The Cercis Problem Becomes The Crepe Myrtle Problem

I bought two multi-stem Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia) trees.
Photobucket
I want to replace the four remaining Cercis occidentalis trees out front with two Lagerstroemias.  The Cercis reseed like crazy, and large branches have been inexplicably dying.  But mostly they reseed like crazy, and the seedlings have horrible long taproots that are a bear to pull out.  I've whined about this before.  I removed the two Cercis on the house side of the low wall.  There were surface roots everywhere, and two large branches on each tree had died, leaving odd shapes.  And the remaining branches hung down and hit people (me) in the face trying to walk in the area.  I cut the offenders down myself and chopped them into little pieces and put them in the garbage.  It made me happy.  Two down, four to go. 
From this angle, the Cercis don't look too bad.  
Photobucket
From this angle, the Cercis provide lovely dappled shade and privacy screening for the chair where I sit, look through the mail, and wait for Cuddles to wander the space a little.  I used to spend a lot of time out there with Hoover.
Photobucket
You would think they are fine, (reseeding aside) except...
Photobucket
...from this angle.   To me it looks like a beautiful lady wearing a very large bandage over her nose and mouth.  When the Cercis are leafless in winter, they (and the house) look great! 
Photobucket 
Should we care about how the house looks from across the street?  Does it matter? 
Photobucket
I think back to this beautiful courtyard of a neighbor's house.  Though It is a different style of garden than mine, his home's front entry area, like mine, faces south.  He has created a dense screen for the whole front, hiding his house from the neighbor and creating a wonderful private area.  On the outside, all you see is some foliage; no house.  Do you need to care about curb appeal when you walk in to this?
Photobucket
It's a design problem beyond my ability.  But, I gotta get rid of those friggin reseeding Cercis no matter what.  Hence the two Lagerstoemias.  The only thing I can think to do is get rid of the Cercis (losing all shade out front for the summer, but that's the way it has to be) and put the Lagerstroemias here and there and see how they will look.  If I need more trees, I'll get them.  It's times like this I am desperate for design talent, and find it lacking.   Note:  you may have a Cercis canadensis, and find it wonderful, and it probably is.  Cercis occidentalis is a different animal.  Just so that is clear.  They start losing their foliage right after they finish growing it.  And they reseed like crazy.  Check back to see what happens and how I resolve this, or not. 


Comments

  1. It does matter how the house looks like from across the street, more so from the owner's point of view rather than anyone else in reality. Both yours and your neighbours looks good, different styles but both lovely. I can understand why you want to replace the Cercis. It'll be a big task but worth it in the end :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Going off topic here but I must say how much I enjoyed seeing the wide shots of your house/garden (yes even though much of the house was hidden). If you've shared such pics before I don't remember seeing them. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Agreeing with Danger, that the views showing the overall look and relationship to house, walls, street, etc is so helpful. It shows just what a great garden you are creating for the white-furred folks!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Always interested in your thoughts.

Any comments containing a link to a commercial site with the intent to promote that site will be deleted. Thank you for your understanding on this matter.