PM
5.04 is correct. If you wish to plant your own, you'll need approval.
As to a callery pear or a pin oak...
Pin oaks can be a bit of a hassle with all of the acorns in the fall. It becomes messy and you have a ton of squirrels, which while cute enough, can be a problem with the rest of your garden, especially tasty flower bulbs.
I've heard callery pears, while lovely, are prone to weak limbs and sometimes break under snow and ice loads.
If you go with a ginko, go with a male version to avoid smelly fruits.
London Planes are not a good idea now as there is a mite that has blighted most of the city London Planes, as well as catepillar issues.
Maybe consider a maple or a linden. trees NY or the Brooklyn Botantical society can help too with good suggestions. Make sure you file the appropriate paperwork for sidewalk repair and tree pit installation etc.
Good luck!
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 5:44 PM
what is the process of getting trees planted along our whole street? We don't have any right now beyond those in people's gardens...
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 7:26 PM
Gawd, don't plant a maple. They're the worst trees.
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 7:44 PM
When we bought our house in the south slope we applied to get a tree through our community board. We faxed them a form and 3 months later, in the spring, we got our tree. I requested a callory pear and that's what they gave us. Its been 4 years and the tree is doing nicely. We removed the concrete blocks they put in as a border so the tree pit would be as large as possible, then planted ivy (then vinca when the ivy died) to keep the soil from getting too compacted. As far as the strength of the pear - my folks have had one in front of their house for 20 years so far...
Posted by: guest at September 24, 2007 8:46 PM
Posted by: kuroko at September 25, 2007 9:46 AM
Just to be clear, you need a permit to put the tree on the sidewalk in front of your house. If you're putting it on your stoop, you don't need one. (You'd probably want something smaller than a pin oak in that case.)
Posted by: carrie m at September 25, 2007 10:18 AM
what if you see others on your street with no tree...can you apply for the tree, or do you have to live immediately in front of said tree pit?
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 11:33 AM
Only the owner of the house directly facing the sidewalk can apply for a tree there. But you could help your neighbors apply for one, print out the forms, etc.
Posted by: guest at September 25, 2007 6:04 PM
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