Tree help!

[thistlebloom]

If you like red foliage look into a "Red Fox" Katsura (cercidiphylum japonicum). It's a fairly new cultivar of Katsura that has red leaves. It's supposed to be hardy from zone 4-8. Nice fall color and fragrant when the leaves are turning. Some describe it as a brown sugar or muffin smell.
I put two in last fall, and the spring foliage is very nice.
Katsuras are grown as far south as GA. so it seems like it should be a possibility for you.

 

[patandchickens]

Much as I love katsuras, they do kind of need evenly-moist soil... you wouldn't want to put one where it will sometimes bake at the roots. And they are not the fastest growers, and not generally cheap or easy to find. But I bet a colored-leaved katsura would be gorgeous (only familiar with normal green leaved kind)

If you want all-summer red leaves, I hate to say this but what about a red-leaved Norway maple cultivar? They can take a fair bit of abuse, growing-conditions-wise.

If you want fall color and have reasonably-moist soil though, what about a sweet gum? Yeah, you gotta rake up the spiky balls once a year, but they are reasonably quick-growing and have BEAUTIFUL fall color IME.

You know what, it's not a good time of year for planting trees ANYhow, what if you wait until autumn and then drive around noticing who's got good-colored trees in their yards, then sneak up (or knock on door) and I.D. the beast then find a nursery who'll sell you one. Fall, when the leaves are dropping or have already dropped, is a GOOD time of year for putting in trees.

Heck, you could go to a good nursery (i.e. not walmart or home depot) and look at the trees they have for sale and pick one with good color right then and there

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh yeah, sweet gums are nice! We knew them as Liquidambers. I used to have a row down the driveway at our old place.
They colored up nicely in San Diego.

 

[hoodat]

Sweet gums are great in San Diego. Not many trees will show leaf color in the fall here. Most just turn brown and fall off.

 

[jennikatz]

Sorry guys... I'm so familiar with sweet gums they make me want to go insane... I spent WAY to many hours as a kid raking gum balls... And stepping on gum balls in bare feet as a kid... and having painful gum ball wars with my brother... haha! No gum balls for me. My dad eventually had a lot of them cut down after we were gone. He still has some, but now he has something called a cyclone rake that gets what he has up!

They make me cringe, kinda like when I see that someone has planted a sycamore tree. Hours and hours and hours of raking up that bark that shed! But, I will say, those little compact balls they drop were kinda cool... Like dandelions on steroids... Great if you dont' have allergies... There should really be a little smiley guy that sneezes!

Since it's too hot to plant anything right now, flood me with suggestions! I welcome it! And, by fall, I'll plant something AMAZING!

Look soon for a thread on gardenias...

 

[vfem]

Jenn, I am with you... no more sweet gums! We have plenty of them around the pond and the mower to always spewing those spiny balls all over the yard, and you can see them floating in the pond in the spring from what fell in the fall. Plus, I hate walking on them accidently.

Not that you should spend the money, but I love the Japanese Maples. I have one I was given as a gift as a 6" sapling in 2008. Its not the red leave kind, is the coral bark one with red branches in the winter. It is now 5' tall and loves a shady spot in the front yard. Some prefer shade, but there are 1 or 2 that can do well in full sun. Of course, 20'-25' is the norm size for most of those.

You could always try a smokebush, they get large and you can trim them to be tree like in appearance. How about a Purpleleaf ornamental Plum?!